The Compass Blog

Nil Sine Numine – This is the motto of the State of Colorado. The Latin phrase is commonly translated as “Nothing Without Providence” or “Nothing Without Divinity.” Numine is derived from the noun Numen, which, directly translated, means “a nod of the head.” In ancient Rome, where Latin was the dominant language, numen referred to a divine presence, not the divine thing itself (deuswas the word of choice for that), but merely the presence of something divine. 

The word, and concept, of numen have survived through the ages in different forms. It is frequently connected to the ideology of animism – the belief that objects, places, and creatures possess a sacred and transcendent essence – which has anthropological roots in cultures all over the world. Some of our smarter friends might even reference a numinous presence as they tell ghost stories around the campfire. 

Are you still with me? It’s okay if you’re losing focus – I, too, was always suspicious of people who signed up to take Latin. 

All tedious etymological discussion aside, many of you can probably relate to that feeling of a powerful presence, and probably have vivid memories of that feeling cropping up in your lives. For me, it was this exact feeling that drew me to my first CoolWorks job, to embark on a journey from the home of my youth in North Carolina to seek out experiential gold in the vast promise of the West. 

I find it profoundly fitting, all these years later, to learn that this ancient phrase, the verbal embodiment of this mythological force that I so desired to chase, was hiding all these years on the seal of the state of Colorado, the place where I have my first memories of experiencing it, the place where I sit writing this today. It was here, where as a kid, I was fortunate enough to get to visit these great Rocky Mountains, to gaze out for the first time at an expansive sea of peaks, touching every horizon. It was here that I first felt that presence, and felt it nodding back at me.

“Looking back, I never thought seasonal jobs would play such a huge role in my life. When I set off for Colorado after college graduation, I imagined I would spend a year working as a ski bum before returning to the ‘real world.’What happened couldn’t be more different.”  – Susan Shain 

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