posted April 02, 2007 02:20 PM         

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Long ago in a small, far away village, there was a place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often."

In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again."

All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet?

Japanese Folktale

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insightoftheday.com

posted April 03, 2007 03:00 AM         

Mostly our society does tend to judge people more on appearance first before looking beyond.

posted April 03, 2007 01:11 PM         

"All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream."
~Edgar Allan Poe

I think the above story isn't really about looks it's about what you give out you get back (magnetically attract back to you). The energetics behind smiles are awesome and you get more of the same back. Alas, the same goes for being a grump, you'll get more people who are just like that right back at ya!

In regard to the elephant men of the world... it was said already, but it's true... the reflection is really about the perception, not physical reactions to one's looks. That's what I get from this story anyway. I trust that the elephant men picked their forms because they would serve them perfectly in their learning and evolution in this earth school place.

In regard to your parents... that's great they are bright and happy! Hold that intention for them Is it maybe just your perception that others are treating them more like bothers? If they're happy, they probably don't notice or even take it that way themselves!

I have never read those books. I imagine that they are tongue-in-cheek / somewhat dry humor on turning 50? Perhaps it's simply that they think or imagine they don't bring smiles as they used to in youth so simply they do not because of the lack of that energy. That's what happens, I suppose, to those who rely on their looks to get them attention. Eventually everyone's outer shell decays and only the inner energy is there to shine forth. If one hasn't worked out and used that 'muscle' to often then it is weak just like the physical body's muscles are weak when one dosen't use them. Luckily we can start working out any time we want!!

I agree with you that sometimes others don't always see your Light. That's ok though as long as You know it's there

P.S. I like your Light and I like how you're 'wheels' are always turning and you post interesting thought provoking questions. Shine on!

posted April 03, 2007 10:16 PM         

To many people appearance doesn't matter. To many people it does. Artslovesdawn did use the example of a deformed person. Not just someone who is not what is considered pretty or handsome.

When I was 3 years old our house caught on fire in a cold, snowy January. The gas stove exploded.

We were trapped in the house as the intense heat from the flames and the cold outdoors caused the doors to swell shut. My dad broke a window and tossed myself and my two siblings out into the snow. My mom was 9 mos. pregnant at the time and due to being very uncomfortable she was sleeping on the living room couch which was adjacent to the kitchen so she got the brunt force of the fire when the stove exploded.

She suffered 3rd and 4th degree burns on her face and due to the trauma of the fire and giving birth to my baby brother ( who was born dead from smoke inhalation ) the same evening my mom was in a coma for over a year.

There was no medical insurance at that time and though donations from caring people helped my dad to pay some of the medical bills my mom could only have what plastic surgery we could afford. She spent the rest of her life with a badly scarred face.

My mom was a very strong woman and even though she was a very beautiful woman before the fire she did not let it defeat her. She was beautiful inside and continued to be herself and do all the things she did before the fire. She did let her light shine outward to others. Many people who met my mom did not even notice her scars.

Many people saw her inward light and her personality that shone through. However, many people were also very cruel and unkind to my mom. Many people only saw the scars and would just stare at her. Many people said unkind things.

Yet my mom continued to let her light shine and be herself. When people would stare at her she would just say, " I bet the next time you see me you will know me." Either that or she would just ignore it.

posted April 04, 2007 12:27 PM         

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Just trying to figure it out -- these ?paradoxes? seem like mysteries to me that when looked at in the right way can bring great insights.

I'm hungry for those insights

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Same here, artslovedawn

Life is full of paradoxes that require more than just one demensional thinking on our part. For every positive there is a negative. You cannot have positives without the negatives in life.

It's really not "nay-saying" to question those paradoxes and we really don't have to just accept all things because they sound nice and inspirational. At least not when our life experiences have shown us otherwise.

I do find these writings and "parables" inspirational. However, that does not mean that we have to deny the realities in that they do not always apply to all situations in life. It's not just a black and white world that we live in.

All you did really was point out the grey areas, artslovedawn. I like that in people myself. It shows a questioning and analytical mindset that is open to all the paradoxes and all the perspectives of life and the universe.