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Awe, A Superhighway to the Spiritual Core
June 27, 2025 @ 11:30 am – 1:00 pm EDT
JD will present virtually. IRAS members can attend the conference, or any session, remotely. Membership is a very reasonable $40 ($25 for limited income).
Description/Abstract: Recent research on the human emotion of awe reveals that it is a wide superhighway from the outside world directly into our spiritual core. Researchers studying awe find themselves forced (by the nature of awe) to use words like “spiritual,” “religious,” and “transcendent” in their papers, because the experience of awe so closely overlaps with those functions in the brain.
This engaging multimedia presentation will explore recent findings on awe, using examples that allow participants to experience awe along the way. We will consider the components of an awe experience, the changes in brain function that accompany awe, the effects on other body systems and social dynamics, the distinction between awe and horror, and the uses and mis-uses of awe in education, politics, and warfare.
Interestingly, the natural world, and the sciences that reveal it to us, are frequent sources of awe for many or most people. Awe is therefore a major if not primary mediator between the physical world and spirituality. Seeking out experiences of awe can be part of a rich and rewarding spiritual practice, either through immersion in awe-invoking contexts or through studying awe-invoking truths like those revealed by science and the arts.
