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Wonder

Exactly what is this world in which we find ourselves? Why do we seem to wake up each morning to this same human life in this same little corner of the universe we call planet Earth? What is going on here? And what could possibly be the point?

If you’ve been honest with yourself, you’ve certainly noticed that no one has any viable answers to these questions.

Still, I think you’ll agree that if there is a point, it’s almost certainly not to impress people with how cool we are or how many degrees we have or how many planes we’ve jumped out of or how many reality shows we’ve been on or how nice a house we live in or even how regularly we meditate.

Furthermore, it’s safe to say your purpose here is not to be a consumer of products, critic of other people’s work, or statistic in someone’s data collection program.

And despite the relentless nature of the mystery and its unpredictable ways of manifesting in our lives (from winning a tropical vacation to getting two flat tires in the middle of a suspension bridge), if you really think about it, neither boredom nor jadedness nor disinterest seem to be a rational response either.

Because as relentless and unpredictable as it may be, no matter how much it fluctuates between beautiful and terrifying, soul crushing and life affirming, this world in which we find ourselves is poised among a vast, glittering sky full of stars, expanding infinitely in all directions. Time is filled with mysteries we cannot fathom. Eyes glitter with emotion. Moments arise and then disappear forever, as if they were actually nothing more than dreams. Sunlight refracts into a full spectrum of colors. Hearts ache with love and beauty and grief. Plants grow. Flowers bloom. Leaves fall. Wood decomposes into soil, nourishing the forest for decades and centuries to come, and the whole cycle repeats itself again and again and again.

So just what is a rational response to all this mysterious beauty and heartbreak, fire and ash, dying and being reborn?

Wonder, that’s what: pure, unadulterated wonder.

Whither Wonder?

It’s no secret that most of us aren’t going around feeling wonderstruck all the time. Even if a favorite song sometimes brings tears to our eyes or the full moon on a clear night occasionally takes our breath away, for many of us, wonder often feels like the exception rather than the rule.

But considering the wondrous conditions that constantly surround us and characterize our existence, it’s logical to ask ourselves: What’s the deal? Why aren’t we feeling wonderstruck more consistently? Where in the world went our wonder?

There is a high probability you’re already good and convinced that (A) our culture is currently in a state of desperate insanity, and (B) our personal perspective is largely shaped by the culture in which we are raised. So in lieu of wasting ink on such things, suffice it to say we know that A and B both possess a generous measure of truth.

As such, let’s be compassionate about our lack of wonder, knowing that it’s a byproduct of being born and raised in a world gone mad.

Simply having arrived at this conclusion means all is not lost. Acknowledging the discrepancy empowers us to consciously cultivate wonder. In so doing, we can bring sanity back and respond to this wondrous world with the generous measure of wonderment of which it is worthy.

In addition to being a plain old rational response to life, bringing our wonder back will kindle a fire of joy within us. It will make us a beacon of beauty and truth. It will allow us to set in motion towering waves of love and inspiration, which will in turn bring countless and immeasurable benefits to the world.

After all, even in a civilization gone mad, creatives still create. Inventors still invent. Healers still heal. And in every discipline, medium, and modality, the resounding results expand in proportion to the amount of wonder that’s alive in the heart of the person who is the catalyst. Without wonder, the results of one’s efforts are reliably commonplace. On the other hand, consider anyone whose work you admire, and you will realize that wonder is what fans the flames of boldness and ingenuity, elevating even the most everyday endeavor to the level of genius.

With all of this in mind, it is imperative that we find and reclaim as much of our mistakenly mislaid wonder as we possibly can. But where is it waiting? Whither has it wandered?

It hides in plain sight. It abides in your own mysterious depths. It dwells in the silent unknown.

The Silent Unknown

There is sound, but there is much more silence. There are planets, but there is much more space. There is movement, but there is much more stillness. There is light and there is darkness, but there is much more vast, open, empty expansiveness from which light and darkness both arise and in which they both appear.

Even now, your body is emptier and more invisible than it is solid and tangible. The very atoms of our physical selves contain much more space than they do matter. And once they dissolve into earth and sky and sea, where do we go? No longer dwelling in this time/space dimension in this present form, in a real sense we dissolve back into the eternity from which we came—the wild, mysterious infinity that is our true identity and our true home.

The following exercise will unblock and activate your magical consciousness by powerfully connecting you with the silent unknown.

12Unicorn Portal Key #1:
Sky Gaze

As you have perhaps already sensed, this book is a swirling invitation to step into your power and enter the current of some of the most nourishing magic there is: to live deeply, to open your heart, and to awaken to the iridescent enchantment of being alive. We’ll call it entering the unicorn portal.

But entering the unicorn portal is not just a matter of reading words on a page. Rather, it’s a shimmering, sparkling, multidimensional endeavor that requires you to proactively shift your consciousness and energy by taking concrete actions in the physical world.

In each chapter there will be a key. It may help to envision each one as an actual key you can hold in your hand, place on an oversized key ring, or wear on a ribbon around your neck.

