A Definition of Awe

What is awe?

Dacher Keltner defines it as "the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world."

And what is vastness?

Not just what you'd expect—the panorama of the Grand Canyon or the endless horizon of the sea, for instance. Vastness can really be any physical, temporal, or semantic experience that unsettles or captures us. Epiphanies count, too. The real key here is *mystery* and how the thing or moment transcends and expands your self.

Think sparrows darting in and out of bronzed underbrush on a winter's day. Their flight joyous, their trajectory inexplicable to your own limbs.

Think leaves of oak tracing a path through light that is falling across the pavement. Their pattern intricate, their arrangement beyond your own making.

Think poems that, in an instant, turn your mind or heart around, with jeweled, intriguing words. Their images quietly stunning, their construction a gift from another's soul.

In fact, Keltner has identified 8 Wonders of Life, based on many, many stories from people he and his team interviewed. These 8 wonders tell their own story of "what is awe?"

This year, tell us yours.