Oedipus was confronted by the Sphynx with a do or die riddle: what goes on four legs at dawn, two at noon and three in evening? His answer: a man, who crawls as a baby, walks upright as an adult, and needs a cane in old age. In response, the monster threw herself off a cliff, because hed gotten it right. Likewise, obstacles in your path are self-destructing now.

The Amazons, a tribe of warrior women, allowed no men to live with them, except for slaves. To preserve their numbers, they occasionally visited a nearby tribe, but any male children who resulted were returned to their fathers. Likewise, the Queen of Swords is about choosing intellect over emotion, and making decisions based on logic rather than sentimentality.

The river Euphrates was both a blessing and a curse to its people. On the one hand, it gave life to millions. On the other, jealous rivals ensured that war was common, the marshes around the river carried sickness, and floods were always a problem. The Nine reversed is about your life not looking as good from your perspective as it does to everyone else.

Chloris, nymph of flowers, spring and new growth, was also the goddess of youth and its pleasures. Pentacles, or Coins as this suite is also known, is usually associated with the gathering of wealth. Chloris is reminding you that, while time may be money, money is also time: in other words, don’t spend all your life gathering what you forget to enjoy.

Hades showed up to claim King Sisyphus for the underworld, but Sisyphus didn’t want to go. So he asked Hades to demonstrate how his unbreakable chains worked -- and then used them to trap their master! He hoped to live forever, but was eventually forced to release his captive by the gods. Likewise, if you think you’re getting away with something now, look again.

Demeter gave Triptolemus a dragon-powered chariot that he used to fly about Greece, sharing the idea of agriculture. But not everyone was glad to see him. King Lynkos ran him off, fearing that new methods of gathering wealth might weaken his hold over his people. The Knight reversed warns of similar hide-bound behavior that is impeding progress.

Born on land but ruling the sea, Poseidon combined the active quality of air with the emotional quality of water, and frequently fought in both realms. Likewise, this is a card for making your emotions work for you in other areas: an actor or musician using emotion to bring realism to a performance, or a businessman using charm and diplomacy at work.

The muse above is holding an instrument, but not playing it. Likewise, you may be lacking confidence or doubting your abilities right now. Alternately, you may be playing for all youre worth, but it feels like nobody is noticing. Keep at it; this is a phase and will pass, but the skills/lessons learned will remain.

The horai were the goddesses of the three seasons the Greeks recognized: spring, summer and autumn. Together, they formed the team that saw crops from their start as tiny seedlings through to their culmination as bountiful harvests. Likewise, teaming up could bring you rich rewards now.

The Chimera, a fire breathing monster, was just slaughtering the hell out of everyone, until a hero named Bellerophon teamed up with Pegasus and rammed a mass of metal down its throat. The fire breath melted the metal, which suffocated the monster and saved the day! Likewise, you now have the intellectual energy to find an answer to the most difficult of problems.

Karen Chance