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Face Reading for Beginners: Can You Spot a Liar?, by Richard Webster

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Although you may not be consciously aware of it, you're reading faces every day. You assess a person's character by looking at their face, and most of the time your first impressions will be correct. Some of this is learned, but most of it is instinctive. This is why old sayings, such as, "He has bedroom eyes," or, "Don't trust someone who has eyes too close together," have a basis in fact.

As you've progressed through life you've also learned how to read people's facial expressions. You can instantly tell if someone is honest, friendly, timid, or broadminded, for instance. There are six universal expressions that are used by people all around the world, and you can probably recognize these at a glance: surprise, happiness, fear, anger, disgust, and sadness.

Whenever I give a talk on face reading, I can guarantee that someone will ask if I can tell whether or not someone is lying. A number of studies have shown that most people are able to detect deliberate lying slightly more than fifty percent of the time. Of course, this also means they fail to detect lies almost fifty percent of the time.

People lie for many different reasons. Many lies are told to save the feelings of others and to maintain a happy environment. If someone asked you if you liked her new hairstyle, you'd probably answer, "Yes," even if you disliked it intensely. Not long ago, a lady apologized to me for her lack of driving skills. I lied, and told her she was a good driver.

Lies in the workplace are extremely common. If you call a company and ask to speak to a particular person, you might be told he or she is in a meeting, or is not in the office. That could be the truth, but may also be a lie, if the person did not want to speak to you. If you call inquiring about an order, you may be told it was dispatched yesterday. This may be the truth, but could also be a delaying tactic.

People lie to bolster their self esteem. A middle-aged man I know tells everyone he manages a division of a large automobile company. In fact, he spends his days cleaning cars at the dealership. I met a lady some years ago who told me she'd written a series of historical novels. I found out later that she wanted to be a writer, and was claiming to have already done what she hoped to achieve.

People frequently lie to impress others. This is particularly the case with potential romantic relationships. These people also lie when ending the relationship. "I'll call you," is an extremely common lie.

Some of the more common lies are: "Thanks for the wonderful meal," "Money cheerfully refunded," "This hurts me more than it hurts you," "I was only trying to help," and "Not tonight. I have a headache." A lie that used to be extremely common is, "The check's in the mail."

Although most people are bad liars, some people are extremely good at it, and won't hesitate to lie if they think it will help them get what they want. Fortunately, if you pay attention, you'll be able to pick up the facial clues that give them away.

These hidden clues are called "leakage." Leakage occurs when the person says one thing, but his or her face and body indicate the opposite. A common example of this is when someone says he or she agrees with you, while at the same time shaking his or her head slightly. This person's head reveals the truth.

We all give ourselves away at times with micro-expressions that cross the face in less than one-fifth of a second. If, for instance, someone was smiling at you, but you noticed a look of anger cross his or her face in a fraction of a second, you'd know the smile was false. This could be a sign that the person didn't like you, despite his or her apparent friendliness.

Suppressed emotions last longer, and are more common, than micro-expressions. People expressing suppressed emotions are able to change them to a more acceptable expression when it suits them, or when they become aware of it. Recently, I saw a group of teenage girls congratulating another girl on her success in winning a shopping mall promotion. One of the girls was obviously angry and possibly jealous, but she changed her facial expression to one of happiness and delight moments before congratulating the winning girl.

Liars frequently use fake smiles to convey emotions they're not feeling. A genuine smile raises the cheeks, crinkles the outer edges of the eyes, and activates the outer edges of the mouth. A fake smile activates the outer edges of the mouth, but does not involve the cheeks or eyes. It's easy to detect a fake smile by observing someone for a while, and observing how he or she greets others. People he or she likes will receive genuine smiles, while others will receive a false smile. Smiling or laughing nervously at inappropriate times can indicate stress and anxiety, which may indicate deception.

People blink more when they're anxious, or feeling stressed. Most people blink about fifteen times a minute, and if this increases markedly it could indicate that they're lying. However, experienced liars often do the opposite, and their rate of blinking slows down. Consequently, it is the change in the blinking rate that is important, rather than the increase or decrease.

It's a common belief that liars find it hard to look someone in the eyes while they're lying. However, good liars do the opposite and increase eye contact while saying a lie. Usually, the person doing the listening makes more eye contact the talker. Liars often do the opposite, thinking it will convince the listener of their honesty.

Many people nod their heads when telling lies. They do this in the hope that it will get the other person to believe the lie. Usually, this is easy to spot, as the rest of the body remains motionless while they do this.

Inexperienced liars lick their lips, swallow, or clear their throats; this is because the stress of lying causes them to have a dry mouth. These people also turn their heads away, or look down at the floor, while telling a lie. This is easy to spot if they have been making good eye contact before telling the lie. Many liars have a strong urge to touch, stroke, or rub their noses. This is the adult version of a child covering his or her mouth after telling a lie.

