Dear Soul Arcanum:
For years, a friend of mine urged me see a psychic palm reader she favors. Though I’ve long had an interest in psychic subjects, I’ve always associated palm reading with fakery. Eventually, I did go see her, and I have to say it was one of the best readings I’ve ever had. Since then, I’ve had my palm read by two other readers, and both of those readings were dismal. I’ve searched but can’t find anything you’ve written on palmistry. What do you think of this practice?
Betsey
Dear Betsey:
I’ve actually never written about palm reading because I’m far from an expert on the subject. I’ve read a couple of books on palmistry, known some palm readers, and had my own palm read, but that’s about it. Since this is a subject I’ve never addressed in Soul Arcanum before, I decided to do some research for you and share a bit about my own experiences.
The practice of hand reading is also known as palmistry, palm reading and Chiromancy, which means hand divination. This is the art of examining the hand’s various lines, creases, bumps, shapes, skin texture, etc., in order to analyze a person’s personality, mental and physical well-being and destiny. This practice can be traced back thousands of years and found in various cultures around the globe. In fact, it has been suggested that the many hand prints found in prehistoric cave paintings indicate that humans have attributed special meaning to the hand since the Stone Age.
There are now many different methods of palm reading. It’s believed that palmistry originated in ancient India and has a basis in Hindu astrology. From there, it spread throughout the ancient world. As must be expected, the practice changed a great deal as it traveled through different cultures and time periods.
What is now known as the Classical method of reading palms was founded in Ancient Greece. In this approach, certain areas of the hand are associated with a particular Greek god, and those areas govern the same traits or characteristics that are associated with that particular god. While the health of the subject was always a consideration in palm reading, ancient Greek physicians like Hippocrates and Galen made a special study of correlations between various hand features and physical problems.
Many modern scientific studies do support the idea that physical health issues can be read in the hand. This should come as no surprise, for by examining certain parts of the body, all sorts of physical issues can be diagnosed. Clear correlations between unusual hand features and problems like Down’s Syndrome and autism have been proven. Cancer also often creates marked changes in the hands, which means that cancer can sometimes be diagnosed by noting those particular changes. Research has also shown a link between specific fingerprint patterns and heart disease. Speaking of fingerprints, I think the fact that every one of us has a unique fingerprint lends credence to the idea that much can be discerned about a person by carefully examining their hands.
At this point, the body and spirit merge in the topics of genetics and “destiny.” Though this is controversial, there are researchers who claim that homosexuality can be seen in hand features because varying hormone levels determine the length of our fingers in the womb. I also read about a study done by medical doctors that positively correlates life expectancy with the length of a person’s life line. (In that clever study, the hands of the newly departed were examined during autopsies so the length of the life line could be compared with the age at death.)
At some point hundred of years ago, palmistry appeared in Jewish mysticism. Then during the eighteenth century, books began to be written that blended traditional hand reading information with mystical notions. This may be when knowing what certain lines mean while at the same time incorporating psychic impressions became common to the practice.
If things like sexual orientation and longevity can be read in the palm, it doesn’t seem all that crazy to think that personality traits may show up in a person’s hand too. There has been much written on this subject; here’s a typical sample.
According to this Sunday Times article, finger length and other hand traits have been scientifically correlated with various personality traits:
Children whose ring fingers are much longer than their index fingers are more likely to be hyperactive and bullying, research has found. The effect, derived from testosterone exposure in the womb, is particularly pronounced in boys. Children with long index fingers, by contrast, are more likely to be neurotic and sensitive. The findings are the latest in a growing body of research associating the difference in finger lengths with character traits such as sporting prowess, homosexuality, aggression, promiscuity, autism and vulnerability to depression.
Of course, a lot can also be gleaned via a “cold reading” approach to palmistry. The first palm reading I ever received showed me how easy it is to read a person’s personality in this way. On that occasion, when I was asked to present my palm to the reader, I immediately smiled and thrust my hand out to her. Since she was a friend of a friend and knew of my professional interest, she explained why she was saying what she was saying as she went.
Her first observations were that I was friendly, confident, and very open. She discerned this because I had immediately offered my hand and opened it boldly and widely to her. She went on to say that I’m not an anxious sort, which she attributed to the smoothness of my palm as well as my overall demeanor.
There are many very good readers who use the palm as a mere springboard for intuitive work. This gives them a good reason to physically touch the people they are reading. For someone who is clairsentient, this physical connection may be very important. It also gives both the client and the reader something tangible to focus on as the source of the reader’s insights. Though they may start with reading the lines of the palm, many readers quickly shift to psychically reading between those lines.
I once knew a truly gifted medium who did “palm readings” in this way. She explained that in her experience, people like to have something to focus on as a source of the information being relayed. Apparently, they are more likely to find it credible when this is the case. For this reason, she would employ tarot cards or palmistry despite the fact that most of the information she received was accessed in a more direct psychic manner.
Some people say that psychic ability is essential to the palm reading process, while for others, it’s more of a science based on knowing what various aspects of the hand supposedly mean. Given the fact that there are so many different approaches to palmistry and every reader will bring different knowledge and abilities to the table, it’s best to base our assessment of a psychic not on the particular methods she favors but on the quality of the insights she relays.
– Soul Arcanum
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