Wonder
I have a memory of being a tween and spending a magical day at Gough’s Caye in Belize with my family. My sisters and I went snorkeling and then came back for a bite to eat (chips…my favorite!). We then laid on the sun-warmed sand to dry off. I remember seeing the sunlight through my eyelashes, creating a rainbow kaleidoscope that changed as I squinted. As I laid there, playing with light, I felt so free, so innocent and so full of wonder (and chips!).
That’s what wonder does. It fills us up and opens the door to expanding and evolving. It takes us out of the confines of logic and into the vast mystery that is ever unfolding. You could say wonder is like curiosity, but without an agenda or expectation of outcome. There is an innocence and depth to it that keeps us open in our encounters and experiences.
.png)
One cannot help but be in awe when one contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day.
~Einstein
Einstein believed that we should always be curious. He said, “One cannot help but be in awe when one contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day.” Being curious about the unknown cultivates the wonder-filled state of beginner’s mind, a core concept of Zen Buddhism.
The mind of the beginner is empty and eager, lacking any preconceptions and open to all possibilities. From this space we can answer our wonderings with the purest expression of our own awareness. One of my alchemy practices when greeting the flora and fauna of earth is to not name what I am seeing. I’ll say, “Hello Beautiful” or “Hello my Dear” and I take a moment to experience it just as it is. This helps me to have beginner’s mind, not claiming my idea of it, but seeing it as if for the first time. It creates the space for it to say hello back. It becomes a communion with the all-pervasive presence that is in both of us as I touch, smell and listen to the unseen.
Look at everything as though you were seeing it for the first time or last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory.
~Betty Smith, author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
This practice is much easier to do with earth and her creatures than with my fellow humans. We are so conditioned in how we relate to others in less than eager and open ways. Our own identifications, assumptions and expectations of others shut down any sense of wonder and curiosity. When we can discard the notion of thinking we know, and stay open and unassuming we discover something more, something deeper about each other. This is the wonder that Valarie Kaur—activist and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project—describes as, “You are the part of me I do not yet know.” Wonder nurtures a spaciousness that allows us to remember we are all unique pieces of the whole.
You are the part of me I do not yet know.
~Valarie Kaur
I had an encounter last year that illustrates this perfectly. I was walking on the sidewalk and a dirty, disheveled man who obviously didn’t have dental care came up to me. I assumed he was going to ask me for money, but instead he asked if I knew how to spell Monterey. I started spelling it out loud, slowly and phonetically, and he handed me a Sharpie and asked if I would write it on his hand. As I pressed the pen into his hand, he started laughing and I looked into his eyes and said, “Oh, it tickles!” He nodded yes and kept laughing, making us both laugh. He thanked me and then our encounter was over. Yet, it lingered within me for several days and in my wondering about it I discovered this chance encounter allowed me to see the unseen longing to be seen and loved. He was reflecting back to me the part of me wanting to be seen and loved. Despite my initial assumption of him, my ‘brother’ was sweet and childlike, and I was grateful to meet a part of me I did not yet know.
Wonder is a transformative thread to weave into all our relationships. It is a sacred sight for perceiving our inner and outer worlds. Wonder fills us up and fosters a spaciousness that allows us to embrace the mystery that is always revealing itself. It is being so present that we can experience each moment as new. Wonder takes us out of our minds and into our hearts.
Mother Nature Memos®
Want a Weekly Reminder of Earth’s Wisdom and Wonder?
By completing this form, you are agreeing to receive email messages from Annette Marie Alchemy. You can unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy.