Mirrors

"I wish you could see yourself the way I see you, I really don't understand why you always ask why I like you, it seems so obvious to me."

Self-image is such an interesting concept. I've now had sittings with several people who I think the world of and look up to so much and during the sitting I discovered that they don't see themselves the way I see them. I see these strong, yet gentle women who are doing the Creator's will and inviting others to know Him better. I see woman who are beautiful and intelligent and funny. Women who could do anything they want, who could change the world if they so decided. Yet they look in the mirror and see mostly flaws, shortcomings and imperfection.

And the weirdest thing: they look at me and see the same wonderful things, while I'm looking in the mirror and see immense inadequacy and failures.

For some reason that I haven't come to understand yet, the Creator has put us in a world where we never really see ourselves. I can look in the mirror or at pictures of myself and see a close representation, but it's never really me. Then I can look at others and see their truest self, but they don't get to see that, they will only ever see reflections (deficient reflections that magnify the imperfections of the individual and obscure the real beauty there).

So, how can we know who we really are if there's no mirror to understand ourselves? In the book The Seven Paths, the narrator shares a powerful concept; that 'We [others] appear as We [ourselves] are.' To see another is to see oneself. So when we look at the people around us and see that we are surrounded by good, wonderful and uplifting people, it tells us something incredible about ourselves - we too are good, wonderful and uplifting. Whoever you are with, they are the mirrors of your heart. If you want to see yourself, appreciate all the good in the people closest to you and recognize that, although you can't really see yourself and there's no mirror to show you how you truly look, the people around you see your truth and choose to be with you for it. Let them be your mirror and help you see how wonderful you are.

Just a FEW of the fantastic people I'm surrounded by!

*Sidenote on perfection - Yesterday, while working on skills with a group of friends, one of them was working on a gatherings bag. These are special bags that everyone who walks the Anasazi trail is encouraged to make since it will aid them in their walking. These bags are handmade by each individual and therefore, no two bags are alike. The person making his yesterday was stressing over messing up with his bag and one of the others said something incredibly profound: "The more imperfect - the more beautiful." Perfection is something we find in factories that produce everything to be the same and unspecial. Imperfection is unique, it's what sets us all apart from each other and makes life fun and interesting and enjoyable. Imperfection IS beauty!