A Projection of Reality

This week I'll be using the Sheridan-Douglas Tarot, created by David Sheridan and Alfred Douglas and published by Sheridan Douglas Press. The oracle deck I'll be using is Pages of Shustah, created by Ann Manser and Cecil North and published by Shustah Inc. Today's draws are the King of Swords and the Pale Horse:

This King is not some youngster with bulging biceps, but an older gentleman who has seen and experienced much. Based on that long sword he holds, he's had to make a lot of hard decisions in his life. He seeks to objectively uncover the truth, find solutions, render justice and restore harmony. His judgments likely won't be met with cheers and hugs all around; the King recognizes his purpose is to look for what benefits the whole, not a select few. The Pale Horse symbolizes that moment of fear and panic when we run headlong into reality. Whether it is the truth we've been hiding from or the results we didn't want to hear, we buck and bolt, trying to outrun it. The problem with fear is that it projects a vision of the future. In the words of Norman Fischer, "the fear I experience now is not really present-moment based: I am afraid of what is going to happen." In reality, we just don't know what the future holds, and if we can keep reminding ourselves of this, we might find some space to breathe and the ability to live without constantly being in a fight or flight state.  

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.

Bridling the Emotions

This morning's card from the Sheridan-Douglas Tarot is the Knave (Page) of Cups:

This youngster looks down at his cup as if it is the most precious thing he owns.  Being a gentle, kind soul, he is sensitive to how others treat him and feels other folk's emotions as if they were his own.  He knows how words can wound, and so he is careful with his own.  Likewise, his actions are tender toward others, never wanting to cause another person pain.  He holds people close to his heart, much like he holds the chalice.  His biggest lesson to learn is that you can't please everyone, and you can't always protect them from pain either.  Two ideas I would do well to remember today.

     From the Pages of Shustah today comes the "Pale Horse:"

Anyone who has ever ridden a horse before knows how easily they can startle if they cross the path of something unexpected.  Here the horse rears in fear and prepares to turn and run.  The Pale Horse is a reminder that when panic threatens to make me react, I need to keep my emotions in check and my feet on the ground.  I might need to take quick action or make a quick decision, but if my emotions are running the show instead of logic, I'll only be reacting rather than making a wise choice.