After Barry Bonds broke the single season home run record in 2001, I did a Face Reading on him for my website which you can read here.  Given the controversy that now encircles this Giants slugger, I thought it was a good time to return to Barry and look at him from the perspective of his Aura.

Physically, there's more to Barry Bonds than... Barry Bonds.  At the center of baseball's ugly controversy about steroids stands the man who recently surpassed the extraordinary batting record of Babe Ruth, and has now set his sights on Hank Aaron.

Yet most baseball fans aren't cheering. A book excerpted in Sports Illustrated magazine documents a record of drug use that is just as startling as Barry's batting average.

According to the book's authors, Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, the baseball player at 34 averaged one home run every 16.1 at bats.  After he began doping in 1998, Bonds has hit home runs at almost twice that rate.  His chemical saga includes "meticulous" three-week cycles when he injected growth hormone every other day, took "the Cream" and "Clear" in the days in between, and capped the cycle with Clomid.  A needle was used to inject the growth hormone while a needle-less syringe squirted the Clear under his tongue.  Needles like these aren't exactly a batter's traditional equipment.

What would be the inner consequences of such a long-term, illegal, chemistry experiment?  Can the rest of his aura go unscathed?  Let's compare him, chakra by chakra, the original Barry Bonds and the one who looks more like The Hulk. 

Root Chakra: Physical Body Databank

Barry Bonds without steroids: Powerful, agile, brimming with physical intelligence, joyful.

Barry Bonds with steroids: Incredibly strong, soul awareness detached from body, strangely lumpy--layered with something not human.

Root Chakra: Self-Presentation, First Impressions databank

Without steroids: Clean-cut, ambitious, brimming with physical charisma

With steroids: Fortress-like presence, often sullen, prone to moments of intense rage

Solar Plexus Chakra: Power Style when Playing Baseball Databank

Without steroids: Strong spiritual connection, feels invincible, joyful

With steroids: A powerful machine, like a tank, is driven by a highly ambitious mind that knows he will win (Yes, KNOWING you will win is one step beyond feeling invincible)

Solar Plexus Chakra: Power Style in Personal Life databank

Without steroids: A very human, age-appropriate power style shows here. Bonds is learning to find his own power in life. Sometimes he feels confused, and he's not nearly as confident in his human relationships as he is in his world server role as a great ballplayer.

With steroids: Either he's going to dominate a personal relationship or he's not interested in having it. He feels to himself like a real-life superhero only, unlike the comic book characters like Superman, there no longer is any mild-mannered personal identity within like that of Clark Kent.

Heart Chakra: Personal Relationships databank

Without steroids: He experiences the full range of human emotions, including (at the time of this photo) some heartbreak. What's special is the degree of joy he feels when playing ball. It's that "Thrill Your Soul" feeling of doing something very conducive to spiritual evolution.

With steroids: Emotionally, Bonds has become muscle-bound and much less flexible. His default emotion is anger. At this level, he has paid a terrible price for his drug use.

Throat Chakra: DATABANK about Telling the Truth

Without steroids: No major problems show up. Bonds isn't especially articulate; he'd rather show physically than express verbally.  Still, he's a "what you see is what you get kind of guy." The one interesting exception is that he hides his enormously intense ambition.

With steroids: He's not a liar so much as a deeply hidden man, with a fortress-like capacity to avoid answering questions. Most people have one communication style for personal relationships, another for the public self. For Bonds at this time, the personal self has been largely over-ridden by his public self. Intimate communication of any sort, related to truth or not, doesn't exist.

Third Eye Chakra: Databank for Spiritual Integrity

Without steroids: Deliciously connected to his Higher Power, Bonds has an unpretentious and beautiful spiritual life. Integrity is squeaky clean.

With steroids: Bonds doesn't pretend to spiritual superiority. In this respect, he's way purer than many political leaders we could mention.) Unfortunately, he's cut off from his spiritual connection. The first thing I noticed was this major thought form, "I know I'm going to Hell. I don't care. I made my choice and I'll stick by it."

Later in this issue, we'll return to baseball and read the auras of two other sluggers: Mark McGuire and the incomparable Hank Aaron. 

