REFLECTIONS ABOUT THE SACRED I.

THE EXPERIENCE OF DREAD OTTO

CALLS THE FEELING OF NUMINOUS DREAD THE MYSTERIUM TREMENDUM .

THE

AWEFULNESS MAN

EXPERIENCE WHEN CONFRONTED WITH THE UNFAMILIAR IS MORE PROFOUND THAN ORDINARY FEAR. IMAGINE THE FEAR THAT A PERSON FEELS WHEN POINTED WITH A GUN BY A CARJACKER.

THE FEAR IS ORDINARY FEAR THE FEAR IS

SINCE THE PERSON KNOWS THAT HIS OR HER LIFE IS IN GRAVE DANGER AND THUS IS TERRIFIED OF THE CARJACKER. IMAGINE THE FEAR THAT A PERSON FEELS WHEN SEEING A GHOST INSIDE THE CAR.

AWEFULNEES SINCE THE PERSON IS NOT IN APPARENT DANGER AND YET HE OR SHE IS TERRIFIED BY THE UNCANNY.

WHAT

DIFFERENTIATES THIS DAEMONIC DREAD FROM THE AWE A PERSON EXPERIENCES WHEN

CONFRONTED WITH THE SACRED?

WHILE THE ELEMENT OF DREAD IS PRESENT WHEN A PERSON ENCOUNTERS IT

IS DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE WHAT ONE

THE SACRED, THERE IS MORE THE ENCOUNTER THAN AWE ALONE. EXPERIENCES WHEN CONFRONTED BY THE SACRED.

ONLY FEW HAVE TRULY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY AND THE THE
AMAZEMENT COMES NOT ONLY FROM THE

FEW WHO DID FIND THEMSELVES AT A LOSS FOR WORDS.

SUPERNATURAL PHENOMENA THAT A PERSON EXPERIENCES WHEN FACE WITH THE SACRED.

IT

IS FROM THE

DIVINE BEING HIMSELF WHOM MEN ARE STUNNED AND STUPEFIED. For me, it is the emotion that a person is filled with when with the sacred is unimaginable. To become hyper-aware of my limitation when confronted with the sacred is an awareness that I doubt to have experienced before. THE
NOTHINGNESS IS NOT A SENSE OF GUILT FOR A TRANSGRESSION, BUT THE SENSE OF BEING PROFANE, WHICH IS THE OPPOSITE STATE TO THE HOLY OR HOLINESS, WHICH IS AN ABSOLUTE QUALITY BELONGING JUST TO THE PERSON.

GOD. OTTO

SAYS THAT THERE IS A NOTHINGNESS THAT FILLS UP

I HAVE

EXPERIENCED SELF-DEPRECIATION AND UNWORTHINESS IN SOME POINTS IN MY LIFE.

I FEEL

INSIGNIFICANT WHEN

I AM WITH A CROWD OF POPULAR AND IMPORTANT PEOPLE. I FEEL USELESS WHEN I AM I THINK THAT THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING FACED WITH THE SACRED IS
COMPARED TO OTHERS AT SOME POINT, BUT TO BE

NOT ABLE TO DO THE TASKS AT HAND.

SOMEHOW SIMILAR TO THESE INSTANCES YET FAR EXCEEDINGLY PASSIONATE AND SOMEHOW DIFFERENT FROM THESE EXPERIENCES.

WE ALL FEEL INSIGNIFICANT

FACED WITH THE GREATEST BEING OF ALL TIME MUST BE UNBELIEVABLE AND OVERWHELMINGLY POWERFUL.

TO

BE FACE WITH AN INFINITE BEING IS LIKE TO PERCEIVE ONESELF AS A SINGLE AND FLEETING SPECK OF

DUST IN THE VAST UNIVERSE.

