The role of awe in transcendence (part 1)
A recently-released book was brought to my attention by several people because its theme overlaps with transcendence. I'm about halfway through Awe, by Dacher Keltner, and have not yet come to conclusions regarding many aspects of my perspectives on its ideas. I was inclined to think, going in, that "awe" was a subset of "transcendence". Now, after 150 pages of Keltner's thoughts, I'm not so sure.
Of course, so much depends on definitions. Oxford's awe: "a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder." Oxford's transcendence: "existence or experience beyond the normal or physical level." These definitions would lead me to believe that they are parallel occurences, raising the questions, "Is awe necessary for transcendence? Or, vice versa?"
Keltner defines awe as "[an encounter with] a vast mystery that transcends (my emphasis) your understanding of the world." Right there, transcendence at the core of awe. He goes on to say that awe requires three things:
vastness (a feeling of something so big - physically, emotionally, semantically - it is difficult to grasp),
mystery (the power of the circumstance is not fully comprehensible), and,
the dissolving of the self (recentering on the collective of people, beings or a universal energy).
All three of those conditions seem to me to be variations on/aspects of transcendence, too.
It is the last of these - dissolving of self, also described as the ego, that was a revelation to me in terms of awe and transcendence; it was a facet of transcendence I'd just not considered before, even though it was right in front of me. The way that awe/transcendence put us fully in the present moment, bring us to an instance of strong connection with the world (or even universe) beyond our skin, and do so via sensory data, intuitive energy, and mental processing - it is like a moment or molecule of enlightenment. And who doesn't want that?
Keltner has based his assertions regarding awe in science, performing multiple studies and quoting evidence from many, many more. As someone who is not a social scientist, this is remarkable to me and also valuable to us all - data-verified returns on values like health, achievement, and happiness from the accumulated experiences of awe.
One possible differentiation between awe and transcendence, a bit blurry in Keltner's representations in his book, might be that awe describes an emotional state (how it feels), and transcendence may be a mental state (in a state of connection to that which is beyond us), bearing in mind that I'm not sure one can exist without the other. Or, in other words, transcendence is awesome! Which is in part why I am chasing it and advocating for more of it in all of our daily lives - as is Keltner, who talks about "everyday awe" and its proven benefits to mental, emotional and physcial health.
The book is also uncannily related to my work, as it is in part a reflection of Keltner's grief on the loss of his younger brother. More on that soon.
