Association of the Week: The Mirror

by Paulo Coelho on January 12, 2009

The meaning of the mirror goes beyond its practical function and is supposed to reveal, according to ancient beliefs, the magical link between the model and its image. That’s why mirrors were believed to capture the soul of a man that would look into them and – from this belief – people would cover mirrors when someone would die, so that the soul would not become a prisoner of its image. That’s also the reason why demons and supernatural beings don’t have a reflection.

Mirrors in the Western Traditions can represent contradictory things: in the one hand, they are the attribute of vanity, and represent the narcissistic solitude of the vain. On the other hand, they can also represent the knowledge of oneself, the truth of oneself.

In certain mystical tradition, like the Sufi tradition, the world is seen as the reflection of God. Hence the story that once God created the peacock he made the animal look at a mirror. Seeing the truth, the peacock, in awe, started to sweat and its pearls of sweat created the world.

Now you take the floor: what do you associate with The Mirror?

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{ 90 comments… read them below or add one }

lia mara January 14, 2009 at 6:28 pm

Beauty!
Sometimes I like to look at it, sometimes I don’t.

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ulli January 14, 2009 at 6:16 pm

My mirror is my beloved one – she is listening like a mirror and really can listen, not as most of the people that give you too fast the associated own opinion to the things you are telling your mirror. She let’s you be yourself and with this kind and respectful habit it is easy to reach the core and in the end the soul – the mirror shows the real one? One of the reasons why I love her.

Very good blog and please go on.

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poonam maan January 14, 2009 at 6:01 pm

dear paulo,
i associate ‘the mirror’ with a friend.. a true, honest and at times ruthless friend who never lies to you.. and sometims if one looks real closely.. it tells u wats inside of you..nd not just your outer image.. to me it tells me who i am and who i wana become..!

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poonam maan January 14, 2009 at 5:57 pm

dear paulo,
i associate ‘the mirror’ with a friend.. a true, honest and at times ruthless friend who never lies to you.. and sometims if one looks real closely.. it tells u wats inside you..nd not just your outer image.. to me it tells me who i am and who i wana become..!

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Emily Griffith January 14, 2009 at 4:24 pm

If every person in the world all looked in a mirror at the same time at the same reflection, no two people would see the same thing. What each individual sees in a mirror is a reflection of their outlook or feeling towards what they may be looking at- Mirrors mearly reflect a personal interpretation of what one is looking at. For example if we all looked at a mirror that was reflecting the black of night, all each individual would see was there own thoughts placed on the black of the canvas night, we all layer an image with our own thoughts and values.

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Soubera January 14, 2009 at 3:53 pm

Dear Mr Coelo,

Thanks for your books. I think when we are in front of a mirror, we have the oppotunity to see the truth about us. Not just the look or “package”, but the content.So I believe mirrors never lie if you look deeply.

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Iz January 14, 2009 at 3:49 pm

Hi, there

When I look in the mirror I see what I can see. Am I happy? I see my smile and bright eyes there. Am I blue? Then I see myself diminished. So, I consider mirrors are weapons, or shields, depending on how we feel.

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Kerry January 14, 2009 at 1:56 pm

The mirror is a way for us to judge ourselves. Examine ourselves, criticize ourselves, be vain about ourselves, etc. Sometimes we see something different that causes us to make a change in our perception, and possibly a change in our presentation to others. That change could be a good thing, when you realize that the way you actually look is not the same as the image you were thought you were presenting or intentded to portray; or it could be a very bad thing when you take it to extremes, like cases of people with eating disorders who constantly judge themselves as disgusting and fat no matter how skinny they are in real life.
What if there existed a tool to reflect your own personality and attitude as experienced from another’s perspective, as clearly as the mirror reflects your physical attributes? What kind of changes would that spark?

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Guia Bejasa January 14, 2009 at 1:14 pm

In our entire lives, we have been seeing everything from our own eyes. We are inside this body, and we see things through our eyes. We see what’s in front of us, but we don’t usually see ourselves. I, personally, examine myself in the mirror. Usually, when I look at myself in the mirror, I admire my face, my body, the way I did my make-up, the way I have put together an outfit, sometimes I check out the details to see if everything is perfect.

