These Lovely Bones

Vertebrates are animals with hard internal skeletons—and specifically, backbones. The backbone or spine is a series of bony vertebrae that protect the spinal cord and the nerves that branch from it. Vertebrates include bony fishes, all amphibians and reptiles, birds, and mammals. Sharks and their relatives are vertebrates too, but their skeletons are composed of cartilage instead of bone.

     ​Here’s a single vertebra from the neck of a large animal such as a horse. Its structure has been molded by its function over millions of years: it must be strong and protective, but it must also be able to allow movement relative to other vertebrae above and below it. Movement is accomplished by joints where vertebrae connect with one another; in a living animal, these joints are held together by strong ligaments.

     ​This first view is from the end that points toward the head. The back of the neck would be on top, and the front of the neck on the bottom. The opening in the middle is where the spinal cord passes through, and the smaller openings on each side are for spinal nerves. 
     The rounded, triangular knob is part of the top intervertebral joint of the vertebral body, the part which supports the most weight. The two smooth flat areas on each side above the knob make up part of the facet joints that also connect the vertebrae. 

     ​This next view is from the other end, which points toward the tail. As you can see, it’s the complement to the first view. The depression below the spinal cord opening connects with the knob of the vertebra below it, and the two flat areas above on each side are the faces of the facet joints, reversed.
     ​The intervertebral joints have discs, but these discs are thinner than in humans, who walk upright; we need more give and take between vertebrae. The facet joints are supported by cartilage and synovial fluid for smooth, lubricated movement.

     ​Here’s a side view showing the knob to the left and the concave depression to the right (in shadow). You can see how the angles of the facets are matched, so that they fit with their partner vertebrae on either side. The many other bony extensions, or processes, not involved in forming joints are most likely attachments for ligaments and for tendons that connect with muscles that move the neck.

     ​Something unexpected happened when I set the vertebra down on its tail end. I found that it had a surprise—one that was hiding in plain sight until this moment. The bony structure was the same as it had always been, but here was something new. Do you see it?

     “Numinous” is an older word, and uncommon now. It refers to something that is spiritually elevated, supernatural, incapable of being described or understood; mysterious. It’s from “numen,” a Latin word, meaning a presiding divinity or the spirit of a place. Numen may also mean creative energy or genius.
     Do I believe there is literally an “angel” in this vertebra? No—but I do think my seeing an angel in this shape is no accident. Human brains and minds have also been molded by function—and culture—for tens of thousands if not millions of years. This “angel” is an example of a different level of meaning residing in common objects. It’s numinous. 

P.S. If you saw something other than an angel, no problem. Whatever you saw is right.