Three of Pentacles

Keywords & Phrases:
Skill. Cooperation. Planning. Professional growth. Material gain.  Proving yourself. A competent strategy. Being aware of your potential. Getting together with others. Team spirit. Recognition of skill. Being obsessed with detail. Too dependent on others' opinions. A job well done. Beneficial use of talents. Early stages of accomplishment. First rewards. Employment. Work involving status. Superior ability. Professional growth. Competence. Craftsmanship. High standards. Expertise. Doing a job the right way. Success through skill. Diligence. Attention to detail. Progress. New learning. Working with others. Creative skills and abilities. Practicality. Teamwork. Building. Renovation. Making a presentation. Evaluation and criticism.

Summary:
On the surface, this card seems to signify great success that comes with planning and teamwork. What would we do without the confidence of others? How could we create a masterpiece if it weren't for careful planning and competent colleagues or friends for support? The positive side of this particular 'coin' - or pentacle - is that if you combine your efforts with others, success will be assured. Good organization and following the instructions to the letter will prove to be the best way forward. It is your skill, competence, and professional growth that is in focus.

However, this card can also indicate that it is up to you to be engaged in a project or process that you are totally passionate about, where there is no ambiguity or ambivalence, and where you can do your own thing without becoming a mere spoke in the wheel. The latter won't be enough to satisfy you.

As a journeyman or master builder, you've reached the end of your educational or developmental phase. You've passed the necessary tests and have earned your degree, license, or title. While the Eight of Pentacles typifies the apprentice, the three symbolizes someone who is a virtuoso in his or her field. Your expertise in the area for which you are qualified garners monetary rewards and public recognition.

You're entering into new realms of experience in your chosen career. This is a step up, not a change of course. It's what you have been working toward. When you're called upon to present evidence of your craftsmanship, skill, and knowledge, you respond brilliantly and are recognized publicly. You use your skills and abilities to create something beautiful and enduring.

The Three of Pentacles is a card of development occurring on the physical plane. The situation could involve your money, job, education, physical health, a house, or a project that will produce tangible results. You will be rewarded for doing a competent job and making use of your skills, knowledge, and talents. You are off to a good start and could become recognized as an expert in your field. You desire status, recognition, or approval from others, and you feel a sense of accomplishment for a job well done.

Strive to work with grace and creativity, and with a sense that everything you do is important.

We are the Esperides, the Greek nymphs of the sunset. Our enchanted abode is the garden of the goddesses that we cultivate and protect as if it were our child.

A meeting of minds, an entwining of hearts, well-matched skills. Three elements. When they come together, a special magic occurs and great things result.

Questions:
How do you work with others? What are you working on? What is your goal? What skills are you using? Are you willing to persevere? How are you taking or expressing criticism of the work being done?

Three of Wands

Keywords & Phrases:
Foresight. Expansion. Exploration. Contemplation. Seeking new adventure. Seeking how best to act. Knowing what is going to happen next. Having an open perspective. Starting on a new journey. Awareness of your intentions. Knowledge as power. Initiative. Doing one's part. Birth of an enterprise. Cooperation. Brisk business. A new project. Initial success. Favorable early returns. Help in putting plans into action. Sharing creative energies. Exchanging ideas. Setting goals for the future. Opportunities. New ideas. Visionary. Established strength. Synthesis of ideas. Planning. Getting the big picture. Creative overview. Direction. Looking for greater possibilities. Planning ahead. Taking the long few.

Summary:
A highly creative card, the Three of Wands indicates that it is time to explore future possibilities with foresight and a sense of adventure. It is timely to reflect on what you know to be right for you and what is available. This is not a card about taking a risk; rather, like any real explorer, you set off with provisions, a map, plans, and knowledge of the territory. Is it going to be a barren landscape or is there something calling you on?

You're poised on the threshold of success and your past efforts are starting to pay off. You've reached an important milestone; you are on solid ground and have developed a new confidence concerning your long-term plans. You possess the power to bring about your heart's desire.

Everyone needs to know how to do their part. If only one part of a job is missing, then the work cannot be completed. Once we have worked hard and done all that is necessary, we can rest and wait, observing the rewards. This moment should be relished, without being anxious about things that are already beyond our control.

