I am but a very small item in a very big universe.
It was a very important moment for me. Changed my life forever.
Dreams have been described as dress rehearsals for real life, opportunities to gratify wishes, and a form of nocturnal therapy. A new theory aims to make sense of it all.
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Throughout my research and discussions about epiphanies over the past couple of years, I get asked this a lot: "What do you mean by 'epiphany,' exactly?"
As I say in my book, everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Mutual of Omaha is talking about realizations and awakenings, and many times these are referred to as "aha moments." But to me, that term is a little more casual and speaks more to everyday insights. By epiphanies I mean the major, life-changing revelations that have had the greatest impact on our lives.
It's been very interesting to notice that every single person I've talked to, whether the person has spiritual beliefs or not, speaks of these kinds of moments with a sense of reverence. In fact, yesterday I watched Oprah disclose to the world that she just discovered she had a half-sister she had no idea about because their mother had hidden and denied it for the past 50 years. Oprah said several times with tears in her eyes that she had an epiphany upon leaving their mother's home after meeting and speaking with her about it. Her realization was that their mother couldn't fully embrace this daughter she had given up for adoption because she was carrying so much shame about it and couldn't let it go.
Oprah realized her mother was stuck because of her shame and revealed that she recognized this because she also once had carried a burden of shame for getting pregnant and having a baby. Oprah, the woman who basically coined the term "aha moment," did not use that term in talking about this powerful and extremely personal story. To describe this profound and emotional moment of revelation about her mother, Oprah used the term "epiphany."
A History of the "Epiphany"
The word "epiphany" has a deep, archetypal resonance for us, dating back to ancient Greece. It comes from the Greek "epiphaneia," meaning "appearance" or "manifestation," and referred to the revelations brought to us by the gods. "Epiphany," when it's capitalized, is the name of the Christian church celebration of the three wise men or magi coming to see the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. This is usually celebrated on January 6, which in the Western church calendar starts an Epiphany season that lasts until the first day of Lent. The Epiphany season is a season of new beginnings; after the visit of the magi, church feast days and readings recount the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, and Jesus' first public miracle at Cana, where he turned water into wine.
"Epiphany" was first seen in English around 1310. For about 300 years, it meant the religious feast day and nothing else. By the mid-1600s, epiphany—with a lowercase e—was being used to refer to other manifestations of Christ and to appearances of divine beings in other religions. Since the 19th century, the meanings of epiphany began expanding. Writers such as Thomas De Quincey (who wrote of "bright epiphanies of the Grecian intellect") and William Wordsworth, and later James Joyce (who wrote that epiphanies "are the most delicate and evanescent of moments") and John Updike, helped broaden the definition of epiphany to include the secular realm.
The Definitions of "Epiphany"
Today "epiphany" carries a range of meanings, including "an intuitive grasp of reality," "an illuminating discovery, realization, disclosure, or insight," or simply "a revealing scene or moment." My definition of an epiphany is "a moment of sudden or great revelation that usually changes you in some way."
I started asking the people I interviewed for their definitions and was enchanted and inspired by some of the answers I received:
An epiphany is...
"a realization; an opening; a portal to the Divine; growing up; a magic moment that impacts you and changes you forever and you can remember it as vividly as you experienced it; a moment that changes the lens through which you view your life; our soul scratching around our head and giving us a signal to guide our lives with; a moment of descending light, open knowledge, and choice; a drastic shift in energy and change of perspective that happens in the form of a moment of clarity; something that gives you the strength to take a different direction or move forward and opens up everything; a sense of wonderment; a clarifying direction; and, that moment where you know your life is never going to be the same."
One of my favorites is Maya Angelou's answer:
"It probably has a million definitions. It's the occurrence when the mind, the body, the heart, and the soul focus together and see an old thing in a new way."
Someone interviewing me the other day defined an epiphany as "a miracle of thought." I find this definition beautiful and promptly wrote it down. I'm constantly hearing new definitions and ways of expressing what these moments are to people and am always redefining them for myself. They are all a little different for everyone yet all are also accurate.
I love this about the nature of epiphanies. They are a reflection of us. They are all different and unique in how they come to people. No two people's stories are the same. We are all so very different in backgrounds, experiences, beliefs, etc. but the core of these epiphanies, if you really ask what someone learned or about the wisdom gained, always boils down to a universal wisdom or truth we can all relate to. It's just like us—we're all so different and unique yet all so very similar. The goal of talking about our stories, and about epiphanies in particular, is to understand, honor. and respect both our differences and our likenesses—and to celebrate them.