There are also times when I look in the mirror and I say to myself, “This is who I am”. It’s as if I’m looking way past my physical appearance, and getting in touch with my real being, sometimes I call it getting in touch with my soul. I see not just myself, but everything else that has defined me; hopes, dreams, opportunities, failures, people. Whenever I look in the mirror, I don’t just see myself, but a also a piece of my entire life that has made me into who I am today. And each time that I glance in the mirror, there is always a different story that’s waiting to reveal itself.

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a020 January 14, 2009 at 12:54 pm

when we look in the mirror, we can see everything we want to know about us. you just need to know how to look, and how to analyze.

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sido66 January 14, 2009 at 8:53 am

And I had said to him: soon, you will leave, soon you will leave us behind you (in November 2nd) and he had said ” but not “. And I in my heart I knew that soon the separation would be there: that he(it) would leave for his work and his life far from us… and it arrived

Because sometimes it will be asked to us to pass ALONE through the Mirror ” of God’s reflection ” (and I weigh my words in any consciousness …)

et je lui avais dit : bientôt , tu partiras , bientôt tu nous laisseras derrière toi ( 2 novembre ) et il avait dit “mais non ” . et moi dans mon coeur je savais que bientôt la séparation serait là : qu’il partirait pour son travail et sa vie loin de nous …et c’est arrivé

car parfois il nous sera demandé de passer SEUL/seule à travers le Miroir ” du reflet de Dieu ” ( et je pèse mes mots en toute conscience ..)

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sido66 January 14, 2009 at 8:46 am

Savita ,

When I wrote on this post yesterday: I thought of 2 persons: to you and to my love (that I do not see any more since 10/11/2008 (you see I knew that there was going be something for me after 10/11/2008 and that our love would be separated for “something bigger and that only I had to be “to receive” from the very high = and it is what what took place)

Sometimes it will be asked us of big sacrifice to leave navigating in the boat of the commitment

Are we ready? Me, I know that I have to free my time to act…

And it is enormously difficult to say ” that your will is made ” (and especially that everybody understands why certain sacrifices, why certain separations of some time is necessary…)

but i know …

quand j’ai écrit hier sur ce post : j’ai pensé à 2 personnes : à toi et à mon amour ( que je ne vois plus depuis ….le 10 /11/2008 ( tu vois je savais qu’il allait se passer quelque chose pour moi après le 10/11/2008 et que notre amour serait séparé pour quelque chose de plus “grand” et que seule je devais être pour “recevoir” du très haut = et c’est ce qui s’est passé )

parfois il nous sera demandé de grand sacrifice pour partir naviguer dans la barque de l’engagement

est-on prêt ? moi je sais que je dois libérer mon temps pour agir …

et il est énormément difficile de dire ” que ta volonté soit faite ” ( et surtout que tout le monde comprenne pourquoi certains sacrifices , pourquoi certaines séparations de quelques temps est nécessaire .. )

mais je sais …

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Parisa January 14, 2009 at 6:54 am

Well, I think that mirror can show us our inner sight, the real self, if we look at it deeply! It does show one’s beauty too, cause everyone has his/her own unique beauty.

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Kate January 14, 2009 at 5:40 am

The mirror acts as a reminder of the infinite and almost transcendent reach of one person to the Other (reff: Levinas). Except in this case, the Other is you. When we look at ourselves in the mirror, we do not completely understand what we see. This obscure vision seems always to be different, played up by emotion and states of mind. We look at this person and he seems unknown to us, somehow different from the comfort of our introspection. Eventually you realize that you are just like the others. But, something inside of you longs for more. You want to be different, without the responsibility of being different. You want to be happy, without covering your eyes. You are standing at the edge of a cliff, facing the sea of the unknown… in infinite transcendence.

