The decipherment of the EMPRESS card:

The Empress card of the tarot deck is a portrayal of the constellation Cassiopeia, the celestial empress of the heavens. Cassiopeia was the wife of Cepheus, a legendary king of Ethiopia.

Cassiopeia was a woman of great beauty, but also of great vanity. On one occasion she publicly claimed that she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than the Nerieds, who were sea-nymphs. When the Nerieds heard of Cassiopeias boast, they complained to Poseidon, the god of the Oceans.

Poseidon decided to punish Cassiopeia by sending the sea-monster Cetus to ravage the kingdom. Cepheus learned from Ammons's oracle that in order to save his kingdom, he must sacrifice his daughter Andromeda by chaining her naked to a rocky cliff as an offering to the sea-monster Cetus.

As the sea-monster approached Andromeda, the hero Perseus just happened to be flying by on the back of Pegasus the winged horse. Looking down he saw the sea-monster getting near, and Andromeda clained to the rocks. He saw the King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia standing on a cliff nearby, so he made a hasty landing there and learned the story about Cassiopeia's boast and the consequences of it. Suddenly he struck a deal with the greiving parents: Perseus would have Andromeda's hand in marriage and also a kingdom in return for rescuing their daughter. The king and queen quickly agreed so Perseus jumped upon Pegasus and took off toward Andromeda and the sea-monster.

A fierce battle beween Perseus and the sea-monster then ensued, but Cetus the sea-monster was destroyed and Andromeda was rescued.

This story continues in the Emperor card and the Lovers card.

Eventually upon Cassiopeias' death, Poseidon placed her among the stars of Cassiopeia in a royal chair. Her feet point toward the northern star Polaris, so she is usually seen on her back with her feet in the air. In that uncomfortable position she spins as a furthur punishment for her boast, and as a blow to her pride.

To determine the moral of this tale we would have to look at Cassiopeias role in this story. My first guess is that the moral was not to anger the gods. I could go on to say, don't even compare yourself to the mythical figures unless you want to incur their wrath. The vain boast by Cassiopeia started the whole mess, so maybe boasting is the real evil that was reacted to. In any case it seems to me that Cassiopeia got off easy after Persus saved the day, although her kingdom was made a mess. She must have been made an example of so that the people would have respect for the mythical figures such as the Nereids.