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Overview
Divination expert, Sasha Fenton covers the waterfront of body reading in 15 short accessible chapters. Topics covered include faces, heads, hands, eyes, teeth, nails, feet, colors, moles, and itches. Generously illustrated with line drawings and graphs, this primer is a splendid introduction and guide to body secrets.
Fun facts found here:
- Hair reflects one's health and one's state of mind.
- Moles suggest stomach trouble, relationship problems, or possibly an ill partner.
- A high bony nose suggests failure in business.
- Downwardly sloping eyebrows suggest a lack of energy and a tendency to whine.
- People with inward-leaning incisors are selfish, antisocial, and don't mind hurting others.
Based on interviews, exhaustive research, and years of close observation, this practical guide is filled with fascinating facts and insight that will be greeted eagerly by all who are interested in a variety of divination systems.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781571747525 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 08/01/2016 |
| Series: | Plain & Simple Series |
| Pages: | 144 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.40(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.50(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Body Reading Plain and Simple
By Sasha Fenton
Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc.
Copyright © 2016 Sasha FentonAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-61283-364-4
CHAPTER 1
Hair
There are people who specialize in radiasthesia, whereby the practitioner holds a pendulum over a lock of hair in order to ascertain his client's state of health. He then usually goes on to suggest specific types of food and drugs to correct problems.
Radiasthesia is well known and well documented, but character divination by hair is not. In fact, apart from my own observation of people, added to a few old wives' tales, I wasn't aware that anything of the kind existed. Well, I was wrong. The Victorians, those indefatigable observers of human appearance and behavior, had already come to their own conclusions; but more of that in the following pages.
Our hair reflects our state of health and our state of mind. It normally grows roughly at the rate of half an inch per month, but this growth slows down when a person is overtired or ill. Some of us "molt" in the spring, and everybody finds that there are times when we seem to lose some of our hair and other times when it grows abundantly. It's common knowledge that women experience some hair loss after having a baby, or when they stop taking any type of hormone therapy, including contraceptive pills. Obviously, there are some specific medical conditions, such as alopecia, that affect the hair, but generally speaking, if a subject is fit and happy, his or her hair will shine.
It's widely perceived that red-haired people are hot tempered and that bald men are sexy, but I've noticed over the years that there are other characteristics. For example, a faded blonde with weak and flimsy hair may be unable to take control of her life. She may be dominated by her husband and taken for granted by her children. Very strong straight hair, the kind that has a will of its own, belongs to an independent, strong-minded person who isn't likely to compromise on anything. This type of person is proud and self-centred, although not altogether selfish or thoughtless. Such people may delay taking on commitments until they are sure that they can cope with them. Another utterly uncompromising type is the person who has tight African-type curls. This person is unusual to the point of eccentricity. I have three acquaintances who have this kind of hair. One loves horses, another is an actor, and the third writes historical novels. Those who have baby-fine, flimsy hair have great ideas, but they lack the energy or confidence to bring their ideas to life. Also, those with fine hair tend to be sensitive. Those with coarser hair are less sensitive and less interested in the feelings of others.
The rest of us muddle along, sticking with the same hairstyle for years, unless we become ill, busy, or despondent, when we may suddenly cut the lot off.
And then of course is the whole issue of coloring hair, and permanently changing the texture through perms and straighteners. This has become more and more common in our modern times. When interpreting a person's hair, start with their natural hair — color and type — and then add the additional interpretation of what the person willfully changed his or her hair to.
Some Ideas from the Victorians
Color and texture
A woman with medium strong straight hair enjoys socializing, but she is reliable in relationships. Her health is neither especially vigorous nor especially weak. She is moderate, thoughtful and not likely to go overboard in matters of love.
A man with thick, very smooth, very black hair worn long is mild but firm, cool unless provoked, and normally moderate in his behavior. He is reliable in relationships and generally lucky in love.
