Making Meaning of the Numinous

Course Description

This course turns our attention to those ‘awe’-some and ‘wonder’-ful moments in our life to which we give the term Numinous. Wonder is something that the inner child or archetypal divine child in us instinctively feels. As human beings, we wonder, we have curiosity and we are drawn to things. The numinous is, thus, within everyone’s reach: call it grace, serendipity, synchronicity, fate or anything else!

Jean Shinoda Bolen, senior Jungian analyst and author of the bestselling books ‘Goddesses in Everywoman’ and ‘Gods in Everyman’ does not take a theoretical route to the Numinous in this lecture. Instead she weaves bits and pieces from her life & work, to illustrate the mysteries of numinous moments. In her telling, she highlights the importance of taking those moments a step further. And here is her most important contribution to us through this lecture: Jean pushes us to not only have the experience but to revive its meaning. She encourages us to remember experiences, reflect upon them and delve more deeply into what the meaning of the experience is. She asks us to wonder about things we may not have ever wondered about before. 

Jean fills the lecture with stories and anecdotes to illustrate the role the numinous can play in our lives. She refers to times of profound hardship, sickness and suffering, our work, our creativity, death and birth, the all-too-human moments of fear or even just doing something out of our daily routine. 

In this intimate lecture, Jean makes a case for not leaving a numinous experience at the moment of feeling its awe and wonder. She encourages us to draw more from it. She closes the lecture with a beautiful moment that stays with you long after  Jean is gone from your computer screen. 

These lectures were originally presented at the C.G. Jung Society of St. Louis and have been remastered by Jung Platform. The lectures are available now.

This lecture is ideal if

• You want to be able to recognize numinous experiences.
• You wish to have a better understanding of the next step when you have one.
• You want to hear inspiring stories and anecdotes about the Numinous.
• You are interested in Jean Shinoda Bolen’s work and life.

By the end of this lecture you will

• Have a better understanding of what a numinous experience is.
• Be prepared to take the next step when you have a numinous experience and pay attention to what it means.
• Learn how to look at the outer world with a soulful lens.