The five elements
The Taoist Five
Elements, Wood
( m), Fire (
hu), Earth( t)
, Metal ( jn),
and Water ( shu
) are metaphors
devised by the
ancient Taoist
philosophers to
explain the
relationship,
interaction, and
ongoing change of
everything in the
Universe.
Five Element Theory is utilized in Chinese Medicine and stems from ancient Chinese
philosophy. The five elements are symbolic for different phases, or primal forces
within the universe, nature, and our bodies. Each element is also attributed to a
certain personality archetype. Knowing which element(s) predominates our
personalities can help further insight into our lives and relationships.
Five Element Personality Questionairy >>
With only a rudimentary knowledge of the constructive/destructive 5 phase cycles,
you can be creative in finding personalized cures by weakening that which is too
strong and strengthening that which is too weak.
The constructive cycles of nature:
Water creates/becomes Wood
Wood creates/becomes Fire
Fire creates/becomes Earth
Earth creates/becomes Metal
Metal creates/becomes Water
The destructive cycles of nature:
Water controls/destroys Fire
Fire controls/destroys Metal
Metal controls/destroys Wood
Wood controls/destroys Earth
Earth controls/destroys Water
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How to use Mien Shiang
.
The age-old
Taoist
practice of
Mien
Shiang is
an art and a
science that
means
literally
face (mien)
reading
(shiang). It
is an
accurate
means of
self-
discovery,
and a great
way to help us understand others. As the ancient Taoists said, the face records the
past, reflects the present, and forecasts the future.
What we look for when we read a face are the characteristics associated with the sizes
and shapes and positions of each facial feature, as well as the lines, shadings and
marking that appear on the face. Simply by looking at someones face, we can
determine his or her character, personality, health, wealth potential, social standing,
and longevity.
The basic Chinese face reading is broken down into 12 categories, each feature as
important as the other, which can tell a practitioner of this art what your past has been
and can supposedly forecast what your future has in stall for you they are:
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1. Fortune House (Fude
Gong)
It gives an overview of
your general fortune
trend. An ideal Fortune
House should be round,
full and smooth with no
visible marks, lines or
scars. Flaws in these areas
reflect problems in your
life, which can be in the
form of bad health,
distressful relationships or
money troubles.
2. Parents House (Fumu Gong)
It is associated with Heaven Luck; in this regard its state is quite a testimony to the
situation that your parents were in and your relationship with them. A forehead that is
wide, round and shinning speaks of a good family inheritance, a comfortable
upbringing and early achievement, while a small, bony or disfigured one illustrates an
uneasy childhood.
3. Career House (Guanlu Gong)
Again, being broad, round and smooth is the basic criteria to identify a good Career
House. If on the top of that, you also have prominent cheekbones and protruding
eyebrows, you shall have a great chance to achieve a great success in your chosen
field.
4. House of Travel (Qianyi Gong)
If it is in any way disfigured with scars or deep lines, you might be better off saying
put. Furthermore, jobs or businesses involving transportation, tourism or
import/export are, understandably, not your best choice.
5. Life House (Ming Gong)
The key to your fortune is deposited here. Naturally, being smooth and shinny is ideal,
which suggests a trouble-free life journey. If it is receded, dimpled or scared; or there
are permanent horizontal lines between the brows; or eyebrows meet in the middle,
you may face a bumping road ahead.
6. House of Siblings (Xiongdi Gong)
Eyebrows and the areas directly above them represent it, and it also oversees your
relationship with your friends and colleagues. The state of your hair has a direct
connection to the physical conditions of your parents at the time when you were
conceived, which means it has a lot to do with your genetic make-ups. Brows that are
dark, thick, long, smooth, orderly and located high above eyes indicate a healthy
hormone level that gives rise to affection, calmness and courage. If they look sparse,
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thin, pale, short, or chaotic, or too close to eyes, or marked with a scar, you could be
tormented by your own physical or emotional states.
