The sea nymph Galatea was in love with Acis, a handsome Sicilian shepherd boy. Until the cyclops Polyphemus murdered Acis in a fit of jealousy, that is. Which got him exactly nothing, because Galatea turned her lover into a river and went off with him anyway. The Four of Cups warns of an inability to enjoy what you have/can have, and a destructive focus on what you dont.

The great rivers of the ancient world were believed to be gods, maybe because without them, life wouldn’t have been possible. One of the greatest of these was mighty Euphrates, which along with the Tigris, made the Fertile Crescent so extraordinarily abundant. Likewise, the Nine of Cups is all about abundance in your life, in work, love, finances, and emotional well-being.

Plutus, son of the goddess Demeter, is our Nine of Pentacles. Usually depicted carrying a heavy cornucopia, Plutus was the god of bountiful harvests and abundant wealth, and was often accompanied by Eirene, the goddess of peace, or Tykhe, the goddess of fortune. The Nine shows all three of these blessing you right now.

Hebe, goddess of youth, was famous for being one of the few even tempered gods. There was no drama with Hebe, no tantrums, no spiting people for fun. Just common sense and peacemaking, which, lets face it, was almost a first for Olympus. Likewise, Temperance is the card of cutting yourself and everyone around you a little slack. Ahhh, now doesnt that feel better?

The Five of Wands reversed can indicate an end to the crazy, or at least the beginning of the end. Eros up there is still causing mischief, but his victim is getting wise to his games.

Chiron, the wise centaur and tutor to many demigods, is our Hierophant. A lover of tradition and ceremony, he was known for valuing the many positive aspects of conformity. Or, you know, for being an old stick in the mud. But the first one sounded better, didnt it?

Our Ace of Cups is Oceanus, believed by the ancient Greeks to be the physical manifestation of the wild, rolling oceans. That makes sense as Cups is the suite most associated with water. It is also the suite of our emotional life, and the ace is overflowing with all sorts of emotional rewards: love, joy, and productivity are in the cards for you now.

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 Ace of Wands reversed is about feeling unmotivated/uninspired. The creative fire associated with the Wands suite is conspicuously missing. You need to remember what used to excite you, and reignite the spark.

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.

Karen Chance