This card indicates both foresight and patience, leading the way into new ventures, and exploring the unknown for new possibilities. It deals with expanding our horizons and foreseeing positive results for our efforts and investments. It also may indicate waiting for our ship to come in. Being a Three and a Wand card, it may mean using passion and inspiration to create something new. Have patience and focus your attention and efforts on the long haul. You have laid the groundwork, and now is the time to nurture your endeavor as you wait for results.

You have completed the first stage of a project, but there is more to do. You can count on teamwork and cooperation. You feel a sense of both accomplishment and challenge as you prepare to enter the next phase of your enterprise. Opportunities abound, and a new job is possible. Take the opportunity to cooperate with others if you wish to lay the groundwork for future development.

In readings, the Three of Wands can tell you to take the long view. Don't react to the heat of the moment, but step back and reconsider. See how the present fits into the greater picture. This card asks you to be a visionary - to dream beyond current limitations. It can indicate premonitions or other intuitions about what is to come.

All hope feeds the dawn, the promise of a fresh new day. As each new challenge slows our chase of the sun, we can pause, reflect on how far we've come, and move on feeling renewed.

At times it is useful to view the things of this world through the eyes of a child at play. The secret truths are sometimes right before us, and we are unable to see them.

We are the Horae - Eunomia, Dike, and Irene, discipline, justice and peace. The power of the seasons that we control has been celebrated since the earliest of times. Now the power is in your hands.

Questions:
Where do your ambitions lie? Where are you putting your attentions? What and whom are you drawing to yourself through your vitality, power, and energy? What are you envisioning for the future? What and with whom do you have to coordinate to achieve your plan?

Three of Swords

Keywords & Phrases:
Necessary cutting. Wounding. Disbelief. Rejection. Getting to the heart of the matter. Triumph of logic over emotions. Feeling hurt. Discovering a painful truth. Feeling let down. Fear of loss. Reality check. Pain. Alienation. Separation. Creative heartbreak. Disharmony. Heart and mind at odds. Painful miscommunication. Truth hurts. Harsh words. Heartache. A bleeding heart. Quarrels. Conflict. Upheaval. Neurotic behavior. Stress. Tension. Pierced to the quick.

Summary:
The Three of Swords has a variety of meanings, and like any double-edged sword, you must try to apply the interpretation to your current situation with complete emotional honesty. The positive side of this card is that with a clear head, an open mind and acceptance of your feelings you can get to the heart of any situation and sort it out.

Commonly, this card tends to be biased toward its more "negative" interpretations. When we feel let down in love, betrayed and emotionally hurt, our world suddenly seems unjust and we are heartbroken or fearful of losing someone. All these experiences have something in common, and that is that we suffer alone, thinking that we are the only one to feel these feelings, and we believe no one has ever felt what we feel. Good old logic and reason seem to be the last things that would save us. But, if you examine your feelings with care, talk to others, and realize that your pain is someone else's pain, it can lead to a better understanding of yourself and others.

Letting go of what no longer serves your best interests is sometimes the only way to end your pain. You probably feel that all is lost, but remember the adage: "This too shall pass". Then the real healing will begin. Acknowledge your pain, examine it, and work through it. Then let it go and move on.

The Three of words is often interpreted as sorrow or heartbreak. However, this card is in the suit of Swords, which traditionally deals with thought and communications, so there are more layers of meaning to it that should be examined as well. This card can indicate coming to understand our pain and suffering, or expressing our grief in order to be healed.

In readings, the Three of Swords often represents the nasty little curve balls that life can throw sometimes. Betrayal, abandonment, rejection, separation, a reversal of fortune. These wounds are painful because they hit  you when you least expect them. If you have drawn this card, you may know what it refers to, but if not, the Three of Swords is a valuable warning. It is likely that there is something amiss in your life that you are unaware of or unwilling to acknowledge. Examine your situation carefully. Don't take anything for granted. Talk to the people in your life. Listen to your inner voice, it will help you locate the problem.

We are Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld, fate, necessity, and existence. Bare your soul to us. We are the past, present, and future. We are the Norns, powerful Scandinavian goddesses.

When others lose faith in us, we are most vulnerable to attack from within ourselves.

There it is, right there. X marks the spot. Your heart is cut, broken, bleeding. Such exquisite pain. But wait! Whose hand is holding the dagger?

Questions:
In what ways are you suffering? Feeling jealous? Hurt? Has someone hurt your feelings? What are you feeling sorrowful about? Can you look at your relationships with truth and honesty? What do you fear most within your relationships? What do I need to finish so that I can move on? Can I accept reality and focus on solutions?