In my young and foolish days when I was flailing around and crashing through life trying to find my place in the world, someone told me that I should begin seeing life with my third eye. I thought they were being obscene, and I walked away in a huff. I had no idea they were talking about the body’s center of intuitive knowing and the pathway to developing wisdom. However, since that day I have matured in many ways, and I like to think that I have become wiser and more intuitive in the way I live each day.

What is third-eye seeing all about? Everyone has a third eye in their body located in the very center of their head in the area of the pineal gland. It is responsible for what we call intuitive perception, the perceptions that are not limited by time or space. When third eye knowing is developed, one can see energy patterns and sense happenings from the past, the future, and in other dimensions. Some people call this second sight. Then why was I told to cultivate my third-eye seeing? What were my ‘friends’ referring to?

An excellent discussion of relationship mirrors is found in Gregg Braden's book Walking between the Worlds. From the perspective of the ancient initiate, emotions that lead to compassion are mastered in sequence through consciously acknowledging and mastering the seven mirrors of human relationship.

For each Mirror, Braden refers to the wisdom of the Essenes as given in the Gospel of Thomas from The Nag Hammadi Library. These verses are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and that Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down. The following abridged descriptions are taken from Braden's book; however, I urge you to read his book, as he complements each mirror with stories and reflections. A worthwhile read!

Mirror One: Reflections of the Moment

"You read the face of the sky and of the earth, but you have not recognized how to read this moment." - The Nag Hammadi Library

If you do not like what someone is showing you, look to yourself. There is a strong likelihood that others may be reflecting back to you the very patterns that have become a part of your life, the ones you identify with so strongly that you often do not see them.

As others mirror your patterns back to you in the moment, you are able to have instant feedback that can serve you well. By working through how you see yourself and shifting these perceptions at your core, you can transform unwanted patterns.

During this winter season when the earth seems to stop and darkness sets in, I invite you to also take time to stop. If you are ready to consciously take the plunge and thoroughly explore every crevice of your darkness, I challenge you to look in the mirror at your relationships. In fact, relationships are your temples of transformation wherein you have access to the truth about yourself.

When I was writing this chapter of my Oneray book, in order to explain about mirrors, there was no way I could stay on the surface. I had to take the plunge myself. I couldn't write, otherwise. Uncanny as it may seem, when I was writing about the dark nights of the soul (previous blog), I experienced a dark night that I had thought I had cleaned up. Not so!

And now, as I share with you this chapter about mirrors, I must tell you: It was the same experience. I went through each of the seven mirrors I am about to describe. Parts were easy, and some were still excruciating. As we consciously spiral into the understanding of ourselves, we become clear, little by little. No matter who we are, we are in the process of becoming.

The following pages are paraphrased from Oneray:

I remember the days of my youth, and I was frightened by the terror of the night. Memories and nightmares would come, and I would often lay awake, afraid to go to sleep. That doesn't happen anymore – the night has become my friend. But it was a long time in coming.

Darkness is upon us now – The longest night is about to set in. Every year on December 21 the sun begins its return journey back to the northern hemisphere, giving us more daylight and heralding the coming of spring. This winter solstice drama appears in so many fairy tales, legends, sacred holidays and holy texts, portraying the saga of the human journey which is none other than entering into the dark night of the soul and emerging victoriously into the light. As earth-beings, we are not exempt from this cycle, as from our winter we also rise into the expression of our springtime.

I have learned not to fear the night, because I finally have seen the many treasures that can come out the darkness. To name a few: