Awe is a deep feeling within oneself of peace, love and energy flowing within oneself. It is possible to feel awe at every moment of one’s life, IF one is open to it. That is what my workshops are about. How to feel awe in our every day lives. 

As our own beloved Rabbi Marcia Prager wrote in her book, The Path of Blessing: 

“Imagine if at every moment we each embraced the world as the gift that it is:
An apple is a gift; the color pink is a gift; the blue sky is a gift; the honeysuckle is a gift.”

The Baal Shem Tov’s teachings echo her words. He is said to have said “When a leaf is torn from a tree and falls to the ground, it is not by chance. Everything that happens in the world is by divine providence-even the movement of a leaf.” 

Every moment is a moment of connection with God and Nothing that happens is random. 

If we were to think like this, to feel reverence at the awesomeness of everything in life, wouldn’t life feel different?

Can you remember a moment when you were stuck by awe in a most random of situations?

I often feel a moment of awe…for instance, driving along the highway in Canada, I saw swallows flying above the electric lines.  I loved their graceful movement or yesterday,when I sat on my porch and noticed, when I looked up from my book, a million tiny insects flying about in the bright sunlight above the outstretched green leaves of my hydrangea. 

Can you remember a moment when you felt awed by a simple something in your life?

The experience of AWE can help us to feel more peaceful inside. As Dacher Keltner wrote in his monumental book on AWE, “when we experience awe, regions of our brains that are associated with the excesses of the ego, including self-criticism, anxiety, and even depression, quiet down.” (p. 36) And “awe creates a feeling of being part of something much larger than the self and that this is a powerful antidote to the isolation and loneliness that is epidemic today.” (p.37)

We are about to enter the Days of Awe. The Days of Awe can mean trembling in fear before G-d but they also offer us an opportunity to experience the awesomeness of the universe and our smallness within that. Seeing that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves allows our small worries, our anxieties and our self-criticism to melt away. We see how insignificant we are in the face of things and seeing that, our personal strivings and angst diminish in importance. From that can arise Shalom, a sense of wholeness and peace.

When have you experienced a moment of awe that brought you feelings of inner peace and joy?

Awe can be cultivated. 

What does it take to tune into the beauty of life? (ask them) 

It involves being open to what it.

It involves taking in the world as it is, in its sparkly aliveness.

It involves opening one’s eyes so that they can see.

It involves quieting the mind, so that we can observe things afresh.

It involves choosing to take a walk when otherwise we might read our text messages. 

It means really listening to a child’s question and answering from your heart.

It means really tuning into your friend and opening your heart to her words.

Yes, and yes, and yes.

May we all, especially during the Days of Awe, slow down—take the time-to tune into the beauty and richness of life.