Fairy Tale Spread #7 Finding Yourself - The Ugly Duckling Spread

Fairy Tale Spread #7 The Ugly Duckling Spread

As always, I am looking for feedback, tweaks and people who are willing to test the spread and put their readings in the Readings thread.

In the Tale of The Ugly Duckling, we find someone who has lost their own family. To counteract that feeling of loss, they accept being adopted by another family even though the dissimilarities are painfully apparent. Then they are subjected to the catcalls of the family's friends. Their response to this (right or wrong) is to run. But in running they end up in a scarier place. This fear actually causes growth for our little ugly duckling who remains unaware of that growth. It is not until it is pointed out by those he admires that he thinks to check his reflection. Lo and behold, a mighty swan arches its neck back at him from the reflection.

So what is the lesson our little ugly duckling learned? We all know his lesson, but what about our own? This Fairy Tale Spread, #7 in the series, is designed to help us see what our own inner beauty is and how others see us. It addresses our need to fit in even when we are joining the wrong crowd. And it shows us where running away can take us.

The shape of the spread is a relaxed upside down arc. Not so tight as a horseshoe, what you should be seeing here is the valley we take ourselves into and how we climb back out. The lowest point is the moment of running away.

As you take this journey, remind yourself that you are in charge of your life. You are in charge of how you react to others. If you give them power over you, then they will take it. Your growth is directly affected by who you choose to keep in your life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~8~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~7
~~~~~~~~2~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~6~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~3~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~5~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• Card 1 represents the Separation from family. It is what makes you feel out of place.
• Card 2 represents the Adoption by the duck family. What are you joining for the sake of joining?
• Card 3 represents the Barnyard animals. Who mocks you and belittles you? Why are they still in your life?
• Card 4 represents the Running away. How will you respond to these negative individuals in your life?
• Card 5 represents the Forest. Where do you need to go to find your own growth?
• Card 6 represents the Swans. Who are your true friends? Who sees the real you?
• Card 7 represents the Lake. What do you need to see in yourself so that you can see your own true beauty?
• Card 8 represents the Lesson of the Ugly Duckling. What do you need to learn from this experience?

(c)Stephanie Arwen Beck, Dec 20, 2005

Fairy Tale Spreads
Fairy Tale Spread #1: Mirror, Mirror
Fairy Tale Spread #2: Big Bad Wolf
Fairy Tale Spread #3: Rapunzel's Tower
Fairy Tale Spread #4: Sleeping Beauty Relationship Spread
Fairy Tale Spread #5: Princess on a Glass Hill
Fairy Tale Spread #6: The Four Dragons

I like the layout of your Fairy Tale series of readings, especially Mirror, Mirror. I will use this spread, and will post the results and what I've learned. I haven't been here long, but from what I can tell, you've got the ball in your hands, so run with it.

Astra_Vates said:

I like the layout of your Fairy Tale series of readings, especially Mirror, Mirror. I will use this spread, and will post the results and what I've learned. I haven't been here long, but from what I can tell, you've got the ball in your hands, so run with it.

Click to expand...

Thank you very much!

Here we are Arwen, I was going to put this in the Your Readings section, but I could not... (non-subscriber?) So I put it here. Using the Book of Thoth

1. The Hanging Man
Redemption through sacrifice.
I've given up many things that I wanted to get to where I am, I don't necessarily believe my friends/family understand how much.
2. The Aeon
Beginning again/Time itself
My friend Sarah's family gave me a place to fit in, but where to go from there?
3. Princess of Cups
Kindness of Heart
My friend Caitlin (With whom I'm disgustingly in love with) is so kind to me it hurts, her intelligence is a blessing, but not always aimed nicely.
4. Five of Disks: Worry
Intense Strain
Worrying myself to death over how I'm going to handle seeing said friend next time...
5. Nine of Swords: Cruelty
Unreasonable Vengence
Staying where I am, but letting go of the anger I hold for myself and my mistakes.
6. The Devil
Obsession
Again my friend Caitlin. She understands me best out of all my friends.
7. Two of Swords: Peace
Calm through change
8. Ten of Wands: Oppression
Cruel Command
I need to let the world move how it will, and move with it, instead of trying to force things my way.

Not bad Arwen...

You must have read my mind, I was just thinking of this just the other day!

I would like to give it a go at some stage, and then I will let you know, I haven't done a reading for myself for such a long time, I attempted one the other day, and abandoned it half way through!



Bec

rcb30872 said:

You must have read my mind, I was just thinking of this just the other day!

I would like to give it a go at some stage, and then I will let you know, I haven't done a reading for myself for such a long time, I attempted one the other day, and abandoned it half way through!



