“Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Love tells me I am everything. And between the two my life flows.” – Nisargadatta Maharaj
Awe is defined as “a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.” It can come from different stimuli, including observing something extraordinary, a theoretical sense of being in someone’s presence and even mentally stimulated through philosophy, science and spiritual principles. This paradoxical sensation is self-transcendent. Unlike most other emotions, it can feel both positive and negative. Awe is both witnessed and experienced within and without. It involves our five senses, yet goes beyond them to a deeper felt sense within us. It touches both our body and mind in a way that opens us to another dimension, commonly referred to as Spirit or Soul.
Psychologically speaking, the small self (ego) is transcended and we become more conscious of a bigger picture and a deeper self within (Soul). This awareness takes us into a paradox where two things can become true. We experience both our external physicality and our inner spirit.
Children live in a steady state of awe until their brains begin to develop and they identify with a more fixed personality and set of beliefs. Elders, those among us who have a lifetime of experience and wisdom, also understand awe well. I remember having conversations with my grandfather when he was near the end of his life; he would often tear up from great love and compassion while relating childhood and worldly stories. I could always tell when he was connected in a deep way, because his gaze would noticeably turn inward, as if his heart were opening.
To have both reverential respect and wonder opens us to many possibilities of what life truly is and who we truly are. If we did not or could not have these experiences, it would be easier to say that we are either just our bodies or just our minds. Awe, however, exposes us to Soul, which is neither more nor less important but always present. When body, mind and soul are in union, there is a joy that goes beyond an individual experience and feels more like compassion and connection to all. This may be what is missing with our technology, social media and fast-paced lives. Along with a host of benefits from these conveniences, they present new problems.
In 2020, University California San Francisco completed an Awe Study with older adults who were in their 70s. They were divided into two test groups. One group was instructed to perform Awe Walks (which included paying more attention to surroundings, slowing down, putting away phones, etc.) while the control group was given only the instruction to complete 15-minute walks, weekly for eight weeks. Each group was asked specific questions and completed a weekly and daily survey, as well as photographing themselves before, during and after each walk. Those in the Awe Walking group increased their levels of positive emotions, like joy, peace and connection and decreased characteristics typically deemed negative like depression, anxiety and isolation. The pictures taken were analyzed also. Amazingly, the Awe group’s photos changed over the eight weeks while the control groups did not. Participants in the Awe Walk group showed less of themselves and increasingly more of the background scenery in their photographs over the course of the study when compared with participants in the control Walk group.
The magic of awe can create fear and wonder for the ego. The purpose of this could be to create a humility that grounds us in the rawness of our small, limited, human experience, while simultaneously creating respect and connection that opens us beyond the limitations, into a world of infinite possibilities and conscious choice. Mystics, saints and poets understand this world and have forever been trying to open us up to it.
Tim Hahn is a Springfield business owner, husband and father. His interests are in the spiritual laws that affect the day-to-day experience and the choices we have.
This article appears in Spring 2025 March 2025.
