Sisyphus, king of Corinth, was famed for his cleverness — and his defiance of the gods. He outwitted Death itself, chaining Thanatos so that no mortal could die. When his trick was discovered, Zeus condemned him to an eternal punishment: to roll a great stone up a hill, only to have it tumble back down each time it neared the summit.

This endless labor became the symbol of futility and perseverance — the cycle of striving without satisfaction. Yet, in the modern imagination, Sisyphus also became a philosopher’s hero: one who finds meaning in the very act of persistence. His struggle invites us to consider where we are pushing against inevitability, and whether effort has become its own prison.

When this card appears, it asks: Where are you repeating the same pattern expecting a different result? And deeper still — can you find peace even within the cycle itself? Sisyphus challenges us to confront the habits, beliefs, or desires that keep us bound, and to discover liberation not from the task, but through awareness.

Myth and Meaning

1. The Wound —
The wound of Sisyphus is futility — the pain of endless effort with no visible reward. It manifests as burnout, cynicism, or the haunting sense that no matter how hard you try, it’s never enough.

2. The Mask —
You may wear the mask of the Tireless Worker or the Problem Solver. You keep pushing, striving, fixing, believing that if you just try harder, you’ll finally rest. The mask hides exhaustion and fear of stillness.

3. The Trigger —
Repetition itself — when life feels like déjà vu, or when progress slips away just as you grasp it. Triggers come from loss of control, frustration, or seeing your efforts undone by forces beyond your will.

4. The Medicine —
Acceptance. The medicine of Sisyphus is surrender to the present moment — realizing that the meaning of the task lies not in the outcome, but in consciousness itself. Let the stone become your teacher; in each cycle lies a chance to awaken.

5. The Gift —
Resilience and insight. You have the power to persist where others give up, to find meaning in small steps and strength in repetition. When awareness joins endurance, your labor becomes a meditation rather than a punishment.

6. The Path Forward —
Stop pushing for a moment. Breathe. Ask not how to escape the hill, but how to ascend it differently. Sisyphus’s path forward is inner freedom — to choose presence even within repetition, to find peace not in completion, but in consciousness.

Chiron Healing Journey Spread Interpretation For Sisyphus