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 Coffin |
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Hidden Influences  The Fish |
External Influences  The Lilies |
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The Present  The Cross |
Suggestion  The Birds |
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The Past  The Ship |
The Outcome  The Lady |
The Past Card represents past events that are affecting the question.
The Ship
On a spiritual level, the Ship symbolises desire, hope, dreams, spiritual growth, exploration, and expansion. On a material level the Ship indicates incoming wealth and material gain. However, it may indicate loss, depending on neighbouring cards. You may be making a trip soon.
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 Fish
Intellectualism, psychic abilities, material success, luxury, and wealth. Also, instability, excess, drugs, and alcohol. The Fish is a sign of great fortune, but also a warning to set boundaries or luxury may lead to corruption.
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 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 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.