Seeing Ourselves in People We Dislike
Seeing Ourselves in People We Dislike
By Deepak Chopra, M.D.
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/deepak/2586/seeing-ourselves-in-people-we-dislike
We are all expressions of the universal field of intelligence that endlessly creates and orchestrates everything in the universe. Each of us is an extension of the same infinite spiri - a single entity with different points of view. Although modern psychology has defined the self as a mysterious fusion of memory, ego and personality, our true self is infinite, eternal and divine.
Since we are all part of the same universal consciousness, everyone we see in the world is a reflection of ourselves, and the traits we see most clearly in others are the ones that are strongest in ourselves.
This is called the mirror of relationship. When you have a strong negative reaction to someone, you can be certain that they’re reflecting traits that you also possess but have been unwilling to embrace. If you accepted those qualities in yourself, you wouldn’t be upset by them.
For the same reason, you’re attracted to certain people because they have the same traits as you do, only more so. You’re drawn to them because subconsciously you believe that being with them will help you manifest more of those traits as well.
The mirror of relationship is one of the most effective tools for spiritual evolution and emotional freedom. As you begin to recognize that everything you see is an expression of yourself, your awareness expands and you ultimately experience unity consciousness. In this expanded state, you embrace both your light and dark sides, knowing that you are part of an indivisible whole . . . the oneness of all creation.
The essential nature of the universe is the coexistence of opposites. You cannot be virtuous if you do not have the capacity for evil. You cannot be wise if you do not have an inner fool. And you cannot be generous if you do not have a stingy person inside you.
In fact, the most enlightened people are those who accept their own ambiguity and full potential for light and dark. As the Vedic seers observed, “The measure of your enlightenment is your level of comfort with your own paradoxes.”
We spend so much time denying that we have a dark side, and then end up projecting these denied qualities onto other people. We push whatever traits we deem too negative to express into the unconscious, and that unexpressed energy acts like a magnet, repeatedly attracting the “wrong” people into our lives until we’re willing to acknowledge our own darkness.
This is why the mirror of relationship is so valuable: Finding a person you dislike is an opportunity to embrace the coexistence of opposites in yourself and experience your connection to the universal consciousness. Similarly, realizing that the qualities you admire in others are also blossoming in you helps you become more fully yourself.
By Deepak Chopra, M.D.
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/deepak/2586/seeing-ourselves-in-people-we-dislike
We are all expressions of the universal field of intelligence that endlessly creates and orchestrates everything in the universe. Each of us is an extension of the same infinite spiri - a single entity with different points of view. Although modern psychology has defined the self as a mysterious fusion of memory, ego and personality, our true self is infinite, eternal and divine.
Since we are all part of the same universal consciousness, everyone we see in the world is a reflection of ourselves, and the traits we see most clearly in others are the ones that are strongest in ourselves.
This is called the mirror of relationship. When you have a strong negative reaction to someone, you can be certain that they’re reflecting traits that you also possess but have been unwilling to embrace. If you accepted those qualities in yourself, you wouldn’t be upset by them.
For the same reason, you’re attracted to certain people because they have the same traits as you do, only more so. You’re drawn to them because subconsciously you believe that being with them will help you manifest more of those traits as well.
The mirror of relationship is one of the most effective tools for spiritual evolution and emotional freedom. As you begin to recognize that everything you see is an expression of yourself, your awareness expands and you ultimately experience unity consciousness. In this expanded state, you embrace both your light and dark sides, knowing that you are part of an indivisible whole . . . the oneness of all creation.
The essential nature of the universe is the coexistence of opposites. You cannot be virtuous if you do not have the capacity for evil. You cannot be wise if you do not have an inner fool. And you cannot be generous if you do not have a stingy person inside you.
In fact, the most enlightened people are those who accept their own ambiguity and full potential for light and dark. As the Vedic seers observed, “The measure of your enlightenment is your level of comfort with your own paradoxes.”
We spend so much time denying that we have a dark side, and then end up projecting these denied qualities onto other people. We push whatever traits we deem too negative to express into the unconscious, and that unexpressed energy acts like a magnet, repeatedly attracting the “wrong” people into our lives until we’re willing to acknowledge our own darkness.
This is why the mirror of relationship is so valuable: Finding a person you dislike is an opportunity to embrace the coexistence of opposites in yourself and experience your connection to the universal consciousness. Similarly, realizing that the qualities you admire in others are also blossoming in you helps you become more fully yourself.