The seven-card Horse Shoe is a convenient, basic layout that can be used to answer different types of questions, especially concerning questions where insight would be helpful. Like several other spreads, it has cards representing the past, present, and future.
The pinnacle of the Horse Shoe, looking like the top of the mountain, shows the obstacle or challenge that needs to be addressed and overcome. Card #6 suggests a course of action to meet this challenge. The final card shows the outcome or future, should this advice be followed.
Other clues are provided in Cards #3 and #5, which indicate hidden or outside influences that come into play, affecting the journey to your goal.
Obstacle  King of Diamonds |
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Hidden Influences  King of Spades |
External Influences  8 of Clubs |
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The Present  Queen of Hearts |
Suggestion  7 of Hearts |
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The Past  Queen of Clubs |
The Outcome  5 of Clubs |
The Past Card represents past events that are affecting the question.
Queen of Clubs
This queen represents a dark-haired woman. Her traits include strength of character, attractiveness, and helpfulness. She is a nice person but can sometimes be temperamental.
Queen of Hearts
This card suggests a fair-haired woman with a gentle and pleasant personality. She is almost stereotypically passive and receptive. This card is particularly influenced by the energies of the adjacent cards in a reading. She may have the heart of a poet.
King of Spades
This represents a dark-haired man of great ambition. He is accustomed to success and usually gets what he wants. He is very active, skilful, and clever, but can also be deceitful. At worst, he may be a tyrant in waiting.
King of Diamonds
This symbolises a fair-haired man who has natural magnetism in pursuits of material gain. He may be a skilful farmer, builder, natural scientist, or business man. In his stubbornness he may appear dull or unsophisticated to some.
8 of Clubs
This card represents surprises that can suddenly appear out of nowhere. It symbolises explosive energy and suddenness. It can also suggest that meditation would be highly conductive at this time.
7 of Hearts
This is a sign that someone may not be as reliable as you have hoped. It is possible that lust will cross the line and turn to debauchery. Deception, delusion, intoxication, and broken promises come with this sign.
5 of Clubs
This is a sign of disconnection with the spiritual source. Discontentment with oneself leads to friction in relationships. There may be opposition from friends or associates, quarrelling, strife, and failure of projects, but you would be well served to look within as to the source of this.