A card in the left position indicates what has happened to affect your question in the past.

Meaning: Employment, commissioning of new projects, maturation of business, and the utilization of your skills and knowledge are being focused on. But know that when you do something, the whole universe is doing it. We do not exist in a vacuum. The presence of this card concerns itself with past study and commitment, and therefore its future consequences and results. Without devotion and dedication to your craft, the work may well fail or never amount to anything other than a whimsical dream. You may be exceptionally good at what you do, but what are your motives for doing it? If the trajectory of your focus is on end results only, you will struggle. The journey itself is equally important.

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A card in the middle position indicates what is affecting your question at this time.

Meaning: The trick here is to figure out which element of the card represents the querent, the issue, or the other element that may be working against the querent or the question. This is not as easy as it may initially seem. If this card is representative of the querent, the implication is that their actions have wrongfully taken something from someone else and they have caused great pain and turmoil and must take responsibility for their actions. There are times when we all secretly want to hurt another person; the thoughts alone, if left unchecked, can create a toxic mental environment. If this card suggests the environment surrounding the question, it is as simple as something or someone is out to get you and will not be satisfied until you are in sufferance.

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A card in the right position indicates your questions future.

Meaning: We cannot candy-coat this card: there is heartbreak here, either caused by sudden loss, death, separation, or loss of status or security. The mind can make no sense of it, and often this card can herald a period of deep depression and anxiety, where the querent or an individual involved in the question is in the grip of great mental and emotional sufferance. Look closely at any Cauldron cards that may frame this card in a reading to gauge the nature of the issue. Alas, there is no way out, no pill one can take to make it all go away. The message of the Three of Swords is that you must endure and that in hindsight the meaning of this life event will make sense or find a home within you and transform you. If there has been a bereavement, you must weather the stop; the old truth comes back again to haunt us—the price of love is the pain of loss.

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