Yesterday i
watched Narnia the voyage of the Dawn Treader, again. i actually saw it in the
cinema when it came out here in the Netherlands
In short,
before this 'mirror scene' this girl named Lucy, found a magical Book of Incantations
which was filled with spells. While looking for another spell, she found the ‘Beauty
Spell’, which was explained: “An infallible spell to make you she, the beauty
you’ve always wanted to be”. Lucy felt
inferior to her sister Susan and whished to be just as beautiful as her.
While alone
in her cabin (as she was on board of the ship, the Dawn Treader) she secretly
recited the Beauty incantation she had ripped from the book:
“Transform
my reflection,
Cast into
perfection
Lashes,
lips and complexion
Make me
she,
Whom i’d
agree
Hold more
beauty over me”
This was
were i get goosebumps. i don’t really know how to explain what really happens
inside of me when i see this scene. But it gets to me somehow. And i believe
there are more people (not just girls or women) out there who can identify with
Lucy, wanting to be like someone else.
To me it’s
a moment for reflection. Is there someone i think holds more beauty over me?
Surprise
surprise, this scene speaks to me – in more ways than i could possibly explain
in just a single blog post – because in fact i know i do agree on this. i
remember myself even as a little kid of just 4 or 5 years of age wanting to be like
someone else. Back then it was kind of a cute admiration. But with the years
this admiration became less cute and more all-consuming.
Back to ‘the
Mirror Scene’.
When Lucy
recited the spell, she saw herself in a mirror’s reflection, being transformed
into her more beautiful sister Susan. There was a vision in the mirror’s
reflection were Lucy – looking like Susan – was at a garden party with both her
brothers escorting her for a photograph. Her brothers knew nothing of Lucy or
Narnia and called her Susan.
Fearful
that Lucy or Narnia no longer existed, Lucy yelled: “Stop this!”. The mirror
reflection changed back and Lucy was looking at herself again.
Then – and this
is the most wonderful part of the scene, in my opinion that is – Aslan appears in
the mirror. He cautions Lucy about doubting herself, saying:
“You wished
yourself away, and with it much more.
Your brothers and sister wouldn't know
Narnia without you, Lucy.
You discovered it first, remember?...
You doubt your
value. Don't run from who you are.”
Well, discovering
Narnia isn’t something i did. So that’s not much of a comforting thought hehe.
But the wishing myself away part, the doubting my value and running from who i
am.. i can relate to that. And although it didn’t hinder my brother and sister
in knowing Narnia (it actually is the other way 'round: my brother is the one who gotten me to know Narnia) i am
pretty convinced wishing ourselves away and changing who we are because we
think someone else is better than us – it has more of an influence than we
may ever know.
As i’m
writing this i know i still haven’t fully embraced who i am. To be honest
with you, i am far from accepting myself, just the way i am. But watching this
movie and thinking about this ‘mirror scene’ has been a wake up call. It opened
my eyes to continue my journey of discovering who i was, who i am and who i
want to be. Not as in who i want to be like, in comparison to someone else. But
in comparison to myself, as a way of getting to know myself better, embracing
my gifts AND my flaws. So that when i grow up, i will be more and more just
like me.
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