Palmistry

“Cheiro has exposed my character to me with humiliating accuracy."

– Mark Twain

All around us, holding tight on the bus or giving change at the newsagent, gestures, fingers and lines tell stories.

For tens of thousands of years, there wasn’t much on TV. The world was one long nature documentary, so we studied the skies above and the natural world around us, and we studied each other. Every culture has a tradition of palmistry, and they have had plenty of time to see what works. Reading the signs on the surface to make sense of what lies beneath, palmistry can offer fresh perspectives on a situation, suggesting strategies for positive action informed by an understanding of our strengths and weaknesses, trajectories and influences.

The way I read, a consultation does not deliver a rigid sentence or an unalterable map - it empowers you to play your hand better. Traditionally, Indian palmists might recommend wearing a particular gemstone on an appropriate finger to fortify certain traits. I might suggest what kind of feelings, strategies of thought or impulses you can rely on or be cautious with, or ways to connect with potentials in your character.

THE SCIENCE OF PALMISTRY

Scientists have ‘discovered’ what palmists have known for thousands of years - that the relative length of the fingers and their sections tell us something about a person's character. The balance of hormones during foetal development influences bone structure, and the ring finger is particularly favoured by testosterone. A relatively long ring finger is correlated with more risk-taking, more aggression, and a better sense of direction (article here).

The number of ‘whorl’ fingerprints is linked to high blood pressure; palmists associate this print with the element of fire. From the length of the head line to markings in skin patterns, scientific research has uncovered many indicators of physical, emotional and mental health in the hands.

Some of the greatest thinkers in history have been palmists, including Aristotle, Pliny, Paracelsus and others. We have been doing this for much longer than pathologists, and our interest is much broader than simply associating medical conditions with signs.