A man with short, black, curly hair tends to be drunken, quarrelsome, oversexed, unstable, and unreliable in his undertakings. He will be enthusiastic at the beginning of an enterprise, but will lose heart as time goes on. He wants to be rich, but he will be disappointed in this ambition.
The same can be said for a woman with this type of hair, but she will be steadier in relationships.
A man who has long, smooth, brown hair will be healthy, obstinate, enthusiastic, fond of variety, curious and flexible in outlook. He will enjoy the company of women.
Men and women with short, bushy brown hair are also healthy, enthusiastic, fond of variety, curious and flexible in outlook and they both enjoy the company of the opposite sex, but both have hotter tempers.
A man with light brown, long, smooth hair is peaceful, generous and sensible. He will try to keep the peace between others, although when provoked, he could over-react and then be sorry afterward. He is fond of the ladies, but protective toward them. Overall, this man is friendly, cheerful and kind.
A woman with light brown, long, smooth hair is softhearted, but quick to anger. She is reasonable in relationships and her health is good. She will not be outstandingly lucky in life, and will have to work hard in order to achieve her goals.
A man with fair hair may have poor health and may be too inward looking. He could be too interested in religious matters. He will work hard, keep himself to himself and be disinclined to run after women, but in spite of all this piety, he will have a difficult life.
A woman with fair hair is healthy, purposeful, passionate, but difficult in a relationship. She loves to be praised for her beauty, she enjoys exercise and she will live a long life.
A man with long, red hair enjoys business meetings and travel and is a great womanizer. He is always looking for ways to obtain money, but spends it like water when he has it. He is obstinate and determined and he will not give up when he has some objective that he wants in his sights. He is inwardly shy and nervous, but covers this up with bluster and gives an appearance of courage. He may be cunning and deceitful.
A woman with long, red hair is talkative and vain. Her temper is impatient and fiery and she is highly sexed. She may appear frail, but is surprisingly fit and strong, although she may not live to a ripe old age. She is impulsive and enthusiastic, but her attention wanders and she seldom sees things through. She becomes bitter and resentful when disappointed.
Hair placement
Hair that falls forward over the forehead indicates a rational person who is easily duped. According to Victorian books, this person will frequently be short of money.
Hair that lies backward denotes a person who is obstinate, peevish and passionate. People with this kind of hair are bossy and quick to anger if they are not immediately obeyed by others. They are entertaining storytellers, they are good with their families and they are good providers.
Hair that grows low on the forehead indicates a person who is selfish and designing, unsociable, a drinker and has a greedy and scheming nature. The Victorians really had it in for this characteristic!
And finally, hair that is balding. What can I say? — bald men are sexy!
A Few Hairy Facts
Some groups lay down rules about hair, and this is especially the case with religious people, most of whom — whatever religion they belong to — consider a woman's hair to be some kind of sexual come-on, and thus something that should be partially or wholly covered. Others wear a certain style to identify them as being of a particular age or social group. For instance, young men and women will create a style and after a while, if their parents also take up the style, the youngsters go in for a totally different look to differentiate themselves once again.
• Sikh men don't cut their hair at all.
• Traditional types of Indian women don't cut their hair much, if at all.
• Orthodox Jewish men grow the hair at the sides of their heads into ringlets called "pyers."
• Orthodox Jewish women cut their hair short and wear wigs.
• Orthodox Muslim women cover their hair with a habib.
• In the English Civil War, Cromwell's soldiers cut their hair to distinguish them from the Cavaliers.
• From the 19th century onward, soldiers started to wear their hair short to stay free of lice.
• Skinheads cut their hair to look "hard."
• In World War II, the Nazis shaved the heads of concentration camp inmates to remove their individuality.
• In France and elsewhere, after World War II, women who had collaborated with the Germans had their heads shaved in public.
• Rastafarians started the dreadlock style.
Until World War I, women always had long hair, which they put up as a mark of passing from childhood to becoming a young adult. During the war, they started to shorten their hair, due to working in factories and in transport, where long hair was a nuisance at best and dangerous at worst.
