Horse Shoe Spread

Difficulty: Easy

The Horse Shoe is a classic tarot spread. It is more advanced than the three-card reading, yet simpler than most other spreads. It is a versatile method that can be used for most queries, though there are other spreads which would go into more depth. Like the simple Past, Present, and Future spread, it contains these cards in positions #1, #2, and #7, but also has four other tarot cards that help the reader understand how to deal with the future better. The cards are to be read as follows:

1. The Past: Past events affecting the question.
2. The Present: The current state or approaching influence.
3. Hidden Influences: Things the reader may not be aware of (or barely be aware of).
4. Obstacles: This is the challenge: obstacles may be avoided or may have to be dealt with.
5. External Influences: Attitudes and thoughts regarding people around the reader.
6. Suggestions: Recommended course of action.
7. Outcome: The result of following the suggestions.

Your Horse Shoe Reading

	Obstacle Eight of Swords
Hidden Influences Ten of Wands		External Influences Queen of Swords
The Present VII – The Chariot		Suggestion VI – The Lovers
The Past Five of Coins		The Outcome III – The Empress

Improvement in health, finances, or business. Help is on the way. Hardship and strife are finally easing up. Using your resources more effectively. Being welcome back into the fold. Moving away from materialism and toward a more spiritual life.

Feeling pulled in several directions at once. Feeling a loss of control in your life. An inability to properly master outside influences. Charging ahead rashly. Running roughshod over other people. Losing yourself in the role you have to play in order to succeed. Failure or a very costly victory.

Being overburdened, overcommitted, or overwhelmed. Feeling swamped with work. Getting burned out. Working in bad conditions for low pay. A need to delegate responsibilities to others or to set priorities. The 'last straw'. Doubting that things will ever come to a successful completion.

Self-imposed limitations. Feeling powerless in a situation. Having a victim mentality. 'Paralysis of analysis' (i.e., lack of progress due to over analysing something). Inability to understand your situation or to communicate it clearly to others. A need to understand your concerns, reservations, or fears in order to conquer them. Being hampered by blind faith in something. Not seeing 'the forest for the trees'.

Being moralistic, self-righteous, sanctimonious, prudish, or emotionally barren. Someone behind the scenes is pulling the strings. Someone is not what she seems. She may be wearing a mask, or she may be using guile and cunning to manipulate someone to do something for her or to do things her way.

A relationship ending or turning sour (it may or may not be romantic). 'Star-crossed lovers;' an ill-fated relationship. The inability to make a choice for any number of reasons – fearing to commit to a decision, being indecisive, or having inner conflict. Choosing the 'low road' in life.

A project is having problems coming to fruition. Obstacles to creativity, such as writer's block. Sterility or loss. Someone is being unproductive. Having issues with your mother. Being smothered by someone. Chaos. Stagnation.