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The Fortune Teller, by Caravaggio (1594–95; Canvas; Louvre), depicting a palm reading

Palmistry or chiromancy (also spelled cheiromancy, Greek cheir (χειρ), “hand”; manteia (μαντεία), “divination”), is the art of characterization and foretelling the future through the study of the palm, also known as palm reading, or chirology. The practice is found all over the world, with numerous cultural variations. Those who practice chiromancy are generally called palmists, palm readers, hand readers, hand analysts,or chirologists.

The practice of chiromancy is generally regarded as a pseudoscience. The information outlined below is briefly representative of modern palmistry; there are many ― often conflicting ― interpretations of various lines and palmar features across various "schools" of palmistry.

[edit] History

Palmistry can trace its roots back to Chinese Yijing (I Ching), India in (Hindu) Astrology (known in Sanskrit as Jyotish) and Roma (gypsy) fortune tellers. The Hindu sage Valmiki is thought to have written a book, whose title translates in English as "The Teachings of Valmiki Maharshi on Male Palmistry", comprising 567 stanzas. From India, the art of palmistry spread to China, Tibet, Egypt, Persia and to other countries in Europe^{[citation needed]}. From China, palmistry progressed to Greece^{[citation needed]} where Anaxagoras practiced it. However, modern palmists often combine traditional predictive techniques with psychology, holistic healing, and alternative methods of divination also .

• Captain Casimir Stanislas D'Arpentigny published La Chirognomie in 1839
• Adrien Adolphe Desbarolles published Les Mysteres de la Main in 1859
• Katherine Saint-Hill founded the Chirological Society of Great Britain in 1889
• Edgar de Valcourt-Vermont (Comte de St Germain) founded the American Chirological Society in 1897
• Count Louis Hamon (Cheiro) published Cheiro's Language of the Hand in 1894
• William Benham published The Laws of Scientific Hand Reading in 1900
• Charlotte Wolff published works from 1936-1969, contributed to scientific chirology
• Noel Jaquin published works from 1925-1958, contributed to scientific chirology
• Arnold Holtzman (Psychodiagnostic Chirology)

[edit] Techniques

Palm of man's right hand

Chiromancy consists of the practice of evaluating a person's character or future life by "reading" the palm of that person's hand. Various "lines" ("heart line", "life line", etc.) and "mounts" (or bumps) (chirognomy) , purportedly suggest interpretations by their relative sizes, qualities, and intersections. In some traditions, readers also examine characteristics of the fingers, fingernails, fingerprints and palmar skin patterns (dermatoglyphics), skin texture and color, shape of the palm, and flexibility of the hand.

A reader usually begins by reading the person's 'dominant hand' (the hand he or she writes with or uses the most)(sometimes considered to represent the conscious mind, whereas the other hand is subconscious). In some traditions of palmistry, the other hand is believed to carry hereditary or family traits, or, depending on the palmist's cosmological beliefs, to convey information about past-life or karmic conditions.

The basic framework for "Classical" palmistry (the most widely taught and practiced tradition) is rooted in Greek mythology. Each area of the palm and fingers is related to a god or goddess, and the features of that area indicate the nature of the corresponding aspect of the subject. For example, the ring finger is associated with the Greek god Apollo; characteristics of the ring finger are tied to the subject's dealings with art, music, aesthetics, fame, wealth, and harmony.

[edit] Significance of the Left and Right Hand

Though there are debates on which hand is better to read from, both have their own significance. It is custom to assume that the left hands shows potential in an individual, and the right showed realized personality. Some saying about the significance goes as followed. "The future is shown in the right, the past in the left." "The left hand is the one we are born with, and the right is what we have made of it." "The right hand is read for men, while the left is read for women." “The left is what the gods give you, the right is what you do with it."

With all these saying however, only instinct and experience will tell you which is better to read in the end.

