Full-body Condom

This week I'll be using the Sheridan Douglas Tarot, created by David Sheridan with commentary by Alfred Douglas and published by the Sheridan Douglas Press.  Today's draw is the King of Cups:

This fellow made me think of the character Chris Traeger (played by Rob Lowe) on the TV show "Parks and Recreation."  He is upbeat and can find something positive about anything - the ultimate optimist.  The King of Cups is a good listener and full of empathy, but he's not a sponge that soaks up the feelings of everyone else.  He will offer good suggestions to those in emotional turmoil, yet he knows how to retreat to his "happy place" - a place of detachment where he can't be sucked into the drama.  He's the King of Composure, because he puts on a full-body condom to protect himself from being overwhelmed by the feelings of others.  This king reminds me that there's a big difference between compassion and co-dependence.

The oracle deck I'll be using this week is the Pages of Shustah deck and book set; it was created by Ann Manser and Cecil North and published by Shustah Inc.  This morning's card is the "Pale Horse:"

The red color and expression of terror on this horse's face illustrates the fear this card represents.  Yet the underlying meaning of the Pale Horse is don't panic; I need to keep my emotions in check and my feet on the ground.  Before I take Henny Penny's advice to run like hell because the sky is falling, I need to look for the evidence.  I'll have to put on my detective hat and sort through what is fact and what is fiction; only then can I make a sane game plan to deal with what is going on.  Nine times out of ten, it's probably just someone's greatly exaggerated views and not the truth at all.