Day 14 The ABC's of Advent, Letter N

One really fun thing about doing the ABC's of Advent is that I'm able to really explore "new" or little used words. Over the weekend, I started reading Avis Clendenen's book Experiencing Hildegard, Jungian Perspectives. Both Hildegard and Jung referred to the word "numinous". Both believed that healing means reestablishing a connection with the transcendent, the numinous within.

I knew about what it meant, but I enjoy digging into words, so off I went; first, simply meditating on the word for a few days. Then yesterday, we sang a new song for Advent--at least it was new to me. It was Sir John Bowring's Watchmen, Tell Us of the Night. It stirred me, so I came home and looked it up on the internet, in order to look more closely at the words. As I looked them over again this morning and looked up the words, "numen" and "numinous", I knew why the song had stirred me--following the star is very much a "numinous" event.

Watchman, tell us of the night,

What its signs of promise are.

Traveler over yon mountain's height,

See the glory beaming star...

Watchman, tell us of the night,

For the morning seems to dawn,

Traveler, darkness takes it's flight,

Doubt and terror are withdrawn.

Watchman let thy wanderings cease

Hie thee to thy quiet home...

That's what it is to "connect with the numinous within"...you're in a "dark night", then finally you're able to finally spot a distant spark of light, so you begin to follow the light. Finally, morning begins to dawn, and doubt and fear leave. The wandering is over and one finds herself "home", aided by the light shed by another.

I personally don't think the wisemen in the Christmas story had a clue where the star would lead them; they only knew they had to follow. They were compelled from within to follow the star, and they found themselves "coming home".

Jung wrote of being "guided in his writings by an unseen hand, a largely unconscious spiritus rector, (a guiding spirit)". "Hildegard was motivated by the same impulse and guided by a similar spirit...the Living Light within her soul."

And it is that same "guiding force", that same numinous power, that same Mysterium, that has guided me as I've written these 14 days. Avis Clendenen writes that "Connection to this Mysterium is humankind's best hope for healing the soul sickness and fragmenting forces battering the humnan psyche."

I only know I trust this "numinous Star" in my life, this "Guiding Light", this "Holy Spirit", this "Sophia Wisdom". May you find yourselve complelled to reconnect with the Numinous this Advent. And may you find yourself "coming home" again.