7. Assets House (Tianzhai Gong)
Your eyes betray your intelligence and temperament, and the very quality of these
dispositions plays important role in your asset acquisition endeavor. Good Asset
Houses are constituted with eyes that are long with large pupils and clear whites, and
up-eyelids that are broad and full. Deep-set or dazed eyes disclose dumbness, while
recessed or narrow eyelids exhibit impatience. If the whites are colored with red
streaks, and worse, if the streaks pass through a pupil, you should brave yourself for a
severe storm when your financial aspect is concerned.
8. House of Marriage (Qiqie Gong)
Being full and smooth in appearance indicates a happy marriage. A receded House
however rings alarm bell on extra marital affairs. If the area bears visible spots, scars,
black moles or messy lines, your marriage could be in serious trouble due to some
unscrupulous conduct.
9. House of Children (Ernu Gong)
This area is closely related to cerebellum and also governs your love and sex life, so
again, being full and round is better than being flat or receded. Dim moles or slant
lines across the area are especially undesirable, suggesting some problems regarding
your own sex life or your childrens future development.
10. Health House (Jie Going)
If the House is broken or marked with horizontal lines, or if it is stained with spots,
marks or discoloration, you shall pay extra attention to your health, especially your
digester system.
11. Wealth House (Caibo Gong)
A nose that has high and straight bridge, big and round tip, full and fleshy wings, and
invisible nostrils, not only indicates sound physical health, a positive mental attitude,
also denotes success in career and abundance in wealth. On the other hand, a nose that
is low, or crooked, pointed, or narrow, bony, or with contoured bridge, upturned tip,
visible nostrils, reveal a problematic personality, a troublesome financial situation or a
difficult career path. If blood vassals are clearly visible, or a dim blue color tones the
surface, an illness or a money loss is on the way. When a nose turns bloody red, which
is dubbed Fire in Lounge in Chinese physiognomy, it should be viewed as a serious
warning sign an impending disaster is near.
12. Popularity House (Nupu Going)
This House rules your relationship with your colleagues, subordinates or younger
generations, and foretells your situation in your old age. When they are round and
full, you can expect to enjoy your popularity among your followers. But if it sharps
off, or appears crooked or bony, you probably should forget your dream about being a
politician. And whats more, youd better prepare for self-support during old age.
Marks, spots, scars on, and even shapes of your face can change over time, meaning
your fate can alter through the years. You can utilize your Man Power (your attitudes
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good deeds, better learning and hard work) and the Earth Power (your environment
favorable Feng Shui) to neutralize the Heaven Power (your time of birth what you
have inherited from your parents and your previous lives). Ultimately, you are the real
creator of your own fate. When you change your heart, you change your face; when
you change your face, you change your fate.
Our Faces Accurately Record Our Chronological Passages Of Life
Certain facial traits are inherited from our parents and our ancestors, while others are
acquired. These acquired lines, shadings and shapes should be celebrated as proof
that we have learned our life lessons. If we dont do our lifes work at the proper
times, we can suffer emotionally, physically, and spiritually. So, its good to see those
markings of passage appear on our faces. People dont value wisdom if they dont
value aging.
The Face Is a Puzzle With Perfect Pieces
Every part of the face reveals something significant. There are five to ten unique face
shapes, the two sides of the face, the three primary zones, and the twelve principal
features.
Each of the
12 principal
facial
features, the
ears
hairline
forehead
brow bones
eyebrows
eyes
cheeks
nose
lips and
mouth
chin
jaw
tells
something
specific
about the
person.
Learning to read the face shapes, the two different sides, the significance of the
dominant zone, and all of the features together, is an intricate art.
Heres Looking At You
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Mien Shiang is not about reading facial expressions. Many people have good poker
faces; they are experts at covering up their feelings by controlling their expressions. A
good bluffer can easily change a look or a movement to fool others. But shapes,
positions, lines, shadows, and other facial markings tell the truth. They are foolproof
signs, if you know how to read them.
Because Mien Shiang is such a vast, extensive study that can take years to learn for
example, we could easily analyze 30 different types of eyebrows or 47 types of
mouths lets start off with the bigger picture.
The Two Sides of the Face:
the left
side
represents
the true,
inner,
private self.
the right
side
represents
the outer,
public self.
