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 layouts, it has tiles 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. Tile #6 suggests a course of action to meet this challenge. The final tile shows the outcome or future, should this advice be followed.
Other clues are provided in Tiles #3 and #5, which indicate hidden or outside influences that come into play, affecting the journey to your goal.
Obstacle  Wan 1 |
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Hidden Influences  South Wind |
External Influences  Wan 2 |
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The Present  Summer |
Suggestion  Plum Blossom |
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The Past  Green Dragon |
The Outcome  Wan 5 |
The Past Tile represents past events that are affecting the question.
Green Dragon
The Green Dragon symbolises a commencement or beginning of a new project. Perhaps this will take your life in a whole new direction. You can choose to look upon this with anticipation or anxiety.
Summer
The Woodcutter represents success through activity. The woodcutter puts Fire, Wood and Metal to work for him in his craft. He represents skilled labour, ambition, and creativity.
South Wind
The South Wind tile is a particularly favourable sign. It foretells an end to problems allowing for new progress.
Red, summer, fire, phoenix
Wan 1
The Entering tile suggests that although doors may be closed to you at the moment, they will soon begin to open. You will soon overcome the ideas that have been blocking you. Opportunities are coming, so be prepared to take advantage of them.
Wan 2
The Sword stands for an important decision you will need to make. You must be careful to use balance as you weigh your decision, or risk damage to yourself if not others.
Plum Blossom
The Plum represents spring, youth, innocence, inexperience, and childlike happiness. It may be a sign that you need a fresh perspective on something. Something in your life may need to be re-evaluated.
Wan 5
The House stands not for the family, but for the place of dwelling itself, its architecture and character. Depending upon your past, the house can represent a place of love and shelter or a place of confinement and torment.