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Revelations of Awe<br />

45<br />

<strong>rapt</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>awe</strong><br />

Each of us has profound capacities for the most ecstatic joy.<br />

As human be<strong>in</strong>gs we are wired for bliss. A harmonic symphony of<br />

bra<strong>in</strong> waves will dish out a lum<strong>in</strong>ous sense of absolute <strong>awe</strong>, if we<br />

can only attune ourselves to the sympathetic vibration of cosmic<br />

elation. I am pretty <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> this, a curiousity that started with<br />

a random revelation of <strong>awe</strong> – the clear recognition that I can <strong>in</strong>ter-­‐<br />

act with the universe at large. As I fire out labels and words to be<br />

associated with various experiences, I risk the skewed response of<br />

<strong>in</strong>terpretation. Thus I <strong>in</strong>vite you to participate <strong>in</strong> a reflective exer-­‐<br />

cise with the hope that you will have an experiential frame of<br />

reference for what I am go<strong>in</strong>g on about here. Th<strong>in</strong>k back on a time<br />

<strong>in</strong> your life where all th<strong>in</strong>gs merged <strong>in</strong>to a sense of utter per-­‐<br />

fection, where you were at complete ease and acceptance with<br />

yourself and the world around you. Perhaps it was <strong>in</strong> the midst of<br />

<strong>in</strong>nocent childhood play, or <strong>in</strong> the calm presence of nature, maybe<br />

it was the lum<strong>in</strong>ous feel<strong>in</strong>g of love and be<strong>in</strong>g loved. I believe that<br />

each of us has direct access to what I am call<strong>in</strong>g <strong>awe</strong>, and that this<br />

experience may become easily overlooked due to rational refer-­‐<br />

enc<strong>in</strong>g and/or dogmatic devotional attachments. It is easy for us<br />

to overlook these experiences if they are not accounted for easily<br />

with<strong>in</strong> our prevalent worldviews. These worldviews also shape the<br />

lens of <strong>in</strong>terpretation of these personal experiences of <strong>awe</strong>.<br />

Ultimately each of us is either open or closed to the <strong>awe</strong> <strong>in</strong><br />

each moment. This is the challenge brought by a self-­‐reflexive<br />

consciousness <strong>in</strong> each <strong>in</strong>stant. Be<strong>in</strong>g open to the <strong>awe</strong> makes us an<br />

agent of evolv<strong>in</strong>g cosmic consciousness. Whereas referenc<strong>in</strong>g<br />

fixed identity constructs such as rigid rational reductionist rules or<br />

dug <strong>in</strong> devotional dogma, <strong>in</strong>hibits the free-­‐flow of cosmic energy<br />

to be <strong>in</strong>-­‐formed by novelty. 22 Thus I believe the task of be<strong>in</strong>g<br />

human is the recognition and ma<strong>in</strong>tenance of this state of open-­‐<br />

22 Novelty refers to <strong>in</strong>novative new structures of thought or form. Newness.

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