Skeptics are quick to dismiss palmistry as a shallow, meaningless activity, but there is more to this well-known spiritual art of divination than it seems. Palmistry is chiromancy (sometimes spelled as cheiromancy) The word cheiromancy is a combination of ancient Greek words: ‘Kheir’ meaning hand and ‘manteia’ meaning divination or prophecy. Palm readers are also called chirologists, hand readers, chiromancers, hand analysts and palmists. Though most find it hard to believe, palm reading is actually one of the oldest forms of divination tracing it’s heritage back to ancient India. From India it appears palmistry traveled to Tibet, into China and eventually to Europe. It is said that Aristotle presented a treatise on palmistry to Alexander the Great, who, historically, took a great interested in many forms of divination.
In this article we will go over a bit of palm reading history, some terminology and provide some insight into what a palm reader is doing when palm reading. There is a lot to chiromancy or palm reading, but the goal here is to give you an overview of this particular form of divination. In part 2, Getting A Grip On Palm Reading: Reading The Lines, we will go into more details about reading the lines on a person’s hand, as this is a great way to get started with palm reading. It also provides more information for those interested in understanding how palm reading works in general.
Most people understand that palm readers read the lines on the hand as a method fortune-telling. The first step in understanding palm reading is to develop a basic understanding regarding the principal lines on the hands. However, make no mistake that skilled, professional palmist does much more than read the lines on a person’s hand, they read the hands themselves which include ridges, bumps and more. And, both hands are generally involved in an in depth reading. What makes human hands a remarkable divination tool is that the majority of human hands are very similar, and yet, each human hand is absolutely unique. With age, human hands become very detailed both showing the life we have lived as well as additional hints at where we are going. The hands, as part of our body, are intimately connected to our history, our minds and our spirit.
One of the questions always asked is, "Which hand should a palm reader read?". This is a good question. In pure palmistry, both hands are read (or can be read, depending on how deep one wishes a palm reading to be). If a person is right handed, then their right hand is their ‘active’ or ‘conscious’ hand. That makes the left hand the ‘passive’ or ‘subconscious’ hand. Typically, a palm reader begins with the ‘active’ hand. In general, it is said the right hand tells what we are doing with what the left hand has given us. The left (of passive) hand is the original hand we were born with and carries our fate and potentials.
Given palmistry’s deep ties to India, one could say the left hand carries marks of one’s karma. The right (of dominate) hand is revealing what we are doing with our fate and potentials. The dominate hand shows what we are consciously striving to do and have done. The passive hand is showing what may be going on beneath the surface in our connection to the universe which created us. For example, if the lines on both hands are very similar, one could say a person is following their fate. Strong variations between the hands strongly indicate a person may be struggling against their fate or making an effort to change it.
Much depends on a palmist’s training and cosmological beliefs when it comes to the details of what each hand means, and which needs to be read, first. A professional palm reader, with years of experience, knows there are many other details to be read in a hand: The size and shape of the hand; the size of the fingers; the bumps, mounds and ridges on the hands; how the hands compare to one another.
You have to keep in mind that palm reading, chiromancy, is thought to have been around for a millennium. A huge amount of literature, as well as the natural evolution within this form of divination, makes palm reading much deeper and more involved than most know. Ancient Indian, Chinese and Greek palmist spent their entire lives perfecting their chosen art of divination. They often recorded their methods of, and insights into, chiromancy. Often these palmist were well rewarded for their services, but often only if they proved correct in their fortune telling. This made being accurate important so palmist adapted and perfected their art as needed. Palmistry also moved across different cultural contexts, so it was necessary for palm readers to be able to communicate effectively with different people from different spiritual cultures.
The long history of palmistry across many continents and cultures has created a number of variations and terminology for palm reading. So, back to the question: "Which palm should be read first?". The quick answer is that, typically, the dominate hand (which is usually the right hand) is read first. It is not uncommon for a palmist to examine both hands first then begin the reading with the dominate hand. But, many palm readers, depending on their style and what the client wishes to learn from a palm reading may choose to start with the passive hand, which is usually the left hand.
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In this article we looked at some of the history of palm readings and get a general idea of what a palm reader is doing during a palm reading. This should answer some of your basic questions. In part 2 of this palm reading series Getting A Grip On Palm Reading: Reading The Lines you get more information on the very basics of reading the lines on the hand.
If you are looking for a good book on learning palm reading check out Palm Reading: Beginners. Although this book is targeted for beginners, you will find it goes more into depth more than many beginner books. Should you be curious about your future, you will love talking with Psychic Martha. You can contact Martha at 1-866-407-7164.
