I’ve written interpretations for every card in the Wild Unknown Tarot. As the box of the deck states, there are no rights or wrongs. These are simply my perspectives on the tarot card meanings. I hope you find them useful!
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Carrie’s keywords: exploration, surveying
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Three of Wands Tarot Card Meanings in the Wild Unknown
Three wands are bound together, forming an inverted triangle. As you gaze into the center, you see a rainbow swirl. Is this a vortex? Another dimension? The future? Or something else entirely? That is for you to find out.
Branches jut out from the wands, they stand in contrast to the perfectly pruned wands we saw in the previous card. There is a juxtaposition in this card of structure and liberation: the wands come together to form a cohesive shape, yet the wands themselves are rugged, not perfectly manicured. These wands are free-spirited, yet also collected.
The background is filled with horizontal black lines, indicating a stable energy. This lack of flashiness draws your full attention to the wands, and above all else, to the colorful vision at the center. The swirling rainbow beckons you to leave behind the drab, colorless surroundings and explore all the magic life has to offer!
You are a visionary if you let yourself be one. You can look beyond obstacles. You can see beyond the mundane world. Endless terrain is out there for you to explore, if only you choose to say YES. The Three of Wands offers you a chance to survey the landscape around you. You need not rely on someone else’s map – you are exploring the wilderness for yourself, charting it according to your experience, your interpretation.
Your future is a blank canvas – and all the colors of the rainbow are available for you to create your experience going forward. There is no guarantee of exactly what you’ll find as you continue your explorations. Magic and wonder abound, yes – but illusions and setbacks are part of the journey, as well.
Some structure is useful, so give yourself a moment to survey your inner and outer landscape. The Three of Wands is about trusting your gut, but it’s also about surveying the energies around you. It is about action, yes – but it is about the kind of action that is born of intention, not impulse. The paradox here is you can only do so much planning and intention setting – eventually, you’ve just got to venture on and see where this portal takes you.
Three of Wands Tarot Card Meanings in General
For The Spacious Tarot you find yourself on a path lit by wands. Some initial momentum is behind you, but there’s still a joujrney to unfold.
In the Waite-Smith tarot, this card shows a human figure looking out at a vast terrain. He is eager to explore, but allows himself a moment to pause and assess the situation. The figure on this card is not a rogue adventurer looking for a thrill. He is someone who is deeply curious about the world. He is a leader whose explorations and observations can benefit the greater good.
As such, this card can ask you to engage deeply with your life experiences. Be curious about yourself, be curious about the world around you. Do not assume you understand anything. Let yourself look even at mundane realities with fresh eyes, for there are treasures everywhere that can only be perceived by those who are energetically open.
In a reading…
Sometimes this card is a reminder that if you want to live a deep, meaningful, magical life there is no way to be truly “secure.” The Three of Wands does not ask you to behave recklessly, but to know that risks are inherent in any endeavor. You must be willing to survey all that life has to offer and embrace it all as a package deal.
You are asked to adopt a higher perspective, to be open to more than the surface level layers of your life. Be a living, breathing example of what you want to see more of in the world. Embrace your visions and bring them into reality.
Hi, I'm Carrie!
I'm a tarot reader and mentor. My purpose is to encourage your expansion. If you're new, start here.
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This card is amazing and I love your interpretation.
I think of destiny, fate and the future when I see this card. Also something new beyond our understanding; like synchronicities and déjà vu.
Thank you! I like the ideas you see in the card. This is one of my very favorites in the deck. <3
I sometimes get the feeling of a reminder that may be you need help from two other hands or persons. May be yo can’t achieve your goal alone and you have to consider the help of someone else to fully reach your vision.
Thank you for this amazing resource to interpret the WU deck! I just did a clarity spread…3 of Wands was the primary with 9 of Wands, 4 of Swords, and Son of Pentacles supporting. Thanks again for sharing your insight through these posts. Xo
I like to read the Ace, II, and III of Wands as a sort of succession. The Ace of Wands is the spark of the idea, the II of Wands is the decision to go after it (versus staying in your comfort zone) and the planning, and the III of Wands is the intention/creation beginning to take form. It’s not until the third wand comes into play that the magic happens and we begin to see beautiful colors form and take shape.
We’ve harnessed all that color (energy) from the II of Wands and have begun to create something with it. This deck really depicts it perfectly and in such a simplistic way.