Do you remember the sense of awe you had when you were a child? The wonder at how an ant could carry something three times its size.  Or seeing the ocean for the first time and realizing how extraordinary it was. It’s heartbreaking that as you age, you lose the sense of awe and no longer see the magic life offers every day.

Awe is the emotion you feel when something astonishing happens. And when it does, it’s difficult to express in words.  Why? Because when you realize that you’re a part of something larger than yourself, you feel a connection to the Universe.

When you are open to seeing magic in the world by embracing each moment with peace, you can find the wonder you had as a child. See, you weren’t supposed to lose that feeling of awe and amazement.  It’s meant to be a part of your life.

Your sense of wonder fades because you stop looking at things with a fresh mindset. You allow the egoic mind to recognize patterns, have expectations, and therefore see things as commonplace. If you want your sense of awe to return, then you must see the world from a different perspective.

Most people are not in the world of awe and wonder. They’re in the world of deadness. Their perceptual fields and bodies are completely self-reflective, and all they see is themselves wherever they go.  ~ Frederick Lenz

Benefits of Feeling Awe in Your Life

Did you know that having a sense of wonder helps you allow more joy into your life? Yes, because awe allows you to feel the connection you have with the Universe, which allows the joy within you to rise. Therefore, awe can change your mood because you are in flow and time becomes irrelevant.

Furthermore, this feeling supports you to be more inquisitive, cooperative with others, humble, creative, and generous. As well as increase your critical thinking skills. All these positive emotions allow you to feel hopeful for the world you live in as well as your future. Hense decreasing your desire for material things.

You will also become less judgmental and you’ll have more control over the negative thoughts of the egoic mind.  Why? Because when you know you’re connected to the Universe, you have less fear and more calmness, which allows you to see a unique perspective.

From a physical standpoint, your body will have less inflammation, the underlying cause of all diseases. You will decrease your risk of heart attack, autoimmune disorders, and Alzheimer’s because you have less stress in your life.

When you experience awe, you get clarity and it focuses your attention on the object of wonder that’s conjuring the emotion. Its effects cause you to become mindful and fully present at that moment.

What is sacred is what is worthy of our reverence, what evokes awe and wonder in the human heart, and what, when contemplated, transforms us utterly. ~ Phil Cousineau

Orbital Perspective

When you express awe, your eyes widen with raised inner eyebrows, dropped jaw, and a relaxed, open mouth with a visible inhalational. You know what I mean, jaw-dropping or breath-taking experiences. The feeling reduces the sympathetic influences on the heart, causing you to be still. So it’s not about moving toward the object of your wonder, but being mindful of the moment and taking it all in.

When astronauts reach orbit, they have an earth-shattering change in perception. The awe they feel from seeing Earth from space makes them feel small, but not in an egoic way. Instead, their smallness comes from the grandeur of the experience.  The small blue planet compared to the vastness of space.

They see themselves as a small part of a larger community. From an orbital perspective, there aren’t any borders, only the whole of humanity.  Awe binds humans to one another in collaboration to ensure the survival of the species. It pivots thinking from the egoic me to the inclusive we.

So how do you get this kind of shift from seeing the surrounding wonder, here on planet Earth in your home, living your life? There are ways for you to see the world around you with the awe you had as a child. Let’s explore them.

The first act of awe, when man was struck with the beauty or wonder of Nature, was the first spiritual experience. ~ Henryk Skolimowski

Twelve Ways To See The Awe In The World

Add these habits to your weekly schedule to see reclaim the awe and wonder you had as a child.

1 – Spend Time In the Awe of Mother Nature

You don’t have to go to the Smokey Mountains or the Redwood Forest to experience the awesomeness of the natural world. Although these serene settings are well-liked spots to see awe, they’re not the only way to experience the emotion. Just look up and see the night sky. Or listen to the sounds of a babbling creek. Take a walk and feel the breeze across your face and watch the cloud formations for five minutes allows you to destress.

2 – Unplug

Although the vastness of the internet can inspire awe for many social media hampers your ability to make authentic connections. Yes, it’s a tool to help you communicate with others, but it’s not a device one can use to see as a child. But when you unplug, you become open to your environment and its inherent beauty. Since you’re not staring at a screen, you may notice things you hadn’t before. You can now reconnect with yourself or with others because you reenter the present moment mindfulness.

3 – Get Active In Your Community

When you engage with others, it supports your feeling like you’re a part of something larger than yourself. As you integrate yourself into social collectives, you see the communal needs and that encourages the desire to help one another as a way to help yourself, too. Find a cause that you’re passionate about, like helping veterans, the environment, or animal rescues and aid those organizations and feel the awe of being a part of the larger organization that’s making a difference.

Awe is the emotion of self-transcendence. ~ Jonathan Haidt

4 – Don’t Plan Every Minute of Your Life

I’m a notorious planner. In many respects, it’s beneficial. But I’ve noticed for me to in be flow with the Universe, I have to let my plans go. Why? Because structure doesn’t allow for exploration. If you look at children, they move through life differently.  They play, rest, and connect with others with no planning. It’s unstructured time.  It’s the wandering from one thing to another that allows flow and miracles to occur. And when they get to school and start adding extracurricular activities to their lives, they lose the awe and wonder they once had.

