Author Topic: Mirroring and Reflection  (Read 4488 times)

flowerbells

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Mirroring and Reflection
« on: August 14, 2012, 11:29:17 PM »
Here's a topic on mirroring and reflection for discussion, not in any way attempting to proselyte. 

Keri's post "On Mirroring" got me to thinking about reflections.  There are reflections in mirrors, water, etc.  Also, there are reflections in our minds: to reflect upon [something].  "Man is God's reflection" is a statement repeated in many different ways in Mary Baker Eddy's writings.  I'm not trying to bring any particular religion into the discussion, and am neither a proselyte nor a practicing Christian Scientist.  However, I intensively practiced and studied her religion, Christian Science, for 11 of my adult years. The idea of being a reflection of God, as in God's thinking, God's divine Mind creating us, is one way to look at this.  Another way, which many Christian Scientists attempt to do, is to reflect -- mirror-like -- God's divine qualities. For example, if God is Love and the source of human love, then we turn ourselves -- and our faces -- to the divine God and become God's mirrors. 

There are problems with this sort of mirroring.  Namely, that a person can "reflect" other people (instead of God), thus becoming chameleon-like.  When with a reasonable or moral or whatever person, one may reflect her/him -- become a feeling, thinking mirror image of that person.  But with a different sort of person, and reflecting that person, one can become psychopathic or anything that any other person may be.  I have seen this happen.  I still love the idea of reflecting God's qualities, and God creating us by "reflecting," i.e. that God's Mind created us all.

Keri

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Re: Mirroring and Reflection
« Reply #1 on: August 17, 2012, 12:32:47 AM »
I appreciate what you're saying here about the potential dangers of "mirroring" when used in the sense of being chameleon-like or conforming or being passive or even in the sense of simply copying someone else.  I hadn't thought about it that way.  In the context of the book I mentioned and in some discussions here (I think more in Personal Messages), it was meant more as a way of showing someone something about himself/herself that he/she couldn't see on his/her own.  A way of reflecting someone's wholeness (and "holiness") back to them for them to feel/experience.  And I think that is not far from the meaning of reflecting "God's divine qualities."

Yours,
Keri
O gather up the brokenness
And bring it to me now . . .

Behold the gates of mercy
In arbitrary space
And none of us deserving
The cruelty or the grace

O solitude of longing
Where love has been confined
Come healing of the body
Come healing of the mind
  - Leonard Cohen, "Come Healing"

Let me be in the service of my Magic, and let my Magic be Good Medicine.  -- Dominique Christina

flowerbells

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Re: Mirroring and Reflection
« Reply #2 on: August 17, 2012, 02:37:44 AM »
Keri, you wrote, "In the context of the book I mentioned..."  Could you let me know which post you mentioned that in?  I have not "registered onto" your book reference -- Hope I'm not overlooking something.

Thanks for your thoughts on mirroring here.  It's nice to have an intelligent discussion about this subject, which if fascinating to me.


Keri

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Re: Mirroring and Reflection
« Reply #3 on: August 20, 2012, 12:44:35 AM »
Hi, Marian.  The book is The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss.  This book is Day One of The Kingkiller Chronicle.  I loved it and his second book, The Wise Man's Fear (Day Two).  The third is not yet written/published.
O gather up the brokenness
And bring it to me now . . .

Behold the gates of mercy
In arbitrary space
And none of us deserving
The cruelty or the grace

O solitude of longing
Where love has been confined
Come healing of the body
Come healing of the mind
  - Leonard Cohen, "Come Healing"

Let me be in the service of my Magic, and let my Magic be Good Medicine.  -- Dominique Christina

flowerbells

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Re: Mirroring and Reflection
« Reply #4 on: August 21, 2012, 10:57:37 PM »
Hi, Keri, Thank you for the titles.  I am so excited!  I just put a Hold on The Name of the Wind/i] at Library2Go, so I can get in my eReader (eventually -- I am number 34 out of 34 waiting for 5 copies).

You wrote: 'A way of reflecting someone's wholeness (and "holiness") back to them for them to feel/experience.  And I think that is not far from the meaning of reflecting "God's divine qualities."'  Do you think it's difficult to reflect back someone's holiness -- the divine qualities they have?  I have tried to learn that, and am concerned that I have just become too passive.  Don't get me wrong -- I am not a passive person.  I'm a go-getter, detail oriented, a planner and carrier-outer.  But with difficult people -- like my angry, bitter, depressive friend C. -- I just try to love her and bring some kind of sanity and caring into her life.  Like, she's very sick now -- in addition to her depression, she has very suddenly fallen into a dangerous personal health crisis -- possibly cancer, I must call her.  Prior to last Friday when she had a bad fall, she could've been Ms. Senior Fitness.  She exercised ALL the time -- I asked her once if it was her hobby, and she replied "It's a way of life!"  Anyway, on Sunday I brought her a bottle of bubbles -- it actually made her laugh and smile.  She told me she loves bubbles.