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Melissa Travis January 14, 2009 at 5:23 am

Dear Paulho,

For many years, I associated the mirror with the story of Narcissus and Echo. Narcissus fell in love with the image of himself in the water and drowned, never knowing the one person that truly loved him. I always thought this was appropriate in school until reading The Mirror by Sylvia Plath. No matter what type of mirror she looks into, she only sees herself, the way others see her, and eventually loses herself in the process. So now I turn to Harry Potter’s Mirror of Erised. I look in the mirror and see only what I want to see. The real person in my skin is no longer the inhabitant of my soul. Since being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, I cannot look in the mirror and see myself. I see what I have become due to a disease. I see my body change but only truly see what I used to be or always wanted to become. So in turn, Mirrors have indeed become a type of window to my own soul. I see what I want to be, what I could be, or even what I should look like. I try not to focus on what appears in the mirror since that is indeed superficial. No amount of looking will change who I am on the inside, a person more beautiful than and looking glass will show me.

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Yosef Atzulit NurWasi Lopez-Hineynu January 14, 2009 at 4:51 am

The mirror through which I look is a mirror for the Divine on the other side–we look at ourselves and see the Beloved staring back.

Namaste, Yossi

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Joice January 14, 2009 at 4:44 am

when i face the mirror..i see myself there…
i see my eyes, nose, mouth, body..everything in me
including the emotion inside me..
sometimes i use mirror to look inside me…
talk to myself…
look back to what i’ve done and say to myself is that good or bad
and give myself support to do things…

i use the mirror to rflct me, to remind me about myself
who am i and what is inside me…
what am i doing and what will i do next
do i did something bad or good ?
i have to make it better ! or don’t do the same mistake..

that’s the mirror for me

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isa January 14, 2009 at 4:22 am

the mirror: mmmmh… I have this saying in my head,

‘is one able to look himself in the mirror’?

and I test it quite sometimes.

oh yes it is probably also a medium to check superficial things of our times, like dresses, make-up, hair, how bad shows the fatigue on my face from last night…things that we don’t see well on ourselves, it gives us another point of view, to judge ourselves,or simply contemplate,we do not to need anybody esle’s judgment….(maybe because we trust ourselves more than we think..in the end..)

anyway,.. mainly I use the mirror to exactly look myself in the eye, to tell me the truth, or to see the truth, my eyes talk a lot, and what I can’t find inside of me with all this questioning, well I’ll see it in my eyes, sometimes tears, sometimes laughter, sometimes doubt…

in front of the mirror is the moment of truth, in case I tried to fool myself, because I can’t look myself in the eyes and lie…

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maria vinciguerra January 14, 2009 at 4:14 am

the mirror
growing up
my worst enemy
in it i saw a distorted reality
in it i saw what i ha been surrounded in… ugliness
in it i saw a flawed human being
in it i saw the evil of God’s creation
in it was really a pure, innocent girl’
in it was really a reflection only of misconceptions, mispercerptions
in it i see a woman who does not recognize herself anymore
in it i see the product of time robbed
in it i still see that little girl…

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Christina Dymochka January 13, 2009 at 9:28 pm

A mirror… like the unforgiving, ruthless eyes of the society, it appreciates only the outward beauty, but your inner world remains unseen & silent. It doesn’t see the passions, experiences, memories, or inspirations, only reflects wrinkles and imperfections that all those leave on your features. It dissections you into pluses & minuses, and does so strictly. It is blind to the past or future, and only sees the minute you look into it. It glorifies perfection, adores beauty, youth, vitality, and condemns aging, weakness and lack of self-discipline. Just as the society.

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Hadil El Sheikh January 13, 2009 at 6:31 pm

Dear Mr. Coelho
For me Mirror represents loneliness, it is kind of a friend; when I feel so lonely I always talk to it. I know this sounds crazy but I have always done that. The mirror has shared a lot of memories with me ever since I was young: my tears , my joy, my dances, my playschool rehercals, my constant failing trials to wear make-up. It used to help me practice my presentations, my imaginary speeches to the whole world and my trials to memorise anything. I believe it helps you practice confrontation and the most difficult thing is that it helps you confront yourself.

Thank you for making me think about that I never really realised that I do all that.

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Savita Vega January 13, 2009 at 4:39 pm

Another astonishing incidence of synchronicity!!! The night before this post appeared, Sunday night, I was very nearly killed by a mirror. It was one of those moments – I think many of us have had such experiences – like passing through a red light in a car, and only a second later, hearing an enormous crash behind you – realizing that if only you had passed through that intersection five seconds later, it would have been you who would have been side-swiped by the car coming from the other direction, that ran the red light. This incident with the mirror was like that. But by the grace of God and a few seconds I would have died, or at the very least, been horribly scarred far life, in my own bathroom, sitting in my own bathtub.

