Fear. We discussed fear as an important theme. Since the narrative is based around transmissions from a mysterious realm, it should inspire a sense of fear. There are different types of fear. One might be a kind of vulnerability felt in response to a threat. Another might be a kind of dread elicited by a sense of the beyond (“the colossal sublime” in art).
Suppose you were told that 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. Rudolf Otto
This reminds me – when I was young and would lay awake at night, terrified of ghosts in the next room, I experienced the opposite sentiment. I was fearful of what the ghost might do to me (though what specifically wasn’t resolved) but I would remind myself that the presence of a ghost indicated the existence of the spiritual realm – of God, heaven, etc. – which I found comforting.
I think the sense of the numinous can be used to distinguish between the kind of fear we want to avoid (having to do with a lack of safety) and the kind of mystery we want to establish. It’s about a fascination with the wholly-other.
I like this distinction. I like moving toward the numinous. Perhaps the mere presence of the another world will inspire a sense of the numinous? See CAMPAIGN: A NOISE TO SCARE AWAY THE DARK.
March 1, 2009 at 1:26 am |
[...] are telling a story about the numinous: an uncanny sense of presence. The numinous is often felt when no one else is around. It is a [...]