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

Meaning: There is no shame in taking time out. The gods know that you have had quite enough on your plate, and maybe a well-earned rest is just what mind, body, and spirit require. Do not be fooled by the assumed superficiality of this card, for celebration and feasting are truly good for the spirit: they reaffirm our social groups and communities, they give us space to share a common language and cause. They allow us the opportunity to stop being so bloody serious all the time, let your hair down, and just enjoy yourself. If you think you need a holiday, the chances are you do. So book that cottage in the mountains, go on that cruise, and just immerse yourself in simply having a good time.

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

Meaning: You can be sure that if this card is an indication of a person pertinent to the question, then that individual is reassuringly honest. There is no deception in the King of Wands. The situation is what it is, and he will speak his mind, even if that does upset the apple cart! When the king appears in a reading, it does refer to a strong personality type, a dark individual and usually one who is married. The king is one who is able to see the potential in a situation even if others cannot, but this can lead that individual to be less patient of others. The king is unlikely to take any prisoners. This is a dynamic individual who is warm but can also veer on the edge of appearing intimidating.

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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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