Suppose
you meet someone who has a great smile, but you notice that the right side of their
mouth goes up. That is probably someone who is putting on a good face chances
are they dont feel, inside, as happy as they look, on the outside. See? Already, you
can read a face!
Who Uses Mien Shiang?
We all use Mien Shiang, all the time.
For instance . . .
. . . when you changed seats because the well-groomed man next to you had narrow,
mean eyes,
. . . when you chose the employer with the easy smile over the other who had a tight,
thin mouth,
. . . when you advised a friend to see a doctor because you noticed unusually dark
circles under his eyes,
. . . when you hired the lesser experienced person for the job because he had the more
trusting face,
. . . you were reading faces. You were practicing Mien Shian.
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We all have instinctive responses and reactions to people, but Mien Shiang is more
than a gut level reaction. Mien Shiang recognizes that every facial shape, size, feature
and position has a significant meaning. Each line, shading and marking reveals a little
bit more to the whole face reading.
In Part I of this series, we established that the facial features each have distinct
characteristics regarding character, personality, health, longevity, wealth, and social
status.
Let us first define
each of the 12 major
features general
characteristics:
ears risk taking
ability, longevity
hairline
socialization
forehead
parents influence
brow bones
control
eyebrows
passion, temper,
pride
eyes receptivity
cheekbones
authority
nose ego, power,
leadership, wealth
lips and mouth
personality, sexuality
chin character, will
jaw determination
Now look in the mirror and see how much risk-taking ability you have.
The bigger your ears, the bigger your risks; the smaller your ears, the more cautious
you probably are.
Are your eyebrows dark and thick?
If so, it is quite feasible that you have a lot of passion and anger.
What about your eyes?
The more open your eyes, the more open your heart.
Do you have high, prominent cheekbones?
If you do, you are likely to be authoritative. (Some might even call you bossy!)
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What if your left eyebrow is thicker than the other?
Remembering that the right side of the face represents the outer, public self and the
left side represents the inner, private self, you can see plainly that your face reveals
that you are apt to feel more anger (inside) than you show (on the outside).
Take a closer look at your ears. Are they the same size? The same shape? Even
the same height?
Its not unusual for our matching features to be different, though most of us do not
notice such differences, on ourselves or on others, unless we are looking for them. If,
indeed, your right ear is bigger, or more prominent in shape or position, it means that
you appear to take more risks than you actually do take.
Interestingly, if our right side features are so much more distinct, or prominent, than
the left features, we will sometimes act out a certain behavior even though it may go
against our inner nature. For instance, some people who have a more prominent right
ear find that they take more risks than they actually feel comfortable taking.
Keep looking in the mirror. See if you can establish how much character and will you
have, how determined you are, how much ego you have, and how outgoing you are.
Do your features match your feelings? Do you think others see you as you really are?
The Marks of Wisdom and What They Mean
.
As we age
our face
changes.
We get
wrinkles
and lines,
dark spots
and
shadings.
And though
we tend to
resent
them, these
signs of
experience
are good
because
they are
recording
our
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chronological passages of life. They are visual proof that we have been feeling the
emotions of our experiences, struggling through our difficult times and learning the
lessons of life. We can celebrate them as marks of wisdom that come with age.
Most markings appear on an area of the face that represents the age that the emotional
experience first occurred.
The Face Represents a Chronological Map of Experiences:
left ear rim conception to early childhood
right ear rim mid childhood to adolescence
hairline to eyebrows adolescence through the 20s
eyebrow area early 30s
eye area mid to late 30s
nose 40s
mouth area 50s
chin 60s
jaw 70s and beyond
Facial lines and markings generally appear first on the forehead and work their way
down to the bottom of the chin over the years. Take a close look at your own face, at
your parents, your childrens, siblings, friends and co-workers faces and see if their
marks of passage correspond with their ages.
Using Mien Shiang we read the face by interpreting the appearance of the lines and
marks. We look for placement, size, shape, depth, color and shading of each line and
marking. Lines between the eyes usually appear in the early to mid 30s and are
frequently the first lines we notice on our own faces as well as on others. In Mien
Shiang we call this area the Seat of the Stamp, or Yin Tong, and issues with father or
the dominant parental figure are marked here.
