What this spread does
Seven cards laid in a curve. It sees nearly as widely as the Celtic Cross with three fewer cards, filling the gap between three cards being too few and ten being too many.
What sets it apart is the last two seats. Position 6 is what to do; position 7 is what follows from doing it. Most layouts stop at describing the situation. The horseshoe carries through to action, so you are not left thinking โfine, but now what?โ
When to use it
It fits best when you broadly understand the situation but cannot decide what to do about it โ when you have thought it through and still cannot move.
It also helps when other peopleโs opinions are weighing on you. An entire seat (position 5) is given over to how those around you see it, which makes it easier to tell real pressure from pressure you are generating yourself.
How to read it
Cards 1 and 2 set the storyline. Same as a three-card read.
Card 3, the hidden influence, is the heart of this spread. It points at something already at work that you have not seen yet โ someone elseโs circumstances, or a feeling you have been postponing. If it clashes with cards 1 and 2, you have probably misread the situation.
Read 4 and 5 together. If the obstacle is a court card and position 5 is also a person, the cause sits outside you. If card 4 belongs to the suit of Swords โ thought, speech, argument โ the snag is usually internal.
Card 6 is advice. Do not read it as good or bad. Read it as โdo what this card is doing.โ The Hermit here means withdraw and take time alone with it.
Card 7 is the result of doing card 6 โ not the result of doing nothing. That is what separates it from position 10 of the Celtic Cross.
A common mistake
Reading 6 and 7 separately throws away half of what this layout offers. Always bind them into one sentence: โif I do 6, then 7 follows.โ If 7 looks unappealing, that may mean the action card does not suit your circumstances.
For a wider view, move to the Celtic Cross. For something simpler, the three-card spread.