Solstice Blessings - Wonder as a practice
Blessed Solstice!
Whether deep in the long nights of Alaska or walking the beaches of California, I am always deeply affected by the pause and the wonder of solstice. The gifts of deep darkness percolate in their profound depth and wisdom, and the remembrance that light returns again, in rhythm, each year, inviting those seeds of awareness to take root and begin their ascent towards the sun, rich in nutrients from the earth, ready to express the fullness of self that can only come from the time spent in the rich humus of the dark. There is deep gratitude in this celestial pause for both the dark and the light. For the inward journey to remember self and the expression of authentic being out in to the world. The Sanskrit word Spanda expresses this inherent pulsation between contraction and expansion, inward and outward, the pulse of the tides pulling the ocean back to its depths and pouring itself forward on to the shore.
This is a season imbued with wonder! And, wonder is a powerful, primal emotion, cracking us open to possibility. Wonder is the birthplace of compassion and love. Wonder gives us pause. Literally. Wonder interrupts the default modes of our nervous system to fight, flee, freeze, control, or even the compulsion to know something with contracted certainty. Wonder gifts herself in moments of pain and joy. Wonder is not a positive or negative emotion, not compelling either gravitation towards or repelling away from anything, but instead offers a moment of pure presence. Wonder is… and she opens the door to possibility, sometimes through the very disorientation she engenders.
The full moon illuminating the horizon, the sparkly lights on a neighbors eaves, the smell of fir, the depth of another’s pain, the goosebumps that arise in a moment of insight, the welling of tears before thought intrudes, a snowflake caught in perfect form, each of these and so much more invoke wonder. But, what is wonder? And, why is it so powerful to actually engage with wonder, invite wonder, cultivate wonder and share wonder?
Jeffrey Davis, a researcher, writer, speaker and leader for entrepreneurs and business leaders, has made it his life’s path to track wonder, as one would track an animal, not to hunt it, but to know it better, to learn its patterns, its habits, its ways of being. As one becomes intimate with the ways of the animal, Jeffrey becomes intimate with the facets of wonder, the physiology of wonder and the tools for expanding wonderment in our lives and work. After listening to his conversation with Tami Simon on Sounds True, I knew that a summary of his teaching and en exploration of wonder was the gift I wanted to share with you this year.
Wonder is Openness and Curiosity: when we are cracked open to possibility, wonder infuses the space with “intelligent naïveté” and the invitation to pursue new possibilities. Curiosity keeps this process playful, allowing us to question and challenge beliefs, stories, status quo and even our own thoughts. Wonder, over and over again, opens the portal to explore the infinite nature of the universe, of love, of connection, of ourselves. With greater space, we have greater options. Wonder expands our bandwidth, removes our blinders, and in this expansiveness, life shows us the next step, the ways to move with Love.
Wonder is Bewilderment and Hope: there is a potential disorientation in wonder. We are shaken out of current thoughts, or emotional states, and for a moment, we may not know which way is up, or down. We may be turned as if doing a handstand on the beach, watching the waves fall in to the sky below. Davis states that wonder can de-center our sense of self so that ultimately we can re-center. Rather than running away from or avoiding this disorientation and bewilderment, wonder invites us to fertilize it, to give it attention and to engage with it, allowing for intentional daydreaming, fed by profound hope. Even in the darkest and lost moments, wonder opens us to possibility, invites curiosity about the next step, and gives us pause to allow for the disorientation to be of service, to shake us up, to disrupt the limiting beliefs. Hope infuses these moments with the foundation to stay with the process, to patiently receive the gifts as they arrive and trust action when it is clear. It invites us to be our competent selves and acknowledge what we don’t know, staying open to what we don’t understand. Wonder holds us in the pause of receptivity.
Thirdly, wonder is Connection and Admiration: we are drawn to connect, to flock together, to be in life, connected to all of life, to work together, to support one another, to celebrate with one another. And as we connect, wonder shows up as the surprising love and delight in someone or something else’s expression, beauty, craft, intellect and being. Wonder is the wide-eyed witnessing of one another and celebration of one another.
To cultivate a life of active engagement with wonder is to be open to witnessing the most mundane and most profound moments of our day. It is to practice curiosity and to embrace the confusion when it arises, it is to make time for daydreaming and for hope, for noticing when wonder opens up the doorway to re-centering, to dropping in to our essence nature, and opening to new perspective.
Starting our day by notingwhat we are devoted brings our attention to wonder. Jeffrey states that devotion is wonder infused with desire and commitment.
Throughout the day, detecting the default patterns and disrupting them can open up space for wonder. When you notice yourself going in to a default pattern, take a few moments to step outside and gaze at the sky, no matter the weather. All of the facets of wonder can exist in this simple expansiveness of attention.
At the end of the day, take a moment to notice what was significant, where you experienced wonder.
And, during this season, so rich in giving, and every day through this next year, there is a beautiful invitation to gift wonder. What can you do that brings someone you love surprise, delight, and the gift of being seen. A note, an acknowledgement, a kind word. Wonder exists in the simplest and grandest of moments, it has no limits, it is not expensive, it has been there since you took your first breath and opened your eyes to this world, it plays in a child’s eyes, and it is available to each of us, even if we have forgotten. It is perhaps imperative for the work we have to do in this life; it is a profound gift for living life well.
May wonder fill your holidays!
Dr. Amy
References:
Davis, Jeffrey, Tracking Wonder: Reclaiming a Life of Meaning and Possibility In a World Obsessed with Productivity. Sounds True. 2021