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  3 of Diamonds |
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Hidden Influences  Queen of Hearts |
External Influences  Ace of Spades |
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The Present  Ace of Diamonds |
Suggestion  7 of Diamonds |
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The Past  7 of Spades |
The Outcome  5 of Diamonds |
The Past Card represents past events that are affecting the question.
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.
Ace of Diamonds
The first card of the Diamonds suit often foretells the arrival of a valuable message or especially meaningful gift. More specifically this can often represent a ring, or more generally can refer to gifts of sustenance or money.
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.
3 of Diamonds
Working towards a specific goal is indicated by this card. The creative process here leads to success in general – personal growth, material gain, accomplishment, skilled labour, and the increase of your value to the marketplace.
Ace of Spades
The first card of the Spades suit suggests awakening to a new way of thinking, leading to a new level of personal awareness as well as spiritual awareness. The dawning of a new enlightenment.
7 of Diamonds
This represents an unfortunate time of loss. Losing is indicated – as in bad luck at gambling, fighting and losing, or building towards the construction of a monumental failure. Sometimes it may be better to just give up.
5 of Diamonds
This is a symbol of bad mind. Thinking too much about trivial concerns wastes vital energy. To make matters worse, one's thoughts are the basis of their reality, so always keep in mind that worry and fear can actively cause harm in your life if you can't learn to control your thoughts and manifestations.