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Dear friend,

June was hectic. I finished teaching the Rewire Summit together with my partner in crime. It took us almost 6 months to build the 4-day course. It's been an intense period. I likened this entire enterprise to building a prototype, launching and testing it and then building and reproducing at scale. We're in the latter stage now and I'm excited to be able to share what we did with a wider audience in the near future.

I'm writing this letter to you from the mountains in Switzerland.

In the last part of the Rewire Summit, I talked about the research of Dacher Keltner and the new science of awe. Awe is an emotion that has only been studied by psychologists in the past 20 years. Keltner is one of the leading researchers. But if you've read my newsletter and followed me on X, you'll know that I am a multi-disciplinary guy. My PhD dissertation dealt with religious rituals and how they create the sacred and communities.

The science of awe is not new to the field of theology. I would argue that awe is a highly religious emotion. It is known, on a practical level for those who participate in collective or personal rituals on a regular basis.

Keltner has been able to extrapolate 8 pathways to the emotion of awe based on the data he has gathered. Rituals seem to be a common theme.

1. The Moral Beauty of Others: Observing the courage, kindness, or compassion in others can lead to a profound sense of awe.
2. Collective Effervescence: This occurs during moments of collective joy and unity, such as at concerts, sporting events, or religious gatherings.
3. Nature: Witnessing natural wonders like mountains, oceans, or forests can evoke awe.
4. Art and Music: Experiencing exceptional art, music, literature, or performance can trigger awe.
5. Spiritual or Religious Experiences: These experiences can create a sense of connection to something greater than oneself.
6. Big Ideas: Grasping profound scientific theories, philosophical concepts, or mathematical truths can inspire awe.
7. Life and Death: Moments related to birth, death, or the mysteries of life can be deeply awe-inspiring.
8. Epiphanies and Sudden Insights: Sudden realizations or insights about life, oneself, or the universe can lead to a sense of awe.

Notice the list above. At least the following have rituals as a common theme: 2, 4, 5. The big stories and rituals of most religious traditions do also capture in their narrative expressions the rest.

The religious traditions I have studied do all invite individuals and groups into a celebration of life and death, beauty, moral beauty. They often do this ritually and with beautiful music and big ideas concerning the sacred and profane, divinity and humanity.

The emotion seems to have been deeply understood by religious traditions and entire ritual systems have been created and formed with the embodied experience of awe as the goal.

Little did they know the relationship between awe and the nervous system. Keltner's research highlights the following nervous system benefit:

Activation of the Vagus Nerve.

Awe has been shown to activate the vagus nerve, which is a critical component of the parasympathetic nervous system. The vagus nerve helps regulate heart rate, digestion, and respiratory rate, promoting a state of calm and relaxation.

When the vagus nerve is activated, it can produce a feeling of warmth in the chest, goosebumps, and a sense of expansion in the body. These physical sensations are often associated with the experience of awe.

Activation of the vagus nerve is linked to greater social connection, compassion, and prosocial behavior. Keltner’s research suggests that awe, through its effect on the vagus nerve, enhances these social emotions and behaviors, promoting a sense of community and cooperation.

In other words, the activation of the vagus nerve and the parasympathetic nervous system can transform your embodied experience of life.

This is great news for you and I.

Build in awe into your daily life. You don't have to be religious. All you need to be is human and take 10 minutes from your day a couple of times and go into the forest, listen to some amazing music, walking on the beach or simply looking out the horizon wherever you may be with a sense of openness and vastness. Awe is stimulated and felt when you have an open sense and lose yourself into vastness of the great mystery of life.

This is a simple way to increase your happiness and joy in life. To live an AWESOME life, expose yourself to vastness and invite more AWE into your life.

With great love,

Gabe