Look
_I: The eyes are the reflection of the Soul. Many traditions often affirm this, and it has become a popular belief, a saying culturally adopted by many peoples. This came to mind when we talked about the Soul and its psychological aspect. How is the soul related to the eyes?
_AM: Can you look someone in the eye?
_I: Not everyone, in fact, I often make myself aware of the fact that I don't actually look at people's eyes when we talk, but at their teeth and lips. I can see very few of them directly in the eyes.
_AM: Why?
_I: Well, because I feel uncomfortable. The feeling is as if by looking into the person's eyes the person could be confused that there is a deep connection of some kind, or even interest.
_AM: What kind?
_I: You know… Sexual, romantic… Something like that.
_AM: And do you know why this happens?
_I: I guess it's because I would only stare into the eyes of someone I connect with on every level, who I wouldn't be embarrassed to be naked with.
_AM: Because the direct gaze undresses you…
_I: Yes, that's the feeling, like I felt completely naked, defenseless.
_AM: Good. Now you understand the power of the gaze in human psychology, in its effect on the soul, the emotion of people. The gaze pierces the physical body, observes the innermost part of your being, and in that moment, it strips you naked, in such a way that you have no way to defend yourself, you become paralyzed, you have no tools. And there are only two natural occasions in which gaze has a high impact: at the moment of reproduction and at the moment of threat. The rest of the time, the eyes rest, they do not usually look people directly in the eyes, but rather they look at the face, because the nervous system uses too much energy when two eyes look directly at each other, and therefore, the Energy is saved only to look for a mate to reproduce or a victim to attack. If neither of these two circumstances occurs, the fixed gaze implies depth, seeing more within, to the deepest part of the being, where what you call Soul lies, that sacred essence that makes you who you are and that your being seeks to protect. in a thousand ways. Thus, when someone stares into your eyes, you feel a threat, seeking to protect your essence by turning your gaze, changing your angle, clouding your vision, closing your eyes... In this way, we see that the eyes allow you to see the soul of someone. the other person, because when you stop to observe them, they react, causing the individuals to act in unexpected ways, not controlled by the mind, because it collapses.
_I: Why are we so sensitive to gaze?
_AM: By the nervous system. This system is made up of the brain (with millions of cells called neurons), the cerebellum, in charge of balance, the central trunk, which receives and sends signals, and the nerves, which are like very long neurons through which information passes. Nerves extend throughout the body connected to the spinal cord, along the spine, receiving and sending neurotransmitters, electrical signals that expand or contract cells with discharges and pulses, making them react to external stimuli, for this reason The Central Nervous System is related to the 5 Senses, since they are the means by which the body interprets signals from the outside to be translated inside.
_I: Touch, Taste, Smell, Hearing and Vision…
_AM: And in relation to this last sense, the eye, it could be said that it is the miracle of the nervous system. Billions of years ago, when the central nervous system was developing in cells to receive electrical pulses from the environment, one of those energies that affected the cellular pulse were photons. Photon is a particle of Light, (from the Greek “photon” = light). They bounce off all objects at high speed, and depending on the molecular composition of each object, they collide, vibrating in the tuning or wavelength of the larger particles that they touch, that is, depending on the frequency at which the photon vibrates. collide with a much larger object such as an atom, it is perceived as a specific color. However, this was impossible to know, until the nervous system evolved to capture these particle waves.
_I: So we didn't see the light until the neuronal cells adapted to interpret the signal of a photon collapsing against them.
_AM: And not just any cell. It had to be a specific one. It is known as photosensitive, and was developed with the ability to capture as many photons as possible. This caused, after millions of years, the cells to specialize in capturing light, and one or two photosensitive celluloid clusters developed in some living organisms in the ocean. Those who had this type of cells had an easy time finding food, and prospered compared to those who did not have this deformation. Thus, over time, photosensitive cells evolved to become the first eyes. At first, underwater, they were still covered by the saline layers of the environment, which reflected light and protected them from light rays that are harmful to vision. But over time, when they found a way to get out of the water, only those who, in amphibian fashion, managed to create a transparent eyelid, which contained the salt water within this cellular cluster, could do so to keep the eye moist, defending it from the powerful rays of the Sun.
_I: Like the membranes that some birds and reptiles have, right?
_AM: That's right. Over time, these membranes evolved and the skin itself became flexible, becoming eyelids. The photosensitive cells began to form what we know today as an eye, and the membranes that kept the saline waters in it became increasingly smaller in mammals, until they became what you call "caruncle", a small membrane in the edge of the eye that protects the tear duct. The tear duct secretes saline water to keep the eye moist, so that the photons do not burn the sensitive cells. The two eyes fulfill a visual balance function, so that the brain finds a balance of movement, distance, and terrain recognition, and their nerve endings connect the optic nerve with the brain. The eye is provided with various layers, all designed to better capture light, with the greatest possible clarity. From the visible pupil, or lens, where light is captured, to the hypnotizing beauty of the Iris, the fleshy formation that surrounds the pupil with different textures and colors, which regulates the entry of light by contracting or dilating, to the cornea , with its characteristic white part of the eye, and the vitreous humor, the internal liquid where light is reflected, the eye became the most perfect organism and par excellence of interpretation of the medium.
