The numinous, a term first articulated by Rudolf Otto in Das Heilige, describes the quality of direct encounter with the sacred - the wholly other, carrying awe, mystery, terror, and fascination. Carl Jung broadened Otto’s insight, locating the numinous in the archetypal depths of the psyche. For Jung, it erupts from the unconscious with a force that seizes the ego, alters consciousness, and leaves the individual irrevocably changed.
Transformation refers to a thorough or dramatic change in our view of ourselves, the world, and how we experience the world. This often happens when we break out of a darkness that has enclosed us. The darkness comes in many forms – a loss, depression, tragedy, or simply an attack on our personhood, professional image, or livelihood.
Butterflies have long been associated with the process of transformation and metamorphosis - a powerful representation of the soul and its journey through life. This intense transformation process can be equated to the alchemical stage of Solutio. Solutio is the root of alchemy, where one form disappears and a new revitalized form emerges.
“There are spiritual processes of transformation in the psyche”. Jung framed the psyche as a purposive self-regulating system aimed toward the unfolding of inherent potentials. According to Jung symbols play a dynamic role in the psyche’s movement toward wholeness.
The hero myth is a deeply human mythological narrative, an archetypal pattern woven into soul. Joseph Campbell studied the hero archetype across cultures and understood this pattern to be a fundamental primordial instinctual drive in the human psyche which serve as a vessel of transformation of our consciousness.
It has become clear that our world is changing at an exponential rate! It is difficult to keep up with the changes as humans get stuck in worldviews and archetypal patterns, modified in personal complexes. What is required is a flexible attitude, receptivity and openness. This requires self-reflection, especially an awareness of shadow aspects of humanity, which is a necessary aspect in Jung’s path of individuation.