This is what happened: I went into my bathroom and turned on the water to take a bath, then, as the tub began to fill, I undressed, and was just about to step into the water – in fact, had one toe in the water – when my cell phone rang. So, I turned and stepped back into the bedroom, answered the phone and then walked back into the bathroom. I was standing by the tub, talking on the phone and just sort of staring into the bubbles on my bath, when, with no warning whatsoever, a huge mirror – probably two feet by three feet in size – that was mounted on the wall over the sink, suddenly came lose from its anchors and toppled into the tub. The angle at which it left the wall sent it into the tub straight across the faucet and right into the center of the tub, where it shattered into numerous fragments, some of which hit with such force that they actually lodged into the fiberglass of the bathtub. Now, if I had been sitting there in that moment, as I surely would have been if the phone had not rang, that huge piece of glass would have hit me, on its side, straight in the chest: slicing me in two? Perhaps. Killing me? Maybe. Scaring me horribly, for life? Most definitely. It was, in essence, like a giant knife coming down straight into the center of the tub where I would have been sitting.

Now, leading up to the crash, and the reason for the phone call: Not more than fifteen minutes before this, the man that I have been seeing – who was my teenage sweetheart and who I have not seen for the past twenty years, until recently – just told me those three sweet words that have the power to change everything. He said: “I love you.” I few minutes later, I sent a text to my best friend in Miami: “I’m either in heaven, or in hell, or both: He just said ‘I love you.’” She didn’t text me back. Instead, she picked up the phone and called, a call that narrowly saved me from a most wretched “accident” involving, of all things, a huge mirror. “Now what does that mean?” I have been asking myself ever since.

Perhaps some of you here can help me make sense of it, because I don’t believe in “coincidence” or “accidents” – I believe that the physical realm in which we move, as well as all of its objects, whether animate or inanimate, are merely reflective of some deeper, spiritual realm. So, when something like this happens I think it has a meaning. I believe that such incidents are ripe for interpretation, and if we can but get at the root of them – their true meaning on the spiritual plane – we can understand much about about both ourselves and the paths we have opted to take, or which otherwise lie before us in this life.

With great love
and deepest humility,
Savita

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Daniel Ambro January 13, 2009 at 2:17 pm

What do I associate with the mirror ?
Like Pablo, a look at myself
Not necessarily a look into a physical mirror, but into one that lights up deep into my soul, into my mind, into my heart.
The mirror reflects my actions, my inner thoughts, my dreams, my desires.
From time to time, many of us are told: Look at yourself !
In those moments, I think about my own mirror….
How do other people see me ?
How does my behavior impact the others ?
What sort of image and what type of character do I lay out in front of my family, friends, peers and the World at large ?

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ClaraZ January 13, 2009 at 1:40 pm

Oh Mirror, my confidant, my True Me.
Since I was a child I come to you to confide my deepest secrets and thoughts.
You share my tears, my sadness,my pain,my happiness and joy, you absorb them all like a sponge and then leave me free to be again.
I can hide behind the mask I’ve learnt to put on over the years so well, I can lie to everyone to protect myself from harm, but, no matter how hard I try, I can never hide nor lie to you because you know Me too well.
You remind me of who I am, who I was and who I will be….

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Marenka January 13, 2009 at 1:14 pm

When I think of mirror it reminds me of “another side” known as “amalgama”,the metallic substance that permit the reflection.The Venecians used to add some gold into the amalgama composition to obtain an especially beautiful,more vivid reflection that attracted clients to buy the mirrors making them nicer.
The way we think about ourselves and what we really deserve is a kind of amalgama-the more of precious gold we put in it,the more beautiful we get,the more shining we spread.I’m talking about the human’s dignity as a background of all we think and all we do.
Dear Paulo,your splendid work do helps other human beings to rebuild their dignity in this world of manipulations.Thank you!

