The Wonders of Awe

It was with a sense of awe and wonder when the psalmist wrote, "Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy" (Psalm 96:11-12).

Did you, as a child, gaze up into the night sky and wondered in awe about the stars? That same sense of awe was expressed by Australian astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg who last month received the 2026 Australian of the Year award. In her acceptance speech she said, "As a kid, I used to lie on the dry grass in my backyard and gaze up at the stars in awe."

Rising sun in the East creating shades of colour off the clouds (Source: S Pereira)

There are many other wonders of creation that have amazed me, like seeing the sun rise in the East and the many shades of colour reflected off the clouds. Years ago while travelling in the United States, our plane flew over the Grand Canyon. I was awe struck with its enormity and beauty.

Growing up in a tropical country there was a particular plant called touch-me-not, scientifically known as Mimosa Pudica. When a leaf of the plant was touched the leaf would fold inwardly. I was so fascinated with it that I would spend much time just touching each leaf to see them fold, only stopping when called away by my parents. Last year I came across that plant while holidaying in Sri Lanka. With a rekindled child-like fascination, I had to have a go and touched the leaves to see them fold.

The touch-me-not plant (Mimosa Pudica). An amazing plant which folds its leaf when touched (Source: Internet)

It seems that as we grow older that sense of awe in the things we see around us somehow diminishes. At the very least our appreciation for such wonders are few and far between. Since when have you been amazed by the symmetry of the waves coming into shore, or the flight of starlings as they create varying shapes as they fly across the sky? Perhaps we should try to get back to having a childlike fascination of more things around us. I recently commented to my wife Jenny when our car stopped at the traffic lights, saying, "Look at those trees, look how they're dancing in the wind." In my minds-eye the top of the trees in front of us were swaying in rhythmic fashion to the strong winds blowing at that time.

Last month my daughter Jessie shared some photos of her family from their Pacific Island cruise holiday. What caught my attention as I flicked through the digital photos were our grandsons' faces in the pictures. They were full of wonder and awe. Some were more intense than others.

Toby looking with awe and wonder at the ocean as the cruise ship sailed to the Pacific Islands (Source: J De Silva)

There was one where Toby our 6-year-old grandson was gazing out into the ocean. His eyes, almost mesmerized, were fixated with the vastness of the ocean. It was the first time the family had been on a cruise, and it must have been awesome for Toby to imagine that he was on a huge ship sailing on water.

Ezekiel (L) and Joel (R) amazed, trying to prise their coconuts open. Pictures placed side-by-side. (Source: J De Silva)

Toby’s brothers Joel and Ezekiel were photographed after each having found a coconut lying on the beach where they were swimming. They have seen coconuts with their hard shells in shops, but to find them with its fibrous husk on a beach was like treasure found! They even ate the flesh of the coconut when they prised it open.

Toby is the adventurous one among his brothers. I came across a photo of him swimming towards a turtle. While he has seen turtles in captivity, he had not seen them in their natural habitat. When we met him after their family holiday, he couldn't stop telling me how he swam towards the turtle and saw it "in the wild".

Toby swimming towards the turtle (Source: J De Silva)

Neurologists tell us that there are benefits for our mind and body when we experience awe and wonder. In an article by Dr. Paul Wright, Senior Vice President of the Nuvance Health Neuroscience Institute, New York, Wright says that experiencing awe and wonder can transform an ordinary moment into something magical which can profoundly impact the brain and our overall well-being. The article explains that two things happen in the brain when this happens.

1. The part of the brain - prefrontal cortex - that controls our ability to plan, focus and make decisions lights up. When we experience awe, the prefrontal cortex helps us process the significance of what we are witnessing and integrates it into our understanding of the world around us.
   

2. The experience triggers the part of the brain that regulates our emotional and cognitive function. This helps modulate our response, fosters a sense of calm and wonder of what we are seeing and experiencing.

When the brain lights up it releases dopamine in the brain which is associated with pleasure and reward. It’s the hormone involved with movement, coordination and the thinking function. Dopamine helps us feel joy and satisfaction, and that is why when we experienced awe and wonder, we often want to experience it again. Furthermore, the brain doesn't just passively receive awe - as claimed in the July 2025 edition of Psychology & Thinking - the brain remembers. These experiences it says, leave neural footprints, subtly shaping how we think, feel, and perceive the world long after the moment has passed. I suppose this was the case with me when I had to see that touch-me-not leaf fold again during my Sri Lankan holiday, even after many years last seen as a child.

Research shows experiencing awe can reduce activity in our neural network linked to daydreaming and mind-wandering. This reduction can make us feel more connected to something greater than ourselves, where our concerns and stresses are momentarily set aside.

Heartfelt worship is honouring an awesome God. “I stand in awe of you, O Lord” Habakkuk 3:2 (Source: Media from Wix)

For that reason, there is also a spiritual dimension to awe and wonder. In Dictionary.com the word awe is defined as an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like. The psalmist writes, "Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him." (Psalm 33:8). Aiden Wilson Tozer (1897-1963), American Christian pastor and author said, "Worship is to feel in the heart and express in an appropriate manner a humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe. We can admire without worshipping, but we cannot worship without admiring...In the same way, we cannot honour what we do not worship, but we cannot worship the one [Jesus] we do not honour."

Studies have shown that there are long-term benefits to brain and overall heath. In the article by Wright, he mentions that the positive emotions experienced can help reduce stress and anxiety, enhance creativity and improve mood. The article goes on to say that the release of endorphins and other neurochemicals during these moments can also boost the immune system, lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation, and also enhance cognitive function.

While I have given some examples of ways my grandsons and I have experienced awe and wonder, here are seven relatively simple ways of experiencing awe and wonder if we open our senses to the following.

Seven ways to experience awe (Source: S Pereira)

1. Walk in nature whether it be in a park, on a beach or even backyard with your senses of sight, smell, hearing and touch all tuned in to your surroundings. Walk barefooted if possible.

2. Be conscious, and more aware when looking at things. Observe in a more intimate way; for example, follow a bee as it buzzes among the flowers. Or each day be intrigued as you observe the unfolding of rose petals during spring.

3. Immerse yourself in music which moves you. There have been times when such experiences have caused my eyes to well up with tears, and my body feeling overwhelmed with emotion when listening to the lyrics and music of a song.

4. Visit an art or photographic museum and study the pieces of artwork. Try to understand the artists' or photographers' thoughts as they painted or photographed their world as they saw it.

5. Learn something new; either reading about new topics or exploring different cultures can ignite a sense of wonder and curiosity.

6. Appreciate the present and rest. We often want to rush things and plan for the next big thing without pausing or resting. People of various faiths practice 'Sabbath' (from the Hebrew shavat,"to cease"). It's a sacred time for cessation of work, focusing on spiritual renewal, family and remembrance of God's covenant. When we pause or rest, we momentarily call an 'intermission' from life's daily grind during which we learn to experience the wonder of each moment and the amazement of life itself.

7. Daily practice gratitude and reflect on the things which bring joy and wonder into one's life.

The wonders of awe can be a powerful tool not only for enhancing brain health or psychological health (the mind), and our physical health (the body), but it can also be a factor in positively impacting, the not-so-often talked about, though critical part of the human makeup, our spiritual well-being (the spirit).