There are a few signs of spiritual awakening that a number of teachers seem to agree upon. One of them is a regained sense of awe and wonder at the miracle of life.
A Mystery To Be Lived
When the sense of separation falls away, life once again becomes playful. This play is very familiar to us, it’s the play of childhood. Suddenly the world is seen through eyes that are wide open, non-judgmental, non-analytical and non-conceptual. In a way, it’s a return to not knowing, where the wonder of life is re-discovered. So even if we know conceptually what something is or if we play the game of labelling the world, feelings and experiences, the mystery still remains.
In the end, that’s all this is: a mystery to be lived.
Without only a conceptual understanding or view of the world, we are reunited with awe and wonder. The miracle of a flower blooming or of rain falling or a lover smiling is once again apparent. In fact, it is seen that there are only miracles. Finding the extraordinariness in the ordinary brings a sense of everyday joy to our lives. Even the appearance of feelings like sadness or boredom can be viewed with a kind of childlike wonder.
Be As Little Children
What also seems to fall away with the recognition of oneness is any need to escape present experience or to argue with it. No longer are we insisting that reality be other than what it is. Free from identification with the separate self, present reality can show up in any form and still be seen as an utter mystery. In truth, we really do not know what any of this is despite having words to describe it.
When we look freshly at feelings like sadness or anger or guilt or frustration, we find they are as steeped in mystery as the hidden depths of the cosmos. This is a humbling experience as we stand in total awe of the miracle of everyday life unfolding. We are (as Jesus suggested we be) as little children, living in the now with no conclusions about the mystery of life.
I have spent a great deal of time in my own life completely captivated by the most ordinary and everyday objects and experiences. Simply breathing in and out can be a fascinating experience when fully embraced and experienced. This sense of awe and wonder comes in part from seeing and experiencing life as if for the first time. We are newcomers again, re-discovering the world around us as well as the world within.
The Delight of the Ordinary
Recently, I drove into the coastal city of Portsmouth in the south of England near where I live and was astounded by the beauty of the ships lit up like Christmas trees in the ferry port. I have seen this sight many times, but that evening I saw it as if for the first time and was filled with a sense of wonder and delight. I laughed out loud at the feeling of ecstatic pleasure I experienced at seeing this.
Waking up to the truth and beauty of the world around and within us is often impossible to describe. But this sense of childlike wonder is common to many who report a spiritual awakening.