3 cards
Three Card spread
The workhorse spread. Fast, readable, and hard to over-interpret.
The positions
Card 1
Past
Card 2
Present
Card 3
Future
Use it for almost anything. Also works as Situation / Action / Outcome.
How to read it
Lay the cards face down in order, then turn them one at a time and say what you see before reaching for a meaning. The image comes first; the book comes second.
Read positions against each other rather than in isolation. In a three-card spread the interesting information is usually in the gap between the first and the third — what has to change for one to become the other.
Reversals are optional. Decide before you shuffle, not when an unwelcome card appears.