_I: I once read that the human eye captures images with a resolution of about 576 megapixels, when a professional photography camera usually has 16 megapixels, or even 18. That is very little compared to the eye... How did nature achieve such perfection?
_AM: Millions of years of trial and error, when photography is only 200 years old. Because the Eye, the organ of the sense of Vision, is one of the most developed, its nerve endings not only receive information from the outside, but also reflect that from the inside. The eyes are, along with the ears, the sensory organs that work the most during the day, in an unconscious and at the same time conscious way, that is, being controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system (the one that works without conscious understanding of its actions, such as the heartbeat that cannot be manipulated by intention), and on the other hand, it can be manipulated by the sympathetic nervous system (that is, one that can be used with an intention and will of the individual mind, such as grabbing something, or talk). Thus, Seeing becomes a conscious way of transmitting what is experienced inside and what is perceived or reflected from the world, a way in which the brain can inform the outside world what is going through its brain. Thus, the eyes can appear sad, happy, depressed, euphoric. Tears that were once used to clean the eye and protect it from external debris, also begin to flow at times when the body seeks to purge internal debris.
_I: What we call “crying.”
_AM: Exactly. Thus, the eye becomes a reflection of the internal, a communicator of the emotions that words fail to convey. And therefore, you can say that the Look is the reflection of the soul. Look (from Latin Mirare) comes from the Indo-European “smei”, which means “laugh, surprise” (as in English “smile” = smile). This word speaks of a communication between two people, an interaction that represents a reflection, the observation of something that produces a reaction in the other. In several languages “mirare” became the origin of the word mirror (in English = mirror, in Catalan “mirall”). The word “look”, in English, comes from the Indo-European “lewk” which gives rise to “light”. Thus, Look, See, is a synonym for the action of illuminating, shining, perceiving light.
_I: So, if light and colors are the energy of the soul, and the nervous system is the physical form in which the soul feels, the eyes are the internal expression and internal perception of this attribute of being.
_AM: In the Gaze you not only see the light of the world, but you let the world see your own light. And that light seeks to be protected. Now let's remember the two principles of the gaze: defend and reproduce. In the first case, you should know that the eyes were developed not only to search for food, but to identify enemies. The ocular image was developed as a high-level defense organism, in which a look can scare, drive away, frighten prey or enemies. An intense look is synonymous with struggle, with possible death. This is why it is so difficult psychologically and biologically to hold the gaze, since it requires too much alert energy, in which the entire body tenses trying to know if the person observing us is the prey or the hunter. This is something that you can see in animal and human culture, when in a fight, normally the males tend to rest their foreheads against each other, staring at each other intently and intensely at a very short distance. That turns on hormonal levels, alerting the brain and glands to prepare to expand adrenaline throughout the system.
_I: Now I understand many things, hehe... When I see those silly attitudes of boys who fight and instead of hitting each other they just stare at each other pushing their heads like rams or bulls.
_AM: And the other intense gaze is that of reproduction, since said gaze lets the possible copulation know that there is an inevitable interest. This, for thousands or millions of years, has become a way of relating intensely, letting people know that adrenaline was activating for reproduction.
_I: Ah, this is why intense gazes make me feel uncomfortable, not only because it seems like an invasion of space, but because it feels like a violation of the person, a form of subconscious sexuality.
_AM: The Look is the action of putting into practice the millions of years of evolution of the Eyes. The Gaze is a form of communication both in the negative, for struggle, and in the positive, for union. And in turn, it represents the ability of a being to reflect its emotions both inwards and outwards, they are the reciprocal communication of the nervous system. The eyes thus transmit more energy than any part of the body without having to touch the other person, which awakens the energy of tantra, where the sacred fire is lit without touch but simply with the gaze and the breath.
_I: How do I not be afraid to look into people's eyes?
_AM: You must lose the fear of people knowing about you, you must free yourself from the fear of defending what is internal, of protecting yourself. For when they look into your eyes, people will be able to see reflected the synapses of your brain, the circuits of your soul, and you are naked and weak before the world. The eyes paralyze, because in the fight, the body stops static so as not to attract attention and camouflage itself, while in reproduction, remaining static was because it is a moment of weakness in the face of predators, and it was necessary to remain alert, because It is a moment of vulnerability. That is why the Look shows all your fears, all your anxieties, everything that is hidden inside you. So, to look at others and not fear being weak, you must first learn to look at yourself, and face your weaknesses, to awaken your strength.
_I: And when I have my inner power, I will be able to look others directly in the eyes, without preconceptions or fears.
_AM: The power of communication of the brain is not in the word, but in the look. When you can see someone in their eyes, you can feel the power of their mind, the strength of their manifestation, and without words, you can feel everything. Looking into each other's eyes is like looking into the universe itself.
_I: Look at the Soul made matter…
_AM: The eyes are the Manifested Consciousness. Dare to see further, deeper, dare to hold a gaze, and you will see the light that consciousness radiates to the entire world, reflected in you.