Wonder and the sublime
![Black-and-white photo of a child standing in front of a large aquarium, watching big fish swim by.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/cf6bc6b8-ff4d-432b-9493-6129f0f62116/rt-final-par377966.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Transcendent experience
idea
To thrive, children need to experience awe – and you can help
Alongside love, sleep and play, awe is precious for children. There are small, everyday ways to make it a part of their lives
by Artemisia O’bi & Fan Yang
![A person walking on a fallen tree trunk in a dense, lush forest with tall trees and abundant greenery.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/66073bad-b4d6-485b-a9f3-25c89662b0e6/rt-this-gettyimages-960978428.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Transcendent experience
idea
Do you find the 21st century overstimulating? Try ‘longstorming’
As the treadmill of life speeds up, sublime outdoor spaces help us tap into timescales that are longer, slower, planetary
by Vincent Ialenti
![Person in a coat bends to pick up a stone on a pebbly beach with a view of the ocean under a blue sky.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/8d5b141b-4a55-4242-b16d-3b4b73545384/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Wonder and the sublime
guide
How to revive your sense of wonder
That childhood urge to ask ‘how’ and ‘why’ usually fades. But we can all learn to rediscover the joys of wide-eyed discovery
by Frank Keil
![Close-up of a green parrot with a red forehead and white around its eyes, looking directly at the camera.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/fc8938e6-799c-407c-8a6b-e17b28e9d042/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Wonder and the sublime
film
The search for life beyond Earth is peculiar, from a parrot’s perspective
Directed by Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla
![A woman seen from behind and bathed in dawn light is looking out through a window to a forest](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/e6642217-6221-485e-a5b6-5d2e73066b21/rt-nn11498334.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Altered states
idea
The small pleasures in life can produce moments of rapture
Rapture is a delight that turns us both towards the object of attention and towards oneself, resulting in a sense of freedom
by Christopher Hamilton
![Ancient artefact with gold sun, moon, and stars on a dark blue-green background, likely depicting an early astronomical observation.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/74a4de8c-ca40-45d8-bcb3-05641089a333/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Wonder and the sublime
idea
Bronze Age people looked to the skyscape to navigate their lives
Long before stargazing helped humans navigate the Earth, the skyscape gave Bronze Age people mystery and wonder
by Kata Karáth
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/cb43778b-4149-4a7d-9614-acc96d388d9a/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Wonder and the sublime
guide
How to experience more wow
Awe might seem an unobtainable luxury to many but, with the right approach, you can enjoy it daily – no mountain required
by Summer Allen
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/03020a2e-4604-4ed8-a416-3268fd2014f5/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Poetry
film
Irish hills, folk music and David Whyte’s poetry form a fleeting, meditative moment
Directed by Andrew Hinton
![Hiker with a large backpack walking along a ridge with misty mountains in the background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/703afa2d-43fa-4ddb-80b4-5efad013e9a6/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Wonder and the sublime
idea
To benefit from wonder, make sure you’ve got the genuine kind
Why the life-long disposition towards wonder – not the momentary experience of awe – is the way to knowledge and discovery
by Lisa Sideris
![A painting of a woman sitting at a table with a glass of beer, a cigarette, and a contemplative expression in a café setting.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/1643da50-408d-40ee-bc38-b96543581605/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Love
idea
Why it can be sublime to love someone who doesn’t love you back
Unrequited love might be bitter and painful, but it is also the ultimate expression of your humanity. Don’t fight it
by Alexandra Gustafson
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/af5e678b-7829-4f7c-9724-5a9c0a68f8af/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Thinking and intelligence
guide
How to foster ‘shoshin’
It’s easy for the mind to become closed to new ideas. Cultivating a beginner’s mind helps us rediscover the joy of learning
by Christian Jarrett
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/63b10273-d5a7-4b01-bf72-543ea9c7d75a/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Wonder and the sublime
film
Journey into the deep history of the cosmos via the Mauna Loa volcano
Directed by Lance Page