Inner
Skins
“A
human being has so many skins inside, covering the depths of the
soul. We know so many things, but we don't know ourselves! Why,
thirty or forty skins or hides, as thick and hard as an ox's or
bear's cover the soul. Go into your own ground and learn to know
yourself there.”
Meister
Eckhart
There's
an interesting thing we humans do; we reflect ourselves in others'
mirrors. When we meet someone to whom we are instantly and powerfully
attracted, or repelled, we can rest assured that we have just
encountered an element of ourselves—one we have kept carefully
concealed under those inner skins of which Meister Eckhart speaks. When we
know someone whose personality irritates the living daylights out of us, or
causes us to become uncharacteristically seductive, we are responding
to our own reflection in them. A good example of this is what happens
when we “fall” in love—it's described that way for a reason. It
takes a little time to crawl out of that abyss!
Before
you heap coals on your head or reject this notion out of hand, bring
to mind someone you admire greatly. Describe them. What is it about
them that you so admire? Make a list of their virtues. Then turn the
mirror around, and ask yourself, “Where do I see that in me?”
Sometimes, we can see nothing but that chasm—we are certain that we
have none of their splendid characteristics. Where they're elegant,
we're clumsy, where they're smart, we're dumb, where they are
sophisticated, we're just a bumpkin. But if we look long enough, we
will find that, while our elegance is different, it's there; though
our intelligence is not identical, we have our own version, and so
on. Then, do this same exercise with someone you loathe; someone who
makes you grit your teeth when you think about them. More difficult,
but equally telling.
Making
a study of people who ring our bells is an excellent learning tool.
It reveals shadow elements of our own, both good and ill, and deepens
our knowledge of self. Once we acknowledge our own image in that
mirror, we can remove the skins covering our soul, and see it's
beauty, vulnerability and strength. It's a life's work to be sure,
but well worth the effort.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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