Â鶹Éç

Good morning.  On this day in 1903, the first edition of the Daily Mirror newspaper was published.  On the 2nd of November the first crossword also appeared, in 1924, in a British newspaper.  This was a decade after its Liverpool-born inventor had introduced a ‘word cross’ puzzle to the pages of the New York World. 

The idea of christening a new paper the ‘Daily Mirror’, seems quite obvious, if it reflects, through words and pictures, the day’s events. Apparently, though, the launch edition announced itself as a ‘mirror of feminine life’ and a gift scheme of gilt and enamel mirrors was run to woo a female readership!

A mirror helps us notice things - whether we stop to fix our hair or check traffic to our rear.  A mirror can either catch us unawares or allow us to look more deeply.   A mirror then becomes a powerful metaphor for whatever makes us notice and - make adjustments to - our less obvious internal self.  For me, Sikh teachings provide this kind of ‘daily mirror’, amongst other means for daily reflection. 

As my mother, who’s an avid fan of crosswords, pointed out, the teachings aren’t always to be taken literally.  They’ll intrigue you with metaphors, similes and cryptic questions to change the way you look at things.  There are no quick answers to puzzle out your true self and purpose.  The biggest change comes when we recognise that image for ourselves.

‘Man to jyot saroop hai, aapna mool pachhan’.  Oh my mind, inside you is embodied the divine flame; learn to recognise it, like a fragrance in a flower, and a reflection in a mirror.