Judgment:
The gods threw a party, but nobody invited Discord, the goddess known for causing fights even when she wasn’t trying. She found out and, none too pleased about being dissed, came up with one of her best tricks ever: she threw a golden apple inscribed “to the fairest” into the room. All hell immediately broke loose, because every goddess thought she was fairer than all the rest. Most were smart enough to get out of the way, however, when Hera, queen of the gods, went for the prize like a desperate bridesmaid diving for a bouquet.
But two contenders weren’t so easily intimidated: Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, and Aphrodite, goddess of love. Athena just liked a good fight, and could tell that this was shaping up to be a doozy. Besides, she and Hera weren’t bosom buddies, and any chance to take her queenly self down a peg wasn’t to be missed. But Aphrodite was genuinely outraged. And this was the goddess who had given a whole village cow horns because their women had dared to claim that they equaled her in beauty. Of course, that had been a mortal village, and even ‘Dite, who was not always the brightest of bulbs, wasn’t about to try that with Hera or Athena. But she could pout and whine and generally spoil the evening for everyone. So Zeus was asked to intervene and name a winner.
Zeus, for all his faults, wasn’t a fool. Any way he chose would end up badly for him, possibly for millennia considering how long Hera could hold a grudge. In usual divine fashion, therefore, he passed the problem to a mortal, in this case a prince of Troy, a clueless wonder named Paris. While not a very honorable solution, it was undoubtedly very wise. And there we have the lesson of the Judgment card. Something is weighing you down, maybe an old hurt, maybe a new problem. But right now, the universe is giving you the option to do a Zeus and unload it. Take the offer: you’ll be amazed at how much lighter you feel.
Judgment Reversed:
Admittedly, three scantily-clad goddesses showing up on your doorstep would throw anyone. However, most people might have taken a moment to consider the situation when they were handed a golden apple and told to give it to the most beautiful of all. But that apparently didn’t occur to Paris, prince of Troy. All he wanted was to know what his vote was worth. Hera immediately offered power: a vote for her would make him king of the known world. Athena, who could tell that Paris really needed it, offered wisdom. And then it was ‘Dite’s turn.
Now, Aphrodite might have been ignorant about a great many things, but she knew men–especially young, randy types with few brain cells to get in the way of their libidos. Paris was her kind of guy, and her bribe was perfect. Vote for me, she told him, and I will grant you the most beautiful woman in the world for your wife. She’d barely gotten the words out when Paris chucked her the apple and went off to claim his reward: Helen, the wife of an old curmudgeon named Menelaus. Unfortunately for him and the rest of the Trojans, Menelaus also happened to be king of Sparta (motto: go ahead, make our millennium).
Paris kidnapped Helen anyway, claiming that he had a goddess on his side. Which he did. What he forgot was that he also had two against him, along with Menelaus, his war-happy Spartans and his brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae. In the end, Paris lost his wife, the war and his kingdom, all because he didn’t know how to say no. Someone may be trying to saddle you with a big, messy problem right about now. Don’t be a Paris. Take a pass.