Is it possible to know this without a mirror?
I Can’t See my Eye at All
The only way I can see the color of my eye is to use a mirror. I literally have to look outwardly in order to see inwardly. My mirror can be of glass and silver, or it can be a friend relating the color of my eyes to me. But I must use something outside of myself in order to see myself that closely.
And the Same Is True when Doing The Work
The Work of Byron Katie is a form of self-inquiry. At first you would think that looking inwardly would be the most direct route to self-awareness. There are other valid forms of meditation that do just that.
But The Work of Byron Katie is different. It uses a mirror.
What Mirror?
Other people and things are the mirrors. By noticing my judgments about other people, and reflecting on those judgments, I can often see hidden parts of myself.
The four questions, the turnarounds, and the examples for the turnarounds are a powerful tool for self-inquiry. By starting with what I do see—the outside world, I quickly come to see what I don’t see—myself.
And that can change everything.
Once I See What I’m Doing, I Have Options
I start to notice what’s working for me and what is not working for me about what I’m doing. That’s all. My behavior naturally shifts once I see.
That’s Why The Work Uses the Judge-Your-Neighbor Worksheet
It seems indirect at first to focus on judging others. But it is a very direct way to see those parts of me that are just too close to me to see without a mirror.
Have a great weekend,
Todd
“When you do The Work, you see who you are by seeing who you think other people are. Eventually you come to see that everything outside you is a reflection of your own thinking. You are the storyteller, the projector of all stories, and the world is the projected image of your thoughts.” Byron Katie, Loving What Is
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