CHENNAI: In the interest of full disclosure — I have lost count the number of times I’ve met astrologers and palm readers of various specialties, all thanks to my overbearing mother (is there another kind?) who has to know planetary position every week to decide if she can buy a new sari or when to fix a dental appointment, among other things. So my faith in astrologers — well, let’s just say I’d take their predictions with a spoonful of salt!
That’s why it was with great reluctance I agreed to meet Dadhichi Toth, founder and CEO of www.astrology.com.au. The Australian is also a certified vedic astrologer and a face reader from the Philippines, who visited Chennai recently. Past experiences notwithstanding and based on the stuff I had read about him online, I gave him the benefit of doubt. But how do I know if he is genuine? I asked a friend to tag along to get a consult from the man himself. I just sat back and listened to what he had to say, fully prepared to call his bluff. But what I heard blew my mind!
“You’re frank and straightforward. You don’t think that your honesty is offensive to people. You may actually invoke some legal problem with your honesty. So you have to be very judicious about what you say, especially if it’s true,” he told her. She was surprised and I knew what she was thinking. She had just come out of a long legal battle, which thankfully had ended in her favour.
“I can see some chemical imbalances in your body…your right eye shows me that. Get your thyroid or iodine checked; it’s one of the reasons for your fluctuating moods and energy levels. You must be feeling exhausted on some days, and then there’s a sudden burst of energy. Isn’t that right?” he asked. Of course he was! We had just gone for our annual check-up and her physician told her the same thing.
He went on for an hour reading her face and saying things that a stranger would never know. I had to admit, I was intrigued. So after my friend left, I asked him if he had ever been wrong before. “Oh, several times,” he admits, much to my surprise. “Look, I don’t claim to see your soul or something. I’m good at reading body language and facial expressions. It’s science and anyone can learn it. But to read certain facial cues holistically and be good at it took a while. So yeah, I’ve made mistakes.” Good to know he wasn’t channeling god or the angels!
Why face reading, when he had taken deeksha from his guru in Chennai, and has been studying Indian astrology for over 20 years? “In Australia, when I began writing for publications, I realised the market was inundated with astrologers. Face reading was my backdoor entry into the corporate world,” he explains.
Dadhichi is one of the most sought-after face readers and astrologers in Australia for over 30 years. He has done more than 10,000 personal consultations, which does not take into account his clientele from the corporate world.
So what’s the first thing he notices about someone? “Eyes...they always tell me immediately who that person is and what he/she is feeling. Upturned almond-shaped eyes (like Naomi Campbell for instance) are opportunistic. If eyes have a kind of glitter or sparkle, it can mean several things. Most top level executives have pinpoint controlled glitter. Many artists would have uncontrolled but diffused glitter. People with drooped eyelids have good mathematical and analytical skills (like Einstein). Those with bulging eyes — never trust them with money. They take uncalculated risks and are prone to gambling.”
It’s not just the eyes. Your nose, ear, eyebrows, lips, cheeks, chin, and forehead can also accurately describe your personality.
“If the white portion of the eyes can be seen below the retina, it implies that the person has a spiritual disposition but he/she has a troubled family life. Upper lip denotes how much you give and lower lip is how much you take. Politicians are excellent subjects for this. An angular chin means he/she is good at gymnastics. If the nose is full towards the end — he/she is a high spender and generous with money. The nob in your ear (above the lobe) — if the pinky finger can enter the nob, that too implies the person is generous. Eyebrows — a good businessman will have wedge-shaped eyebrows. He’d be able to salvage a business that’s falling apart. Those with tasseled brows are combative…”
Fair enough, but what if someone has done cosmetic surgery? “It’s definitely more difficult but a good face reader can still do a good analysis. That’s why you have micro-expressions…they’re always 100% accurate.”
So there’s no way anyone can control their expressions and body language? “Well, people — law enforcement officers, yogis, criminologists etc, — can control them. All you need is training to identify what we call as the ‘tell’ in human behaviour.”
Dadhichi gives us a tip to identify if a person is lying. “For instance, when you look at videos of couples talking to someone behind camera, certain facial cues or micro-expressions can give them away. ‘Do you love your wife?’ A twitch at the corner of his lips when the husband answers, ‘Yes I love her’ can tell me exactly if he is lying. Also, copious amount of blood flows to the nose and the mouth when someone is lying. That’s why a lot of people keep touching or rubbing it.”
But he also cautions against isolating expressions to give a reading. “Someone said that a broken nose ridge means he/she is a habitual liar and a cheater. I’m not going to dismiss that observation but don’t isolate one feature; inter-relate it with other facial cues. Just because a person’s face is pale doesn’t automatically imply he or she has anemia. The same principle applies to face reading,” he points out.