While endless trouble and suffering continues among those we know and do not know, it’s wise to keep in mind that causes for joy and awe are also present if we are aware of them. In this current Easter season, the Gospel stories abound with moments of astonishment. “Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. … Then he (Peter) went home, amazed at what had happened. … So Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James, and Salome went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement has seized them…” (Acts2:43; Luke24:12; Mark15:8)
In “The Power of Awe,” Dacher Keltner describes awe as “the emotion that arises when we encounter vast mysteries that transcend our understanding of the world. …Awe opens our minds to the truth that we as individuals are part of something much larger than self.” I’ve experienced this response time and again when I’ve been attentive enough to notice what surprises and amazes me. Usually this comes about in the context of what looks like every other ordinary moment. For instance, here in the middle of the USA, springtime is currently knocking our socks off with its brilliant, emerging green—reminiscent of the Irish hillsides dear to my heart. Blossoming trees and flowers are also eliciting gladness from people deliberately observing this wondrous beauty.
Another awed moment came when Khanya recently interviewed me via Zoom for Veritas, a South African radio station. I commented on how wonder-full it was for me to be in North America and he in the southern part of Africa, for us to be seeing and speaking to one another with such ease and clarity.
The following morning I looked out my window before meditation and noticed an astonishing feat taking place in the east. As a thin slice of crimson sun slid through and parted heavy, dark clouds, I thought “This astounding star we call our Sun holds such power—its intense light pushes darkness aside, and its far-reaching energy draws life from seeming deadness.”—what a continual, marvelous achievement.
The next day held the anniversary of a dear friend’s death. She loved purple martins and delighted in their return each spring. In her memory, I went to a park and stood by a purple martin birdhouse. As I observed the birds, I was mesmerized by the beauty of the deep purple wings mixed in with the strong blackness on the feathered martins.
Many other “awesome” moments have come my way in the past month, some I entered into intentionally and others came flying my way and caught me off guard. Both kinds have Eastered my spirit and opened my heart to embrace mystery, reverence, and hope. In See No Stranger, Valerie Kaur quotes Rabbi Sharon Brous as saying, “When we see something that is beautiful, we call it breathtaking, but we really should call it breath-giving, because when suffering constricts the heart, awe stretches it back out, making us more compassionate, more loving, more present.”
This month I hope to heed the advice of Mary Oliver in her poem “Flare:” “I pay attention. This is our endless and proper work.” May her words stir a desire in you to be attentive, surprised, and awed when something breath-giving comes your way.
Abundant peace,
Joyce Rupp
A Blessing of Awe
Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs
were being done by the apostles.” (Acts2:43)
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Awe is the emotion that arises when we encounter vast mysteries that transcend our understanding of the world. … Awe opens our minds to the truth that we as individuals are part of something much larger than self. … The most universal source of awe, our research finds, is the moral beauty of others, when we are moved and touched by other’s kindness, courage, and ability to overcome adversity. … Awe can reduce stress, loneliness, and physical distress, and bring one a sense of expanded time, perspective, and connection. (“The Power of Awe,” Dacher Keltner)
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May you be dazzled by the hidden Light dwelling within each individual, including the crankiest, most irritable or repugnant-acting person.
May you greet every new day amazed that once again the darkness of the night has been dispelled with the strengthening beams of daylight.
May you be gob-smacked as you look into the mirror of your life and see how much unforeseen beauty and happiness occupied the decades that have been yours.
May you be amazed at the inner guidance you receive when you are uncertain about what to do with unwelcome transitions pressing upon you.
May you be wonder-struck at the miraculous way precious life develops, whether in the dark womb of humans and creatures, or in the permeable particles of earth’s soil.
May you be astounded at how you’ve not only lived to be the age you are now, but have also known persons who’ve supported and invigorated your ability to enjoy life.
May you be surprised by the unexpected kindness and caring gestures of people who generously assist you without their being asked or expected to do so.
May your ability to engage with wonder be activated by using your physical senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching and smelling in order to notice remarkable details.
May the scientific findings of an expanding universe and the complexity of the cosmos lead you to be stunned with your existence on our beautiful planet moving in vast space.
May you be overjoyed with the wonder of a loving, divine presence accompanying you whether in sickness or in health, in abundance or in depletion, in joy or in sorrow.
~ Joyce Rupp
