'The Numinous Ear'at Sacred Arts, 2026, Oxford University

I’m grateful for the opportunity to present The Numinous Ear: Autistic Listening and Aural Diversity as a Gateway to the Divine and Sublime at Sacred Arts 2026: Exploring the Spiritual Dimensions of Artistic Expression and Ritual, a transdisciplinary conference hosted by the London Arts-Based Research Centre at the University of Oxford on 16–17 May 2026.

This presentation explores neurodivergent auditory perception as a site of relational and numinous consciousness.

Drawing on Rudolf Otto’s concept of the mysterium tremendum et fascinans, alongside Carl Jung’s engagement with the numinous, I reflect on how autistic listening, often shaped by heightened sensitivity to sonic textures and intricate patterns, may challenge conventional auditory paradigms and reveal sound’s deeply affective and transcendent qualities. These paradoxical sensory experiences suggest a dynamic, co-creative interplay between sound and consciousness.

Grounded in the philosophical work of Merleau-Ponty, Ihde, Nancy, Chalmers, Goff, and Whitehead, the research considers whether sound operates merely as stimulus or as an ontological force shaping lived experience and invites us to reconsider: Is sound an external force, or is it a co-creator of inner reality?