Reciprocal Reflection

I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.  ~Exodus 33:22-23

To love another person is to see the face of God. ~ Les Miserables, the musical

God created humankind in God's image, in the image of God, God created them; male and female God created them.  ~Genesis 1:27

The thing we are looking for is the thing we are looking with. ~unknown

Have you ever seen your own face?  Of course you can see your face in a mirror or a photograph, or video, or painting.  But these are all images of your face, not your actual face.  It is physically impossible to see your own face with your own eyes (perhaps the tip of your nose if it is long enough).

I'm wondering if this whole idea of "image" is at the core of the Divine/Human relationship. What if God creates humanity (and all of creation) in order to "see" God's Self reflected by creation.  In turn, humans "see" the reflection of God in relationship with each other and the world around us.  In this way the very essence of Divine Presence is experienced in the mysterious, yet all so common, act of reciprocal reflection between Creator and Creation. Furthermore and especially since God's image resides in each and every human, we need one another as well as the marvels of creation in order to experience God's Presence in our own lives.

The ramifications of reciprocal reflection permeate our lives and determine how we see, experience, and create the world around us, and how the world around us can determine our experience of God within us.

Namaste!  (The Spirit in me greets the Spirit in you)