Mapping the Landscape of the Soul of Tears

I came across a quote from Iyanla Vanzant this morning.

Crying purifies and cleanses. I once read about a scientific experiment which demonstrated that there are 38 toxic chemicals in a tear of sadness, while only one toxin exists in a tear of joy. As you cry in sadness, fear, or confusion, you cleanse the body and spirit of toxins which cloud the mind and prevent it from accepting the truth.

I posted this on my FB page five years ago and it came up in my memories today as I wrap up my expedition into joy and the soul's landscape. I actually thought I was done with joy and that today would be a liminal space in this writing as I transition to a week away to write in the mountains and explore The Unthinkable. 

But it seems that joy is not done with me.

When I posted this quotation, it certainly was not for its reference to joy. But that is what captures me today. 

A single toxin appears in tears of joy. I wonder what it is and why it is there. 

What is it that we release when we are so deep in joy that tears spring from our eyes?

The body never does anything unnecessary, and the body never lies.

So what do we release when we are in joy?

Could it be that final bit of difficulty and negativity that might be lurking somewhere deep inside, around the edges of joy? Could it be that joy cannot exist in a state of negativity, but completely clears the space so that the moment of deep joy is pure?

Thinking about this triggers my deep imagination and a desire to reflect more about it. And, perhaps, to do some research to see what I can find.

Because I'm curious. 

So, of course, I popped over to Google, which makes some superficial rudimentary research quick and easy, and I found copious amounts of articles about this topic. Most of the people who are referring to these experiments are speaking about the cleansing quality of tears from difficult emotions. A quick look does not give me easy access to the original findings, just to those who've referenced the experiments in their articles. 

But I did find something else interesting.

A woman who photographed honey bees and showed them under an electron microscope for a book she was writing got curious about tears and began work she called The Topography of Tears. These photographs demonstrate the distinct molecules of different types of tears. Basal tears, which are constantly released to lubricate the cornea. Reflex tears, which spring up in response to irritants like onions, dust, and tear gas. Psychic tears, which are triggered by extreme emotions like sadness and joy. 

In an article in the Smithsonian Magazine, which talks about the microscopic structure of dried human tears, I saw some photographs that look like maps, maps through the landscape of the soul of tears. Stunning and captivating, they have titles like After the Sun Came the Tears, Laughing Tears, Ending and Beginning, Timeless Reunion in an Expanding Field, The Irrefutable, Tears for What Couldn't Be Fixed, and the two that capture me the most, Elation at a Liminal Moment Tears and Tears At the Convergence of Wonders.

Of her work, Rose-Lynn Fisher writes, "Tears are the medium of our most primal language in moments as unrelenting as death, as basic as hunger, and as complex as a rite of passage. It's as though each one of our tears carries a microcosm of the collective human experience, like one drop of an ocean."

I never could find a photograph of tears of joy online. I may have to get the book to find that, but of the photographs I saw, it might be that the quality of joy is hinted at in other experiences, such as elation at liminal moments and convergences of wonder. 

And I can't tell right now if my curiosity has been satisfied or if it opens before me like a chasm, or like a trail through an beckoning landscape. 






The Summer of Self-Love is a daily writing practice created to harness three months for thriving. The goal at the end is to host a dinner party. Sounds like an odd Hero's Quest, doesn't it? Most of them usually are.



To read more about the work of Rose-Lynn Fisher, here is her website.

http://www.rose-lynnfisher.com/tears.html

Photograph: Elation At a Liminal Moment Tears, Rose-Lynn Fisher