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 Castle |
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Hidden Influences  The Tree |
External Influences  The Mouse |
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The Present  The Lady |
Suggestion  The Fox |
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The Past  The Book |
The Outcome  The Serpent |
The Past Card represents past events that are affecting the question.
The Book
Wisdom, the Book of Life, facts, things are in good standing, learning, and the symbol of the teacher. The Book may represent a secret of great importance. This secret should be diligently sought after with an open mind, or you will gloss right over it.
The Lady
The Lady represents you if you are a woman. All cards in your spread are interpreted by their distance to this card.
If you are a man this card represents a strong woman with good intent who will have a positive influence on you: a friend, wife, significant other, girlfriend, love. Could also indicate intuition, passiveness, instinct, or patience.
The Tree
The Tree is symbolic of life, health, nature, time, development, and awareness of one's place in the universe. If you do not live a healthy lifestyle already, the Tree indicates that you should become concerned about this and make changes to become healthier.
The Castle
Earthly power, dominion, law and order, material success, stability, skill in confrontation, aloofness, remoteness, and the elevation of the spirit. The Castle is a sign you will attain success and stability.
The Mouse
Obstacles, losses, hidden enemies, old debts, secrets that eat away at a person, annoyances. The Mouse signifies some minor losses from which you should recover easily, as long as you deal with them while they are still small.
The Fox
Deviousness, plotting, hypocrisy, lies, a warning that something is not what it seems, worldly logic, temptations, trickery. When facing away from the affected card, it means absolute honesty and survival instincts.
The Serpent
Temptations, dark forces, cunning, deviousness, earthly intelligence, lower nature, and biological urges. The Serpent may represent someone trying to trick you. Be wary of people trying to take advantage of you, who may lead you down the wrong path. If the cards surrounding this card are favourable to you, this is a sign that you may be the one who is being devious.