Untranslatable Gnosis

One of the difficulties I have when talking about gnosis is trying to translate the experiences I have into some form of Communication.  English is wonderful at getting across certain concepts, but sometimes you just need to use another language.

Dépaysement

French – The feeling that comes from not being in one’s home country.

This word, to me, explains my base state of existence.  As a gnostic, I am not in my home country.  I am lost, confused, I don't understand the customs, the familiar things I use as touchstones are all strange here.  I'm never quite comfortable.  Enjoyable as things may be, they're never quite right.  I have this feeling of dépaysement, of not being in my home country.

Saudade

Portuguese – One of the most beautiful of all words, translatable or not, this word “refers to the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost.”

The liturgy of the Ecclesia Gnostica Mysteriorum contains the line "When I am not even sure there is a Thou", and that line expresses the sentiment of saudade very well.  Often, gnostics lose their surety, their connection.  It is these moments we fall back on faith, on trust in the existence and compassion of the divine.  Our souls ring out with the longing for what we love, and what was lost.  What we hope to regain.

Duende

Spanish – While originally used to describe a mythical, spritelike entity that possesses humans and creates the feeling of awe of one’s surroundings in nature, its meaning has transitioned into referring to “the mysterious power that a work of art has to deeply move a person.”

Emily uses this word all the time, and I think that all religious people experience it:  In the beauty of a hymn, the awe of a cathedral arch, the timelessness of a mural or painting, the phrases of scripture.  We are moved off our axes and into the realm of the Divine.

Maybe these words can help you out, when trying to describe those indescribable feelings and experiences which occur among us.