look beyond the facade.
Our façade is our outward appearance, the face we wear for the world. It’s how we wish to present ourselves. We have many facades, because we tend to present a different one for various occasions or when we meet different people. Sometimes we put up a façade of pleasantry or courage to mask disappointment or anxieties. Or we might try to look cheerful to avoid questions we’d rather not answer or to protect someone else’s privacy. When we love someone we want to go past the façade and explore what’s going on with them more intimately. It’s a little like looking at the façade of a great museum—it may have an impressive entrance but what we’re really interested in are the marvelous paintings inside. Or the façade of a symphony hall—we are eager to move through the main doors and listen to the music. Our façade is just our frontage. It’s not intended to create an illusion or a mask – it’s intended to reflect our real selves and invite some people in at appropriate times. In metaphysical work, much of the healing occurs when we find our way past the façade into great hallways, intricate corridors, many rooms, terraces, and elaborate furnishings that make up our psyche and our experiences. It’s a wonderful practice to do that with people you meet … even in passing try to imagine what goes on behind that façade. The stories, sorrows, joys, suffering, hopes, and dreams are rich and inspiring—even of strangers. Most importantly, practice going past your own façade and into your own psyche. You might be surprised at what you discover.