How do you do a seven-card tarot reading? The most common French layout is the horseshoe: seven cards laid in an arc, from the past to the outcome, with you at the centre. It suits divinatory tarot when a question needs more room than three cards, without the weight of a Celtic Cross.
The horseshoe is called tirage en fer à cheval in French. If you are just starting, read our complete beginner guide first.
Why seven cards?
The ten cards of a Celtic Cross ask for fluency. Seven sits in between: enough to tell a journey, few enough to keep the reading clear. Say what you want to look at when you write the question.
The seven positions
Lay the cards in an arc from left to right. French sources most often give these positions:
- The past
- The present
- Hidden influences
- You, the pivot card at the top of the arc
- Outside influences
- Advice
- The outcome
Names vary between authors, and other seven-card layouts exist. Choose your method before you shuffle.
How to read it
Read in three beats: what brought you here on the left, your place at the top, what opens up on the right. Then look for patterns: a cluster of major arcana, a dominant suit, repeated numbers, court cards standing for people. Link cards in pairs, for example the past with the outcome, or hidden influences with the advice. For the meaning of each card, use the complete card guide.
A short worked example
Question: "How should I approach the coming year of my training?" Suppose the cards are the Three of Wands (past), The Chariot (present), The Moon (hidden influences), the Eight of Pentacles (Deniers in Marseille) (you), The Hierophant (outside influences), Temperance (advice) and The Star (outcome). A possible reading: you prepared the ground and are moving forward with determination, but a vague doubt is working in the background. You are in a phase of applied learning, supported by a framework or a teacher. The advice is to balance effort and rest, which opens onto a calmer horizon. This is only an illustration.
Common mistakes
Do not read each card in isolation, because the layout is a story. Do not neglect the pivot card: the fourth card is about you, and it often holds the key because it shows what you can change. Do not treat the outcome as fate; the advice card just before it shows how to bend the tendency. And do not multiply readings: one question, one layout.
Start with the majors
Many beginners prefer to start with the 22 major arcana. Answers are clearer and there are fewer meanings to remember. Once you are comfortable, move to all 78 cards, or add a second round of minor arcana to add precision. Do not redraw on the same question when the answer is uncomfortable; ask a different one instead. If you like layouts with astrological positions, see the twelve houses spread.
A deck that lets you read it in French
If you are learning in French, our French-language learning deck prints the meaning on every card, so seven positions do not mean seven trips to a book. It uses the 1909 illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith, a printed French booklet comes in the box, and the full French course follows by personal link after purchase. Marseille is a different tradition, with no scenes on the minor arcana, and you can learn with any deck. This one saves you the looking-up.
French-language learning tarot deck, 1909 art
Meanings printed on every card in French, a French guidebook in the box and the full course in French after purchase. Ships to the EU, UK, Switzerland and Iceland.
See the French deckFrequently asked questions
Is the horseshoe good for beginners?
Many beginners find it a good first bigger layout, often with the 22 major arcana only. Seven cards tell a full story without the weight of ten.
How is it different from the Celtic Cross?
The Celtic Cross uses ten cards and more nuance; the horseshoe uses seven and reads as an arc from the past to the outcome.
Are the positions the same everywhere?
No. Names and sometimes order vary between authors, so pick one version and keep it for several readings.
In regalo il corso completo di tarocchi in italiano
In regalo il corso completo di tarocchi in italiano