You've probably been hearing the big post-modern joke for years.  I have.  But last Saturday I encountered it in a new version entirely.

This was my first Saturday night without jet lag, returning from Tokyo.  The scene was Potomac, Maryland -- metro Washington's premier neighborhood for ostentatious wealth.  A party was staged for which, glad to say, my face readings were to be part of the requisite glitter.

With my very first festive face reading, the post-modern joke began.  Here's sample dialogue between me and "Fritzi," the preternaturally gorgeous party guest:

Rose: Let's talk about your eyebrows. You have starter eyebrows.

Fritzi: Ooh, I'd better go back to the cosmetic surgeon (laughter).

Rose: Next, about your ear angles. Did you ever notice....

Fritzi: Did you hear that everyone? Something is wrong with my ears. Back to the cosmetic surgeon for me (more laughter).

Other ladies in the room laughed at this, of course.  Have all of them had work done?  It's a safe bet.

I didn't join in the laughter.  Since when was it required that people trade in their perfectly good, soulful faces just to look more and more indistinguishable from each other?

If you know anything at all about the 5,000-year-old art of reading faces for character, you know that it gives people a real second opinion about vanity surgery.  My system of physiognomy is based on the premise that "God doesn't make junk."  Everything about a face is perfect, reflecting the soul, in depth and detail.

Yet most Americans, including the very sweet guests at this party, never had heard of physiognomy.  Ironically, I doubt that any vanity procedure, however obscure, had escaped their notice.  Throughout the evening, tinkling like amusing little glass chimes, comes the oft-repeated post-modern joke about any distinctive face data requiring "improvement" right away, courtesy of some vanity surgeon.

Still, I gamely continue to read guests' faces, sharing my glee at the talented people within.  One person after another sits in a big throne-like chair, cushy with red velvet, while I describe a couple of talents encoded in a cheek or nostril or some other part of the face.

About four hours into the party, onto that red chair comes a woman straight from science fiction.  "Heidi" is the first person I've ever met in the flesh with dysmorphic personality disorder, an obsession for physical perfection most famously exemplified by Michael Jackson.  Heidi is stick thin, gorgeously garbed... and when I look into her face, I am shocked speechless.

Now, as a professional face reader, I'm used to disregarding vanity surgery while I work.  Usually I can find plenty of face data from the original model. If necessary, the fake face parts can be read too, because surgery changes a person inside in ways that can be reported.

Usually people evolve from the opposite direction, from the inside out; each soul-level change will out-picture into physical changes.  (You may know that I spent 9 1/2 years documenting this myth-busting principle in my book  Wrinkles Are God's Makeup.)  When someone buys a new nose or chin, it has consequences internally.  Although not terribly pretty, this face data still can be read by a physiognomist.

Vanity surgery isn't all bad; certainly, I wouldn't categorically advise against it.  Still, deconstructing the meaning of surgically perfected face parts, ouch!  It's the only kind of face reading I'm ever invited to do that makes me squirm.  Not inspiring, nor is it, even, particularly interesting -- you just find a polite way to say that every facial change has rendered its owner more mediocre.

Heidi's face is different, however.  It is, by now, almost entirely fake.  She looks plastic.  Actually, she looks deformed in a way that a piece of honest plastic never could.  One of Heidi's nose jobs has gone terribly awry.   Even worse, it feels as though each of the surgeries had excised part of her soul.  As I scan her face, searching for the least tinkered-with part, I felt as though I've landed in some post-modern horror movie, like "The Night of the Living Dead."

Eventually I settle on Heidi's curvy eyebrows and barely up-angled eyes.  I say whatever could be most helpful to her.  The words fell flat.  Maybe Heidi can feel my revulsion.  Maybe there just isn't much of a person home to receive any words of encouragement.  Talking to her, it feels like I'm speaking to the last remaining five percent of her soul.

Afterwards, I think about vanity surgery in a new way.  Perhaps each operation dislocates or numbs a bit of our soul experience.  Women like Fritzi can make their post-modern joke.  But this spiritual prank, or joke, is on them.

