I have been asked to explain the word “numinosum.” So, here goes:
My attraction to myth is many layered. One of these layers is simply because myths are great stories. Also, they typically contain pearls of wisdom. They are mirrors reflecting the human condition. And, I could go on. However, for the purposes of this commentary, let me say that I am attracted to myths because they are metaphors for life that cannot really be explained directly.
The word “numinous” was coined by Rudolf Otto from the Latin, numen, meaning a god, cognate with the verb nuere, to nod or beckon, indicating divine approval. This word, or its noun, the numinosum, refers to any phenomenon experienced as a manifestation of tremendous power felt to be objective and outside the self. It is a crucial element of religious experience. For Otto, the numinosum is non-rational and irreducible; it cannot be defined, only evoked and experienced.
According to Lionel Corbett, the numinous grips or stirs the soul. The numinous produces a kind of holy terror, awe or dread which Otto describes as a feeling of the ‘mysterium tremendum.’ It can also erupt in the modern person as the experience of the uncanny or the supernatural. Such awe may be overwhelming or gentle as the still small voice. The uncanny is not a function of intensity but rather of a specific quality. [see The Religious Function of the Psyche
Myths are keys opening the door beyond which lies the numinous. A nice image of this might be that of Neo as the Key Maker has given him the key and he stands at the door to the Architect.
For me, myths are not necessarily numinous in and of themselves; just as the menu is not the meal, the map is not the landscape, and the road sign is not the way, etc. What myths do is to alert us to the possibility of the numinous. They help us recognize when we are in the grips of the mysterium tremendum. The numinous can be beatific like Dante’s vision of Beatrice. It can also hold a terror as when a demon visits us in a dream and we awaken breathing heavily with a cold sweat. And, the numinous can also be experienced gently as the still small voice. Regardless of the form, the soul is deeply stirred.
I hope this helps clarify what I mean when I use the word “numinous.” I currently do not have a forum, but I would be interested in hearing about your “numinous” experiences.