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J.S.H. January 13, 2009 at 12:14 pm

O ESPELHO OHLEPSE O
O espelho é um dos poucos objetos que tem o poder de deixar-nos mais seguros, confiantes, orgulhosos, feliz…ou o contrário de tudo isto!

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sido66 January 13, 2009 at 9:35 am

The body is the “vehicle” of the soul

When the body is not any more, the soul always exists

Some people can see her after the death: ” the angels ”

But little can see her behind the alive body .

He can thus be interesting to learn to look in the mirror: to see what is in our body = the soul

Le corps est le “véhicule” de l’âme

lorsque le corps n’est plus , l’âme existe toujours

certains peuvent la voir après la mort : ” les anges ”

mais très peu peuvent la voir derrière le corps vivant .

il peut donc être intéressant d’apprendre à regarder dans le miroir : afin de voir ce qui est dans notre corps = l’âme

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sido66 January 13, 2009 at 9:27 am

“so that the soul would not become a prisoner of its image ” : it’s right = The soul does not have to be prisoner of its image

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Alexandra January 13, 2009 at 9:22 am

I think at the double.I know you used that motif in your works too.Maybe we can say it reminds me the daimon,a hidden part of us in the opinion of ancient greeks.It is a gate between worlds,real unreal.A romantic motif,and I can say I like the many ways I saw its possible to use that.The apparition of an double is seen sometimes as a premonition of death.This is literary speaking.Now,one might fear to encounter a clone,is such a fashion to use that topic in movie scenaries nowadays.In reality I think in the mirror we might see not the real image.To how many of us happen to look in the mirror and if we are in high spirit to say:wow,I am not bad at all.But if we had some bad day,or we feel sad,even if the image is same,we think:oh my God,how bad I look.Hope I was not making people laugh now…..

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sido66 January 13, 2009 at 9:17 am

yes Thelma , yes : the story of Narcissos http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcisse_(mythologie)

One day in July, 2006, after his/our road of st jacques, I went to bring a shell mirror (or a mirror in the form of shell: on one side a mirror, of the other one another shell) for him : So that never he forgets to know how to recognize what is in him ( And make prosper the “beautiful” in itself), and so that I loved he forgets that it is necessary to know how to leave a balance in itself, and that the “I” also has to leave the place ” to the other one ” to find the harmony , And to make bloom the “I” to decorate with flowers the garden of the others

Know how to look in the mirror, know how to look at the other thing than at ” the surface “, know how to look at its soul in the mirror, the knowledge and find god’s reflection in any thing so that god’s Amur is in any thing

un jour en juillet 2006, après son/notre chemin de st jacques , je suis allé apporté une coquille miroir ( ou un miroir en forme de coquille = d’un côté un miroir , de l’autre une autre coquille ) pour lui : pour que jamais il n’oublie de savoir reconnaître ce qui se trouve en lui ( et faire fleurir le “beau” en soi ), et que j’aimais il n’oublie qu’il faut savoir laisser un équilibre en soi , et que le “je” doit aussi laisser la place “à l’autre” afin de trouver l’harmonie , et de faire fleurir le “je” pour fleurir le jardin des autres

savoir regarder dans le miroir , savoir regarder autre chose que “la surface ” , savoir regarder son âme dans le miroir , savoir et trouver le reflet de dieu en toute chose pour que l’Amour de dieu soit en toute chose

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José Maria January 13, 2009 at 6:12 am

The mirror is an image which somehows reflects our true self too. Sometimes we feel the need to look after it, sometimes we don’t associate ourselves with what we see. Sometimes we feel like playing with it. Sometimes we don’t even want to take a look at it.

It reflects not only an image but the absence or the presence of an aurea around us, which needs not be seen, but felt.

The mirror is also a photograph of us, but it is closer to us and more real. The Mirror is also the place where we get to focus on ourselves, where we give ourselves the attention we feel we require.

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Marie-Christine January 13, 2009 at 4:16 am

Posted on Marina’s Masters Story
Two Wolves,

One evening an Old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that gets on inside people.
He said “My son the battle is between “two wolves”, inside us all.
One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed , arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.
The other is good. It is joy, peace, love,hope serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth,compassion and faith.
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked the grandfather :”Which one wins?”
The old Cherokee replied “The one you feed.”

