The Wisdom of Your Face: Change Your Life with Chinese Face Reading
by Jean Haner
Rating: 
I do a lot of reading and have gone through my share of good books, but I wasn't prepared for the impact Jean Haner’s "Wisdom of Your Face" had on me. There I was lying flat on my back one day with a generous number of needles sticking out of my body, chatting with my friend Gina. Gina is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, and was giving me an acupuncture treatment so this was actually a normal occurrence. We frequently discussed spirituality, self-discovery, and other topics of that nature during my treatments. It was during one of these conversations that she had occasion to point out several of my personality traits that she identified simply by looking at my facial features. Her reading was surprisingly accurate! From that moment on, I was hooked on this fascinating topic. Gina recommended that I read "The Wisdom of Your Face" to gain a better understanding of what face reading was and how to do it. It was exactly what I needed at that moment in time!
We all know that our face can reveal the full range of our moods, from happiness, to sadness, and even anger. But who would have imagined that our faces could reveal so much more than that. Simply by studying what features to look for and how to interpret them, we can learn everything we need to know about the workings of our inner mind. We can learn how we react in different situations, what makes us thrive, and what keeps us down. By reading our faces, we can even discern the path we need to follow for inner peace and happiness. But wait, it gets even better! Another interesting aspect of face reading is that the ancient Chinese have mapped the entire face to correspond to every year of our lives. It is possible to see when major events occurred in someone's life, and at what age simply by observing different parts of our face! I think most of us would agree that gaining a better understanding of ourselves is essential, but If we can learn to read our own face, why not read the faces of the people around us as well. Imagine having a deep understanding of the person we live with, or our co-workers just by observing their faces. That level of understanding of another person has the potential to enrich so many of our relationships.
The book itself is very well written and Ms. Haner has an engaging style of writing. You almost have the feeling that she is sitting next to you and that you are having a conversation with her. She provides the background of how face reading came to be and how she found her way to it. Next, she reviews the characteristics of the five "elements" or personalities (life energies). Following her explanation of the general characteristics of each of the elements, she provides more detailed information on the specific facial features associated with each of those five elements. Throughout all of the explanations, there are plenty of photos to illustrate the specific feature she is covering. She also throws in anecdotes from her case history files as well as from personal experience. Finally, she concludes with some practical guidance on how to do a reading and includes the images of several people for us to practice on. Fortunately, we are not left entirely on our own with the practice faces as Ms. Haner provides her analysis for us to compare ours with.
In addition to the book, Ms. Haner also travels the country teaching workshops on how to do face readings. You can find several YouTube videos of her in action actually performing a reading. If you find this topic interesting, you may wish to visit my three part series on self-discovery. Part three covers face reading and integrates it with the other techniques discussed in that series. Also in Part 3, I actually take a shot at performing a reading (kind of like amateur hour).
I wish that I could give this book more than five stars (Actually, I suppose that I could since this is my website)! It has literally transformed my life by jump starting my self-discovery process, which was seriously stalled. The belief is that the universe provides exactly what you need when you need it. That was certainly the case for me when I discovered "The Wisdom of Your Face." Placing this book review in front of you may just be the universe providing you with the same nudge it gave me that day in Gina's office. I sincerely hope that you have as rich an experience as I did when you read this book!
Final Note: I love books!!! I love their smell! I love their feel! When I saw the printed edition, I simply drooled over it. However, being a practical person I purchased the Kindle edition so that I could read it anywhere. I can tell you that the Kindle edition is rendered beautifully and I am NOT sorry that I bought the electronic version rather than the print version. Just thought I would mention it in case you were wondering.
Namaste