NOT ONLY DO WE PERCEIVE OURSELVES TO BE ALMOST NOTHING WHEN FACED DIVINE DIVINE BEING DIVINE BEING
MATTERS NOT ON HOW WE PERCEIVE THINGS, BUT THE IS SO OVERWHELMINGLY AWESOME THAT IT PIERCES

WITH THE SACRED, BUT WE ARE TRULY AND OBJECTIVELY ALMOST NOTHING COMPARED TO THE

BEING. THE

GREATNESS OF THE

POWER THAT COMES FROM THE

THROUGH EVEN TO THE MOST SKEPTIC OF PEOPLE.

II. DESECRATING THE HOLY BY CELEBRATING THE PROFANE PEOPLE AZTECS

ARE ATTRACTED TO THE SACRED BECAUSE OF TWO REASONS: SOME PEOPLE PURSUE THE

SACRED BECAUSE OF PRACTICAL REASONS AND SOME PEOPLE PURSUE THE SACRED AS A GOOD IN ITSELF. ANCIENT OF

THE

CENTRAL MEXICO THEY

WERE ONE OF THE GROUPS WHO HAVE PURSUED THE SACRED FOR

PRACTICAL PURPOSES.

OFFERED ANIMALS AND HUMANS TO APPEASE THE GODS IN ORDER TO BE

BLESSED BY BOUNTIFUL HARVEST AND PLEASANT WEATHER. PRACTICE OF

HOWEVER,

IF WE ANALYZE FURTHER, THIS

MAGIC

CAN BE OBSERVED IN EVEN MORE ADVANCED CULTURES . OCCUPYING

CHRISTIANITY

AS

INTRODUCED BY

SPANIARDS

PHILIPPINES

INTRODUCED

FILIPINOS TO THE IDEA OF INDULGENCES.

AN INDULGENCE IS THE REMISSION OF PUNISHMENT DUE TO FORGIVEN SINS USUALLY THROUGH GOOD WORKS
AND PRAYER BUT INAPPROPRIATELY , ALSO THROUGH MONEY.

WE CAN STILL CONSIDER THIS TO BE PURSUING

THE GOOD FOR PRACTICAL REASONS SINCE PEOPLE WANT THE HOLY FOR SOMETHING THAT IS PROFANE.

ALTHOUGH

HELL IS A SPIRITUAL CONCEPT, MEN WANT TO AVERT FROM PAIN, WHICH IS A PROFANE

EXPERIENCE AND THUS THEY ARE WILLING TO LITERALLY

PAY FOR THEIR SINS.

EVEN UP TODAY, CHRISTIANS HAVE PURSUED GOD FOR THE SAKE OF THE PROFANE. EVERY DAY WE
PRAY FOR

GOD TO HELP US PASS OUR EXAMS, OR ASK FOR SAFETY IN OUR TRIPS OR SHOWER US WITH MANY FOR
ME, THIS IS NOT A WRONG PRACTICE TO ENGAGE IN.

BLESSINGS. IMPLORE

WE

MUST ALSO REMEMBER THAT WE

GODS

HELP EVERYDAY AS A SIGN OF HUMILITY SINCE WE ARE CONCEDING TO

HIM THAT

WE ARE

USELESS AND HELPLESS ON OUR OWN WITHOUT SOME PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY TAKEN PRAYING TO

HIS

INFINITE GRACE , COMPASSION AND MERCY.

HOWEVER,

GOD

AS ONLY A MEANS TO GATHER MATERIAL THINGS THROUGH

HIM. GOD

SHOULD NOT BE TREATED AS A VENDING MACHINE , WHERE WE PLACE A PRAYER IN

THE COIN SLOT AND EXPECT GOOD THINGS TO COME OUT.

THE

SACRED SHOULD NOT BE UNDERSTOOD AS

SUCH FOR IT IS A DISTORTION OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS TRULY HOLY .

BY REFLECTION, I HAVE COME

TO

REALIZE MY OWN TENDENCIES TO FOCUS ON THE PROFANE THINGS ALONE AND

I MUST REMEMBER THAT THE

DIVINE BEING DOES NOT EXIST TO BLESS ME, BUT HE HAS BLESSED ME TO EXIST.

NAME: ARJAN JO VELEZ UY

AB-PHILOSOPHY