This particular key is made of sparkling stars in a
midnight-blue sky. When you hold the key and look at it from different angles in the light, it transforms from night to day, revealing a blue sky filled with sunlight, rainbows, and clouds before it transforms back again.

This key dearly wishes to be in your possession. But to obtain it, you must complete the following:

Sit outside in a relaxing place. It can be anywhere at all, as long as it’s safe, relatively secluded from other humans, and you can see the sky. Turn off your phone or put it on airplane mode and set a timer for thirty minutes.

Now you will sky gaze. Place your attention on the firmament. Consider the beauty of the clouds, blue sky, or stars. Contemplate the vastness. Marvel at the mystery. Let your mind wander as it wishes through beauty, wonder, or simply rapt attention. When you notice your awareness has drifted to something other than the open space we call the sky (such as what you will eat when you get back or what you posted on social media earlier in the day), simply bring your attention back to the sky without chastising yourself in the slightest.

Be aware that boredom will likely creep in. If it does, smile at it. Continue sky gazing and begin to wonder if there is life on other planets. Also wonder what those planets and living beings might be like.

Once the timer dings (provided you have followed the directions as outlined above), you have earned the first key. Envision it. Examine it in your mind’s eye. Look at it from all angles. Then imagine yourself sliding it onto a key ring or hanging it from a cord around your neck.

For practical purposes, be sure to also consider the following:

Sparking the Fire

Unicorns are the guardians of wonder; they keep wonder alive. Conversely, the more wonder we feel, the more unicorns thrive.

And even the most dazzling, shimmering, sparkling infernos of wonder begin with a single spark.

That’s why it’s of utmost importance that we regularly ask ourselves: Besides the obvious—the vastness of space and the relentless mystery of the universe—what sparks my sense of wonder? Of course, everyone’s wonder sparks are different, but here you’ll find some simple items and areas to consider.

I suggest that you find a beautiful journal or notebook, as well as a beautiful pen. These can be wonder sparks in themselves, so take the time to find ones that make joy move upward in your belly like a sunlit fountain. Once you’ve assembled your journaling tools, when a spark flies within you, write it down.

But first, write Wonder Sparks at the top of a page. Then make a list.

Colors, textures, and patterns might spark your sense of wonder. Many of those with an affinity for unicorns love shimmery, sparkly things, as well as opal white, amethyst, aquamarine, teal, robin’s-egg blue, rainbows, and the silvery color of the moon. But any and all colors may spark your sense of wonder: every visible color of the spectrum, as well as the invisible ones.

Sounds and songs are reliable wonder sparks for many of us. Consider sounds that catapult you into the realm of the wondrous. Some perennial favorite sounds among those called by the unicorn include wind chimes, fairy bells, wind in trees, bird songs, the whirr of hummingbird wings, crickets, crackling fires, ocean waves, and mountain streams. Music is highly personal, but most of us have songs, artists, and genres we find ourselves coming back to again and again for their ability to remind us of the splendor and glory and mystery of life. What are yours?

Natural objects such as pinecones, acorns, feathers, crystals, and rocks, and natural settings such as waterfalls, beaches, meadows, and caves can be wonder-igniters extraordinaire. Certainly you have your favorites; list the natural objects and settings that inspire you and fill you with awe.

Plants and animals of all varieties—including, of course, the “mythical” variety—increase our sense of wonder and align us with the expansive and mystical world of nonhuman consciousness. Which ones never fail to do so for you?

Scents such as the pavement after it rains, your grandmother’s favorite soap, blossoming lilacs, and freshly baked blueberry pie can be vibrant sensory portals into the great wide world of wonder.

Literally anything else that confers a sense of mystery, connection, and revelation also qualifies. This includes words, poems, articles of clothing, foods, beverages, cities, countries, languages, symbols, vehicles, holidays, planets, paintings, and seriously every other scintillating and awe-inspiring thing of which you can possibly conceive.

Fanning the Flames

To initiates of the unicorn path—those who seek not only to enter the portal but also to become an esteemed denizen of the realm—wonder is like oxygen, water, or sunlight: it is a necessity. To keep it in good supply requires many things of you, and while each of them is a responsibility, none is a burden. Rather, you will find all to be a boon.

First (as you will read more about in a future chapter), wonder cultivation requires you to be a devotee of beauty.

While the world-gone-mad would have us believe beauty to be a merely superficial concern, the true nature of beauty is anything but. It is an essential quality of the Wild Divine, also known as the Infinite, Source Energy, the Great Holy Mystery, and Who You Really Are. As such, seemingly everyday concerns such as tending to your garden, decorating your home, and brushing your hair are actually devotional acts, much like burning incense on an altar, pouring a libation of wine onto the soil, or blowing kisses to the sky.

