When you gaze into my eyes,
can you hear my soul?

Day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year, hundreds of thousands of people travel from all corners of the globe to the small southeastern European country of Croatia to communicate with a man named Braco, to engage in a unique “conversation,” if you will, that surpasses spoken words, an interaction which has demonstrated itself to be impervious to religious preferences, nationality, race, age, sexual orientation, gender, or any other brand of identifier we could place upon ourselves.  These exchanges do not even discriminate against those who have little or no financial ability…as they are completely free to every single person who wants to attend.

Braco does not speak, he does not make physical contact with anyone, nor does he use any type of nonverbal suggestions.

He simply gazes silently into each and every person’s eyes.

For 5 to 7 minutes, in a room filled with people, the only form of communication taking place is a silent gaze into each other’s eyes, where participants can see themselves reflected back through Braco’s eyes, connecting to something greater than themselves. And while Braco does not claim to be a healer, but rather a flow-through of the positive and beautiful feelings and energy which we all carry within us, thousands profess to have experienced significant transformations in their life after a silent gazing event.

As with many nontraditional forward-thinking concepts, these gazing events have not gone without criticism by skeptics and nonbelievers.  But why are thousands of people flocking to this man, yearning for this experience?  My intention for writing about this phenomenon is not intended to be an advertisement for Braco, but rather he caused me to reflect upon and explore more deeply how we could apply this very same methodology in our own personal relationships right here, right now, without the need to embark on a pilgrimage to Croatia.

The way we choose to communicate in our relationships determines and changes the way we experience our relationships.  We are pretty good at speaking our minds when we have something to say, but how good are we at using our bodies to communicate?  If our body language is not in harmony with our words, is our message being conveyed the way we would like to believe it is?  And when someone is communicating with us, are we “gazing” in their eyes?  Are we leaning in to them?  Are we being a “flow-through” for the energy exchange taking place…or are we resembling something more like a brick wall?

I am sure we can all come up with several instances where the loving glance of a parent reassured us or the pinched brow of a partner conveyed feelings of hurt, without the necessity of words.  So often we drift out of the present moment, excitedly gathering our thoughts about what we want to say next, perched so closely on the edge of telling our story that we even go so far as to actually talk over the sacred expression of another.  How can we receive if we do not create the space of silence for it to be placed within?  How can we truly hear if we are striving so desperately to be heard?

In the most heartfelt and intimate of conversations with our loved ones, we are more apt to settle into a space of intention and commit to being fully present and open and available.  But what prevents us from entering into that space with all of our relationships?  Our co-workers, our parents, our neighbors, our children, each and every person we encounter each and every day?

Perhaps Braco is really on to something here.  Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world seem to think so.  Maybe we as a society are too busy talking, writing, thinking, intellectualizing, planning, analyzing, and strategizing.  Perhaps it is in the stillness of our being and in the reflection of each other’s eyes that we hold the ability to understand each other on a level never before experienced.

And if we are willing to consider that possibility, could it then be possible that the answer to the question that would change life as we know it on our planet — “How is it possible that 6.9 billion people can all claim to want the same thing (peace, security, opportunity, prosperity, happiness and love) and be singularly unable to get it?” — could also be found not within our words, but rather within the sacred and silent gaze of our eyes?

(Lisa McCormack is the Managing Editor & Administrator of The Global Conversation.  She is also a member of the Spiritual Helper team at www.ChangingChange.net, a website offering emotional and spiritual support. To connect with Lisa, please e-mail her at Lisa@TheGlobalConversation.com.)