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When you compare photos of Arlen Specter, now vs. earlier, you may gasp. Of course, his political news may make you gasp, as well.   

But musing on faces, rather than the mysteries of politics, here is a new pair of comparison photos, covering the same time period only a bit more contrasting:

• First, Arlen Specter early in his senate career,

• and a recent photo, taken from a so-so angle for Face Reading but a great angle for seeing the big changes we'll emphasize in this article:

THE BIG CHEEK CHANGE

In the last few years, Arlen Specter was pushed by dramatic challenges. This happened even if, as I suspect, from the lack of face change over the decades, Specter made personal growth a low priority, nobody here at Earth School is immune to change. In his case, life pushed back at him in two vital areas. He faced cancer twice, going through two rounds of chemotherapy. And then he faced the strange new Tea Bag fanaticism within his own party. Something had to change, and it did.

That main something was Specter's cheeks. They're now unpadded, and a strongly sculpted muscle makes the flesh on each cheek look as if it's hanging by a thread.  

Likewise, power-wise, Specter has been hanging by a thread. I devoted a couple of blog posts to the cheek changes:

• Posing the question, with great comments from Blog-Buddies

• Giving a detailed analysis

The latter article is especially notable because it has some cheek shockers I found along the way -- other gaunt cheeks that have nothing like that muscular component of Specter's.  

The second article will also show you amazing photographs of three anorexic stars whose faces are showing grotesque effects of malnutrition: Madonna; the young Mischa Barton; and Courtney Cox, the star from "Friends" who has changed so much as to become nearly unrecognizable.  

Here's the summary interpretation about the Senator's cheek change. I believe that Arlen Specter has become a more thoughtful person, harnessing great reserves of courage to fight for his political life. His easy ability to access support has left him. Instead, he's depending on his will, his intelligence, even his soul.

STRONGER OR WEAKER?

Other face changes, though minor, underscore this crucial time in Specter's life. Although his chin bottom characteristics have stayed the same, the overall size has diminished, with many interesting implications for physiognomy.  

Can you see the overall difference? (Chin size has gone from moderate to quite small.)  Physically, that's not surprising to me. Much of a chin's shape comes from muscle rather than bone, and muscles do change.

Another chin change concerns thrust. If you're experienced as a Face Reader, or just a very visual person (more visual than me, for instance), you can check out the 3-D component of Specter's chin. You'll discover that he used to have a VERY large chin thrust outward, while now he barely has chin thrust at all.

Some good head shots in profile would make this much clearer, but I haven't been able to find them in a reasonable amount of time.

Here's the meaning: Senator Specter used to relish competing with others. With his large chin thrust, he would find inner resources to carry him forward through any contest or controversy. Now he's a more thoughtful man who doesn't instinctively fight. Instead of being carried away by the sheer desire to win, he's more likely to consider any issue at depth and no longer be so sure he's always right.

That very reflectiveness makes him a wiser politician while in office, if less competitive at winning office.

Similarly, Specter's smaller chin length and width signify a change to how he responds to criticism, attacks, and the usual controversies surrounding political life. In the past, it was easier for attacks to bounce off him. He would "take it on the chin."

Now, he's more vulnerable personally. Isn't it ironic that, just when he needs it most, that old toughness is taken away?

Anybody who says that life at Earth School is easy… hasn't been paying attention!

FASCINATING EYEBROW CHANGES

Other subtle changes to Specter's face involve eyebrows. Earlier, he had angled eyebrows that extended from close to his nose all the way out past the corners of his eyes, VERY long brows.

Now his eyebrows are straight and VERY short, only about half the length they were before. The outer half has gone and, instead, he has FOCUS LINES on the outer edge of his eyebrows: long, thin, parallel lines. See the whole combo clearly with this current photo. 

What does it mean to go from angled to straight? You experienced Face Readers can easily interpret the change in eyebrow shape. Specter used to think with a detached perspective, coolly analytical and able to target problems, criticizing what he didn't like. Now he's more apt to follow one line of thinking at a time, less critical but more persistent at developing his line of argument.

