House of Mirrors

projection is a strange thing

the house of mirrors that allows us to ‘see’ ourselves from different angles and perspectives

while trying to remember which version is the ‘real’ one?

as tribal animals, we need projection

we need to reflect upon others and to accept theirs upon us

projection is one of those things that can be easily written up as a version of toxic behavior

although that might sometimes be true

projection also allows us to discern each other from ourselves, one tribe from another, one culture from another

we project all the time, we can’t not

notice the myriad of projections that come to light during travels to distant lands

we project what certain behaviors mean, what rituals should be, what the right protocols are and most importantly, how do we know if we’re being slighted?

traveling shoes were firmly strapped onto my feet from the age of 5

the constant curtain call of a different environment has been the playground of my life

different ways of speaking, listening and being

i had to LEARN to be different in order to survive

learn to notice, learn to adapt, learn to ‘live like a local’

coupled with being highly sensitive, i have a tendency to bring forward all kinds of behaviors that locals have yet to notice about themselves

sometimes these seeings are perceived as visionary, sometimes they are perceived as aggression

i have heard labels about myself ranging from i’m overly independent to having an identity crisis and not knowing myself

time and age have reminded me repeatedly that those moments are windows looking into the eye of the speaker

….and then, there are online articles

the kind that make the distinction between HSP’s and empaths

some people are both, others exclusively one or the other

reading those articles i find myself conflicted and almost nudged toward vilifying my own adaptive superpowers

perhaps i am not an empath, solely an HSP

perhaps i do project

perhaps i do make assumptions

perhaps i do all the things non-empaths do

and yet projection has served me

projection has given me insight

projection has brought forth new parts of myself never before explored

projection has catalyzed conversations never before possible

just like a chameleon; the changes in my environment and my perception of these extract my most beautifully complex color patterns and displays them out in the world

dear reader, have you noticed the role of projection in your life? have you been imprinted or found yourself attempting to imprint others?

case in point; notice if the lack of ‘proper’ capital letters and punctuation in my posts makes you uncomfortable?

if so, let’s talk about it in the comments below

 

Pic credit via Heidelbergerin