Face Reading gives the best alternative I know to counter today's unprecedented pressure to buy new face parts.  Every time we discuss the idea that faces have inner meaning, we help a person to think in a more soulful way.  Initiate those conversations, please.  Be bold.  Consider it volunteer work. I dub thee an Ambassador for the Soul!

Will you be taking a vacation this month? 

One form of recreation can always give you that special holiday feeling: Reading People Deeper.  The Skilled Empath Awareness forum run by Lisa Paradis (found at The Portal to Deeper Perception) has now reached 200 members, and readership is growing all around that Portal (which has quickly become one of the top 3 pages at my website).  Remember, you can contribute to any of the blogs and forums about using Deeper Perception in everyday life.  Merely lurk if you wish but you can also share your thoughts with a growing community of people like yourself.

Here are three other ways to enjoy deeper perception:

1. The Spirit of Holiday

With all the bad political news in the world, what a relief to read Let Today Be a Holiday!  At Women's Intuition Worldwide, we're getting enthusiastic feedback about our new daybook, with its easy-to-use methods for reading auras from regular photos, cleaning up your home energetically, and more than 450 other techniques. Minutes a day to change the whole rest of your day -- not bad.

2. Make Deeper Perception Practical

Another great summer project is Aura Reading Through All Your Senses.  Can you become a really good aura reader before this summer is over?  Of course.

And this book makes the skill practical, with more than 100 techniques you won't find elsewhere.  The short chapters are ideally suited for people on the go.

This week, we learned that Random House Germany will publish the paperback edition this month.  Will my first bestseller (in hardcover and in German) go bestseller again?  Rooting for this, I'm practicing my German accent... "die Aura erkennen-mit allen Sinnen."

3. Read Faces Like Never Before

Did you know that I offer a personal Mentoring Program for Face Readers?

Some of my long-term students will graduate soon.  Consider taking this flexible program if you'd like to become a professional face reader... or keep your professional-level skills as your little secret.  Click here to learn more.

As long as we're checking out auras of ball players, let's explore the aura of another winner/victim of the steroid era.  Mark McGwire set his records before the scandal began. He claimed that the substance he rubbed on his body was perfectly legal, and the public believed him. What do we find with his before-and-after photos?

Finally, let's inhale a breath of fresh air.  We'll read the same set of chakra databanks on Hank Aaron, who won his prestige the old-fashioned way, by earning it.  He set his batting record in 1976, long before the blight of steroid use.

Root Chakra: Physical Body Databank

Mark McGwire au naturel:  More agile than strong, loves playing baseball.  Has an exceptional sense of humor.  Doesn't take himself terribly seriously.

Mark McGwire with a chemical assist:   Rock-heavy, he's more like an elephant than a human.  Flexibility has been the loser in his nervous system.

Hank Aaron:  Physically powerful, he's soulful and zesty, a great lover of life.

Root Chakra: Self-Presentation, First Impression Databank

Mark McGwire au naturel:  Projects an image of being handsome.  A rather shy person hides behind a huge façade.  He's very hard to get to know.

Mark McGwire with a chemical assist:  The man is now a near impregnable fortress.  Not only is he hard to get to know, it doesn't feel as though much of his soul is active any more.

Hank Aaron:  Hank appears very differently when not on the playing field.  Very aware that people may not appreciate him, he carries an enormous amount of scar tissue.  It's a matter of historical record that the great ballplayer encountered enormous racial prejudice.  This photo of his aura records how he handled it, with forbearance, private pain, magnificent soul-level learning, and great public dignity.

Solar Plexus Chakra: Power Style when Playing Baseball Databank

Mark McGwire au naturel:  He feels powerful, not invincible but hard working and strong.  Here's what I find really moving about the man's aura at this databank: At the time of this photo, he's living a dream.  It's as though he has spent years constructing a Field of Dreams from his deepest ideals, and now he's actually living in it.

Mark McGwire with a chemical assist:  Wary and cerebral, he's using his mind as much as his body.  Mark's confidence is way smaller than before.