Yin Tong Markings
a single, vertical line can mean that one has difficulty getting or staying
appropriately angry.
a single, but stronger and deeper, vertical line indicates estrangement from father
2 vertical lines means one tends to anger easily
3 or more vertical lines suggest the ability to stand up for oneself and use anger
appropriately.
horizontal lines also represent separation from father, or son, or ones own yang
(male) side, as well as women who were never allowed to get angry
a dark mark, or discoloration, indicates that one is backing off from their power.
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The mouth is another area we tend to notice.
Though the predominant lines and markings generally appear in ones 50s, they often
occur as early as ones 20s. Pursing the lips creates lots of tiny lines cutting into the
lips, both top and bottom. Those lines show all the hurts that have been held on to,
that have never been forgotten. They belong to the person who has done all the right
things but hasnt been rewarded for her goodness.
There are so many, many more lines that appear on the face that reveal our
experiences or tendencies. Like the Grief Line than runs down the center or the cheek,
or the Fa Ling Lines that show whether or not we are on our Golden Path. The telling
lines around the eyes that warn us of an inclination for unfaithfulness, or reveal the
pain of unshed tears. As you notice the lines and markings on your own face, as well
as on others, remember . . .
the right side of the face presents the outer, public self, and that it represents the
mothers influence
the left side of the face presents the inner, private self, and that it represents the
fathers influence.
And remember the significant characteristic and trait that belong to each facial
feature. Now look in the mirror and combine what Mien Shian has taught you, so far,
about each side of the face, each of the 12 major facial features, and the different lines
and markings and their placements. Does Mien Shian help piece together the puzzle
of who you really are?
Health Potential
The Basics of Chinese Medicine
The earliest book on Chinese medical theory, The Yellow Emperors Inner Classic,
otherwise known as Nei Jing, by Kwang-Ti, dates back to around 2500 B.C. This
book describes how the Chinese view symptoms in relation to the whole body, not as
isolated problems to be dealt with on an individual basis.
Western medicine starts with a symptom, then it searches for a cause, then it
determines a specific disease. But Chinese medicine looks for the disharmony of
natural body energy and does not seek a specific disease. The Chinese method is,
therefore, holistic, based on the idea that no single part can be understood except in
relation to the whole.
The essential ideas of Chinese medicine are simple. They form a basis of discussion
of whats going on in the body. They define the basic landscape of the body as:
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Chi: Also known as Qi this is our basic life force and energy, which is formed from
maternal energy in the prenatal state then replenished by food and breath. It directs
and determines the bodys energy state, and it is predominantly either Yin (passive) or
Yang (active) in nature. It flows through the entire body via the meridian network.
Blood: A liquid, Yin in nature that nourishes and maintains the body parts.
Jing: Translated as essence of the body. Supportive and nutritive, it is the basis of
reproduction, growth, ripening and withering. Ongoing development through life
corresponds to changes in the bodys Jing.
Shen: Best translated as Spirit, an elusive concept in the medical tradition. Human
personality and consciousness indicate the presence of Shen, which is the capacity to
form ideas and the desire to live life. Shen is Yang in nature.
Fluids: These are bodily liquids other than blood and include sweat, urine, gastric
juices and saliva. Their function is to moisten and lubricate the hair, skin, membranes,
orifices, muscles, organs and flesh.
Balancing the Meridians
So far, weve learned that Chinese analysis looks at the person as an entire being, not
separate as in Western medicine. In Chinese medicine, practitioners treat the cause of
a problem, whereas those in Western medicine treat the symptoms. Two elements are
incorporated into Chinese diagnosis: the constitution of the person this being the
current condition, which varies each day, month and year and balance. The body
needs balance; we do not want to be ecstatically energetic or tired, happy or
depressed. If we are in perfect balance, then we are in perfect health.
Chinese Facial Skin Analysis
.
In traditional
Chinese
medicine, the
face is an
indicator of
health or
disease. By
studying skin
conditions and
changes, we can
determine inner
imbalances and
stressed areas of
the body.