After World War I, women's lives and their roles changed radically from the Edwardian world that had preceded the war, so they marked this by cutting their hair and going in for the short, straight "bob" style.
If, when combing your hair, lots of it comes away, the odds are strong that you will come down with a serious illness. This belief very likely does have a basis in fact, because a number of illnesses do cause hair loss, probably in a kind of energy-saving campaign.
CHAPTER 2Heads
Our knowledge of the human mind and body, and much that we now take for granted in medicine and psychoanalysis is surprisingly new, but there are lines of research that were carried out in the 19th century that didn't stand the test of time in a practical sense. One such interest was phrenology, or assessing character by the bumps on a person's head.
Phrenology was originally developed by Dr. Gall, a native of Baden, who postulated that there is a connection between the ways in which the mind works and the shape of the cranium. His idea was that the shape of the head indicated the kind of brain contained within. He also suggested that a young person's brain could be altered by education and specific kinds of use. This latter statement has proved to be true, and not only for young people — elderly people are told by their doctors that if they want to keep their minds nimble, they must use them or lose them.
The first thing that the Victorian phrenologists did was to measure the size of the cranium, as that supposedly revealed the amount of brainpower within. It's normal for a woman's head to measure 48cm to 56cm, and for a man's head to measure 49cm to 57cm. There are, however, many exceptions to this rule.
The Seven Major Divisions
Having measured the head, they divided it into seven imaginary sections.
A Associated with the planet Mercury, this is considered the seat of the main intellect and the ability to think.
B Associated with the planet Jupiter, this concerns the things to which we find ourselves naturally drawn. It rules anything that captures our loyalty or devotion.
C Associated with the planet Saturn, this is concerned with our survival instincts. It rules our urge to protect and safeguard others and ourselves.
D Associated with the Sun, this governs the whole workings of the mind. It's concerned with our ambitions and the way we set about achieving them.
E Associated with the planet Mars, this is concerned with our energies, natural instincts and appetites. It rules such things as our willingness to fight for what we want and the acquisition of material possessions.
F Associated with the planet Venus, this concerns matters of feeling and affection. It rules love and sex.
G Associated with the Moon, this concerns our relationship with our family, our home situation and our place in society.
The Forty-Two Areas of the Head
The Victorians divided the seven sections into a total of 42 subsections, and these can be seen in the following diagram.
Area A
1. Individuality
This involves the power of observation and the ability to discriminate. The larger the bump, the more the person likes dealing with details. If too large, he will be ultra-critical and very inquisitive. If too small, he will have little curiosity and very poor mental faculties.
2. Eventuality
We know this as memory. A large bump implies a good memory, while a small one suggests a poor memory and a low level of intellect.
3. Comparison
This rules reasoning ability and powers of analysis. If over large, the subject may be hypercritical, if too small, the subject cannot make comparisons or apply himself.
4. Causality
The Victorians also called this "powers of deduction." If large, the subject has an original mind, good powers of deduction and intuition and he would make a good explorer or inventor; if small, the mind will be mundane and shallow.
5. Mirthfulness
This denotes a sense of humor. A small bump suggests that the subject can't see a joke.
6. Locality
This relates to a sense of direction and a memory for places. If large, the subject would have a photographic memory and he might even experience déjà vu at times! A small bump suggests that the subject finds visualization difficult and that he lacks a sense of direction.
7. Time
This links with a sense of rhythm and timing, as well as punctuality. A small bump suggests that the subject is never on time for anything and that he has no ear for rhythm.
8. Tune
If this bump is developed, the subject will have an ear for music. If not, he won't be able to sing in tune and may not appreciate music at all.
9. Calculation
A large bump here indicates an aptitude for figures, while a small one suggests poor numeric skills.
10. Order
If this bump is large, the subject will be well organized and able to work systematically. If it's small, he will be disorganized and confused.
11. Color
The person can judge shades of color and remember them; he can also distinguish distant objects. If large, the subject may be able to use color exceptionally creatively. If it's small, he will have difficulty in seeing objects at a distance and he may be color-blind.
