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The Mirror Effect:
Unveiling Inner Reflections in Our Reality

PUBLISHED IN DECEMBER 2023

Have you heard it said, ‘The world is your mirror’, or ‘There’s no perception without projection’, or even ‘Spot it, you’ve got it’? These expressions point to how the source of the outer world we experience is actually our own inner world reflected back to us. The fact is we don’t see the physical world as it actually is; we filter reality to experience certain things and not others.

image of an eye reflecting what it sees

You don’t see the world as it is,
you see it according to who you are.

― Krishna Saagar

Reflections: Inner World Manifestations in the Outer World

We need a method to filter information from the world since our brain processes a whopping 40 million bits per second. The proof of this filtering lies in the fact that we only truly pay attention to a tiny portion of it – a mere 40 bits per second. It's quite a significant gap when you consider that out of the massive 40 million bits, only 40 manage to grab our attention. Can you believe it? Just 40 out of 40 million!

Now the implication of all this is that our reality is created by what we experience and what we experience is governed by what we have told our brain to watch out for. Are you starting to see how the outer world we experience is influenced by what is going on inside ourselves?...

image of the reflection of an eye in water

How does the outer world become a projection of the inner world?

What are we projecting into the world?

The Psychology of Projection: Shadows and Self-Discovery

A bit of psychology to consider...

  • We project repressed aspects of ourselves onto others. This is called 'Displacement'.
  • We do this because there are certain aspects of ourselves that we have not yet come to know or accept. This is called our 'Shadow'.

Because we have not yet come to discover a certain aspect of self, we project it out into the world - onto others - so that we can see ourselves.

Embracing Projection: Illuminating Hidden Potentials

Most people think that what is hidden in the shadows are negative things, like anger and impatience and we fear that this makes us not good enough. BUT, there is good news, a lot of what we project is ‘good’ or positive aspects of ourselves that we have not yet accepted.

As Marianne Williams says:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?'

image with saying, the world is a mirror, forever reflecting what you are doing within yourself

Be the Change: Leveraging Projection for Self-Reflection

To unlock a deeper understanding of yourself, consider embracing the phenomenon of projection. Whether tending to criticise or praise, the key lies in embracing openness. Approach self-reflection with curiosity and sincerity, seeking to uncover both negative and positive aspects within yourself that you have yet to acknowledge.

Here’s a practical way to leverage this phenomenon of projection:

  • Pay attention to what has caught your eye
  • Ask the curious question, “How is this true of me?”, then
  • “Be the change” (Gandhi).

This notion of be the change does 3 powerful things when applied:

  • It stops us from judging others
  • It replaces focusing on others (where we have little power to change) with reflection on self
  • It stirs us to change the only thing over which we have any control: ourselves.

When you become aware of how YOU would like to be, you can adjust yourself, and then you can start to look for this in the world. AND GUESS, what happens then? You start to see the world mirroring your new changed way back to you.

Deb Maes

Deb Maes

WRITER

Deb Maes, M.A. Comm is like a magician in the way she is able to discern the exact key to unlock more of the untapped potential in leaders.

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