We Are Reflections

Carl Jung said, “We meet ourselves time and again in a thousand disguises on the path of life.”  I am consciously aware of this statement. Our behaviors, actions, thoughts and a million other accounts intercept, connecting you and me as a reflection of one another. Our paths intertwine, cross, and perhaps for a millisecond, touch. Many spiritual practices express the need to empty the mind, the baggage of the past, as not to burden or share our toxic waste with another when we are in the worst possible space in our lives.

This is always a challenge. It becomes more so when you are trying to stay on a high vibration (of joy and optimism) and someone with a lower negativity comes into your space. What does one do in order not to let their issues become yours? How can we remain in a place of compassion and not carry their issues? How can we truly help another unless we see ourselves through their eyes?

A wise friend, several years ago, shared a small lesson in how to deal with others. She said that we are all mirror images of one another reflecting the duality of darkness and light. The things that irritate me in someone else are usually things I need to look at and investigate in myself. If they didn't become magnified through those annoying moments then there is nothing that pertains to me. The ego takes a beating when we start to be honest with our darkness. Egotism rises to a level that can create psychological fragments causing illnesses, depression, and disorders. No one ever wants to admit their ugliness, which is not monstrous. It is part of our humanness teaching us through those emotions, actions, and lessons.

Oh, those triggers from old traumas and experiences! They are little monsters living in a forgotten trunk of an abandoned room in our heads. The more we start digging in our psyche the angrier Ego gets. But, in order to see the true image in others with love (the good and the bad) one has to empty out the crap inside. It's a must! It's also work in progress. Just when you think you dealt with one trait...bang...another one comes up like a nasty pimple to the surface.

My friend suggested to truly look at those qualities and imperfections through love. I believe that in doing so we transcend to a place of oneness and unbounded acceptance. We get to bypass the judgment and insecurities that feed the old stories in us. You don't have to condone, or take on their issues and behavior, but you can understand that they are parts of all of a whole that also belongs to you.

We are all created in pure perfection of Divinity. There is no one less or more; exceptional or depleted; wiser or thoughtless. The spectrum of reality is all an illusion. We get to choose those parts in another, the disguises, that accommodate us well. I am learning, sometimes not conquering, that someone's costumes and drama can bring out the worst in me internally. I can try to remain kind as much as possible. It’s a choice. Sometimes I succeed while other times I fail miserably. While in that space I begin to see the reflection of me. I believe our oneness is what creates the whole of us...together in this small blue planet. I begin to see through different lenses. I am not having to remove myself completely or run from the situation. I can stand there in my naked rawness as well and be vulnerable. 

Phew, that shit can be hard! It can feel brutal. What I am learning is that authenticity isn’t easy. I am always feeling the feels of another. I choose to stand firm in my convictions while also be willing to shift the narrative when I am in the wrong.

We really are not what happens to us along the way. We are every decision we choose to believe and accept. We are unfinished compositions of art painted through love, strokes of genius, and divine colors of light. Let the light in you always reflect the light in me. Or, at least let’s try it. I have to remember that we are always staring at mirrors of the inner child. What do children love more than anything? To love, laugh, and play!

I love you,

Millie

“Everyone and everything that shows up in our life is a reflection of something that is happening inside of us.” Alan Cohen