Finding Awe In The Every Day

We feel a sense of wonder and awe when we see something or hear something we find amazing. But every moment of our existence can give rise to feelings of stunned silence if only we take the time to notice. If we stop, really look, and really listen we can see things in their wondrous reality.

Background music: Higher Vibration by Indie Music Box. Photo from Unsplash+ in collaboration with Getty Images

Transcript

Dear friends,

I have always been astonished at the fact of existence,

The existence of anything at all,

And especially of course our own existence.

So I welcome you to this meditation on awe and wonder.

I hope you will find that this pause for reflection will rekindle your sense of astonishment at the world around you,

And fill you with a sense of gratitude at the fact that you are amazingly alive.

One reason why we might take these things for granted is that we don't take time to stop.

So let's begin our meditation by stopping for a change.

If you find it comfortable to do so,

You might like to close your eyes,

And I invite you to take a few deep breaths.

As you breathe in,

Notice that you are breathing in the energy of the universe.

From time to time we all suffer from tension,

Not only in our bodies but in our minds as well.

So as you breathe out,

Imagine you are letting go of anything that is troubling you right now.

Simply breathing in and breathing out.

Breathing in the energy of the universe,

Breathing out any tension or worry.

Next call to mind some place that you've been to,

Or something that you've seen,

That fills you with a sense of wonderment.

This might be a place in nature,

You might recall a sunset,

A fabulous blue sky,

An uplifting piece of music.

And the creations of humanity can also bring us to a sense of admiration.

Think of extraordinary buildings of the past and the present.

Notice that as you sit here listening to this meditation,

You are sitting on a chair in your house,

In your neighbourhood,

In your town or city,

In your country or your continent,

And on this wonderful planet Earth.

Your home planet is only a dot in the universe that is day by day revealing more and more of its immensity and its wonder.

You and I are not separate from this beauty,

We are a part of it.

As has been said,

We are made of stardust.

Your arms and your legs might appear to be the same age as yourself,

But what goes to make up you and I is as old as the universe itself.

The same force that animates the trees,

That gives life to every living thing,

The force that gives rise to water,

That gives light to the sun and the stars,

Is flowing through you and me every minute of every day.

Let's take a one minute pause now to reflect on the wonder of existence.

Welcome back.

Naturally we feel a sense of wonder and awe and we can marvel when we see something or hear something we find amazing,

But every moment of our existence can give rise to feelings of stunned silence if only we take the time to notice.

Have you noticed how children take in everything with a sense of adventure?

When our son was very young I remember his astonishment when he looked through the window of our back door and he saw a dog for the first time.

Can you imagine how it must feel to see a creature so unlike anything that you've seen in your life so far?

If we stop,

Really look and really listen we can see things in all their wondrous reality.

We'll notice the different shapes,

The variety of colour and the intricate texture of things.

One taken for granted marvel is the fact that we have ground beneath our feet,

That we are held fast to planet earth by gravity,

A force that we cannot see.

People in Australia looking at a globe of the world and thinking of people in Europe will see us as hanging upside down,

Provided that is that they stop to reflect to allow space for a moment of wonder.

Albert Einstein once said,

He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe is as good as dead,

His eyes are closed.

We live in an ever more busy world,

A world that tends to give more value to efficiency and productivity rather than contemplation,

And we can get caught up in things and easily forget to pause and truly see the world in all its breathtaking beauty.

What a pity if we were to go through our lives missing out on all the splendour of the everyday world.

Before we end this meditation,

Let's have another pause to allow for a moment of gratitude.

Let us give thanks for the beauty of the earth,

For the gift of life and for our ability to experience enchantment,

A 60 second pause.

Welcome back again.

This practice of awe and wonder is not something that we do once and then set aside,

What a pity that would be.

This practice can and must become for us a way of being and of seeing.

We have to bring ourselves back to this practice regularly,

We'll be introduced to a fresh way of seeing the world.

This will transform what would otherwise be very routine home from everyday experiences into something marvellous.

When we live with a sense of awe,

We move through life with a sense of gratitude.

We gain a feeling of reverence and humility and we come to recognise the sacredness in all things.

Maestro Eckhart reminds us,

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you,

It will be enough.

May we stop to notice the everyday wonders around us and may we remember every day to say thank you.

Namaste.

Reviews

Magnificent! Thank you for illuminating the sacredness of all things and reminding us of the importance of walking the path with awe and wonder. Appreciate you so much, Tony! 🙏💫🌷

Thank you as always Tony. Beautiful reminders to look and listen with new eyes and ears daily. Blessings 🕊️💞🌟

Thank you. This helps to remind me how beautiful the world really is and to remain grateful each and every day I'm alive ✨️

Coming back to this regularly as a reminder of the awesomeness of life!
Thank you Tony!

Thank you...Awe..some🥰 I love this gentle way to start another day of blessings and beauty.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I really appreciate it this beautiful Meditation.

Thanks Tony, so true! everyday is a new gift to see the beauty in everything.

Love the description of your son seeing a dog for the first time ❤️

Thank you that I choose insight timer and this mediation ❤️

Listening to this on Christmas morning! Thank you Tony for this reminder to not just see but feel the awesome wonders in our lives, no matter how small. 🎄❤️

Nice reminder to not get too stuck in my everyday routine, and to remember to look up and appreciate the wonders surrounding me. Thank you Tony 😊 🙏🏿.

Beautiful. I love the way you describe the awe of a child seeing a new animal for the first time. I noticed the orange and yellow leaves against the bright blue sky on my sunrise walk with my dog this morning. These are all such gifts! Thank you for the reminders💗.

Wonderful Tony, you are a master at framing words into images and bliss!
Namaste with much love🙏💖

Love this soothing meditation talk ! I am grateful for what I listened to for starting my day !

Thank you for the beautiful reminder🙏🏼 life itself is a gift 💕

Thank you for another wonderful meditation opening hearts to the wonder and awe of the universe. 💙🙏🏽🧡🌖☀️

Beautiful meditation, thank you Tony 🙏🏻I love to walk by the canal and look out and listen out for birds, the fluffy baby moorhens being raised by parents and if I’m lucky I hear a buzzard and look up and see one floating on the air above. Truly thankful for the wildlife and the opportunity to see and hear them and thankful for all you do here Tony, it is a blessing 🦆☘️🙏🏻

Last night we witnessed a glorious sunset I paused and said well done Mother Nature. and then attended a uplifting musical. Bravo. I love the idea of trying to see the world as if for the first time. Many thanks for this teacher’s reflections.

I am in awe everyday as I gaze upon the mountains that surround me…such a wonder of this earth ! Thank you for this beautiful reminder to notice and appreciate all the gifts! 🙏🏻

As always a pleasure Tony, thanks for your lovely kind presence