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 5 |
||
Hidden Influences  Fall |
External Influences  Circles 4 |
|
The Present  East Wind |
Suggestion  Plum Blossom |
|
The Past  Summer |
The Outcome  Wan 2 |
The Past Tile represents past events that are affecting the question.
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.
East Wind
The East Wind tile represents you. Tiles adjacent to the East tile in a reading should be given added weight.
Green, spring, wood, dragon
Fall
The harvest depends upon the effort you put in. The Farmer represents massive gains through hard work and dedication. It is a sign of self-sufficiency, abundance, and generosity.
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.
Circles 4
The Jade tile is about lasting values and convictions. It indicates strong commitments, longevity, and vibrant health. It sometimes foretells hard work resulting in impressive gains.
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 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.