These are the times of dreamy quietude, when beholding the tranquil beauty and brilliancy of the ocean’s skin, one forgets the tiger heart that pants beneath it; and would not willingly remember, that this velvet paw but conceals a remorseless fang.
-Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Today I was thinking on Moby Dick, because I frequently think on the great books that I love, the enduring ones for me. Thinking on this particular book I though of a spread. I somewhat tried it out, if anyone out there tries is, let me know what you think. It goes like this:
- Ahab/”shadow” you: represents what you in your obsession, your inner, shadow self, the hidden madness and darkness that lurks beneath the surface. Obsessives drives that steer you without your control.
- Ishmael/”light” outer you: highlights the outer you, your hopes and dreams, the light and hopeful side you put out into the world. This is your exterior being led by your dark drives.
- Moby Dick: this is the darkness that imposes itself upon you personified, strikes fear and scares you. This card represents your obsession and insurmountable obstacle combined. What you struggle against, what plagues your nightmares.
- The Pequod/ the boat: represents the environment in which this inner-outer struggle plays out. The forces surrounding this struggle.
- The Sea/ the journey: this card is what amplifies your obsession, your struggle, the darkness and your obstacle personified. This card represents your direction, where you are headed as you are driven by the unsettle darkness within.
- The coffin/escape: This card represents your exit, what has to die inside you in order to make peace with the dual struggle, to consolidate the divisiveness, with Moby Dick.
The great thing about this spread is that it can be face-up. A face-up spread as Siobhan’s over at her site says, can be a very useful, powerful and revealing tool, giving you autonomy, authority and agency over your question, over the dilemma inquired about. Let me know what you think!
Happy reading…
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