Editorial September 28, 1935 Issue

Reflection

George Shaw Cook

The clear, still depths of a mountain lake exemplify the power of reflection. Its unruffled surface presents a natural mirror in which are reflected with perfect detail of outline and color the evergreens upon its banks, the snow-capped mountains by which it is surrounded, the cloudless blue of the sky above. When unruffled, its capacity to reflect is perfect.

It is obvious, however, that that which the water reflects is not spiritual reality, but only the temporal beauty of a finite, material creation which, at its best, is but a poor counterfeit of the "beauty, grandeur, order" of the universe of Spirit. And the lake's capacity to reflect can only be thought of as merely typifying the true, spiritual quality of reflection.

Let us apply this illustration to human experience and see that the consciousness which is free from agitation and disturbance is the one which reflects most perfectly the divinely spiritual qualities of Mind. It is in the thinking of those who express the greatest degree of depth, serenity, and purity that the clearest reflection of the glorious qualities of divine Mind is seen. The Psalmist wrote, "O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep." The capacity to reflect calmly and serenely does not, however, imply lack of forcefulness, or lack of ability to act with decision and efficacy. On the contrary, those characters in history who have been most quietly thoughtful have often been those who have also exhibited the greatest ability to act efficaciously for the good of mankind.

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