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  The Sun |
||
Hidden Influences  The Birds |
External Influences  The Cross |
|
The Present  The Lilies |
Suggestion  The Bear |
|
The Past  The Child |
The Outcome  The Scythe |
The Past Card represents past events that are affecting the question.
The Child
The Child indicates youth, inexperience, naiveness, playfulness, and small size. The appearance of the Child may foretell a child coming into your life.
The Lilies
Development of the soul, success, conscience, holiness, and learning to accept good traits and bad. The Lilies signify a happy period accomplishment.
The Birds
Meditation, fantasy, further education, also two older people, perhaps a couple. Butterflies and nervous excitement. The Birds may indicate social fear and subsequent flight.
The Sun
Creation, brilliance, success, heat, positivity, happiness, will-power, aura, the absolute, the centre of attention. The Sun indicates great honours will be bestowed upon you.
The Cross
Symbol of fate, karma, guilt, knowledge, belief, tests, sacrifice, grand endings, tough love, and hard lessons. The Cross indicates that you may have to make a considerable sacrifice.
The Bear
Power, great strength, protection, spiritual energy, fame, a foundation of truth – but possibly jealousy, envy, and through these, tremendous wrath. The Bear is a very powerful sign, but be wary of the potential for excessive force.
The Scythe
This card indicates inner knowledge, but not really wisdom. Something that one does not understand by experience, but in theory. A warning to be careful, as something that happens quickly can bring much pain. This card indicates that you will reap the harvest of what you have sewn.