
In Search of Awe
This month I went in search of awe. For me, awe opens a mental and emotional door to the state of mind, or mindlessness, I try to get to when I meditate. Since I was in Paris, there was no shortage of world famous, awe inspiring places to choose from, both sacred and secular. The Louvre, Notre Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, the Musee D’Orsay, even Chartres Cathedral a short train ride away.
And what did I find? I found that I don’t have the focus to find awe among massive entry lines, security checks and crowds that feel and behave more like a train station at rush hour than a museum. That was the Louvre for me, even early on a weekday morning in January, and I felt an immediate urge to leave.
Next up, Notre Dame. It felt important to see it again, and the work that has been done was remarkable. The shoulder to shoulder crowd taking selfies and other photos while mass was going on seemed to agree. Am I glad I went? Yes. Was it impressive? Yes. But and awesome experience, in that portal-opening, time disappearing kind of way? No, not for me.
Sainte-Chapelle has always been one of my favorites – you see it pictured here. The long wait out in the cold, heavily armed guards and intense security check notwithstanding, I felt a glimmer. Maybe it was the smaller crowd – the narrow, winding staircase to the second floor does moderate the traffic. There was a bit of the hush of the sacred that was missing for me in the first two stops.
And then things started looking up.
Chartres Cathedral was freezing cold and almost empty the day we visited. Though it was physically uncomfortable, without the lines and the guns and the crowds it was much more, well, awesome. My breath slowed, my mind quieted.
So did that mean that awe required the absence of other people?
Happily, not. Or at least not for me. The Musee D’Orsay was not without lines, not without security, not without crowds, but something about the very design of the place seemed to inspire better behavior, more attention to the moment, and just more space to have a personal experience.
Where is the lesson? Awe will find you, don’t give up the search.