I believe we sense awe at all ages.
A few months ago my 2 year old granddaughter Maddie and I were sitting in a chair together gazing out a window at the Blue Ridge Mountains. She said with a tone of love and wonder, “Look Gma, there’s your mountains!” ( she knows I love the mountains). My heart felt a surge of expansion, love and awe for what she was sensing and feeling. I said, “Maddie, they are beautiful. And we can share them. Those are our mountains”. She smiled as her face lit up.
I find that in moments of awe, when I see and feel something of wonder, then my heart expands and lightens. My nervous system feels a reset button has cleared it for that moment.
This happens often during my morning walk through the woods, looking at the nearby mountains, or when star gazing at night. These settle me. Especially the mountains. I’m grateful for and to them.
What is Awe? It's a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder. It…
Is a transformative emotion
Creates a breathtaking moment
Makes us feel small in the presence of something bigger than ourselves, and connected to others. Simultaneously small and infinitely connected
Happens for most people on average twice per week
Can happen when hearing beautiful music, looking at the stars, witnessing a stunning sunset, watching snowflakes dance.
Resets the nervous system, expand perspective and remind you/ us we're part of something magnificent.
How can you experience awe? Through…
Moral beauty: Acts of kindness and courage
Collective effervescence: The feeling of being part of something larger than oneself, experienced in concerts, festivals, and other gatherings
Nature: Experiencing the beauty of the natural world.
Music: Listening to and engaging with music
Visual design: Appreciating art, patterns, and other visually appealing creations
Spirituality: Exploring spiritual practices and beliefs
Important ideas: Engaging with concepts that have significant meaning
Life and death: Contemplating mortality.
(List from Modern Elder Academy).
Give yourself an awe reset or retreat. Take a moment, hour or day to slow down, be still and savor what brings awe to you. Shift and gift your nervous system.
Want to experience a Retreat Day of Awe? If so, I’d love for you to join us for an experiential day in nature for Waking Up the Heart with Awe and the Enneagram. Treat your self, your heart.
Waking Up The Heart: Power of Awe + The Enneagram
Saturday 2/15, 10am - 4pm, at Bend of Ivy Lodge.
Register here. $65 includes light lunch. Registration closes 2/12.