Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

"Mirror, Mirror on the wall. Who's the fairest one of all?"

That famous line from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs seems to embody more poisonous spirits than a pit full of vipers.  From an ego fully ablaze to a mountain of insecurities that would send any climbing expert into shivers; those 11 words seem to be tightly implanted into today's consciousness (especially the feminine mindset) and express a deep cause of so much pain.

We all need to be seen. To be recognized not just by our physical presence, but to be truly seen and heard at every level of our existence.  I just finished watching James Cameron's Avatar with the kids. Avatar's Na'Vi tribe greet each other by saying "I see you" which is a translation of the Sanskrit Namaste which loosely translates to "the divine spark in me greets the divine spark in you."  The idea of Namaste has been around for thousands of years, from the Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions.  And I personally experienced it when I trekked the Himalayas and had to connect to others on the mountain.  You must truly see the other to be able to say Namaste.

So why have we fallen pray to looking into the Mirror to be seen? Why is it so hard to truly connect with another in the Western culture? If we crave a true connection, and looking into the mirror is the only way we can be seen, we experience a warped sense of ourselves.  Because to truly be seen, we need to look at ourselves through another's eyes, since our eyes distort our view of beauty and truth through the delusions and weight we carry.

Have you ever truly watched the differences in how we see each other?  Have you seen how a parent sees a child in all their innocence and how that spark of parental caring obliterates a child's flaws?  For when a parent sees a child (but truly sees, and not just looks) all the warped reflections of the mirror evaporate.  How about looking through a lovers eyes.  You've seen that look.  When one person's reflection of themselves in the mirror drifts away through a lover's eyes.

When we do truly connect, when the spark of the divine from one meets the spark of the divine of another, it can be a magical and transformational experience.

So here's my question: "Have you ever tried to break those mirrors?  Have you ever tried to truly see yourself through another's eyes?" If you can let go of the need to find out if you are the "fairest one of all" and crack those mirrors, and see yourself through the eyes of another, maybe all that self-imposed punishment will evaporate and you'll be able to connect to the divine spark in you as well as the other.

So break the mirrors.  See your reflection through someone else's eyes.  I'm sure you'll amazed at how your reflection looks from the other side of their divine spark.  From the mirror of someone else's eyes.

See you on the wire

-- Steven Cardinale