What Do You See In The Mirror?

When you look in the mirror, do you recognize You as yourself?

Have you ever looked in the mirror and felt that you were looking at a reflection of a stranger?

My eyes always look familiar but, most everything else seems very much unknown.

Has anyone else ever felt this before?

I'm sure I am not making much sense but, I guess sometimes when I look in the mirror, the reflection I see just doesnt quite match up to the picture I have in my mind as to what I should look like.

Does this make any sense to anyone else????

reply to post by MagesticEsoteric


When I look into a mirror.I see a middle-aged
woman with dark brown hair that is turning gray
around my face.I also see dark brown eyes with
puffy circles underneath them.Skin is still pretty
smooth,but,that turkey neck has to go!

reply to post by MagesticEsoteric


Eisoptrophobia, It is also known as Catoptrophobia

there may be degrees of it, or aspects of it may be suppressed, like subliminally suppressed memories.

that is the closest related thing i can think of.

hope this might help,
et

I usually change my appearance out of boredom every few weeks or so.

Compared to when I was younger I have noticed a lot of differences.

When you look at yourself in the mirror, all you see is the outside. You don't see the inner you. The inner beauty, the goodness of you, the goodwill you have, the things that make you, well you. Someone can be the most beautiful person, and portray to be the most caring and loving on the outside, but without having those on the inside, it's all just a bluff.

Never judge a book by it's cover, and always know that the outside image isn't everything.

I feel like I'm looking at a stranger. It's kinda hard to get to know the person in the mirror. I would like it much better if we didn't have mirrors, then everything wouldn't feel so displaced.

reply to post by mamabeth


Too funny....luv your sense of humor.

reply to post by MagesticEsoteric


Holy Crap! That is exactly how I feel! I have had the same thought ever since I was a little girl. Yeah, my eyes are mine, but it's like I'm trying to remember something, like there is something missing, incomplete. That's when I start thinking about the planets, infinity, and living forever, I always give myself the chills when I get to that point. It's like I become lost inside myself. I've never felt like I should look the way I do, I always use to picture myself different as a kid, even when I day dreamed.

I thought I was the only one who experienced this, shall I call it, 'phenomena' (?) I am comforted in knowing that I'm not the only one with this sort of hyper-surrealism. My face is not my face, and I cannot explain it. I know who I am, but the person in the mirror seems like a total stranger.

Weird isn't it?
I'm sure most people will just say that's a sign of some mental "illness" but I don't think there is anything wrong with me, or you for that matter. What do you think it means?

reply to post by Esoteric Teacher


After clicking on that link, I all of the sudden feel extremely OK with my reflection in the mirror.

Thanks for the "eye opener"

What do I owe ya?

Personally, I believe that people who feel this way are closely connected to their past lives.

Instead of recognizing who "you are now" you recognize who "you last were".

reply to post by Oozii


You are hinting on the cusp of what I was trying to express.

Often I do not recognize my outer self because I'm already consumed with the discovery and contemplation of my inner self.

When we go a while without seeing ourself as others do I think we tend to form a vision of how we appear to others in our mind. I know that's the case for me. So we go about our daily business unaware of what it really is others see as us, so when we sometimes look into a mirror, we see what they see. And it can be a lot different to what we think of ourselves.

It's hard to express it really, how can all the thoughts, feelings, emotions, states, desires, concerns, hopes, fears, secret fantasies be expressed by what we see in that image staring back at us.

No wonder people often get the wrong ideas about people online and how they look in real life. No wonder taking people at face value in real life, can create wars...

reply to post by MagesticEsoteric


i appreciate stars. one would be plenty.

glad i could help, it may actually be a natural thing. a sort of biological obligation, just genetics.

here is an easy way to explain what some cells inside us may be going through sometimes:

when you and i face eachother and we both raise our right hand we know they are our right hands even though both hands are on opposite sides.

now go stand in front of the mirror and raise your right hand. both right hands are on the same side.

so what about the first cell? did the first cell that split (mitosis) have any experience communicating with any other cells, or it's twin identical same cell that was a copy of itself?

did those two little cells know to read the message left to right or right to left, or have the required empathy to know how the other cell was sending the message? (rhetorical question, i don't really expect proof or an answer).

so your concerns may be justified, or even semi dormant subconscious genetic "memories" so to speak.

i hope this helps,
john paul

reply to post by leira7


I've felt this way for as long as I can remember as well.....It's not a constant of course but, there are certainly times when I look at myself in the mirror and I feel like my reflection is coming from somewhere much further away than the face of the present moment.

It's odd that we both seem to understand the profoundness of this whole thing differently from others.

Although then again maybe it isn't....that is the beauty of the unknown I suppose.

reply to post by Esoteric Teacher


"Stars" you say....I'll get right on that.

Everything else..I will have to go over again tomorrow b/c it made my brain throb just skimming over it.

Thanks though!

reply to post by prepared4truth


Makes sense. Any personal thoughts or experiences on past lives?

reply to post by Esoteric Teacher


You left out the "reality" and "presence" of the mirror....how does the actual object Relate to the reflection and therefore the perception of the reflection. Furthermore, how does the perception relate to another's reality?

I may have just confused myself

Joking aside..hopefully you understand the irony.

If we were created in the Image of God then perhaps we are seeing GOD in the mirror and not ourselves. I know he is kind-of old and wrinkled, but wouldn't he be if he were down here?

When I was a boy I looked just like my father, pictures of us at our same age were uncanny in likeness. Now that I am nearing 50, I see my mother in the mirror. She can be quite scary at 5 a.m. LOL

I must admit that my perception of my overall look in my mind is a younger version of myself than what the mirror reveals. Even when I meet people for the first time I imagine they are seeing the younger version that I am perceiving within.

I avoid the darned things. However, I, too, see the eyes when I look in the mirror. They are still me !
I love some of the concepts that are being shared here. I feel similar to the way i was as a teen, and I feel I spend my time thinking of inward things and so am surprised at the outward appearance I encounter in a mirror.
It is all irrelevant in my world, though, when i was beautiful and people followed me around, I still felt it was unimportant and sought to share with everyone, and sought the company of like-minded souls who could share their inner selves.
The Internet is a blessing in this way.
It is challenging to look at the way people see me out in public now, though. They sure look away fast.
Part of being a girl i guess.
Love 2 U.

"It look-a, like-a HUMAN!" Nothing worth looking at except a few dents and dings that needs fixin'. Just sometimes the feeling I could be someone else, someone different.