The Mystic Way

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In this episode:
I discuss the figures of Ahab, Starbuck, and Ishmael as representatives of three possible responses to the encounter with the numinous. I look at the contrast between the Iron Way of Ahab and what I call Ishmael’s Mystic Way, suggesting that Ishmael's way is a path of self-emptying that makes possible a deeper experience of life. 

Sources for quotes and more:

1. 'Moby-Dick' by Herman Melville (Chapter 1: Loomings; Chapter 16: The Ship; Chapter 35: The Mast-Head; Chapter 37: Sunset; Chapter 41: Moby Dick; Chapter 49: The Hyena; Chapter, 79: The Prairie; Chapter 82: The Honor and Glory of Whaling; Chapter 104: The Fossil Whale; Chapter 110: Queequeg in His Coffin; Chapter 135: The Chase – Third Day; Epilogue)
2. S4, Ep. 6 - Moby-Dick: An American Myth, pt. 1
3. S4, Ep. 8: A Collision Course with Life
4. 'Man and His Symbols' by C.G. Jung
5. 'Memories, Dreams, Reflections' by C.G. Jung
6. 'Two Essays on Analytical Psychology' by C.G. Jung in Collected Works vol. 7
7. S4, Ep. 9: The Gorgon’s Eye
8. 'Aion: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self' by C.G. Jung in Collected Works vol. 9ii
9. ‘Freud, Goethe, Wagner’ by Thomas Mann
10. 'Mysticism: A Study in the Nature and Development of Man's Spiritual Consciousness' by Evelyn Underhill
11. 'The Soul and Death' by C.G. Jung in Collected Works vol. 8
12. 'A Dwelling Place for Wisdom' by Raimon Panikkar 

Music:
"Dreaming Days," "Slow Vibing," and "The Return" by Ketsa are licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

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For more on living a symbolic life:
Please check out my book, Religious but Not Religious: Living a Symbolic Life.