We cannot deny that, deep within ourselves, an interior appears at the heart of beings. That is enough to suggest that, in one degree or another, this interior should assert itself as existing everywhere in nature from all time.
1961
The numinous, also known as mysterium tremendum, captures the experience of encountering something vast, sublime, and overwhelmingly divine—an awe that feels both transcendent and ineffable. It’s the moment when we glimpse a reality far beyond human comprehension, where beauty and terror intertwine. This divine presence is not simply magnificent but mysterious, drawing us toward it while reminding us of our own smallness. It stirs a sense of reverence, a deep awareness of the sacred that exists just outside the reach of our understanding.
In the face of the numinous, we are humbled by the grandeur of what lies beyond our grasp, struck by the immense and unfathomable power of the divine. It is not a force we can fully control or define, but one that envelops us in its wonder, urging us to contemplate the mystery of existence. Whether through the vastness of the cosmos, the quiet majesty of nature, or the ungraspable presence of an unknown force, the numinous invites us to stand in awe, aware of both our insignificance and our connection to something far greater than ourselves.
The Doors of Perception
Aldous Huxley recounts his transformative experience on a mescaline trip that took place over the course of an afternoon in May 1953. He explores how it altered his perception of reality, revealing a world rich in beauty and significance, unfiltered by the mind’s utilitarian focus. Drawing parallels to religious mysticism and artistic inspiration, Huxley critiques the limitations of normal consciousness, which he sees as a “reducing valve” that narrows reality to what is necessary for survival. The book invites readers to reconsider the nature of perception, creativity, and humanity’s spiritual potential.
The Joyous Cosmology
Adventures in the Chemistry of Consciousness
The Joyous Cosmology is Alan Watts’ exploration of the insight that the consciousness-changing drugs LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin can facilitate when accompanied with sustained philosophical reflection by a person who is in search, not of kicks, but of understanding. More than an artifact, it is both a riveting memoir of Alan’s personal experiments and a profound meditation on our perennial questions about the nature of existence and the existence of the sacred.
The Perennial Philosophy
Aldous Huxley’s The Perennial Philosophy examines the shared essence of mystical traditions worldwide. It posits a universal core of spiritual experience centered on the divine Ground of being. Synthesizing Eastern and Western wisdom, Huxley explores self-transcendence, contemplation, and ultimate reality, arguing that diverse religions share fundamental truths about consciousness and divinity, emphasizing direct spiritual experience over dogma.
Visionary Experience
Presented at the 14th Annual Congress of Applied Psychology. Aldous Huxley had been invited to the symposium by Timonthy Leary and Richard Alpert (Ram Dass). The two had met some months earlier, when Tim invited the author of the first two major works of modern psychedelic literature (The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell) to participate in the Harvard research program. Huxley agreed and was “Subject no.11” in a group psilocybin session run by Leary in November 1960.