All of these things need to be interpreted in a group, or cluster. Someone who is rubbing his nose while talking might simply have an itchy nose. However, if he's also exhibiting some of the other signs of deceit, he is probably lying.

Once you become aware of facial expressions you can use them to improve your life. Here are three simple things you can employ right away to improve your relationships with everyone: smile, make good eye contact, and nod your head when listening to someone. The smile has to be a genuine one, of course. If you look happy, you'll make other people happy. Good eye contact is important, as people trust people who make good eye contact. When you nod your head, you tell others that you're interested in what they're saying.

Face reading is a useful skill that can help you discover why and how people think and act in the way they do. It will also make you more sympathetic and understanding of other people's outlooks and different points of view.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2012. All rights reserved.

I have never been a very happy person, but lately things are getting much worse. I am often overcome by feelings of rage, am constantly irritable, and have been growing more and more depressed. My boyfriend says that when I get angry, my voice and face change so that it's like I'm not even the same person. The weirdest part is that I usually don't remember what I said and did when in a rage. I'm starting to feel like a puppet, like some outside force is controlling my emotions. I experimented with a Ouiji board for a while as a teenager and am wondering if that is coming back to haunt me now. Do you think I am possessed?

A.

Susyn:

You state that you have never been a happy person and that when you were a teenager, you experimented with a Ouija board. Since Ouija boards often open people up to attachment by negative entities, if you look back, you may discover that your unhappiness began around the time you were experimenting with spirit communication in this way.

Ouija boards were very popular when I was a teenager; I experimented with them myself. The results were not positive, and I've heard many similar stories from others. Many years later, a friend sent me a Ouija board she had made. When I attempted to use it, I immediately ran into a very malevolent, angry spirit.

It's highly likely that some type of entity attached itself to you when you experimented with the Ouija. These spirits can lie in wait for years before showing themselves. Now that you are aware that this may be the case, there are a number of things you can do to rid yourself of unwanted entities.

First I recommend contacting a psychic who can identify if you do indeed have a discarnate spirit attached to you. Once you know what you're dealing with, you can start the process of setting yourself free. There are certain things that will anger this spirit, so as you move forward, your symptoms may get worse before they get better. I also recommend writing down when and in what circumstances you are overcome with rage. Once you do, you may notice a pattern and realize what triggers these bouts.

There is a clove bath ritual you can perform to cleanse your spirit and dispel any negative energy that surrounds you. Take a quarter cup of whole cloves and add them to four cups of water in a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for one hour, adding water as the levels decrease. Strain the cloves and save the water, then add it to a bath. Soak in this bath for 20 minutes, immersing yourself completely three times for three seconds each.

You can also sage your body and surroundings. If the spirit moves away from you, it may still remain in your home, so smudging your house with sage will ensure that it leaves both your body and the premises.

If this doesn't improve the situation, you'll want to call upon a psychic or exorcist to perform a ritual to clear this spirit out. Once that has been done, you will feel lighter, happier and more balanced. Good luck to you!

*****

Mata:

The first thing to keep in mind is that like attracts like in the Universe. If you are an unhappy person, you will tend to attract unhappy spirits and experiences. If you are an angry person who lacks self-control and frequently goes into rages, you will attract angry, destructive spirits. The good news is that if you cultivate higher qualities such as kindness, patience, peace and happiness, then you will begin to attract spirits of a helpful, benevolent nature.

With this in mind, hopefully you can see that it is never wise to explore psychic territory unless your mind and heart are full of positive thoughts and feelings and you know how to consciously create what you want in your life. This is why so many people who experiment with things like Ouiji boards end up suffering for it. When approached recklessly, it's like wandering off into the African bush to see what you can find: you may encounter truly dangerous creatures and have no idea what to do in order to protect yourself.

From what you describe, it does indeed sound like you are being influenced by a dark spirit. Please don't be alarmed: this is far more common than most people realize, for even when they are not technically possessed, whenever someone succumbs to their lower nature by acting against their conscience, failing to control their temper, or wallowing in negative emotions, they naturally begin to attract dark metaphysical influences.

To become invulnerable to influence by dark entities, you will have to develop self-control and learn how to purify your mind and heart and develop your higher nature. Based on what you wrote about not remembering your own actions sometimes, I strongly recommend you find a spiritual professional who can help you with the process of breaking free from dark influences and cultivating a higher level of experience.

The first thing to do is make an appointment with a spiritual healer who is familiar with spirit attachment such as a shaman or hypnotherapist. Next, whenever you have a dark thought or feeling, stop and reach for a higher thought. Changing your habits of thought won't be easy, but it is powerful and essential to moving forward on your spiritual path. In fact, you might view this dramatic experience as a wake-up call that it's time for you to start to take conscious control of your inner world.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.