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This collective reading is all about our relationships - from the ones that only last a moment passing on the street to the ones that last lifetimes.
What do we see in others? & What does that say about ourselves?
Gertrude Stein suggests here we are in the midst of a shift in perspective. Granting yourself a new line of thought or way of seeing during this time may expand your understanding of possibility.
Flannery O’Connor invites us to witness the giant mirror that is all of interaction. While ruminating over details we perceive in one another, we dismiss our fundamental likeness.
Feel the power of seeing yourself in others. When you feel jealousy or admiration for others, understand you are sensing your own capabilities.
What we look up to in others is the untapped potential within ourselves we may shy away from.
Perhaps this week, list out some qualities your idols possess.
Which ones draw you to them the most?
Perhaps their embodiment of freedom, grace, or innovation.
Now, how can you lean into those qualities & express & experience them as you desire?
Now, we’ll challenge each other further to examine this dynamic in those we find unpleasant (so to say) 🤪
What we judge in others, we judge & are ashamed of within ourselves.
As a personal example: I’ve been surprised how busy my residential street is & often hear loud music, yelling & roaring engines. I catch myself judging & perceiving these people as belligerent.
But perhaps I experience this as rudeness due to how I grew up & what I have been taught to be ashamed of. Quickly moving into a people-pleasing and “glue” role within my family, it was a deeeeep fear to rock the boat, cause commotion & speak my mind.
What if we all focused on what our judgments mean for ourselves rather than bothering with what it means for others?
If you care to challenge yourself, keep track this week of when you judge someone else. What is it that bothered you about them?
Did you see them as petty, egotistical, intrusive? When have you behaved this way?
See yourself as a human being - one who embodies allllll the spectrum of expression. We act selfishly, dismissive & ignorant at times as all others. Understand what being a whole person means.
Send a little love note to that “shadow” part. Thank you so sincerely for expanding us.