Thesis Statement

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Rudolf Otto, an early 20th century German theologian, coined the term “numinous” to designate the non-rational part of religious experience. By it, he meant the blissful exultation one experiences when contemplating the divine. Writer Timothy Willard explains, “The numinous is the experience that underlies all religious experience, it’s that something ‘wholly other’ than ex- perienced in ordinary life. It's made up of three parts: mysterium (evoking a sense of silence), tremendum (overwhelming power), and et fascinans (attractiveness in spite of fear).” C.S. Lewis describes the numinous in his book, The Problem of Pain.
                       
“Suppose you were told there was a tiger in the next room: you would know that you were in danger and would probably feel fear. But if you were told 'There is a ghost in the next room,' and believed it, you would feel, indeed, what is often called fear, but of a different kind. It would not be based on the knowledge of danger, for no one is primarily afraid of what a ghost may do to him, but of the mere fact that it is a ghost. It is 'uncanny' rather than dangerous, and the special kind of fear it excites may be called Dread. With the Uncanny one has reached the fringes of the Numinous.Now suppose that you were told simply 'There is a mighty spirit in the room,' and believed it. Your feelings would then be even less like the mere fear of danger: but the disturbance would be profound. You would feel wonder and a certain shrinking—a sense of inadequacy to cope with such a visitant and of prostration before it....
                       
This feeling may be described as awe, and the object which excites it as the Numinous.”

In my work, I have attempted to capture the nature of the Numinous. I hope that you will experience what makes you fearful yet fascinated, awed yet attracted, and the powerful, personal feeling of being overwhelmed and inspired at the same time.