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Liquid Veil January 13, 2009 at 2:40 am

When I lived in North Africa, the sands of the Sahara became my mirror. Upon returning to a Western life, I now know who I am…without use of a store-bought mirror’s reflection.

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orly January 13, 2009 at 12:32 am

i think that when we look in the mirror we see what in our mind, so many people see uglyness or fat or not nice or beutiful on the other hand but what we really see is what we feel, and if we feel pretty we’ll see beuty etc,
the mirror in general is coming to reflect the happenning infront of it,,,, but when it comes to us we see us and our insight!!!!!!!

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NS January 13, 2009 at 12:21 am

Purity…..i associate purity to the mirror……u can lie to people around u, u can fool them or whatever, but once u look at urself in the mirror, u see ur true soul ur reality…ur pure side….but wat bothers me the most is that wat u see in the mirror is nothing but an image or a reflexion, how can u see ur own face not its image?

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Joel January 12, 2009 at 11:59 pm

It represent the reality of ourself at that moment

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Eveliina January 12, 2009 at 11:45 pm

When in front of a mirror people look different than they usually do. Sometimes they change to an almost unrecodniseable image of themselves. They feel different to be around with as well. I think a mirror might give us a glimpse of how different you can see for example your friend than she/he does see her-/himself.

You trust the mirror to show you the truth about the possible paint drops on your face but do you trust the image the mirror shows of your friend? Or do you belive the feeling and the image you have of them when the mirror is not viewed?

For me, mirror is for practical purposes. I do not fully trust the reflection of it or any visual perception as I do my feeling of the subject.

Thank you

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Roisin January 12, 2009 at 9:54 pm

A friend when I loved myself, an enemy when I disliked myself.

Many mirrors reflecting the sun to one spot:
Water boils.
On a cloudy night,
Remaining blank, cool, perhaps dewy.

An instrument that got better with our technology,
As if: as we learned to clarify our dreams for this planet,
Mirrors became better at reflecting.

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çigarra January 12, 2009 at 8:28 pm

For me the mirror is like a door to travel through the spaces…dimensions.
Only past year I overcame my fear for the mirrors in hotel, before that, I covered them to sleep!
Fissandomi allo specchio ho scoperto creature mostruose ma anche principesse!
;)

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THELMA January 12, 2009 at 8:27 pm

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pZF8iFt_mX8&feature=related
The story of Narcissos.

A mirror is a surface that has a reflection. Most mirrors are designed for visible light. However mirrors designed for other type of waves or other wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation are also used.

Reading this in the Google and since we are all electromagnetic beings, I started thinking about the visible world being the .. mirror of the invisible. ‘As above so below’
.
Our bodies and faces are the reflection of our inner self. The mirror of our Soul. Or maybe the ..mirror of our thoughts. Our material substance is the embodiment of our Soul.

There are the ..Magical Mirrors that show our reflection in ..different funny ways! The hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. The use of mirrors in technology to reflect the light of the Sun for energy.

It is the … play of Light.
LOVE,
THELMA

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Popi January 12, 2009 at 8:07 pm

It represents the strength and courage required to know and be true to oneself…

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Pablo January 12, 2009 at 7:14 pm

My association….is me.

Myslef watching at myself.

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QT January 12, 2009 at 5:50 pm

Interesting that I find this today. Mirrors have always held such a duplicity of loathing and imagination to me (apparently there’s a movie out with a title of Mirrors, too which obviously I will avoid).

I agree with Mia’s post in a lot of ways. But, also, I have to say I’ve always found a more mythical or fantasy-filled view of them. Perhaps, it was from seeing “Legend” (w/Tom Cruise) at too early of an age with me having a vivid and vast imagination.

However, I’ve always felt there’s a mystical quality to mirrors, I’ve never liked them for this reason because I’ve been spooked by them too many times as they’ve almost seemed like gateways to other dimensions.

But, on the same hand, do I look at one when I comb out my hair in the morning or right before I go to meet someone? Yes.

Do I like to study myself in it or admire whatever? No. All but a few times have I ever liked the image of what I see reflected back at me.

