On Looking Up and Wonder

I wrote a small story the other night about choosing a high frequency and reaching for quality. It was a short love story about a couple meeting by chance in a library, observing that they had both selected books from the top shelf. It had me reflecting on the metaphor of this, of looking up… and what this means energetically to me, and to all of us.

If you are a dreamer, a highly sensitive person, or a hopeful optimist, these words may speak to you. If you are simply looking for hope, I hope that they do, too.

In my experience of letting dreams lead, the only way I know how to share this is from having always looked up: towards the sky, the stars, and the curiosity of who I was here to be. I have been led by wonder and a connection to something above me, even if I am yet to entirely understand what it is, whether it is me, destiny, or a God of some kind. Or perhaps I simply seek possibility because I have known pain and grief, and wanted to know what else was possible.

In some seasons, I have looked down. I have lost the wonder in a sunrise, but it always returns, and it is one of the simplest practices to turn towards. Just a moment of looking to the light, looking to the sky in the early morning or evening, at the ocean, or outside a window.

Because I have lost connection to this hopeful notion of letting wonder lead in the past, I have deep empathy for seasons that are difficult. I believe timing matters, that we are all ready for things at different times, because our lives present us with lessons woven into each season for us to understand.

I’m often in awe of seeing people look to the light in grief or hurt. There comes a small moment where we can lift our head up and look to something higher, to something beyond us, in hope. We watch the sun rise, and even when it is dark and stormy, something within us knows the sun is there, merely hiding. When we pay attention to seeing this in others, it feels natural. We want to feel guided, and we are.

We might not even believe that this guidance exists… why would we when we are in pain? Even in these curious moments, we might question whether we are in the right relationship, career, or location. Having that curiosity is enough: to sit with it every now and then and ask, "What am I learning about myself here? Is there a place I can trust? What can I trust?"

As I write this, I realise that these questions are completely natural. Movement in life, and looking up to represent that movement, is natural. What is not natural is to simply live on autopilot. I believe there is a natural movement in life, and we are all given challenges that require us to step into something greater without ego. Through my own experience, I know it can be scary and hard, yet at the same time, profoundly natural.

We look up because we try, because things matter…

I was born with a connection to something beyond me and a deep curiosity in my soul. This sense of joy has been with me since I was young; I vividly remember daydreaming in school. However, like so many of us, I was conditioned not to believe in those things, to fit into what was expected, to focus. So I doubted it. Even today, I sometimes need people to remind me that my intuition, my sensitivity, and my inner guidance are real.

I doubted my ways to the point where I felt embarrassed for having a dreamy spirit, for drifting off into other places every now and then. Growing into who I am has meant learning to simply be who I am, and I think we can all relate to that.

Some people love my curiosity; others, not so much. They might even find it funny. During my counselling training, a supervisor was watching a video replay of one of my sessions. She paused it, looked at me with serious eyes, and with a tone that made me sit up with a straight spine, said: "Never say 'I am curious about...' to your client. Your client is not a research project."

I listened, and I took it on board. But down the line, I kept doing it, unconsciously at first, until I understood that the right people appreciated it. Eventually, it became a conscious choice, because my curiosity was genuine. It is genuine.

Now I see that we all have aspects of ourselves that not everyone connects with, and that is okay. As I shed layers of protection and become more vulnerable and confident in why I am here, I realise that it is through wonder that I am guided. I find this wonder by making space to drift, to dream, and to look up, from my phone, from the ground, and into faraway places. Whether looking at the top shelf at the library for inspiration, gazing at the stars in the evening, or simply using it as a metaphor to look at something with a lighter essence for a moment.

As I reflect on the times I’ve looked up with bright anticipation into the clouds and sky, wondering what was in store for me, I’ve felt excited. I have also looked upward in moments of defeat, confusion, or the unknown, and remarkably, I find the same beauty there.

What I realise as I write this is that I’ve always sensed hope, possibility, and emotion, but I haven’t always trusted it. Really, though, how could we without evidence at first? That’s part of the practice, part of the beauty. I have settled in relationships, jobs, and decisions, wondering if they were right while simultaneously letting curiosity lead. In a way, curiosity brings something beyond my control that I can actually trust. If I listen and observe, it all connects. It all starts to make sense.

This year in particular, I’ve started to see these daydreams come to fruition, things unfolding that match thoughts, visions, and ideas I’ve journaled about in the past. I’m reminded, yet again, that curiosity is guiding me. If we sense that something else is out there, perhaps it is… and perhaps our task is to trust the unseen, to be intentional, and to trust ourselves and the thread that guides us. What we are seeking isn't out there; it is within us, always.

So perhaps, for a moment today, look up, whether you apply that idea internally to a problem to see possibility, or you step outside and gaze at the sky. One thing I’ve learned is that we don’t need to be perfectly regulated to find moments of connection. Yes, we hear more when we’re calm, but there is always an opportunity to connect to hope, and as we work toward self-regulation, we can build trust in our experience.

We can’t hide from magic when we know in our soul that it lives within us. The guidance is quiet, led by wonder and curiosity taking us somewhere new…

Sensitive souls see more. Daydreams are the inspiration, and simply being curious, trusting that instinct, is what creates momentum. After all, life is movement, and we only get this experience once here, in this body.

It is through wonder that we find the inspiration to evolve. It nurtures the soil of our potential, because in the end, it’s all energy.

So, look up today. Or find people who inspire you to look up, to see hope, to find magic in the ordinary, or to feel the unseen. We are guided by so much when we simply pay attention and trust it.

xo

Alana