Numin/US

While taking an incredible course called Religious Dimensions in Human Experience: Apocalypse, Sports, Music, Home, Sacrifice, Medicine from Prof. Davíd Carrasco, I started to realize that there are stories of modern encounters with a higher power that never see the light of day for fear of ridicule. In late February 2023, I asked friends to refer me to people who might want to talk. I exchanged emails and calls with Catholic Priests, Atheists, members of the LDS Church, Pagans, Muslims, and everyone in between. I use denominations here as an aside, because what I was truly looking for was not one religion but a multitude of people. My request was simple: Please send me a page or two on a time you had an experience with divinity, the supernatural, God- however you would like to describe it. I asked for a description of the time, place and the age range of the writer. They began arriving in my inbox. Their stories ranged from the day a phone call saved someone’s life, to sitting quietly in the morning with a glass of orange juice, experiencing God. I’ve created photographs to tell their experiences through visual art. Ultimately, I hope people can see that the numinous is not something reserved for holy people who lived 2,000 years ago- it’s entirely out of our control when, who, and where someone might have an experience. Taking time to listen to the voices and hold the memories of those living today matters. I am calling the project NUMIN/US, because all of us are worthy of having our stories told.