How are we different? How are we the same? What can we learn from one another about ourselves, about our fellow man and about the world around us in talking about these moments and insights? A lot. At least that's been my experience.
Dr. Oz summarizes it perfectly: "The goal is to move from just knowledge, which is information, to understanding, which is awareness."
An "Epiphany"
The 2011 Epiphany season began January 6 and lasts until March 9—the first day of Lent this year. I realized that my book was launched into the world and I started this blog the same week the Epiphany season started, which was completely accidental and serendipitous. Serendipity is another constant aspect of epiphanies I observed... but that is a blog post for another day.
What is your definition of epiphany? I'd love to hear!
Any suggestions and epiphany stories are always welcome at EpiphanyChannel.com.
I am but a very small item in a very big universe.
It was a very important moment for me. Changed my life forever.
Thank you so much for sharing this quote - i love it. one day would love to hear a bit of the story behind it if you ever have time and would like to - you can share it at epiphanychannel.com under the 'share your epiphany' tab. Thank you!
I've often felt that an "epiphany" is that sudden connection that you have to something that is greater than us. It is not a level of awareness and knowing that we can gather through the mind alone, but rather through allowing information to flow into us -- rather than merely searching for information. Knowledge and logic is one thing, and it is certainly needed in growth. But without that higher awareness we always fall short. I always feel like that's how people like Albert Einstein were so intelligent.
I had a stroke of sorts and I asked my Doctor what had happened and she said I had had a epiphany due to having over 90% blockage in my right charated artery and it needed to be opened up. I have looked this word up numerous times, and never found the revelant meaning till I read this...Thank You.
I was just standing in my kitchen eating a twinkie when I started seeing all sorts of things in my head. I saw a three whales swimming together in the ocean, one male, one female, and one child. I saw the innumerable galaxies and their unquantifiable number of stars spinning throughout the vast cosmos. I saw a lioness kill a zebra in Africa, and I saw billions of men, women, and children getting up and living. I saw the huge vastness of a terrifying universe and realized how obvious it was that we weren't alone. And most of all, I realized how impossibly tiny I am. I saw how it would never make any impact whether I lived or died in the end, since there's so many other tiny, insignificant humans. I got this sinking feeling in my chest that nothing and nobody would ever truly make any lasting impression in the infinite domain we are imprisoned in. And then I felt free in this sinking defeat. I felt like that hole in my chest was a comfort, and then I stood in my kitchen, eating more twinkies before that strange, beautiful feeling left me.
I was just standing in my kitchen eating a twinkie when I started seeing all sorts of things in my head. I saw three whales swimming together in the ocean, one male, one female, and one child. I saw the innumerable galaxies and their unquantifiable number of stars spinning throughout the vast cosmos. I saw a lioness kill a zebra in Africa, and I saw billions of men, women, and children getting up and living. I saw the huge vastness of a terrifying universe and realized how obvious it was that we weren't alone. And most of all, I realized how impossibly tiny I am. I saw how it would never make any impact whether I lived or died in the end, since there's so many other tiny, insignificant humans. I got this sinking feeling in my chest that nothing and nobody would ever truly make any lasting impression in the infinite domain we are imprisoned in. And then I felt free in this sinking defeat. I felt like that hole in my chest was a comfort, and then I stood in my kitchen, eating more twinkies before that strange, beautiful feeling left me.
When I was a child somewhere between roughly 8 and 10 years old, I experienced several very strong and intense epiphany-like events which ended in strong physical effects in addition to the usual euphoria and other symptoms typically noted. I recall mild to moderate dizziness for a minute or two during one or two, but one of these occurences (I believe possibly the last I had of this sort), I was overcome with intense dizziness and a pain of sorts similar to a headache which lasted perhaps a minute or two. There is no doubt the source of these occurences was a very intense and broad scope epiphany, likely invoking a large structural memory reshuffling to accomodate the newly discovered perception/concept. I recall 'feeling' this happen in some way, and the related physical effects seemed entirely related. Anyone else recall anything like this happening to them when they were a kid? I cannot seem to locate a similar experience.
Very interesting - to move from knowledge to awareness is a very good way to put it. But one correction - Epiphany is a Catholic celebration, not a Christian celebration. Most protestants don't recognize Catholic holidays.
Sounds like you might need to do a little more research into Protestant denominations. While our celebrations of Epiphany are surely different from the Roman Catholic Church - which are also different from Eastern Orthodox, or Anglican, or Coptic, or other Catholic denominations - there are Protestant denominations that do, in fact, celebrate Epiphany. Even looking up the wiki on Epiphany will be enlightening. Just a note: Before correcting someone, make sure you are correct. Best of regards - Katie
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