Cultivating Awe
Is awe a universal experience?
I’d venture to say ‘yes’. That feeling, it can be so many things: precious, enlivening, meaningful, beautiful, overwhelming, elusive, ephemeral, even painful…those just scratch the surface. We can expect it (and it may or may not be fulfilled) or it can come upon us unexpectedly. And, I posit, we can cultivate it, and it’s no less awe-ful (ha ha…ha…).
Cultivating awe is a practice, and as with any practice there are many (countless) starting points and paths/methods (this even implies a rigidity that isn’t necessary). One way: you could start with something familiar, like a sunset, eye contact with a loved one, or a sip of red wine. That “how is this possible!?!” – truly soaking in the sensation, perhaps putting some words to the experience:
How is it possible that those colors appear in the sky, that my eyes can take them in, that my body responds like this?
How is it possible that these eyes are at once intimately familiar, gems illuminating this human’s spark, and strangely unknowable, holding a fractal piece of the entire Mystery?
How is it a plant came into being, and over time humans related with it in such a way that this liquid can be reliably created (and have such unique qualities)?
Once that feeling is known, that “how is it possible” question can be transferred to other experiences, which might seem more mundane. Packing a suitcase for a trip, journaling, picking your nose (seriously, how is it possible the pinky finger fits *so* perfectly?!?), drinking water, putting on comfortable shoes.
And from there it can be transferred to experiences we think we don’t like. Perhaps it’s making a call for a medical insurance claim, sitting in yet another traffic jam on your commute, standing in line, or feeling contempt for someone because they think differently than you do.
And maybe you have answers. If you do, and they’re not awe-limiting, high five. If you have answers, yet you long for awe, I invite you to let go of the answers for a moment and gentle yourself into aporia (not-knowing). If this is disorienting, I invite you to titrate (adjust the amount, kind of like giving it gas and then easing the brakes) and pendulate (try on uncertainty, then wrap yourself in your answers, and go back and forth).
[If you do this and would like some support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, I’m up for a chat.]
I’d love to know – what’s your relationship with awe? Do you experience it (often)? Do you situate yourself to experience it? Is cultivating it a practice for you? If so, what do you do? Do you let it come upon you organically?
