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  4 of Spades |
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Hidden Influences  Ace of Hearts |
External Influences  King of Hearts |
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The Present  Queen of Hearts |
Suggestion  10 of Spades |
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The Past  Jack of Clubs |
The Outcome  7 of Spades |
The Past Card represents past events that are affecting the question.
Jack of Clubs
This can be a reliable friend, often considered generous, charismatic, and funny. On the other hand, he can be brash, proud, and overbearing. Most likely he is impatient.
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.
Ace of Hearts
The first card of the Hearts suit suggests new attitudes opening one up to friendship, love, and personal contentment that can lead to a shared happiness between like-minded individuals.
4 of Spades
Reconciliation, compromise, and signing deals of different kinds is the meaning of this card in a reading. There will be recovery after a period of struggles. The quarrel is resolved by intellectual means.
King of Hearts
This represents a fair-haired man. He is honest but impetuous. He tends to be hasty and not think his decisions through. Therefore, one should be wary of accepting any advice from him.
10 of Spades
This is regarded as probably the worst symbol in the deck of playing cards. This card means absolute rock bottom, a period of mental breakdown and insanity. There will be an end to misery once the walls of your delusion fall to ruins. On the bright side, there will be a moment of clarity leading to rebirth.
7 of Spades
This signifies a battle where your prospects are not good. The best you could hope for in this circumstance is a narrow victory costing at least as much as anything gained. More likely this battle is hopeless, though this is often difficult to accept.