jane goodall

Stories of Awe and Spirituality

Stories of Awe and Spirituality

This summer, I had the chance to visit Niagara Falls, a group of waterfalls which span the border between Ontario, Canada, and the state of New York. Niagara Falls has been described as one of seven natural wonders of the world, and after visiting, I would have to agree with whoever declared these falls a wonder of nature. Standing on a boat in the center of thousands of tons of water pouring down around us was truly something unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. As part of this same trip, I was also able to join with family to visit historical locations relevant to my family’s faith tradition, and similarly felt a sense of wonder as we gathered and reflected spiritually. 

Dr. Dacher Keltner, a leading psychologist in awe research, has identified eight wonders of human life that invite experiences of awe, one of which is spirituality (Keltner, 2023).