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 Cross |
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Hidden Influences  The Scythe |
External Influences  The Coffin |
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The Present  The Mountain |
Suggestion  The Serpent |
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The Past  The Child |
The Outcome  The Rider |
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 Mountain
Obstacles, danger, frustration, roadblocks, coldness, and hard work. The Mountain indicates a difficult challenge that will most likely isolate you from friends and enemies alike.
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.
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 Coffin
Transformation, adaptation, major changes, secrets uncovered, beginnings, and endings. The Coffin foretells that something will be coming to an end, which means you will need to adapt.
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.
The Rider
Thoughts, good news, precognition, an augury. This is a messenger of good fortune, perhaps a young man. Your intentions will go well.