Face Reading in Chinese Medicine, 2e

438 Pages·2012·8.08 MB·English

by  Lillian Bridges

Face Reading in Chinese Medicine
Second Edition
Lillian Bridges
President, Lotus Institute, Inc., Issaquah, Washington, USA
Churchill Livingstone
Table of Contents
Title page
Copyright
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: The Changing Face
Chapter 1: Introduction
The Face You Were Born With
The Face You Create
Chapter 2: The Original Face
Signs of Jing
Making Qi to Buffer and Preserve Jing
Blockages on the River of Life
Chapter 3: The Facial Maps
The Topographical Map
The Age Positions
Reversal of Patterns
The Emotional Map
Part II: The Five Elements of the Face
Chapter 4: Introduction
The Water Element
The Wood Element
The Fire Element
The Earth Element
The Metal Element
Five-Element Profiling
Chapter 5: The Facial Mosaic
The Three Zones
Face Shapes
Chapter 6: The Water Features and Traits
Ears
The Hairline
Upper Forehead
Under-Eye Area
Philtrum
The Chin
Chapter 7: The Wood Features and Traits
Eyebrows
Brow Bones
The Seat of the Stamp
Temples
Eye Depth
Sclera of the Eye
Jaw
Chapter 8: The Fire Features and Traits
Eye Size
Eye Shape
Eye Set
Eye Corners
Iris
White-Sided Eyes
Tips and Corners of Other Features
Chapter 9: The Earth Features and Traits
The Mouth and Lips
Upper Lip Area
Bridge of the Nose
Upper Eyelids
Lower Cheeks
Warehouses
Chapter 10: The Metal Features and Traits
Noses
Cheekbones and Upper Cheeks
The Spaces on the Face
Colon
Skin
Part III: The Universal Language of the Face
Chapter 11: Introduction
Chapter 12: Signs from the Shen
Fear
Anger
Joy or Excitement
Worry and Confusion
Grief
Shen Disturbance: Reading Lies, Telling Truth
The Power of Peach Luck
Developing or Enhancing Peach Luck
Chapter 13: Facial Diagnosis
Biological Blueprint of the Body
Kidney System
Liver System
Heart System
Spleen/Stomach System
Lung System
Conclusion: Returning to the Original Face
The Transcendent Emotions
Conducting a Face Reading
Index
Copyright
© 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Lillian Bridges retains the copyright to her original photographs. Janneke
Vermeullen retains copyright to Figures C1a, C1b and I-2.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
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This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under
copyright by the Publisher (other than as may be noted herein).
First edition 2004
Second edition 2012
ISBN 9780702043147
2 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
3 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research
and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods,
professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary.
Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and
knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or
experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be
mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they
have a professional responsibility.
With respect to any drug or pharmaceutical products identified, readers are advised
to check the most current information provided (i) on procedures featured or (ii) by
the manufacturer of each product to be administered, to verify the recommended
dose or formula, the method and duration of administration, and contraindications. It
is the responsibility of practitioners, relying on their own experience and knowledge
of their patients, to make diagnoses, to determine dosages and the best treatment for
each individual patient, and to take all appropriate safety precautions.
To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or
editors, assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a
matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of
any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein.
Printed in China
Acknowledgments
This book took a very long time to write the first time and longer than I expected to
rewrite. There are simply too many people to whom I owe my thanks to fit them all
here individually. So to highlight those most instrumental in getting this book
published:
Thank you first to Janneke Vermeullen for her wonderful photographs. I am so
grateful for the work you put into getting them ready for the manuscript. They
illustrate my teachings wonderfully. Thank you also to Hal Bridges for the photos
from the last edition, some of which are still here and thank you to Photography by
Cheryl for the back cover photo. And, I am grateful to all the people who
volunteered to be photographed to help me illustrate this book.
Special thanks go to Claire Wilson, my Commissioning Editor, who has guided me
on the journey that has culminated in this second edition. You were always there for
my questions and I appreciate your belief in me. To Veronika Watkins and Clive
Hewat, my Editors—thank you for your encouragement and assistance whenever I
needed it. To Beula Christopher, my Project Manager, thank you for your hard work
and guidance, as I toiled over this manuscript and for juggling all of the details of
the publishing process so well. I can’t forget Inta Ozals, my first Commissioning
Editor who took a chance on buying this book in the first place or Kellie White, my
first Publishing Manager, for all the help in getting the first edition published. To all
of the staff at Elsevier who worked on this book, thanks for all of your hard work
getting this version of my book created.
I want to thank all of my wonderful students who have been following me faithfully
over the years—many of whom are now excellent face readers themselves. I am
proud that you have taken my family’s teachings to use your way to help others. I
have always loved your hardest questions as they have challenged me to give my
best. My life has been influenced for the better because of you. Thank you also to all
of my private clients. I appreciate your trust in me and I feel privileged that you
chose me to help you. To all the universities, colleges, businesses, conferences and
symposiums—thank you for hiring me so I was able to bring my work out into the
world.
To all my close friends around the world—you know who you are—thank you for
believing in me, guiding me, being there for me in all the dark times and instigating
a lot of fun times too. You are all amazing and wonderful people!
I have been blessed by having some extraordinary people as relatives. My greatest
debt goes to my grandmother, Mary Chen Lowe, my first and best teacher of face
reading and ancient Chinese wisdom. I can never thank her enough. My father,
Harold Rubright, had a dream of retiring so that he could write, but sadly never got
the chance. He gave me the love of reading, learning, and writing and was my first
teacher of psychology, medicine, and spirituality. I wish he were here to see how he
inspired me. My beautiful and spirited mother, Lea, has always been an amazing
catalyst for creativity and a champion for living your dreams. I could not have gone
on with this project after some of those dark days if she hadn’t said, “I know you
can!” To my aunts and uncles, Pearl, Phillip, Ben, Alex, and Lily, thank you too. You
never tired of my questions. To my sister Leslie Daff, thank you for your love and
understanding—I’m so happy that you are my sister. Thanks for my wonderful niece
and nephew, Katie and Chuck Daff, too. To my sister Lory Rubright, who is no
longer with us—I miss you.
To my sons, Stephen and Alex Lesefko, thank you for all of your support and
encouragement. You are both proof that miracles happen and you have been the
greatest gifts of my life. This book is a gift for you from our ancestral heritage.
Introduction
Face reading has a venerated and well-documented history in China that dates back
thousands of years. It was originally part of ancient Taoist alchemical practices that
involved understanding and returning to “the Original Face,” best described as an
individual’s true nature, and involves Jing, the inherited constitution or essence.
When Jing is overused, it can lead to illness and when severely depleted can cause
death. Due to the Taoist’s desire to extend the normal lifespan and achieve
immortality, Chinese Medicine evolved and face reading was one of techniques used
to diagnose deficiencies in Jing, to evaluate the flow of Qi or life force energy and to
assess the emanation of Shen or spirit. Together Jing, Qi and Shen formed the
important trilogy essential for longevity that must be guarded and protected. They
were called the “Three Treasures.”
Face reading was also one of the techniques Chinese doctors and healers used to
avoid having to palpate the body. Perhaps you have seen the ivory statues of
reclining Chinese women? These statues were once used by female patients; they
would point out where their pain was on the statue because it was considered
unseemly for the doctor to touch the female patient except on the extremities of the
body. Instead, other techniques like face reading, pulse, tongue and smell were used
to determine the appropriate herbal treatments. It turns out that not only was facial
diagnosis part of early Chinese Medicine, there is some evidence that it may have
been one of the most important diagnostic tools, as the earliest discovered facial
maps were combined with the facial meridians and acupuncture points. Other classic
texts such as the Yellow Emperor’s Classic contains numerous references to facial
signs as diagnostic indicators and the Chinese word “Xiang…is the term used for the
practice of physiognomy, which is the observation of external appearance in order to
identify an individual’s true nature and destiny”1 according to Elizabeth Rochat de
Valle. Another clue is that the earliest word for color in Chinese actually meant
color in the face, which is a reference to diagnosing from these colors. The face
contains so many clues about health, starting with what you came in with
genetically.
Jing can also be described as inherited potential or DNA that manifests physically
and contributes to the creation of the body and the attributes of stamina and strength.
Preserving Jing is essential for a long lifespan. Qi is the energy that people live on
daily and it can be manufactured to buffer the use of Jing. Shen is the manifestation
of the Spirit and is seen as the light of the eyes and the glow from the skin. These
three treasures can all be seen from myriad signs on the face: the quantity of Jing
from the Jing markers; the usage of Jing from the facial map; the kind of Qi that
needs to be made from the Qi markers; the amount of usable Qi accessible for organ