Face reading can identify personality types, signs of ill-health and even predict what the future holds. Kevin Courtney erports on thwe ancient art of physiognomy
George W Bush is a go-getter who doesn't let up till he reaches his goal. He has a good memory and a desire for security and protection.
Julia Roberts is whip-smart, highly motivated but also sensitive and vulnerable. Oprah Winfrey has a strong creative streak, and cares deeply about others' pain and sadness. Gwyneth Paltrow is obsessed with perfection, and when things aren't so perfect, she'll take it out on her partner.
George Clooney has a callous streak underneath his charming exterior. And Christina Aguilera is a vivacious minx with a mischievous streak who likes to break the rules and push the boundaries of good behaviour.
How do we know these things? Simple: their faces tell us. The shape of the face, the taper of the chin, the curve of the eyebrow and the turn of the nose - all of these physical traits point to personality types, so that even if we didn't already know everything about these celebrities from the pages of gossip magazines, we could still find out just by reading their faces.
Not only could we tell their personality types, we could also diagnose any illnesses they might have, spot underlying conditions and even tell whether they will have health problems in the future. Actors may be good at hiding their feelings, but the experienced face reader can often tell exactly what's going on behind that Hollywood smile.
Physiognomy, or face reading, has been used by practitioners of Chinese medicine for many years, not just for identifying personality types, but also to read the signs of ill health in the lines, furrows, colours and textures of the face. When you're happy and healthy, it shows in your face: your eyes sparkle, your skin shines, your facial muscles are relaxed and your mouth smiles easily. But when you're feeling under the weather, it also shows in your face.
When someone drinks or smokes too much, it shows in the face: their eyes may be rheumy or bloodshot, their nose may be ruddy or bulbous, and their skin may be grey or dry and pinched.
It's also often easy to tell from the face when someone is depressed or troubled or just simply cheerless. They might have a permanent scowl, or a worried look, and their smile might be forced, a rictus grin that goes against their natural inclination to frown.
But there are more subtle signs that the face gives away, which often can't be spotted by the casual observer. To get to these hard-to-spot areas, you need a professional face reader, who can look at the facial topography and build up a map of your personality, lifestyle, health and the possible course of your future life.
It's something that more medical practitioners are learning to do, and it's the topic of a workshop being given in Dublin on Saturday and Sunday by Lillian Bridges, one of America's leading exponents of facial diagnosis and face reading.
The workshop is taking place at the Camden Court Hotel, Camden Street, and is open to medical practitioners, doctors, and anyone else who may be fascinated by the ancient art of face reading or would simply like to know what Tom Cruise is really thinking underneath that cheesy grin. It's also open to business people who might find face reading a valuable skill in the boardroom or sales meeting.
"Chinese practitioners will look at a face and say, okay, this is a minor liver area, your liver's not doing so well," says Bridges. "This is a lung area, your lungs are really dry, or they're really inflamed. And they'll look for the colour, they'll look for the kind of marking, they'll look very specifically for how the organ is doing on the inside," she says.
"I spend more time looking at the psychological aspects. I consider face reading the psychological branch of Chinese medicine. Because the shen, the white of the eyes, shows the emotional state.
"Plus, the wrinkles that you have on your face show how you used to feel, because the expression has caused the markings. And so you can see how someone feels right now, how someone used to feel, you can see a lot of psychological stuff in the eyes. It's called shen disturbances, you know, if someone's really troubled, all you've got to do is look at their eyes."
Bridges learned the art of face reading from her Chinese grandmother, and recalls many childhood afternoons spent watching her grandmother read faces.
"She learned from her father," says Bridges. "They passed it down through generations. I loved her, I just adored her, and I watched her read everybody's face who came to the house. And she was also a very successful businesswoman who used face reading for business, but she also told people about their health and about their life purpose."
As she grew older, Bridges researched the subject, and was surprised to find that more people weren't reading faces.
"It's actually very easy to do," she asserts. "I call face reading the original language, because babies are born with the ability to read expressions, so I think we kind of have this hard-wired in our being. And sometimes I think what I do is to teach people to remember what they already know."
Face Reading and Facial Diagnosis with Lillian Bridges is at the Camden Court Hotel on Saturday (May 20th) and Sunday (May 21st), registration 9am. For details, tel: 087-8178561, e-mail: info@eastwestmedicalsciences.com or visit www.eastwestmedicalsciences.com