Do you judge people by the way they look?

No? Not at all?

Allow me to share my perspective with you. I’ve decided over time that I actually quite like the fact that over 90% of the health consultations I do now are over the phone. Why? Because I often get into a position where I’m sharing and relating with someone very intensely in an effort to discover everything they need to get healthy, and helping them overcome everything blocking them from getting there.

I used to think that if I could see someone, it would help me understand them better, by reading their body language, micro-expressions, behavioural cues etc. There’s some validity to this, but when I got my first client abroad, in New York, I realised I would have to learn a different way to really understand my clients and to relate to where they were coming from. It went spectacularly well and I realised I was actually probably able to connect even better.

Why was I actually connecting better? I realised it was because I wasn’t judging the person in any way based on their appearance.

We all judge people by appearance, no matter how mature or enlightened we might be It’s a natural way to evaluate people, something that’s hard-wired. This is obviously a shame in some cases, where we can dismiss someone because of their surface appearance. However, there must be some validity in judging people on their looks. Otherwise, why would we be programmed to do it?

There’s almost an obsession with youth and beauty in our culture. Women especially feel enormous pressure to look young and beautiful, and spend vast amounts of time and money on this pursuit. Evolutionary psychology teaches us this is largely down to mating strategies; women are hard-wired to be attracted to men who are confident, while men are hard-wired to be attracted to women who are physically beautiful.
So are men just superficial, or is there some validity in seeking a beautiful partner? Again, according to evolutionary psychology, men seek out women who are beautiful because it indicates that they are healthy and fertile (hormonally healthy). Seen in this light, maybe the quest for beauty in itself isn’t wrong, it’s only its expression that’s been perverted.

After all, if we all focused on being as healthy as possible, and therefore became as beautiful as possible, wouldn’t the world be a happier, healthier, more attractive place?

The problem comes when we use temporary means to make ourselves more attractive in the moment, while actually making ourselves less healthy overall. Both genders are definitely guilty of this, typically women with make up and other toxic ‘beauty’ products, men with creatine and whey protein. While these can work to make you more attractive short term, they’re bound to make you less healthy, and therefore less beautiful, in the long term.

Real Beauty, Real Health

So, what are some of the indicators of beauty, and how do they relate to real health, as seen through the five organ system of Taoist Health Practitioners?

• Clear supple skin is a sign that the lung organ system is healthy, and also that your detox pathways – the channels by which your body removes toxicity – are reasonably unclogged. It also indicates good levels of hydration.

• Symmetrical bone structure is a sign of good mineralisation, especially having high levels of alkaline minerals. This tends to relate to a strong kidney organ system, good diet, and strong spleen organ system (digestion). Demineralisation, which leads to the opposite, tends to be a deciding factor during childhood, and can often go back generations. Demineralisation can be reversed to some degree even in adulthood. No atom in your body is over seven years old.

• Bright shiny eyes are a sign that the liver organ system is healthy and not overloaded with toxicity.

• Good muscle to fat ratio means that the spleen organ system is healthy, and is metabolising energy from food properly. It also means that the hormones are healthy, relating to the health of the kidney organ system.

• Rosy cheeks – something women often try to simulate with blusher, is a sign that the heart is happy and active. An overly red face can indicate that the heart, or the liver, is over stimulated.

• Good hip to waist ratio is a classic indicator of female beauty that has remained unchanged throughout the ages, whether the fashion at the time was for smaller or larger women to be beautiful. It indicates high amounts of the sex hormones, related to having a strong kidney organ system.

• Strong shiny hair is a sign that the kidney organ system is healthy, as well as the spleen organ system.

• Strong nails indicate the same and good liver health.

• A large chest in both genders indicates a strong heart organ system, as well fertility and ability to feed children in women.

• Good straight posture, especially a straight spine, indicates the health of the kidney organ system.

• A warm smile is universally attractive and is a sign of a well-balanced and open heart.

This list is hardly complete, it could go on and on, but you get the idea. These superficial things we judge people on do relate to real issues, and give us an indication of the relative health of the person we’re seeing. Of course, there’s more to someone than their body, but Taoism sees no disconnection, not between mind and body, or in fact anywhere. Everything is connected. So what should we do? Attempt to disguise our flaws as much as possible? Carry a pocket full of posies to disguise our plague smell? I would contend that this is pretty much exactly what most of the beauty industry encourages us to do. Instead of hiding our lack of health, how about instead, we attempt to be genuinely healthy. I’m sure if you’re reading this then you’re already fully on board with this idea, but perhaps you just need a little motivation? Well this is it: time to be healthy, time to be physically attractive. The two are synonymous in the long term. How can we improve our health? I’ll suggest a link for each of the five organ systems I mentioned.

As you may have realised reading the above list, healthy kidneys are probably the most important factor of all, because they relate to hormonal health as well as hydration and mineralisation. I have a complete program on healing the kidneys, The Easy Exhaustion Cure, and for a quick guide check out this video on Rejuvenate.

A healthy spleen, related particularly to weight, strong immunity and digestion, is also crucial . Watch this video to learn more about Spleen Tonifying Herbs. A healthy liver, related mainly to low toxicity, is an essential part of beauty. Check out this video on Cleanse. Healthy lungs are essential for beauty, as evidenced in glowing skin and a strong voice. A joyful and light heart is essential for really forming a bond with someone once you’ve attracted them. This also shows up in a warm smile and open body language. Learn about herbs to Heal your Heart here.

Elwin Robinson
xx

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