I like the idea of covering mirrors when there’s been a loss not because I think a soul will get trapped, rather to represent and remind us that when it comes to what really matters – image isn’t important. It’s what we’ve done or not done. Things we’ve said or not said. It’s the love we’ve given or shown or not.

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Lau Lau January 12, 2009 at 5:13 pm

The mirror is the universe!

Everything is a reflection of the self …. not the I – but the intuitive self within …..

Keep up the awesome work – your devotion is admirable!

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sido66 January 12, 2009 at 3:26 pm

When I was a child, I said ” eyes are the mirror of the soul ”

I had and I still have the capacity to see the “beautiful” when I look in eyes, I see ” the soul ” of the person

So, I could say child to my parents: ” why their mouth does not say of what the eyes think??? “, and there, I learnt that all the people were not the similar

I believed when I was small that everybody was kind and was born kind: this day there was a shock for me: why? My spirit asked this question ” why? ”

To see the mirror of the soul is sometimes difficult (see whom are really certain persons modify the relations with them!!??), AND SO SO BEAUTIFUL

quand j’étais enfant , je disais ” les yeux sont le miroir de l’âme ”

j’avais et j’ai encore la capacité de voir le “beau” quand je regarde dans les yeux , je vois “l’âme” de la personne

ainsi , je pouvais dire enfant à mes parents : “pourquoi leur bouche ne dit pas ce que leurs yeux pensent ??? ” , et là , j’ai appris que tous les hommes n’étaient pas pareils

je croyais quand j’étais petite que tout le monde était gentil et naissait gentil : ce jour là fut un choc pour moi : why ? mon esprit a posé cette question “why?”

voir le miroir de l’âme est parfois difficile (voir ce que sont réellement certaines personnes modifient les relations avec eux !! ??) , ET aussi TELLEMENT BEAU

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mia January 12, 2009 at 2:13 pm

The mirror reflects your self-esteem.
You see beauty when you feel good about yourself;
otherwise all you focus on are the imperfections.
Beauty is so subjective, and your perception is influenced by what society sets as standards of beauty.

In the same way that you look at others, how you make up your mind whether someone is beautiful or not using your eyes, you do the same to yourself when you look into the mirror.

The mirror can be used to assess your self-worth.
If you focus on the superficial beauty, it doesn’t amount to much.
But if you use it and see your inner glow which transcends outwards
and magnifies your outer beauty, then you are doing well in your life.. you are living with a pure purpose.. you are not bothered by the arbitrary measures of success and wealth that the few but dominant people have set.. for these measures are hindrances to your happiness and confuses your way.

Seeing your inner glow…
this is the kind of image you should strive to see when you look into the mirror.

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Sherry January 12, 2009 at 1:59 pm

Dear Paulo,

I believe that the mirror is a concept created out of duality, the need to see and experience ourself in another or outside ourself.

…If I reflect back to you kindness, love, and generosity, you might be able to seek it out in yourself and others, but only if you trust it. If you think it is fake, then you won’t. So, my job is to be real, genuine, and sincere reflecting back to you to make it real for you. But if you are the suspicious type, or if you’ve never experienced kindness, love, and generosity, then you’ll still think it is not real. You might want to seek out those qualities you want reflected back to you and that is a difficult job if you can’t remember them, because you won’t be able to recognize them in me.

Thanks,
Sherry (EvolutionInConsciousness.blogspot.com)

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mergingpoint January 12, 2009 at 1:50 pm

Dear Mr.Coelho..
Mirror that reflected once the beauty of the body and the attire, with the grace of The Master now reminds the Real Self housed within and be grateful to the Divine Home.

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sido66 January 12, 2009 at 1:39 pm

SAUREZ VOUS REGARDER LE REFLET DE DIEU ….. ET AVOIR LA CONNAISSANCE POUR LE COMPRENDRE ET LE RECONNAITRE EN TOUTE CHOSE

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Swagata Mukhopadhyay January 12, 2009 at 12:34 pm

Mr.Coelho…we common people with limited imagination get enriched by your beautiful words.

But mirror has always been the reflection of beauty and grace….May be it’s too simple…but this is what I’ve always felt.

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