Bec

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Grin! Hey you! Do let me know. This one has been nagging at me for a while now. I knew I needed to do an Ugly Duckling spread... but couldn't figure out the focus.

Someone on LiveJournal made the point that the separation didn't have to be from family.

And now that I think about it... maybe the separation would be better seen as separation from our true selves.

Astra_Vates said:

Here we are Arwen, I was going to put this in the Your Readings section, but I could not... (non-subscriber?) So I put it here. Using the Book of Thoth

1. The Hanging Man
Redemption through sacrifice.
I've given up many things that I wanted to get to where I am, I don't necessarily believe my friends/family understand how much.
(snip)
Not bad Arwen...

Click to expand...

It's the number of posts. You have to be a poster of a certain number (not sure what that is offhand). Thanks for doing this! What positions seemed easy and which seemed less ...?

Well, in my case, it is my family. I will run through what I got just very roughly here, using the Golden Tarot of Klimt

1: King of Chalices
The funny thing when I looked at the card, it kind of reminded me of my dad, just in the looks, and the way that he was holding the cup in his lap, reminded me of photos that I had seen of me and him together when I was a little girl, strange, not at all like the proper meaning of the card, but despite all that, that is what I felt

2: 10 of Chalices (reversed)
I took that as that I have joined something, but not for the sake of joining something. I joined it not because I wanted to feel like a part of a community, if you like, I joined because of a genuine interest. In the process I have found something which I can be happy doing, and that I am around people, in a sense, that will help me with this and that will make me feel happy, and that is something that I have to recognise

3: Queen of Wands
Straight away I thought of mum. The reason why I am sticking around is the simple fact that she is my mum, and that family is important to me

4: 5 of Swords (reversed)
I think it is a matter of that I do need to turn my back on her, and in away, sort of abandon her, in a sense, that I need to realise it, although in some way I do realise this, but I really need to do something about it, to make that happen. And at the same time it would be needing to focus on achieving some target, in a sense, something that I really want to do, just go out and do it, so I can get the success that I want and deserve, at whatever that may be

5: Knight of Wands
I need to go somewhere where I can learn things that interest me, and that I can practice with whatever this in this place, and participate in things, which would not only help me with my learning, but I can also help other people that will also be learning. I like to think that this is saying that I need to get out there, get the sense of adventure, get the impulsiveness, and get the enthusiasm and eagerness, as well as the action, to get on with what interests me, in the terms of learning and practicing, becoming proficient at it

6: 3 of Chalices (reversed)
I have some true friends and that they know who I really am, but I am not able to recognise them as such, as I have trust issues. Also, I like to think that even though these people know me, and I know them, and that they see who I really am, they don't actually see me, as they don't know what I look like, and I don't know what they look like either, or most of them anyway

7: 10 of Pentacles
I will have to look at where I am now and where I was back then, and in the process I can actually see how far I have actually come. Look back in my whole life and establish what I have managed to achieve and accomplish through my life time. In the process, I will be able to establish what I am capable of, and get a better idea of where to from here

8: The Fool
Needing to let certain things behind, and going on a brand new journey, something which I wouldn't know where it is going to take me, but willing to go anyway. Realise that the journey itself is just as important, if not more so, than the final destination.

Note to the moderators, I don't want any input from this reading, just posting it here as an example, so ArwenNightstar and others want to have a look.



Bec

rcb30872 said:

Well, in my case, it is my family. I will run through what I got just very roughly here, using the Golden Tarot of Klimt
8: The Fool
Needing to let certain things behind, and going on a brand new journey, something which I wouldn't know where it is going to take me, but willing to go anyway. Realise that the journey itself is just as important, if not more so, than the final destination.

Note to the moderators, I don't want any input from this reading, just posting it here as an example, so ArwenNightstar and others want to have a look.



Bec

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Thank you, Bec! What did you think of the positions? Did they make sense to you? And did this spread give you what you look for in a tarot reading? Did it help you look deeply or did it go too deeply?

ArwenNightstar said:

It's the number of posts. You have to be a poster of a certain number (not sure what that is offhand). Thanks for doing this! What positions seemed easy and which seemed less ...?

Click to expand...

I had trouble with cards 3 and 5, but unfortunately I'm not sure how you could work with that, or if you need to at all.