Understanding Tools

This is the term I like to use with such things as astrology or face reading or the like.  Ya know, the kinds of methods that allow you to understand yourself and others better.

I always like to say – Two ways to understanding, either through compassion or personal experience… but these understanding tools can help also.

I always like to emphasize the proper balance in perspective concerning the individual and the collective.  Individual and indivisible come from the same root word.  But collectives are made up of individuals, each doing their part.  “Collectives” technically don’t really “do” much of anything.  The individuals within the collective do.  And like the old line – it takes all kinds to make the world go ’round.

In so many ways we have so very much in common.  From the most sleepy and dysfunctional person to the most conscious, from the wounded to the healed, when it comes right down to it, we all have so much more in common than we have differences.  And there are really only so many variables here.  Many variables and yet still only so many.  Using astrology as an example, everyone’s birth chart has the same 12 signs and 10 planets.  Yep, all sorts of subtly in characteristics according to house, degree, what aspects what, etc. but it’s all Earth-centric, all about the energies an Earthling has to deal with, is exposed to, has to work with.

And yet, the differences do exist.  Just because someone is different (maybe you yourself are the someone) doesn’t necessarily mean these differences are “issues”.  But before we come to understand some of what’s behind the differences, it can be easy in a 3D-Earth-paradigm state of mind to judge and find fault with others who are only just being themselves and bringing to the world what they came to bring.

The face reading I learned was based on the 5 element theory of Chinese medicine.  So, the 5 elements are the 4 of astrology – Fire, Earth, Air (or Metal in Chinese medicine), Water – and the 5th element is Wood.

Because I’ve come to understand the differences in personality between the 5 elements, I just see people being themselves when others may have some issue with these people’s personality traits.

For example, if, in a gathering of people, one person, no matter what topic or who brings it up, this one person always somehow makes it all about them, well, the next person might see this as problematic “They’re so full of themselves!”, whereas I would just know I was observing a Fire element.

Another person there may be very forceful and loves to use a closed fist gesture.  The next person may see them as angry or aggressive, but I just see a Wood element.

I’ve often thought that this disempowering 3D Earth paradigm has made everyone feel like there is something wrong with them.  Is there anyone who feels like they fit in anymore?  Even the straight, white male now feels oppressed and persecuted.  Yep, “the theys” used their salami tactics to carve away at one social group after another and now they’ve caught them all.

And the programming has people wanting to be something other than themselves “Oh, I wish I had a nose like hers”… while she probably wishes she had a nose like the next person.  So, just what is that ever-elusive gold standard that everyone seems to be shooting for?

How’s about looking no further than the mirror.  That seems like a fine gold standard to aspire to.

In some discussion on the Enneagram of Personality, which is a personality typing method involving nine (enne) personality types, someone had said that the conventional psychology / psychiatric world has a “disorder” or mental problem or the like for every one of these personality types.

Sure, there is an up and a down side to every type, element, sign, whatever.  There are unevolved and evolved characteristics for each.  But really?  No matter who?  Everyone has a disorder?  Now, no doubt that folks got stuff to heal but just the old paradigm’s way of assigning some bad label to every frickin’ personality type, being all judgy about it… and of course they don’t want people to know that whatever issues they may have they can heal.  Don’t frickin’ empower anyone whatever ya do… just make ’em feel like there’s something wrong with them… that can’t be fixed… or worse yet, “Here’s your prescription.”

By learning and using understanding tools, you come to understand yourself and others better.  You come to know that we don’t all have the same needs, desires, talents, skills, foibles, whatever.  By understanding your own element (or sign or type, etc) you can relax into being you and not pressure yourself to be like others.  By understanding others’ elements, you can allow them to be themselves without reading anything else into it.  Knowing such things help people work together.

 

My face reading instructor does Feng Shui also, but she doesn’t do it in a traditional way, like the desk has to be in this room facing that direction kinda thing, but instead focuses on the elements of the people living there.  So here are a couple of stories about people learning about theirs and others’ elements and then working towards more harmony.

She went to advise a couple of gals who were roommates.  One gal was an Earth element while the other was Metal.

Earth elements just love their “things”.  Earths like and can put up with a rather large amount of clutter.  If someone is a hoarder you can probably count on them being an Earth element.  They’re the ones you can almost count on having a mantle full of family photos.  They love their Earth tones.

Metals on the the other hand can be rather ascetic, liking a sparsely furnished and decorated place.  Less is more.  Monochromes over colors.   If any element abhors clutter it would be Metals.

So they were informed about themselves and each other.  Their solution?  They literally divided the shared living areas right down the middle.  One half of the living room was very Earth and the other half very Metal… and that worked for them.  They came to understand what both of them needed, they allowed that for themselves and the other.

In another case, she was asked to come do Feng Shui for a couple whose young son would not come out of his bedroom when he was home and he always kept the door closed.  It didn’t take long to understand why that was.  Upon first meeting, she knew the parents were both blatantly obviously Fire elements.  The son was obviously Water.

They then showed her their son’s room.  Just outside his room, across from the door was this huge painting that was VERY Fire element.  It was modern art with big splashes of red.  Yep, totally understandable why the Fire parents like this painting, but it was a bit much on their energetically sensitive and emotional Water son.  Subconsciously, that painting may have seemed like a murder scene to the Water son.  She explained this to the parents who then promptly took the painting down and their son no longer hid in his room and if in there didn’t feel a need to always have the door closed.

 

Are you still being all judgy about yourself and others… even and perhaps especially with the stuff that has nothing to do with anything other than just element, personality type or what have ya?  Ya know, like they (you) didn’t assault anyone, it’s not wounds or dysfunctions, they (you) just have their (your) own preferences and their (your) own way to be.  No crime in that.  Ask the Divine to bring you just the right understanding tools so you can actually see things for what they really are.

Ask for Compassion so you can cut yourself and your fellow human some slack, knowing that all differences aren’t “bad” in some way and even the wounds and dysfunctions are healable and EVERYONE IS REDEEMABLE.  Kinda the whole point of what we’re doing here.  Don’t act so surprised when some former Walking Zombie actually wakes up.  Don’t act surprised when the former Walking Wounded actually heal.  Don’t act surprised when the formerly disempowered step into their own Power.

Some of people’s differences have to do with strengths, not weaknesses.  Some with energies that piss off people’s “inner demons”.  Why do you think the Divine sent them with that energy?  It all has its place.

Let the Divine and the Understanding Tools help you see more clearly and with it create more loving and accepting relationships.