Hank Aaron:  Intensely competitive, Hank shows finely tuned coordination.  When playing, he'll split a second, find the perfect nuance of coordination to choose, give his all in the moment.  You'll look far and wide before finding someone more shrewd at using his physical power.

Solar Plexus Chakra: Power Style in Personal Life Databank

Mark McGwire au naturel:  At the time of this photo, he's struggling with some mood swings.  It takes a lot of adjustment, dealing with a rookie's newfound fame and the pressures of big-time sports.

Mark McGwire with a chemical assist:  He's confident here, even a little smug.  Worse, he has become hard to get to know, even for people who used to know him well.  Secretiveness isn't the problem so much as his losing track of the person who used to live inside his skin.

Hank Aaron:  Man, is he tough.  He won't let anyone put him down.  He's not defensive with everyone, just exceptionally quick to recognize (and respond to) any disrespect.

Heart Chakra: Personal Relationships Databank

Mark McGwire au naturel:  A warm-hearted guy, he cares deeply about his close personal relationships.  The kindness and genuineness are not typical for a famous person in any profession.  Still, not to be unnecessarily cynical, at this point in his career he is still a rookie!

Mark McGwire with a chemical assist:  Very cold compared to his former self, Mark has become a focused individual without much emotional connection to life.

Hank Aaron:  Hank is very warm, altogether surprisingly normal for a public figure.  I do notice a very big test for people to pass before the famous ballplayer will consider someone a friend, rather than a stranger.

Throat Chakra: Databank about Telling the Truth

Mark McGwire au naturel:  In his personal life, he does mostly tell the truth.  That sense of humor we've seen at the root chakra expresses here, adding greatly to his charm. Yet in public life, McGwire is hiding, and this capacity to avoid scrutiny by others is troublesome. If he came to me for a session at this time in his life, I'd urge him to stop lurking in his own persona and, instead, risk letting strangers see him as he really is.

Mark McGwire with a chemical assist:  In his personal life, he'll tell the truth, provided nobody asks about his secrets.  In public, anger is his default position.  Truth has been compromised many times over, with righteous anger now Mark's justification for saying whatever he wants.

Hank Aaron:  Is there any other way to talk than to tell the truth?  Not for Aaron.  He will, however, give a more gruff version in public than when he's with his near ones and dear ones.

Third Eye Chakra: Spiritual Integrity Databank

Mark McGwire au naturel:  Connection to God doesn't seem to be terribly important to him at this stage in his life.  There's some routine religious observance, yet mostly he's disinterested -- not unusual for a young person whose life in the world works really well for him.  Yet despite the conscious indifference, McGwire shows a strong connection to his spiritual Source.

Mark McGwire with a chemical assist:  God is always connected to a person.  But can Mark feel it at the time of this photo?  Not much!  Instead Mark's deepest conscious resource is himself... and his body and reputation.  They're going it alone against the world.

Hank Aaron:  The connection to God is sweet.  And it's here, for the first time with any of these superstar baseball heroes, that I find the truly elusive choice.  It's available to anyone, regardless of your batting average.  That choice is gratitude.

What a laugh!  My first article in The Washington Post in a decade, and I'm not even in town to read it.  Not that I'm complaining -- a half-page story is rare these days, unless you're some kind of celebrity.

In case you missed the links to the article on my home page, here they are: 

Online at WashingtonPost.com (may require registering for access)

Most of my media interviews these last months have been about celebrities.

Interviews 704-706 were aura profiles of Kevin Kline, Amy Adams and Lucy Liu for the Chicago Sun-Times. (Who knew so many people had alliterative names?  Surely not Rose Rosetree.) 

Email if you'd like to receive an online copy of any of these features. Put the celebrity's name in the subject line, please.

Two additional print articles actually contained my byline. Both were in the May issue of Mystic Pop Magazine.  Again, clips are available.  For these, send me a stamped, self-addressed envelope plus a note about what you're requesting.  I'll send you my face reading article plus a print version of a how-to that first appeared in this zine, about upgrading your team of guardian angels.

There's a certain humor to Rose's globe-trotting adventures with deeper perception.  You'll find it in the two articles here: