For Him, as well as Myself

This card was one of my favourites when I initially looked through the deck. There is a sensitivity in Prometheus's eyes that I was drawn to, which is why I chose to put him in the centre of my banner for the blog. It is a relief to see him as most cards in this deck have a rawer and more oppressive feel than this one. He's quite easy on the eye and rather different to how he is represented in other decks. I first saw him in The Mythic Tarot, where he appears older than here. In this set, he instantly reminded me of a contestant from an old series of Big Brother, called Dale Howard. One of the things I notice about these Gods and Titans is that wherever the characters come from in mythological history, they were never short of a good barber.

I didn't need to read up too much on Prometheus, since I have already encountered him in the tarot and The Mythic Oracle. From my understanding, he was the creator of mankind, which he figured out of clay. You can see him in this illustration, creating a figure and measuring it up against himself. At least that is what I think he is doing. However, different accounts of trickery brought him into conflict with Zeus of Greek mythology. With a strong care for those he created, the most often mentioned story is his theft of fire for his people, which the God of the Sky had withheld. As a punishment, Prometheus was arrested and bound to a stake on Mount Kaukasos where an eagle was sent to feed on his ever-regenerating liver.

Subtitled 'Altruism', this card focuses on his concern for the welfare of others. There are some people who do think of others before themselves and I am lucky to have quite a few friends like that in my emotional community. Yesterday and last night was nice. Kate and I took her daughter, Isis, out in the afternoon and then returned for the other guests. My boyfriend turned up first, followed by three other mates. We always have such nice times there. We popped to the supermarket to pick up some drink, before sitting around in the kitchen talking when the evening had become too chilly to stay out on her patio. Kate is a very selfless woman, so this card could easily shine a light on her. My boyfriend and I stayed over and she and I spent this morning talking and laughing over a bottomless cup of coffee. We have a similar sense of humour. Her company is always uncomplicated, which I need these days. Away from laughing, we talked about my eventually moving in with my boyfriend. After some wines last night, he had brought it up. He never gives me any pressure about our living arrangements and is very supportive, but I know that deep down, he wants us to make that next step. With this card in mind, I need to really look at ways of doing that; not just for him, but for myself as well.

Illustration from The Gods and Titans Oracle by Jimmy Manton