Earth: Develop an environment of deep trust
Earth: Lǎo shànrén kàn wǒ xìn shí. Wǒ xìn shí.
老善人看我信实。我信实。
Cleansing doubt & blame. Affirming信实xìn shí, the virtue of deep trust, integrity & trustworthiness.
~Confucian Chant, 500BCE
Trust (n) As early as 1200AD the word traust appears likely originating in the Old Norse referring to help, confidence, support, reliance from sound qualities; religious faith (v) have faith, to rely, make safe and strong *source
The emotional spectrum of the Earth element is worry to faith. The organs associated with the Earth element are the spleen, stomach and pancreas. Worry can manifest as blame and doubt, while faith express itself as trust and integrity. Worrying injuries these organs, while trust or faith heals and strengthens them.
Suffice it to say, that trust (or mistrust) has been an element in relationships since the beginning of relationships. Trust (or distrust) has created empires and started wars. Although non-verbal, trust (or distrust) is apparent in animal behavior.
How is trust developed?
Pause and allow yourself to answer that question.
photo by TyliJura
Experts, leaders and psychologist agree upon several qualities that are essential to developing deep trust. Some of those include:
- Reliability, predictability
- Care, compassion, empathy
- Authenticity, transparency, integrity
- Respect, benevolence
- Active listening & capacity to receive feedback
Do you agree? What would you add to this list?
Trust is an emotional process that is influenced by our attachment style, life experiences and personality. Trust is also a neural process influenced by oxytocin and dopamine and can also be linked to pool of hormones and neurotransmitters like cortisol, endorphins, GABA, endocannabinoids, etc.
The best way that you can find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them
~Ernest Hemingway
