The World Mirrors The Soul And The Soul Mirrors The World, by Alan Watts

Die Welt widerspiegelt die Seele und die Seele widerspiegelt die Welt.
von Alan Watts

Wenn du eine Weile still sitzt, völlig entspannt, und deine Gedanken weiterlaufen lässt, deinen Geist an alles denken lässt, was er will, ohne dich einzumischen, ohne Vorschläge zu machen und ohne irgendein Hindernis für den freien Gedankenfluss zu schaffen, wirst du bald feststellen, dass mentale Prozesse ein eigenes Leben haben. Sie rufen einander durch Assoziation an die Oberfläche des Bewusstseins, und wenn du dem keine Schranken setzt, wirst du bald alle möglichen Dinge denken, sowohl fantastische als auch schreckliche, die du normalerweise aus deinem Bewusstsein fern hältst.

Im Laufe der Zeit wird dir diese Übung zeigen, dass du in dir die Potentialität unzähliger verschiedener Wesen hast - des Tieres, des Dämons, des Satyr, des Diebes, des Mörders -sodass du mit der Zeit spüren kannst, dass dir kein Aspekt des menschlichen Lebens fremd ist - "humani nihil a me alienum puto" ["Ich denke, nichts Menschliches ist mir fremd", vom römischen Dramatiker Terance].

Normalerweise stört das Bewusstsein immer die Wasser des Geistes, die dunkel und stürmisch sind und die Tiefen verbergen. Aber wenn du sie für eine Weile sich selbst überlässt, setzt sich der Schlamm und mit zunehmender Klarheit siehst du die Grundlagen des Lebens und alle Bewohner der Tiefe. Du kannst auch andere Dinge sehen. "Zwei Männer sahen in einen Teich. Sagte der eine: "Ich sehe eine Menge Schlamm, einen Schuh und eine alte Dose. Der andere sagte: "Ich sehe all das, aber ich sehe auch die herrliche Spiegelung des Himmels.""

Denn das Unbewusste ist, wie manche meinen, kein mentales Verweigerungsschema; es ist einfach ungehinderte Natur, dämonisch und himmlisch, schmerzhaft und angenehm, hässlich und schön, grausam und mitfühlend, destruktiv und kreativ. Sie ist die Quelle des Heldentums, der Liebe und der Inspiration sowie der Angst, des Hasses und des Verbrechens. In der Tat ist es, als ob wir ein genaues Abbild der Welt, die wir um uns herum sehen, in uns trügen, denn die Welt ist ein Spiegel der Seele, und die Seele ein Spiegel der Welt. Wenn du lernst, das Unbewusste zu fühlen, fängst du an, nicht nur dich selbst, sondern auch andere zu verstehen, und wenn du auf menschliches Verbrechen und Dummheit schaust, kannst du mit echtem Gefühl sagen: “There but for the Grace of God go I.” (Ein mittelalterliches englisches Sprichwort, welches bedeutet: Ich kann dir sehr gut nachempfinden, wie’s dir geht, dennoch bin ich dankbar, dass ich nicht in deiner Haut stecke.)

Kernfragen zur Reflexion: Was hältst du von der Vorstellung, dass die Welt die Seele widerspiegelt und die Seele die Welt? Kannst du eine persönliche Geschichte über eine Zeit erzählen, in der du tief empfunden hast, dass dir kein Aspekt des menschlichen Lebens fremd war? Was hilft dir, ein empathisches Gefühl für andere zu entwickeln, sodass du dich zutiefst in andere hineinversetzen kannst?

From "The Meaning of Happiness: The Quest for Freedom of the Spirit in Modern Psychology and the Wisdom of the East."

Seed Questions for Reflection

How do you relate to the notion that the world mirrors the soul and the soul mirrors the world? Can you share a personal story of a time you deeply felt that no aspect of human life was strange to you? What helps you develop the feeling 'There but for the Grace of God go I?'

