When Zeus was asked by three powerful goddesses to decide who was the fairest, he wisely passed the buck to a clueless human named Paris. The judgement card indicates that something may be weighing you down, maybe an old hurt, maybe a new problem. But right now, the universe is giving you the option to unload it. Take the offer: you’ll be amazed at how much lighter you feel.

The Three of Wands reversed is all about the frustration of an unsuccessful hunt. It speaks of work unrewarded or unacknowledged, and not being able to close the deal. There is hunger but no satisfaction yet.

The Swords suite is all about action. But just because youre busy, doesnt mean youre accomplishing anything. The Seven is about expending energy on futile actions, or feeling like any action you take will be useless and thus doing nothing. Like Sisyphus, eternally cursed to roll a boulder up a hill, yet never reach the top, you are in danger of wasting your time.

Hercules kingly cousin, in an ongoing attempt to get him killed, sent him to deal with a huge, nasty tempered boar. Herc did it, and then brought the boar back alive, to terrify his much less macho tormentor! Feeling betrayed? Has a close relationship gone to hell? The Three of Swords understands, but inflicting your pain on others rarely helps.

On her own, Scylla (above) was a feared sea goddess, but pair her with Charybdis, a massive and very dangerous whirlpool, and she was able to turn to Straights of Messina into the ancient Greek equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle. Sunk ships, sunk ships everywhere! Find your other half, partner up and see what kind of power you can generate.

Demeter cursed Erysichthon, who cut down the trees in her sacred grove, to unending hunger. The man sold all that he had to buy food, even selling his daughter into slavery, but it still wasnt enough. He finally died by eating himself! Beware of the Queen reversed, who can be greedy, selfish and vengeful, always craving more but never satisfied.

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.

The pythia at Delphi is our High Priestess. She was famous for never telling anyone everything, especially those who thought they already knew it all. Don’t accept the surface situation now; dig for hidden truths.

Our empress is Hera, wife of Zeus and queen of the Olympian gods. Her Roman name was Juno, which gives us the name of June, still the favorite month for weddings. Drawing this card could indicate a marriage or important merger, or a time of unusual fertility or creativity. Or that your husband is a philandering jerk.

Persephone was kidnapped by love-struck Hades, and dragged into the Underworld, causing her mother Demeter to go into a serious funk. And since Demeter controlled the seasons, her daughters absence made it constantly bleak winter. The Ten reversed is telling you that your work/life balance is off, too, and need to be fixed before the freeze becomes permanent.

Karen Chance