5 – Seek Awe in Patterns

Children’s minds seek patterns.  I remember having breakfast with my granddaughter and she was stacking checkers red, black, red, black, and pointed out the pattern she made. Most adults don’t notice these configurations, partly because they think it’s commonplace. But consider the awe of a flock of geese flying in formation, the natural Fibonacci spiral of a seashell or a pinecone. The fact that nature merges with mathematics is awe-inspiring.

6 – Explore the Awe in Art

You can get creative and make a piece of art to discover the awe within you. The act of creating slows down your egoic mind and allows you to embrace the present moment. Creativity comes in all forms, from painting, drawing, writing, ceremonies, and science. It’s incredible to find amazement in man-made creations like the Eiffel Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge, or the Mona Lisa. Humans are exceptionally creative beings.

When we’re infused with either enthusiasm or awe or fondness, it changes what we see. It changes what we remember. ~ Robert Legato

7 – Be Mindful

Deliberately choose to slow down and embrace the moment. Pause to look at the blooming flower or look for the bird serenading you. Enjoy the relaxing sound of the rain, the warmth of the fire, and the smell of a freshly brewed cup of Earl Grey tea, hot. When you slow down, you allow the peace within you to rise. This break allows you to create space for awe to come forth in the ordinary, like seeing the baby tomato growing as you water the plant. When you appreciate the processes involved, you open yourself up to the wonder.

8 – Go Somewhere New

Newness will bring you a sense of wonder because it’s unfamiliar to you. So visit a new place. Is there a place close to where you live that you’ve talked about going to but haven’t? Now is the time to go. Last year, my husband and I took a vacation to Santa Fé, NM.  We liked the area so much, this year we’re going to Taos, NM. I am a firm believer that we need to take a different route each time travel somewhere. Why? Because there are places along the different roads I haven’t seen and I want to see as much of this great country as I can.

9 – Document The Awe In Your Life

Whether by creating a travel journal or making a scrapbook of photos you took, documenting the awe in your life helps you remember the amazing things you have seen in your life. Record who you were with, how you felt, and what was so amazing. Reminiscing with loved ones and visualizing the places will help you keep that sense of wonder even when you are in the routine of life.

Awe is the salve that will heal our eyes. ~ Rumi

10 – Question Everything

A child’s favorite question is why. Inquisitiveness is how people learn and grow. Kids ask why about everything. And as people age, however, they quit asking the why query as often. See, when you ask questions, it takes time to discover the answer. And time is something adults feel there isn’t enough. They also are more willing to accept things as ordinary instead of extraordinary. To regain the sense of awe, start asking why again.

11 – Appreciate Your Senses

When you become mindful of the present moment, your senses open. You notice the vibrancy of colors, the intriguing textures, the beauty of sounds, and captivating scents. And since you are now questioning everything, explore what you hear, see, smell, and feel. Whether you are at home cooking a new recipe or on a walk, allow your senses to inspire wonder.

12 – Play Again

Whether you play with a child or find adult play, playing helps you see the world from their perspective. When you are having fun, you slow down and look for the simplistic ways to be. And you notice what intrigues them.  Laughing with a child promotes fun and you’ll embrace the moment.

At the moment, you are most in awe of all there is about life that you don’t understand; you are closer to understanding it all than at any other time. ~  Jane Wagner

Moving Forward in Awe of Life

When you hear the phrase, “that’s awesome,” do you think someone has the breathtaking experience? Or has the expression become pervasive that its meaning has faded because it’s said about the kid’s soccer team’s recent win, a meme on social media, or a good cup of coffee? You need to use it to announce your sense of awe and wonder about experiences that feel more than ordinary.

You were born with a sense of wonder. It faded as you grew up, as your egoic mind shifted into adult roles.  But you can reverse the effects of living a stressful life by incorporating these child-like behaviors back into your life. When you allow awe back into your life, you’ll gain all the benefits of experiencing the feeling again. And when people are awestruck, they question their perspective, and the mind shifts from me to we.

Isn’t it time to reevaluate the ideas and beliefs by having more jaw-dropping experiences and gaining an orbital perspective?

The knowledgeable person lives with a question mark ‘?’ and the man of awe and wonder lives with an exclamation mark! ~ Rajneesh

As you become more mindful of the magic all around you, you can alter the course of your life.

Do you need help to change your perspective? Are you looking for support in becoming more mindful? Do you want a strategy to help you create an extraordinary life? If so, please get in touch with me, and we can put together an action plan for you to add magic to your life and live authentically.

To learn about how I saw the awe around me and became a more authentic version of myself, you can do so by reading my book, Raven Transcending Fear, available on Amazon or you can go to RavenTranscendingFear.com for more information.

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How to Inspire Awe and Wonder in Your Life

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How often are you in awe of something? Being inspired by the wonder of life makes you joyful because it shows you're connected to the Universe

Author

Terri Kozlowski

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Kozmic Soul Solutions LLC

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