• 14Apr

    www.lotusinstitute.com and
    Lillian@lotusinstitute.com
    L O V E I N S A N T E F E ¤ P A G E 3 4

    “…Managing the expression of
    emotions is one of the fundamental
    principles underlying good health, and
    the lines on the face show how much
    emotion has been used.
    Horizontal and diagonal wrinkles are
    caused by the constant and repeated use
    of expression. The face is like a
    topographical map of previously
    expressed emotions.
    Therefore, the more emotional a person
    is, the more lines will be on his or her
    face. Contrary to popular belief, the sun
    does not cause wrinkles; it causes the
    wrinkles that were already going to form
    to become deeper and stronger because
    the skin hardens.
    Of course, it is impossible to go through
    life without gaining a few wrinkles and
    some wrinkles are better than others. But
    wrinkles also tell a story of a person’s
    emotional life history and some of them
    may be easier to minimize or lessen than
    you think.
    It is therefore helpful to learn what some
    of the different lines mean. Some of the
    best lines are the ones at the corner of
    the eyes, known as “crow’s feet.” In face
    reading, they are known as joy lines.
    These are very special lines that are
    involved in smiling and laughing and are
    a sign of a good sense of humor. They
    are also the significant markers for what
    scientists have termed the “Duchenne’s
    smile,” which is the smile that involves
    the eyes. Studies have shown that this
    particular kind of smile releases
    endorphins, the body’s own natural pain
    killers. From anecdotal evidence, it is
    clear that laughing a lot – especially at
    yourself makes life less painful and
    more fun!
    The most common lines on the face are
    the vertical ones between the eyebrows.
    These are a sign of impatience, irritability
    and/or annoyance.
    Since life can be very irritating, people
    can be very annoying and traffic jams
    are sure to cause impatience, it is no
    wonder that so many people bear these
    lines. However, they can also develop
    because of excessive concentration.
    These lines are not very easy to lessen as
    they are such automatic reactions to
    living. But, if you pay attention to how
    often you make the expression that
    consists of rumpling and lowering your
    eyebrows, you can stop the further
    progress of these lines.

    Purpose lines.
    These are considered very positive lines
    because having them means you have a
    life purpose. They are not expected to
    be strong until you reach mid life. So, if
    you have them before that, consider
    yourself to be on track.
    One set of lines that is worth working
    with are the ones on the upper lip. These
    lines are a sign of over nurturing others
    and under nurturing oneself.
    They are very common on people who
    are caretakers and quite commonly
    found on women. What is fascinating
    about these lines is the fact that they
    seem to lessen so easily when a woman
    takes the time to pamper and nourish
    herself.
    Lines that cross over the cheekbones are
    grief lines and also very common.
    Although they too can lessen in severity
    when the emotion of grief is worked
    with, grief is a deep emotion that is hard
    to release and it takes time to process.
    However, these are lines that seem to be
    impacted by the ability to experience
    gratitude, which is one of the best
    antidotes to grief.
    As a face reader, my favorite lines are the
    ones that occur on the forehead and are
    called transformation lines. They usually
    radiate upward from the eyebrows on a
    slight diagonal toward the hairline.
    Often they look a little more like
    indentations than wrinkles. These
    transformation lines are a sign that the
    individual who possesses them has
    gained some hard fought wisdom
    acquired from having gone through
    some tough times. They truly have come
    out of some dark nights, days, months
    or even years.
    These lines are a powerful symbol of
    having learned valuable lessons from life.
    Like badges of courage, the bearer of
    these lines has ultimately gained the prize
    of expanded consciousness.
    There are many other lines on the face
    corresponding to the many facets of
    emotion. Lines are never bad; they are
    just signs of emotions used frequently
    and possibly even overused. If you have
    some lines that are very deep or wrinklesE
    that are quite pronounced, use the map
    of the changing face to discover what
    they mean.
    Then, determine whether you are
    overusing these emotions or if they are a
    positive sign of life experiences.
    It is possible to lessen wrinkles on the
    face by managing your emotions,
    expressing them less or releasing long
    held ones.
    However, some lines you do not want
    to lose as they prove you have lived and
    show what you have learned.
    Wrinkles can be seen as the manuscript
    written on the skin that shows how any
    one individual has been expressing their
    life through the language of the face.
    Lillian Bridges is a Professor of
    Oriental Medicine, founder of Lotus
    Institute and author of Face Reading
    in Chinese Medicine.”