Does lightning always travel downwards?

Does lightning always travel downwards?

The Etruscans studied lightning bolts closely as far back as 700 BC because they used them to predict the future. But it was only in recent times, with the availability of scientific instruments, that the true nature of these massive electrical discharges became apparent. One surprising discovery was that lightning doesn't usually travel from the sky to the Earth, but in the opposite direction Discharges also often occur between clouds. It wasn't until the end of the last century that pilots and astronauts were able to confirm that lightning also occurs above the clouds, at heights of between 40 and 90 km from the Earth's surface Known as 'blue jets 'sprites and elves these discharges produce impressive blue and red light effects which are directed upwards as well as downwards.