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7 Past Reflections

Aliya

Oct 1, 2018

This reminds me of how we don't choose our parents, our upbringing or our youth experiences. So when1 kid is killing things its not entirely their fault. We have to help and intervene, it may or maynot work but it is all of our responsibilty!

sandip sheta

Sep 26, 2018

The reason so many people miss out on their blessing is because they decide to settle for a microwave dinner instead of waiting on the feast God has for them.

Kristin Pedemonti

Sep 23, 2018

We Become the Stories We Tell and those we consume. So, it makes sense that the world mirrors our perceptions and our perceptions mirror the world. What we focus on we see and this becomes our world view and then impacts our feelings. The beauty is we have agency each day to choose a new story: what do we see when we look at that pond? Are we focusing only on that mud and debris or also on the beauty of the sky reflected within? As we focus on the world: are we seeing the challenges AND the beauty in our fellow human beings? How might we look at the other and see ourselves? I find what helps me do this: is to imagine that person as a child, their innocence, their vulnerability. And then in seeming them as a child to also see them as not so different from me. Example, someone who's belierfs are far different from mine, if I think of them as an innocent and vulnerable child, I can dig under that belief to a value they hold, maybe it is security. When I think of that value, I see m... View full comment

Jagdish P Dave

Sep 23, 2018

I love reading Aaln Watts. This writing evokes many wonderful memories of listening to his talks. As I understand we have two levels of consciousness-superficial and closed and deep and open. We are so much used to the first level of conscioubness that we miss the inner landscape with muddy and clear waters, all manner of things fantastic and terrible. When we let the free flow of thought letting whatever come up and go, we are able to feel that no aspect of life is strange to us. To quote the Roman playwright Terance," Nothing human alien is alien to me." And when we let the waters settle down, we relate to the changing world with growing clarity and see the foundation of life. Then the world mirrors the soul and the soul mirrors the world- a state of mental clarity. Practicing Mindfulness meditation has been helping me to see the inner landscape and the outer landscape clearly. When i pay my full attention to watch a child working with me, I see the display of many emotions in... View full comment

david doane

Sep 23, 2018

I've come to know that I am in the world and the world is in me, the forces that operate in the world are the same as the forces that operate in me, and I and the world are made of the same stuff. More than the world mirrors the soul and the soul mirrors the world, the soul and the world are one. At this point, I know always that each of us has in us every aspect of human life, including the good, the bad, and the ugly. I have it in me to be a saint and a sinner, a nurturer and a killer, a giver and a taker, a helper and an abuser, compassionate and hostile. What I am has to do with my choices, and my choices have to do with a multitude of factors most of which are beyond my comprehension. I've been fortunate -- I have enjoyed many positive circumstances. As for any and every option, "there but for the grace of God go I."

Rajesh

Sep 21, 2018

For many years now, I have experiemented with watching the mind. A few things stand out for me.

- It's a scary thing to do and to discover the "denizens of the deep". Which is perhaps why many of us (unconsciously) refuse to take on this adventure.
- You begin to see more and more of human folly in yourself. Allows you to be more emphatetic and understanding of what one sees in oneself and in the world "out there".
- Its a very fruitful and interesting endeavour. Just like a diver in the deep ocean discovers all sorts of beautiful things, a diver of the psyche gets insight into all sorts of psychological and spiritual phenomena. Feels like a very rich experience, though one can barely articulate it to someone not aquatinted with this kind of inquiry.
- I feel very grateful for having this opportunity in this lifetime.

Clive Sep 25, 2018

When one watches the mind, it is impossible, it seems to me, not to come upon the question "what, or who, is the watcher?". And the growing realisation that the watcher is not different from the watched is the realisation that ..... transforms (if I can use that word), everything.

The very labels that we use to describe or delineate what is seen in the watching - like scary, folly, beautiful, rich .... good, bad, etc, all all projections of the watcher,

And in this realisation that the watcher is the watched it is seen that the mind is changing all the time. So I AM changing all the time. There are no fixed points. Yes, watching the mind is indeed interesting, fascinating - and life changing.