Chinese doctors have used the ancient art of face reading since the time of Confucius as an aid to diagnosis and a way of helping their patients. Close observation of the face afforded them a deep knowledge of the personality of their patients.
There were also professional face readers during this time that combined the roles of priest, astrologer and counselor. They were well-educated men with great compassion for human frailty. The Chinese understood the concept that the face represents the energies, health and fortune of a person and they wished to live in harmony with these, and with the prevailing energies of the five elements, yin and yang, and the seasons. This wisdom has seen a huge resurgence in the West during the past 20 years with the growth of acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Feng Shui and Qi Gong.
Chinese face reading is as relevant today as it was in the past and its
use is cross-cultural. We all have a blend of elements and all faces reflect
part of nature pattern. Face reading first appeared in China during the 6th
century BC, possibly as the specialty of magic men not affiliated to any
religion. It is thought that they were probably Taoist shamans from rural areas
such as Szechwan who specialized in non-traditional deviational arts. By 220 BC,
the art of face reading was established in Chinese life and classic treatises,
such as the Golden Scissors and Bamboo Chronicles, were written at this
time.
The Principles of Face Reading:
The starting principles of face
reading are the cosmic energies of the five elements and yin and yang. The
elements are symbols and represent qualities of energy within each person that
are reflected in the face. An elaborate physical, psychological and emotional
profile can be built up, incorporating the energies of the features, the life
points of the face, the three divisions from top to bottom (forehead, mid face
and lower face) which show the nervous, circulatory and digestive systems and
the facial zones which represent the internal organs.
Each face is a map of the past, present and future. The past would be
described as our inherited constitution, our mother’s pregnancy, our childhood
and adolescence, with either difficulties or support in the family, and our
early years as we start out in the world. The present reflects our health at the
time of the reading. This is something we create ourselves. Coco Chanel said:
Inappropriate diet, persistent negative emotions, drugs, toxins and stress all
contribute to lines, congestion, and colors on the face. The facial zones
affected are related to the internal organs under stress. In the same way that
the feet are a microcosm of the whole in Reflexology, so the face shows the
inner health status and the person behind the persona. The future is not
predestined in Chinese philosophy: acts of compassion can lengthen one’s life,
and taking greater care with health can resolve possible future symptoms.
Sometimes destiny and the ups and downs of life can be improved by facial
surgery? Correcting squints helps one’s fortunes during the years 35-40.
However, nose jobs, which expose the nostrils and shorten the nose can affect
the end of the 40s.
Balance and proportion are important in face reading, as in Chinese
paintings. There needs to be harmony between the mountains (the yang element,
represented in the face by the bones) and the rivers, (the yin element which is
the soft tissue). Although a face may be considered beautiful by society, in
face reading terms it may be too yin (upturned nose, large wide mouth, eyes too
far apart, thin eyebrows). Many models have this look. In our language we have
many expressions to describe character traits: pay through the nose, two faced,
keeping one’s nose clean, chinless wonder? We may have forgotten how these came
into a language in the first place, the mouth relates to communication, and the
chin signifies determination, ambition and practicality. So, face reading can be
used to sum up a person’s energies, to get a health read-out, to assess
character, to help gain self knowledge and to plan for good health.
There are numerous ways to read a face in Chinese physiognomy:
3 Quarters, 8 Trigrams, 108 Spots, examining the shapes, the colors, the
wrinkles and the moles, just to name a few. A master of face reader usually
employs the combination of several techniques to gain multiple perspectives and
perform cross-examination.
Following is a brief introduction to the 12 Houses method.
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,
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 children’s 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
what’s more, you’d 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 - 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.