WONDER

I’ve always loved the word wonder. How delightful that it can mean both curiosity and awe. It’s both the jaw-dropping surprise of a magenta sunrise and the questions that stick under our nails as we dig through the earth searching for what’s been buried. In our emergence from cocooned winter into brilliant spring, may we stretch our wings and wonder at the ecstatic beauty of what it means to be alive.  

But/and sometimes it can be challenging to engage our sense of wonder. The division of duality leaves us overly attached to our judgements and opinions. Fear makes us forget our oneness, so we fall prey to toxic power dynamics of them vs. us. The irony is that we are all bonded through the same basic human sufferings. Whenever we feel the need to defend, therein lies our greatest opportunity to choose an open heart instead of a closed mind. And curiosity is the quickest way to get there. 

Curiosity creates space and pairs nicely with the art of contemplation; it allows room for a pause before jumping in with our point of view or an emotional reaction. When we approach a person or situation with genuine wonder, we soften our edges and invite others to do the same. Who hasn’t felt the power of a good question!? Heartfelt inquiry can quickly change the dynamic of a relationship from combative to connective. In this sense, humility means having nothing to prove and everything to learn.

Former high school English teacher here. In education, we use the term “essential questions” to identify big, open-ended questions that guide student learning throughout the unit. They’re designed to promote deep thinking, spark curiosity, and connect classroom discussion to broader, real-world ideas. Essential questions can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” They invite students to engage with complex ideas on their journey of discovery around who they are and what they believe about the world. 

I bring this up because we can play with our own essential questions as adults to spark curiosity and wonder. In her book Bored and Brilliant, Manoush Zomorodi celebrates the hidden magic that awakens when we surrender our minds to stillness and drift beyond constant thought output. She writes, “When our minds wander, we activate something called the ‘default mode,’ the mental place where we solve problems and generate our best ideas…” (I highly recommend this read!)

Journaling becomes a very different practice when we start with a question versus immediately telling that page what we think. Walking around the neighborhood or taking a hike transforms into an embodied adventure when we ruminate on a question and then let the natural world respond. Conversation over a shared meal deepens into more meaningful connection and understanding of ourselves, others and humanity as a whole.  

So give it a try—start by giving yourself time and space to write down as many questions as you can. Call upon your inner child. They certainly know the power of a question! If you don’t know where to start, begin with who, what, where, when, how, or what if. Then circle a few of your favorites, the ones that really evoke a bodily response. Let them become your “essential questions” of the moment, allowing your life to be filtered through these contemplations. Then sit back in awe at what pockets of insights and surprising conversations these questions evoke. Here are some essential questions coming up for me at the moment. No question is too weird, wild, inappropriate or banal. ChatGPT is also a great tool for this exercise

• What is my body truly asking of me in how I choose to nourish it?

• What deeper truths are revealed in my gut reaction and emotional response when I hear someone say, “I’m trying to lose weight”?

• Why do people subscribe to organized religion and how is my spiritual practice different?

• How do I honor sacred lineages of kriya yoga while disentangling from the harm of past gurus who’ve misused them?

• Why do seekers and teachers sometimes lose their way, and what can this teach me about power and human nature?

  
  

When we make curiosity a practice, it permeates all areas of our lives. As humanity moves through this powerful time of unearthing our sacred wounds, we encourage you to bring a shrewd eye to old coping mechanisms and defensive strategies. Before making judgements from these observations, let your third eye open in wonder and take a 360° view. Ask questions. Then let your body feel into what is True instead of believing the projections of your mind. Imagine what it would look like to trust the authority of your heart every step of the way on this wild journey we call the human experience. What could it mean for our personal and collective healing if we embraced the great mystery of the unknown with childlike curiosity…