Because each
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area of the face is said to relate to an internal body area, disharmony in that internal
area will, in turn, lead to a change in the complexion, texture or moisture of the
corresponding facial area. In general, red, pustular breakouts are indicative of Yang-
type energy, and oily, comedone-prone breakouts are indicative of Yin-type energy.
Lines indicate a long-term imbalance or stress, while breakouts indicate a more short-
term imbalance or stress.
The following information is not intended for medical diagnosis, but merely to
illustrate the Chinese approach to facial diagnosis. This information is to be used by
the professional skin therapist to provide answers and understanding as to why certain
skin problems can manifest on the skin if all Western causes have been considered and
provided no help. Do not ever attempt to diagnose a clients health condition.
Forehead: Linked to digestion. The upper forehead is linked to the bladder and the
lower forehead links to the intestines. Check the clients elimination habits, noting any
constipation.
Eyebrows: Linked to the adrenal glands. Coarse hair of the eyebrows indicates
adrenal stress, with thick eyebrows being Yang and thin eyebrows being Yin. The
adrenal glands are our fight or flight response and secrete over 40 hormones and
steroids. Overactive adrenal glands are commonly linked with stress, and lines
stemming from the start of the eyebrow are linked with long-term adrenal stress and
may correlate with tightness in the shoulder area, which is a referred pain area (pain
felt near the site of origin not on it).
Eyes: Linked with the liver. Large eyes, eyes set wide apart, long eyelashes and white
showing underneath the iris of the eye are Yin. Eyes that are small and close together
are Yang. Eyelid allergies are linked with allergies and lung stress.
Between the Eyes: Linked with the liver. Check the client for a history of hepatitis,
jaundice and/or liver stress. A diet that is high in fat, and eating late, may cause this
area to show sensitization or flaking. Deep lines from liver stress may also be visible.
This is commonly known as the wine and dine area.
Under the Eyes: Linked with the kidneys. Eyes may be puffy (Yin) or darker (Yang).
If a client suffers puffiness and fluid retention, she or he needs to improve water
intake. Grittiness under the eyes links with an excess of uric acid, common in Yin
energy types. A pale white appearance of the inner lid indicates Yin energy, while a
red inner lid area indicates Yang energy.
Nose: Linked with the lungs. Naturally large and open nostrils indicate strong lungs.
Smaller or flaring nostrils indicate lung stress, allergies and asthma. A long nose is
more Yin, and a small nose, pointing upward, is more Yang. Numerous comedones
and oiliness over the nose indicate Yin energy, which is prone to colds and bronchitis.
Redness, broken capillaries and puffiness over the nose indicate Yang energy, which is
prone to allergies, respiratory stress and sinus problems (hay fever, sensitivity to
smoke, etc.).
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Cheeks: Linked with the lung area. Broken capillaries across the upper cheeks
indicate a tendency to allergies and sinus congestion. Pustular breakouts in line with
the teeth may indicate sinus or gum inflammation and infection. Comedones and
congestion beneath the surface indicate a Yin condition, while red, inflamed, pustular
breakouts indicate a more Yang condition.
Mouth: Linked with the stomach and large intestine. The upper lip and cracking/dry
lips are Yang and link with stomach/gastric stress. A turned upper lip indicates
stomach acid, indigestion or a nervous stomach (Yang). The lower lip links with the
large intestine, and a pouty, full lower lip links with constipation and poor elimination
(Yin).
Chin: Linked with the reproductive organs. Breakouts in this area are often associated
with the menstrual cycle in women. Micro-comedones are often present at the sides of
the chin and may erupt into papules or pustules at the onset of menstruation.
Skin Therapy and Chinese Medicine
While skin therapists cannot legally treat disease, we can definitely use Chinese
medicine as a way to treat any factors that go along with a disease or health problem.
Knowing the medical problems of a client, combined with your knowledge of the
body through the Chinese eye, can not only make the diagnosis and treatment of skin
conditions that much easier, but your client will appreciate the unusual approach and
understand just how much you view skin care as a matter of health. Take the
opportunity to not only treat your clients skin issues, but restore balance to their
bodies as well.
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