The Mirror of Judgment- Pot Calling the Kettle Black
Judgments prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.
Mirrors function as immersive tools that, when activated, serve as portals to our inner world, revealing what we have accepted as truth. The Mirror of Judgment posits that whatever we judge, we attract. The principle of polarity suggests that all things possess two sides, two poles, or two perspectives, highlighting that everything has its opposite — akin to the saying, “there are two sides to every story.” The Mirror of Judgment operates similarly to the polarity principle. When we encounter people, situations, or circumstances that reflect qualities we consciously find distasteful, it invites us to examine those reflections more closely. The Mirror of Judgment serves as a vehicle for exploring the concepts, ideas, situations, and truths that are actively influencing our shadow world of denial.
Judging Opposites
“Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.” — The Kybalion
The digital age has contributed greatly to our ability to connect with others on social platforms and share information at a global scale. One of the drawbacks to this connectivity and constant dialogue has become the increasing polarization of our society. Red state vs Blue state, Blacks vs Whites, Males vs Females, Straight vs Gay and you can just fill in the blank. Community building and the strengthening of what connects us has been replaces with an obsession with excessive identification and over-attachment to existing points of view. We are in the Age of Exorbitant Polarization and a deeper understanding of the Mirror of Judgment can help bridge this division and establish a collective consciousness that reflects more compassion and understanding about our differences.
The seven principles form the cornerstone of Hermeticism, a spiritual philosophy that dates back to the first century A.D. These principles were articulated by the renowned author Hermes Trismegistus, who is credited with composing the Emerald Tablet and the Corpus Hermeticum — two influential ancient texts. The fourth principle-The Principle of Polarity states, Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same and differ only in the vibration of the expression. Polarity refers to the condition in which two opposing or contradictory tendencies, opinions, or aspects coexist within a single framework.
The Mirror of Judgment suggests that our judgments, shaped by our patterns of thoughts, ideas, mental constructs, and behaviors, activate people, circumstances, and situations that reflect those same judgments. So there is a correlation between polarization and judgment. In other words, the very thing that we are most vehemently against, opposed to or find disgusting we are also activating its presence in our experience. For instance, in the midst of conflicts at political rallies and protests, the dynamics fueling their disagreements reflect a mirror image of each side yelling at itself. The mirror of judgment suggest that we play close attention to the things or ideas that we find most disagreeable because this inquiry may reveal deeper insights into to our true nature.
Could the things that we find most detestable or polarizing be a cosmic energy saver for our inner world to reduce stress?
Project to Protect
Women have said the most malicious, disgusting things about me. But I know that when somebody comments about you, good or bad, it is 99 percent of the time their projection of how they feel about themselves
Paz de la Huerta
Sigmund Freud is considered the Father of Psychoanalysis, a field in psychology focused on the belief that everyone harbors unconscious thoughts, feelings, desires, and memories. Freud introduced the concept of defense mechanisms, which are often unnoticed strategies our minds use to shield our feelings and reduce internal stress. A defense mechanism is an unconscious tactic that protects the ego from uncomfortable traits that might induce anxiety if acknowledged. In modern Western society, where status, image, and public perception hold significant weight, there is a tendency to project behavioral flaws and undesirable traits onto others. Incorporating the Mirror of Judgment into our daily emotional and mental toolkit can help us recognize when we start to comment on the behaviors of others or maintain a negative outlook on situations, people, or ideas.
Projection is a defense mechanism in which an individual recognizes their unacceptable traits or impulses in someone else to avoid recognizing those traits or impulses in themselves subconsciously. There are three types of projection:
- Complementary projection: This is when a person assumes that others already share their beliefs.
- Complimentary projection: This is when someone assumes others have the same level of abilities that they do.
- Neurotic projection: This is when an individual assigns undesirable feelings or emotions to someone else.
Our consciousness operates as a cosmic energy information system, with each individual serving as a unique system shaped by our ideas, beliefs, perceptions, values, and worldview. Like any effective system, we implement methods, strategies, and tactics to manage stress efficiently. When we sense that we may embody traits that could be perceived negatively or pose a threat to us, our natural psychological response is to protect that system. Projection and deflection of our “dark side” from our internal perspective act as mechanisms to safeguard our feelings, conserve time and energy, and often represent the easiest path to take rather than confronting uncomfortable truths.
But at what cost?
Judgment Day
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
In today’s world of social media platforms, click bait and access to information at our fingertips polarization and judgment of others is at an all time high. The hyper vigilance we display in the judgment of others reveals more about ourselves and the filters we perceive the world through than what we project. Yolanda Hadid, states, “Some people come into our life as a blessing, while others come into our life as a lesson, so love them for who they are instead of judging them for who they are not.” Understanding that the revelations rendered by integration of the mirror of judgment into our psychological toolkit unlocks for us the tools to discover our truest nature.
The Mirror of Judgment offers an invaluable ancient perspective that helps us uncover aspects of ourselves that we have rejected or are unwilling to accept. Ultimately, it suggests that what we judge in others reflects what we refuse to acknowledge within ourselves. In other words, we often lack the psychological framework to recognize that the actions, behaviors, and traits we can so clearly identify in others are, in fact, insights into ourselves. Thus, the Mirror of Judgment provides direct feedback on the behaviors and actions that are actually “our own qualities,” which we may not be ready to consciously accept as truth.
