The Message of Awe

July 29, 2020 Cognitive Insights No Comments

Some experience it daily, others just sporadically. Everybody knows awe, yet it remains strangely elusive. Diminishing the elusiveness may detract from the mystery. It may also Open one up to even more depth.

Awe cannot be coerced ― yet it can be invited.

For instance, through the environment: the mountains, the sea, a sunset or sunrise, feeling how this is part of an infinitely more expansive universe, a starry night, a religious building, a specific happening, the excellence in any performance.

More abstractly, one feels this – or becomes aware of it – through an encounter with Beauty, Immensity, Depth… with the Unspeakable.

Anything that invites awe can be seen as a kind of autosuggestion.

In other words, it’s a communication with the non-conscious ― therefore, with ‘total self,’ symbolized through the awesome object or situation.

As with any autosuggestion, trying to coerce it, it may backfire.

Eventually, a symbol always leads to total self. A Symbol Is Always YOU. For instance, remember the last time you felt in awe? Chances are you also felt profoundly ‘you’ in that situation.

Awe is the feeling of grandeur in this.

It shows how wonderful and important YOU are. This is the profound message of awe.

At the same time, as in any of the above cases, awe has an awesome effect also because it head-on humbles the ego in contact with the total self ― not standing in the way for a while, being Open. Awe is this combination of humility and grandeur.

An encounter with total self ― therefore also with meaningfulness.

Awe can remarkably feel like coming home where you belong. You can feel at peace with ‘it’: your life, life in general, the universe… in a profoundly meaningful way.

Thus, experiencing awe should always be welcomed as an important moment. It is a close encounter of the meaningful kind.

It’s also a very wholesome moment. At such a time, you breathe sanity. It’s an experience that you should cherish and carry with you. An experience that – if repeated now and then – makes life more worthy.

And yes, this tends towards the mystical.

A mystical experience is always one of awe, even when it doesn’t feel so at first sight. ‘The mystical’ lies further along the road of awesomeness.

Every day an experience of awe is everyday mysticism.

An open door to Open Religion.

Wow.

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

What’s Your Story?

One can see coaching as helping someone move closer to a story that fits more deeply with who the coachee truly is. Not in the sense of crafting a polished narrative for the outside world, but of uncovering a living story that grows from within. This is not about feeding the ego a fancier script. Read the full article…

Beyond Puberty

Puberty is often seen as a brief and chaotic transition, a storm to survive on the way to adulthood. But what if it’s not just a threshold, but a terrain we carry with us? In this blog, we explore how puberty, especially in its extended form, can become a lifelong source of vitality, depth, and Read the full article…

Moving Beyond Conflict

Conflict is an inevitable part of life. From family feuds to political stalemates and workplace disagreements, it often seems to divide us irreparably. Yet, conflict is not inherently destructive. With the right perspective, it can become an opportunity for growth, understanding, and even creativity. By shifting our mindset and embracing the challenge, we can move Read the full article…

Translate »