12. Weight
This governs the ability to judge the weight of objects, along with the ability to balance objects on top of each other or to keep one's own balance. (People with large feet are better at keeping their balance than those with small feet, because it's easier to keep the body upright when the feet are large.)
13. Size
This governs the ability to judge the size of an object or space of a room.
14. Form
This concerns the ability to see and remember people and objects. Artistic people have a well developed bump here. An over-large bump may make for super-sensitivity to atmospheres and places, while a small one would indicate a subject who is oblivious to people and to his surroundings.
15. Language
A well-developed bump belongs to a good communicator who has a way with words. It also implies an ability to learn foreign languages. If over-large, the subject will talk too much. If small, he may be reticent or hesitant and fumbling in speech.
Area B
16. Humanity
Sometimes called the bump of intuition, this gives really deep understanding of the motivation of others. If underdeveloped, the subject cannot understand others and is indifferent to them.
17. Benevolence
If over-developed, the subject will be over-generous and too ready to help others. If under-developed, he is miserly with both his time and his money.
18. Veneration
This indicates a respect for values and traditions. If over-developed, the subject may be fanatical about religion. If the bump is small, he could hold nothing sacred and have a destructive nature.
19. Agreeableness
This symbolizes popularity, charm, and pleasantness. If overlarge, the subject could be effusive. If small, he is hostile and offensive.
20. Imitativeness
This is the ability to learn by imitation. A small bump here suggests independence and eccentricity or an inability to learn by imitation.
21. Spirituality
This relates to religious or spiritual feelings. If over-large, the subject might be too otherworldly to cope with daily life. If very small, the mind will only be able to cope with practical matters.
22. Hopefulness
This concerns optimism and forward thinking. Too large a bump here suggests a lack of realism, while too small a bump suggests a pessimist.
23. Ideality
This symbolizes an appreciation of beauty and nice things. If the bump is over-large, the subject will be unrealistic. If small, he lacks imagination, culture or ideals.
24. Sublimity
A love of romance, as in romantic scenery, thrilling experiences, the wild grandeur of places and appreciation of all that is best in life. If over-large, the subject may want to dramatize everything. If small, he will have absolutely no romance in his soul and will be a wet blanket.
Area C
25. Firmness
In moderation, this bump endows the subject with determination and self-discipline, but if it's over-large, he is a tyrant or a despot. If small, he will be irresponsible and unable to finish anything that he starts. He may be easily led into temptations or easily bullied by stronger people.
26. Conscientiousness
If this is over-developed, the subject will be nervous and neurotic. If small, he will be indifferent to the needs of others and he will lack principles.
27. Caution
If this bump is over-large, the subject will be too fearful to achieve anything. If it's too small, he will be reckless.
28. Secretiveness
A bump here denotes the ability to keep a confidence. An overlarge bump suggests a crafty, lying character who enjoys plotting against others, while a small bump belongs to the person who cannot keep anything to himself.
29. Self-esteem
If the bump is very large the subject will be pompous and full of self-aggrandizement; if it's small, he will be self-effacing and easily pushed around.
Area D
30. Approbativeness
This concerns our status and standing in the community, as well as the amount of praise that we attract. It rules politeness and social and public relations skills. If the bump is large, the subject may be full of himself. On the other hand he may become famous, respected or an authority on a particular subject. If very small, he will be indifferent to the opinions of others and perhaps anti-social.
31. Continuity
This refers to concentration and mental application. If the bump is over-large, the subject could be obsessive. If small, he won't be able to concentrate on anything for long.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Body Reading Plain and Simple by Sasha Fenton. Copyright © 2016 Sasha Fenton. Excerpted by permission of Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Introduction: The Body Speaks 1
1 Hair 5
2 Heads 15
3 Chinese Face Reading 29
4 Western Face Reading 39
5 A Closer Look at the Face 53
6 Hands 61
7 Nails 91
8 Feet 101
9 Influences of Color and Astrology 109
10 Body Language 123
11 The Little Things 133