Additionally, as a devotee of beauty, you must do your best to stop and inhale the scent of flowers as you encounter them, and to gaze at their petals as they quiver in the sunlight-dappled shade. You must remember to acknowledge the silvery crescent moon, wise old moonbeams, and the full moon’s reflection in the puddles on the pavement. Similarly, devotees of beauty do not make coffee without inhaling the scent of the coffee beans first or make tea without considering the botanical ingredients and imagining the soil and sunlight in which they grew.

Sustaining wonder also requires you to cultivate mindfulness and present-moment awareness.

In other words, rather than constantly planning for/worrying about the future or reminiscing about/rehashing the past, being in a state of wonder requires us to engage in what is often called being here now. This involves gently placing our attention on things like what is in front of us, who we are with, and how our body feels.

Of course, the human mind is in the business of wandering. Still, for wonder to infuse our consciousness as a matter of course, we must bring the mind back to the present moment repeatedly. Meditation teachers have been known to compare it to training a puppy that will never be trained or taming a monkey that will never be tamed.

Indeed, cultivating mindfulness is not about perfection: it’s about patiently, lovingly bringing the mind back to the present moment again and again and again.

There are many practices to help you get into this habit. Meditation is one. If you’ve never meditated before, we live in a time when you can find countless free guided meditations via apps and online videos. Or, instead of meditation apps and recordings, you may prefer chanting mantras on beads, visualizing your body being filled with light, or setting a timer and repeating affirmations until it dings. Even five minutes a day makes a hugely positive difference. So you might start with five minutes and stay there or work your way up to as many minutes as you like.

Yoga is known to help with present-moment awareness. So is turning off your phone (or leaving it behind) and taking a solitary walk outside on a beautiful day.

Simply placing your attention on your breath is an invaluable mindfulness practice. When you notice your mind has wandered from the present moment, you can think, “Now I’m breathing in. Now I’m breathing out.” In a more sustained way, you can practice keeping your attention on your breath when you are driving, walking, or even spending time with loved ones. You can feel the way it moves energy through your body and relaxes your muscles more and more with each breath. And when you notice your attention has wandered, you can simply, lovingly bring it back.

Additionally, those who would nurture wonder must be a familiar face to the natural world.

The sky beckons. The streams cajole. Even the soil pines for your luminous presence. Indeed, Mother Earth herself never fails to beseech. It is as if, in unison, they are reminding you (like any loving family would) to call more often, to stop by, to let them know when you’ll be in town. In essence, they are saying, “We love you, child. Don’t be a stranger. We like having you around.”

You are a child of the earth and stars, and the earth and stars have not forgotten. You are a sibling to the waters, the plants, and the animals, and they know you as their kin.

Buildings are brilliant at keeping out the freezing cold and the blistering heat, as well as rain, snow, hail, mold, mosquitoes, and snakes. But don’t let them keep you from your true home.

Even stepping outside for a few conscious minutes a day will keep you in the loop with the natural world. But things like hikes, picnics, walks, and even cups of tea on your patio will also help you and nature stay on companionable terms.

Without the natural world as your ally, family, and friend, your wonder will undoubtedly wither. So be sure to visit it often and marvel at its multifaceted majesty.

For full-on wonderstruck living, you must free up your imagination and believe wholeheartedly in the world of dreams.

Dreams are the pictures that appear to us as we sleep and the visions we conjure up in our imaginations. But what about what we call “real” life? Is it not dreamlike? Could it not possibly be a dream?

“Of course it isn’t a dream,” conventional wisdom teaches. “Real is real and dreams are dreams.”

But it’s a flimsy assumption.

Where does this thing we call “reality” appear to you? Exactly like dreams, visions, and fictional landscapes, it appears within your consciousness and nowhere else. How can you be sure, then, that one is real and the others are not? Because other people agree with you that “reality” is real? Those other people, though … where are they? They are in your mind only. Maybe they’re somewhere else, too, of course, but it’s impossible to be sure.

If a unicorn appears on your doorstep, then, is it more real or alive than if it appears in your dream or in your novel or in a mural you painted on a garden wall? As far as you know, each place is exclusively within your own consciousness, so you get to decide. What is real is completely up to you.

Of course, continue to perpetuate the mainstream illusion of an objective external “reality” if you want to. There’s really no problem if that’s what you want to do. It may be more comfortable for you, after all. But if you want to enter the unicorn portal, you’re going to have to be quite a bit more logical. You’re going to have to recognize that everything you can dream and everything you can imagine can also be real.

Speaking of imagining something into reality or dreaming something into being, those who would walk the path of the unicorn must believe in magic. Magic might be defined as your power to create positive change according to your will. Magic also includes things like the sacred power of trees and plants, the healing vibrations of crystals, and the mystical powers of herbs. (All of these will be covered at length in a future chapter.)

So, if you choose to read on, please be open to the realm of the mystical. And, even if you believe in magic already, be willing to expand your belief in what is possible. Remember the Shakespeare quote: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”1

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1. William Shakespeare, Hamlet: Prince of Denmark (Princeton, NJ: John Bell, 1777), 24.