What about the loss of half his eyebrows and the growth of those focus lines? Nowhere in any of my books or previous articles have I ever read changes like these! Intellectual focus has shifted.

Losing eyebrows isn't a "good" development as faces change over time. It can be caused by health problems or other aspect of aging, but the bottom line is loss of intellectual power. Every hair on an eyebrow represents intellectual abilities, so it's obviously not desirable when those hairs just fall out.

However, free will is enormously important here on earth. Sometimes there's an inward choice to fight that loss of intellectual clarity. The soul finds a way to compensate, activating new inner circuits. When this happens, the change out-pictures in fine horizontal lines, usually parallel ones, near the old eyebrow location. So you don't find hair in the second half of Arlen's eyebrows but you do find Focus Lines.

These Focus Lines correspond to soulful intelligence, thinking with an intuitive component. Compared to the thinking that shows in regular eyebrows, greater wisdom is available. The potential challenge with Focus Lines is that this sort of thinking can be harder to do, taking a greater toll energetically.

Back at Senator Specter, the meaning of the changes is clear. He's not as obviously competitive a politician as in the past, yet wiser and more reflective.

IMPROVED INTEGRITY

Here's the most subtle way that Arlen Specter's face has changed: He's more symmetrical now, and in ways that suggest greater integrity. Is that refreshing to find in a politician or what? So often, what happens is the reverse.

In the earlier photo, notice the Pennsylvania senator's crooked smile, with the right side higher. That mouth asymmetry is gone now, suggesting his speech is no longer as "public." Now Specter is more likely to say what he believes, rather than posturing to gain approval and votes.

Supporting this change is the shift to lip proportions, described in our earlier article in this Zine. Specter's still more persuasive than most people, but not as wildly persuasive. And with that, there's correspondingly less inner temptation to exaggerate or lie. 

Before, he had a right-leaning nose. Viewing any symmetry data, I like to take an index card to cover up one half of the face at a time, but you could also use a blank sheet of paper. If you expand the photo before comparing, you'll see the contrast more clearly. Most of the nose tip shows up on the right side of Specter's face. 

Finally, the cheek symmetry has improved. The spunky young congressman showed major differences in left and right cheeks – especially the extremely tight muscle tone and tension on the left side only.

Here's my interpretation. Personally, Arlen used to be far more obsessed with power than he let on. Power considerations – his career -- dominated his life (just as that spread-out right cheek dominated that side of his face).

Compare that to Specter's face now. If the gaunting still takes your breath away, give yourself the benefit of a few deep breaths. Then check out this final photo.

Camera angle still isn't perfect for reading data like ear position. (Those press photographers just don't design their pictures to be ideal for Face Reading. Darn!) Still, you can see how similar cheek proportions are, comparing left to right. Notice the big improvement here with symmetry?

VALUING WISDOM

Is Arlen Specter a stronger candidate now? Before he had more aggression, was more willing to lie or prevaricate. He won support more easily from others for his power plays.

Now he merely has greater wisdom, more integrity, more strength of character.

The changes on Senator Specter's face don't suggest interest in personal growth. Many of us – probably including you, if you're reading this article voluntarily – one common bond we share is that we CHOOSE to grow. We take on self-improvement projects. In terms of Face Reading, this out-pictures in significant changes to shapes all over the face.

Contrary to what society tells you, every feature on the face can change. And it does. The faster you evolve, the more your face will change.

Wrinkles are only the most obvious ways that faces change. Had Specter CHOSEN to grow on purpose, he would have had major changes to all his face data rather than mostly minor modifications.

Lady Diana, for instance grew more in 2 years than he did in 22. Lower eyelid curve shifted, chin shape changed, etc.

Yet Specter still has changed. When he had to, he made choices, the best ones possible. To this Face Reader, the nature of those changes is soul stirring. Specter's face clearly shows the triumph of character.

Blog entries from April that you might have missed: