5
Applying the Knowledge of Temperament beyond the Face
You will recall that the features modify the front-face and the front-face modifies the temperament. These three levels of structure in the face come together in endless possible combinations, making each of us unique. Now that you understand these three levels, we will consider some additional temperament-related aspects, many of which go beyond the face.
Temperament Indications of the Body
We’ve already seen that we can get confirming information from the structures of the face, but there are other physical characteristics that can provide us with additional clues to a person’s temperament, personality, and overall identity, such as palm color, body posture, and voice quality.
Palm Color
Often we notice that people tend to put their best face forward, and we might assume them to be what they appear to be. However, simultaneously, there could be an inner feeling or nature that they might want to hide, and people will often use makeup and even surgery to cover up their natural morphology. So when reading the face, we will also want to look at the color of the palm of the hand to see if the complexion of the palm is the same as or different from the complexion of the face. Since the palm color is hidden from the elements of nature, is not always seen by others, and is rarely, if ever, disguised by makeup, it may be a truer revealer of temperament.
The colors of the palm associated with the different temperaments are as follows: black/Bilious, yellow/Nervous, red/Sanguine, and white/Lymphatic.
The Morphology of Body Postures
While in this book we are primarily concentrating on the face, many of us know that there is something called “body language” that enables practitioners to read the meaning of their clients’ or patients’ body positions, both negative and positive. Chiropractors are trained to assess posture, from the most intuitive impression of a handshake (because of its muscular tone or intensity) to the more subtle implication of the way people walk or the way they hold their body. We notice things like whether the shoulders are slumped or upright or are held forward or in a “green light” posture—always leaning forward trying to get to something quickly.
These postural observations can also be included in the study of morphology. If there is hesitancy in a client’s posture, it tells us that he does not want to face the world. If a client’s head is down, it tells us that it is difficult for her to see where she is going in life. Sometimes there is a deliberate outward thrusting of the chin. This thrusting especially can occur in men who have a weak chin—they intuitively lift their chin outward to make themselves feel stronger.
These body postures are elements of the morphological system. When people understand the inherent inclinations in their body postures and gestures, they can try to compensate for these meanings through their musculature.
The classic reading of the face also includes understanding gestures and evaluating balance. However, if you learn the rules of morphology, you will also come to know what structural, physical changes mean when you observe them.
Voice Associated with Planetary Face Shapes
The voice is considered a secondary sex characteristic and is the portrayal of hormonal functioning. It can also be used in addition to fingerprints, palm prints, and face morphology to identify an individual.
While the timbre of the voice can be categorized and described in the context of the front-face shapes, we should also understand that the tone, intensity, and clarity of the voice have characteristics as well.
For example, one can assess the intensity of the voice. If a person is sick and the health is failing, or if a person has just recovered from illness and/or surgery, you might notice that the voice is thinner, higher, and less resonant. On the other hand, you might have in your life people who have booming voices. Without effort, they sound like they are yelling or shouting, and you might notice that they are excessive in all areas of their lives. Or if a person who normally has a deep, booming voice suddenly has a voice that is higher than usual and not as loud, one might consider that there is an underlying health problem and pay attention to that.
Now let’s consider the voice qualities of the planetary face shapes as shown in the list below.
Evaluation and Supplementation by Temperament
As we start this next topic, we cover many subjects that are basic to the task of reading the morphology such as diagnosing and supplementing by considering the four temperaments and their embryological derivation.
Using Temperament Types to Evaluate Patients by Proclivity
We know now that when we encounter a person with a particular symptom or issue, we should look at their primary embryological derivation.
For instance, although Bilious types, who are derived from the chordoblast layer, are typically healthy overall, they can still have issues with the ligaments, tendons, liver, gallbladder, and, especially in the Saturn front-face type, bones.
Nervous types, derived from the ectoderm layer, can have neurological dysfunctions, are prone toward emotional lability, and have the shortest digestive tract. They are also disposed to a nervous stomach and can have skin disorders.
The Sanguine, whose temperament is derived from the mesoderm layer, can have problems in the cardiovascular system and heart muscle. If they are a Venus Sanguine, we must also concentrate on the reproductive area.
Lymphatic types, because they are derived from the endoderm layer, are prone to endocrine dysfunction and a capacity to overindulge, so we must always consider problems like diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, pancreas disorders, and gallbladder issues.
Here are some examples of where you can see the benefit of face morphology in assessing the organs of the body for each of the temperaments.
Bilious Digestive Distress
A patient who was a Caucasian woman with a Bilious temperament came into the office saying she had had gastric distress for a very long time. She’d been to every single kind of clinic and doctor to be evaluated, but they had brought her no relief. I looked at her and noticed that her skin was mildly jaundiced—or yellow—which is usually the Nervous temperament’s color, not the Bilious’s. This morphological clue led me to further investigate through other natural and noninvasive methods, which caused me to suspect that a particular African parasite might be the cause of her distress. Not wanting to plant this idea in her head, I simply asked her if she had traveled recently. When she said no, I asked if she had any relationship to Africa, and she said, “My husband is African.”
It turned out that she had a condition called bilharziasis, which was caused by a liver fluke that had settled in various organs of her abdomen, primarily in her liver, and was creating sickness. Because she was Caucasian, the other healthcare practitioners were not looking for an African disease.
Nervous Digestive Distress
A petite patient with a Nervous temperament came into the office saying that she had been diagnosed with spastic colon and was seeking nutritional help. Knowing that those of the Nervous temperament have the shortest digestive tract and are the true vegetarians, I suggested that she eat less meat and try a more vegetable-based diet. She did so, and her colon responded nicely.
Evaluating a Headache
Sanguine Headache
A patient came into the office with a blaring headache and upon looking at her morphology, I could see she was a Sanguine. She stated that she was just looking for a “crack” because another chiropractor had helped her with her headaches by osseously adjusting her. She heard about me and really wanted to see what I could do.
Her headache was very severe, and since she was a Sanguine, I was quite concerned. So I did some neurological diagnostic tests in my office and then immediately sent her to the hospital and asked them to do a spinal tap. It turned out that she had a subarachnoid bleed—a slow bleed in her brain—and within ten days she could have been dead. The doctors called me back and thanked me because she had been in the emergency room several days before, and they had sent her home saying she just had a headache.
Lymphatic Headache
A young man came into the office with severe headaches. While he was not overly fat or overweight, he had the Lymphatic temperament. Everyone was trying to evaluate him for migraines and looking at the cardiovascular system, but for some reason his headaches always went away when people wanted to examine him. Since he was Lymphatic, I questioned him regarding his endocrine history, and it turned out that his headaches occurred after lovemaking. I referred him to an endocrinologist who confirmed that when this patient had sex his hormone levels became irregular and caused cluster headaches.
Supplemental Support and Contraindications Associated with the Temperament Types
You will see in the following examples that vitamins and nutritional supplements can sometimes be hazardous when one does not understand the morphological type receiving them.
Bilious types, deriving from the chordoblast, can use calcium to help the difficulties that they can have with tendons and bones. In contrast, even though they can have brittle bones, people with the Nervous temperament, which derives from ectoderm, react poorly to calcium. They do better with boron.
Excessive vitamin C is not good for Nervous types because it leads to an increased pumping of the stomach juices, and the ascorbic acid can irritate the stomach lining. In addition, Nervous types are sympathetic rather than parasympathetic, and vitamin C in sympathetic types interacts poorly with the pepsinogen in the stomach. However, there are other vitamins that can support these ectoderms. One of them is thiamin hydrochloride, or vitamin B1, which can soothe Nervous types.
Understanding that the mesoderm gives rise to the adrenals, we would want to use vitamin C if we choose to supplement the diet of a Sanguine. A Lymphatic, however, derives from endoderm, therefore vitamin C might not be a good choice for that type.
Digestion and Temperament
If you know the temperament, you know the length of the person’s digestive tract, which determines the kinds of foods that person would do well to eat. With this simple evaluation of the profile, you can council a person on the percentages of foods that will help them thrive, whether meats, vegetables, or grains. Here is a review and summary of the basic digestive characteristics of each temperament.
Bilious Digestion
The digestive tract of the Bilious is medium in length and does well with the Mediterranean diet, which offers a moderate amount of protein. The Bilious need a good deal of oxygenation. While they are omnivores, they do well to protect themselves by reducing their intake of red meat, poultry, lamb, and root vegetables. They need a lot of ozone, and they do best by eating fish, grain, and leafy green vegetables—foods that are rich in oxygen.
Nervous Digestion
The Nervous type is the true vegetarian due to their short digestive tract. It is difficult for them to be comfortable eating large amounts of protein. They need to eat six to eight times per day in small amounts. The longer the gastrointestinal tract, the longer the food is kept in the gut. Since the Nervous digestive tract is shorter, this type needs lighter foods.
Sanguine Digestion
The Sanguine has the second longest digestive tract and does very well on three square meals a day. They enjoy large amounts of protein. They need the flesh to make muscle and tend to be quite muscular. They use moderate amounts of liquid and small amounts of vegetables and fruits. They need large amounts of protein and do well eating three times per day, but not between meals. Most Sanguines admit that they enjoy eating meat.
Lymphatic Digestion
The Lymphatic has the longest digestive tract and can eat anything. They also tend to overeat. They are truly the digestive type, meaning they digest concepts and information as well as food.
Temperament Type: Pure or Mixed?
In America we truly are a conglomerate of many nations, and therefore our faces are not considered pure. Instead, they can be a mix of temperaments and planetary front-faces with all the nuances that go along with them. Other cultures or countries, though, may be easier to type since they do not mix and mingle as much.
Cultural Proclivities
Since many cultures and countries have less intermarriage than America, we might be able to characterize a whole country as a particular type. For example, the French tend to be Nervous types, while Russians tend to be Lymphatics, Italians tend to be Bilious, and the English tend to be Sanguine or Lymphatic.
Also, you might see typical front-face characteristics in these cultures. For example, Italians as well as Israelis can have the Moon or Venus front-face, while Germans tend to have Mars front-faces with Sanguine profiles.
In addition, environmental factors can change the physiology and look of people. A generalization is that people living in the northern regions are taller, while in the southern regions they are shorter. Northern people tend to be more dominant in the world, since there is a perception that the taller the person, the more dominant they are; however, there is a compensatory dominance in short people in trying to compete with people of height.
Planetary Front-Face Combinations
As mentioned above, we are in a society where there is a lot of mixing, and the different face possibilities are endless. Once we become acclimated to the qualities and characteristics associated with each of the planetary front-face shapes, we can note that a face may have part this shape and part that. For instance, someone may have a Mars face but Moon quality eyes and nose, and that is going to change the intensity of the Mars. Or one might see a Venus forehead with a strong-angled Pluto jaw.
All of these combinations can be read with experience. By acknowledging the characteristic attributes and inclinations of each of the planetary types and superimposing them over each other, you will gain an understanding of the nuances they generate. Remember, though, that morphology is a science that is spoken to from your initial, intuitive hit, as well as from your heart, so you will see the primary type in your first initial glance, and you are encouraged to trust that.
Here are some examples of front-face combinations that you might see:
It is accepted in morphology that the right side of the body represents the male aspect of the self, and the left side of the body represents the female aspect of the self.
Back of the Head: A Combination Profile
I had a patient who had the most extraordinary bullet shape on the back of the head, but on the profile he did not appear to be a Nervous temperament as much as a Sanguine. So if I had limited my evaluation to the forehead and jaw, I would have concluded that this was a simple Sanguine. But the bullet head clued me in to an important aspect of this person’s temperament that was very revealing. As I spoke with the patient, I realized that given his quickness and wit and the speed with which he spoke, he actually was a Nervous type. I knew this because Nervous temperaments have the most wonderful ability to speak. The most interesting thing about this person was that he was bouncing between the Nervous and Sanguine temperaments. So even though the jaw did not match the bullet head, the bullet head was revealing that there was an underlying Nervous component.
Relationships
Which temperaments go well together?
I often heard Dr. Gerald Epstein tell the story of how his teacher Colette, with her mastery of morphology, looked at the back of the head of a man and said he was going to be her husband. She could see his entire essence in the back of his head. Here is the story as I remember it.
Colette saw that this particular man had a spatulated back of the head. This meant he was a Sanguine and as such had to be on the move all the time. He would constantly be working at something and using his hands. He would be the one to shop for food, serve the people, and clear the table. She knew he would be the perfect mate for her, as he would take care of these matters and leave her free to concentrate on her teaching. And he was; so they married.
Some temperaments go well together, and some do not. Here’s a rundown of possibilities.
Two Lymphatics go well together. Both are placid and tranquil, indulge in food, enjoy going places together, and enjoy companionship.
Bilious and Lymphatic also go together well. Bilious types are very outgoing and like to have their will met. The Lymphatic type does not mind complying. In fact, Lymphatics are very easygoing and welcome meeting the will of the Bilious temperament. Lymphatics feel that they are protected by the Bilious strength of will.
Sanguine and Nervous do well together, too. Sanguine strength makes the Nervous feel protected. Nervous types tend to think the ground is crumbling under their feet. They are always jittery, so they do not feel stable on the earth. Meanwhile, the Sanguine enjoy the great élan and quickness, fun, and humor of Nervous types.
Bilious and Nervous do not go well together, because the will of the Bilious needs to be met, and the Nervous type wants its needs to be met first. Saying “the will of the Bilious needs to be met” means the Bilious have to be given to first. The Nervous type disagrees and (internally and probably unconsciously) says, “No, first give to me, because as you give to me, and you draw me in, you will be showing your adulation and applause. That then stimulates me to want to respond and reciprocate.” But this is not going to happen.
Bilious and Sanguine also do not go well together in an intimate relationship, but they go together very well as a team in public enterprise because they both have active qualities and the capacity to be strong together in these situations. But Sanguines, who tend to be great salespeople, can be forceful and dominant. In intimate relationships, the tenacious or controlling will of the Bilious clashes with the soldier-like will of the Sanguine, who is stubborn and obstinate and not going to be pushed off the dime, so to speak. They will not be pushed around. The two temperaments can come into great conflict with each other.
Sanguine and Lymphatic are not compatible either. The Sanguine is too active for the Lymphatic who wants to be passive and is not interested in the same level of physical activity (except for swimming or walking). Lymphatic types are visionaries. They see things in their minds and have great ideas. Sanguine types in contrast become bored by prolonged conversation and have a short attention span. They do not want to listen to visionary ideas. When they are not active, they repose without thought.
Nervous and Lymphatic do not do well together for a simple reason: Who is going to take out the garbage? They are both passive types, and it is not in their nature to be first initiators, so they become exasperated with each other. However, they are both cerebral and can work together in that way. Lymphatic types like to synthesize ideas. This combination may enjoy sharing arts and movies together, but ultimately, Nervous and Lymphatic types do not feel protected by each other, and this can create a problem in the relationship.
As Dr. Epstein always taught, you get the most out of a relationship when both parties are the same or 180 degrees opposite. That usually affords the soul the most learning. In keeping with that, a Bilious/Bilious relationship, being the same, can be quite fortuitous. However, the Bilious’s need to dominate may cause them to butt heads. The Nervous/Nervous relationship, in the same way, can be very satisfying on the intellective plane. However, the fears and anxieties about health, and the passivity of the Nervous nature, can prove difficult in their relationship. The Sanguine/Sanguine relationship, while in the physical arena is a match made in heaven, given the analytical nature of each of them, may create a conflict in who is right. Also, due to their excessive nature, there is no one there to curb their overuse of substance. As mentioned at the beginning of this section, the Lymphatic/Lymphatic relationship is generally an enjoyable one.
As you can imagine, there are many combinations of temperament that have been forming relationships for eternity, and all of the qualifiers of that temperament, including one’s will, can make or break the couple.