Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Reading the eyes.

Natural Radiance

I wish that all women paid greater attention to their natural radiance resulting from, above all, inner serenity. All the eye make-up on the market cannot illuminate eyes that have lost their interest in the world, and a woman in love with life has the best foundation to be found.”
Helena Rubenstein

When I was a counselor, I noticed something about my female clients: as they began to relax, and resolve whatever dilemma brought them into therapy, they wore less and less make-up. I don't think they just got lazy; I think they got okay with who they were. Heavy make-up is, in many ways, a mask behind which to hide.

Similarly with men: the more comfortable they became with talking about their feelings, rather than their thoughts, the more casual their clothing became. The ties disappeared,and the button-down with dress pants became khakis and a polo. What I saw in their eyes was interest in the process rather than defensiveness. Sometimes clothing is armor that hides vulnerability.

William Shakespeare is credited with saying, “The eyes are the windows to the soul,” and he was right about the amount of information communicated by our eyes. By looking into someone's eyes, we may learn a lot about them; good, evil, light, darkness, fatigue, sickness, health, joy, kindness, confusion, interest. The eyes are mirrors of our inner world. They can stand in stark contrast to our words. When eyes and words disagree, believe the eyes.

The very best “look” we can achieve is an open and honest curiosity and interest in our world and our role in it. Our love of life shows, not only in our eyes, but in the light we carry within our whole bodies. Inner serenity gives us a natural radiance that lights up our countenance and our world.

                                                          In the Spirit,
                                                               Jane





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