Making room for awe
Awe is a word I like and a concept I want to explore more. Sometimes awe is easier to access when we’re away from our everyday routines. So I thought it might be nice to think about it in August whilst the days are still long, and the holiday period gives a little more space and flexibility for time out.
I thought a lot about awe when I was writing my dissertation for my MSc Psychology. I explored the wellbeing and spiritual value people gain from interacting with the coastal environment, but my research expanded out into comparison with other forms of nature and the themes of awe, wonder and transcendence. One lasting impact of the interviews I conducted for my MSc research was the extent of the value that interacting with their local environment on a daily basis had on participants’ wellbeing. It was not just in terms of marvel at the scale and extent of nature or particular spiritual aspects but in the small day in, day out experiences that gave them bite sized pieces of awe.
Awe at scale
I took the picture above many years ago when I lived in Australia and had a break in Tasmania. A walk on a frosty southern hemisphere morning in the Cradle Mountains created the opportunity to capture this magic moment. When I think of awe this is often the image that comes to mind. Australia is a place whose vastness and vibrant colours lend themselves readily to moments of awe. Remembering how it was to fly over the red earth and turquoise sea of Western Australia is another moment that always comes to mind.
Peak experiences in the vastness of nature may be the obvious first thought when you consider awe. But that sense of awe at scale can be found here closer to home in the UK. You can find it amongst landscapes, cityscapes and coastlines and the humdrum of everyday meanderings.
The awe on your doorstep
It can be amazing what you can stumble across awe in nature on your doorstep. Today on my early morning walk, I saw a cormorant land a fish on the other side of the river with the silver scales of the fish shimmering in the sunlight. I marvelled at the presence of nature at play. But also at how serendipitous it was that I was there to witness that particular moment.
Beyond nature, awe can be experienced through marvelling at architecture, being moved by art or music, through engagement with gatherings of people and in the impact of life’s great moments and spiritual events.
Have you ever strolled around a city and looked up at the different styles and scale of the architecture? Or tried to comprehend how cathedrals were built without modern machinery? How light has been captured in a building through precise connection between man-made object and the time of day?
Perhaps, it’s been watching live music amongst an audience of thousands that has left you buzzing for hours about the sheer magic of collective participation. Or hanging out with a few others on a hot summer’s day when it felt like the sun would never set.
This idea of everyday awe is something the psychologist Dacher Keltner explores in his book ‘Awe: The Transformative Power of Everyday Wonder’1 . His research found that people experience awe not just through nature, but through moral beauty, art and architecture, music, shared human moments and life’s bigger transitions. Awe can be available in far more places – and more readily – than we typically expect.
Bringing awe into the everyday
I found through my MSc research that it doesn’t matter where you live, greater connection to your environment and community can have a positive impact on your wellbeing.
The long days of August can give you an opportunity to put yourself in situations where you can experience awe. Sometimes just a visit to that exhibition you’ve been meaning to see before it ends. Or choosing to look out of the window on your bus ride home before the dusk sets in.
Perhaps you could choose to play with some ideas during August with a view to finding ways to bring more space for awe into your everyday in a way that outlasts the summer and becomes part of your ordinary routine.
If awe feels out of reach
Some people are easily moved by events or feel emotions associated with awe such as astonishment and tears more freely. Reading this post might make you feel like awe is out of reach right now. You may feel so wired, anxious or numb it’s hard to connect to the marvel of the world around you.
But how would it be to put your phone in your pocket next time you’re waiting in line and take in what’s going on around you? Sometimes there needs to be a little investment in time and effort to find awe. I didn’t arrange for that cormorant to be there on my walk this morning. I put myself in that position by getting out of the house early.
You may think you don’t have time for any of this awe stuff right now, but you might be surprised how quickly your awe muscle can build. For example, you could choose to look out the window in the coming days to see the sun rise or set and notice how the colours impact you.
Awe is ready and waiting for you to experience it. You don’t need to take yourself anywhere special. Being more present in your surroundings, and willing to be moved, means it can reach you wherever you are.
1 Keltner, D. (2023). Awe: The Transformative Power of Everyday Wonder. Penguin.
