Friday, October 11, 2013

Sophia's Mirror

The planet we call home is a mirror. This is literally true, as the waters which cover so much of our world reflect the sky above them. The sea appears soft and grey or azure blue, depending on where we are and what the weather is doing. The waves reflect the sky. Last Sunday I stood on the shore and took the photo of the sea that is the background of my new blog header. The sea was glass-calm, and the weather was very still, and a little misty. Such absolute tranquillity invites reflection: a moving beyond the horizon-spanning surface which lies before us as we stand on the shore. 

For me, to stand on that particular shore was something of a personal fulfilment: a promise kept to myself to greet the sea once more after many years of personal trials. I stood there in silence, feeling the crunch of wet sand underfoot, breathing in the salt air on that perfect October afternoon, listening to the soft wash and sigh of the incoming waves – the tallest barely more than ankle-high. The simplest experiences can offer consolation, even a sense of redemption, of being given a new reason to have inner faith when faith has been something that we hardly dare to feel any more.

Having such inner faith can give a sense of peace, a deep sense that things are unfolding as they should, that all is as it is because that is the way it needs to be. Even just a simple trust in what might be round the corner for us can be a silent wish. But even this silence can be full of fierce longing. We plant its flag on some shore known or unknown, and the mere presence of that flag proclaims: ‘I am here – this is where I choose to stand’. And where we stand is a place which mirrors our deeply-felt inner trust, and all is reflected in its depths. But when we gaze into this mirror of trust, is it always our own face that we see? 

The Ancient World called her Sophia – Wisdom. She is the creative force behind all things, and a line from a text written in her name promises that she will come to those who reflect on her. That line was written over a thousand years ago, and the fragile text which contains it, known as Thunder, Perfect Mind, was lost for sixteen long centuries, buried in a jar in the Egyptian sands before being unearthed by chance. It is as if some things are just not meant to be lost. That text, which contains some of the most fiercely beautiful lines I know, was adrift on another ocean – the ocean of time – before at last being washed up on our own shore.

Written by an unknown hand, the clear voice of Sophia in that text reaches out to us once more across the centuries. Such endurance against all the odds provides its own powerful message of faith, for faith as well is not meant to be lost, however long it might remain buried. Now once more we can gaze into Sophia’s mirror and, if we choose to and if we are open to her spirit, it is her face that we will see there as well as our own.       




6 comments:

  1. How lovely dear sister... each night when I go to bed I play a video of the waves lapping. They comfort me and lull me into the sacred dream time.. When I paint my walls, I have to paint them softly the color of water.. I think it is because of our mermaid lives that I find such comfort in the water.. love you...

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  2. You just water-colored a smile on my face!
    Love you too..

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  3. Thank you Emma for the new look and title of your blog, Sophia’s Mirror. This is a new chapter and a new cycle. As the moon disappears to start anew so the past dissolves to allow the present to blossom in a new way. I find your words on trust most beautiful, “Having such inner trust can give a sense of peace, a deep sense that things are unfolding as they should, that all is as it is because that is the way it needs to be.“ It is the grace that flows from acceptance. And in this acceptance there is an deep inner trust, a faith in life itself. The greatest wisdom is the wisdom of the Self, that is who we truly are. This most precious wisdom was referred to as Sophia. Thank you for your wonderful words.

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  4. Beautifully written and full of shining wisdom! I love this new space and look forward to all that you share! I am smiling as I have had many similar synchronicities in what you have shared and deep connection with Sophia in my journeys, so I appreciate the beauty, truth and light of this post! She is (and has been and will continue to be) a blessing in my life ! The mirror has been a symbol for me as well in my recent journeys this year..and here it is as though you have magically given to me a gift of this sacred meaning behind it......thankyou!
    Blessings..
    Victoria

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  5. Thank you for your appreciation to my new header, dear Joseph. It is indeed a new chapter and a new cycle. And your mention of the moon is much appreciated, for it is in these cycles of the natural world that we can find our own reasons for trust and new wonder. The moon disappears into darkness and again re-emerges into the light, and we know from experience that we can safely trust that to happen! The moon quite literally is a shining example for us!

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  6. Thank you, dear Victoria for your heartfelt response to my new post. I feel from you that you welcome a new chapter and a new cycle as much as I do. I too believe so much in these synchronicities. They can be accepted as signs that things are indeed 'meant to be', and can offer their own consolation. Your own blogs are themselves beautiful manifestations of what is reflected in 'Sophia's mirror', so I'm delighted (but not surprised!) that you say what you do here.

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