• Left The left hand is controlled by the right brain (pattern recognition, relationship understanding), reflects the inner person, the natural self, the anima, and the lateral thinking. It could even be considered to be a part of a person spiritual and personal development. It is the the "yin" of personality (feminine and receptive).

• Right As opposites are, the right hand is controlled by the left brain (logic, reason, and language), reflects the outer person, objective self, influence of social environment, education, and experience. It represents linear thinking. It also corresponds to the "yang" aspect of personality (male and outgoing).

[edit] Hand shape

Depending on the type of palmistry practiced, and the type of reading being performed, palmists may look at various qualities of the hand, including the shapes and lines of the palm and fingers; the color and texture of the skin and fingernails; the relative sizes of the palm and fingers; the prominence of the knuckles; and numerous other attributes of the hands.

In most schools of palmistry, hand shapes are divided into four or 10 major types, sometimes corresponding to the Classical elements or temperaments. Hand shape is believed to indicate character traits corresponding to the type indicated (i.e., a "Fire hand" would exhibit high energy, creativity, short temper, ambition, etc. - all qualities believed to be related to the Classical element of Fire).

Although variations abound, the most common classifications used by modern palmists:

• Earth hands are generally identified by broad, square palms and fingers, thick or coarse skin, ruddy color, and . The length of the palm from wrist to the bottom of the fingers is usually equal to the length of the fingers.

• Air hands exhibit square or rectangular palms with long fingers and sometimes protruding knuckles, low-set thumbs, and often dry skin. The length of the palm from wrist to the bottom of the fingers is usually less than the length of the fingers.

• Water hands are seeable by the short, sometimes oval-shaped palm, with long, flexible, conical fingers. The length of the palm from wrist to the bottom of the fingers is usually less than the width across the widest part of the palm, and usually equal to the length of the fingers.

• Fire hands are characterized by a square or rectangular palm, flushed or pink skin, and shorter fingers. The length of the palm from wrist to the bottom of the fingers is usually greater than the length of the fingers.

It’s easy to determine the dominant element and temperament in your own hand (Dominant Planets In Hand And Horoscope) The number and quality of lines can also be included in the hand shape analysis; in some traditions of palmistry, Earth and Water hands tend to have fewer, deeper lines, while Air and Fire hands are more likely to show more lines with less clear definition.

[edit] The lines

Some of the lines of the hand in Palmistry
1: Life line - 2: Head line - 3: Heart line - 4: Girdle of Venus - 5: Sun line - 6: Mercury line - 7: Fate line

The three lines found on almost all hands, and generally given most weight by palmists:

• The heart line is the first of the major lines examined by a reader. It is found towards the top of the palm, under the fingers. In some traditions, the line is read as starting from the edge of the palm under the little finger and flowing across the palm towards the thumb; in others, it is seen as starting under the fingers and flowing toward the outside edge of the palm. Palmists interpret this line to represent matters of the heart, both physical and metaphorical, and believe it can indicate emotional stability, romantic perspectives, depression, and stoicism, in addition to various aspects of cardiac health.

• The next line identified by palmists is the head line. This line starts at the edge of the palm under the index finger and flows across the palm towards the outside edge. Often, the head line is joined with the life line (see below) at inception. Palmists generally interpret this line to represent the person's mind and the way it works, including learning style, communication style, intellectualism, and thirst for knowledge. It is also believed to indicate a preference for creative or analytical approaches to information (i.e., right brain or left brain).

• Finally, readers look at perhaps the most controversial line on the hand, the life line. This line extends from the edge of the palm above the thumb and travels in an arc towards the wrist. This line is believed to represent the person's vitality and vigor, physical health and general well being. The life line is also believed to reflect major life changes, including cataclysmic events, physical injuries, and relocations. Contrary to popular belief, modern palmists generally do not believe that the length of a person's life line is tied to the length of a person's life.

Additional major lines or variations include:

• A simian crease, or fusing of the heart and head lines, has special significance in that both emotional as well as reasoning nature have to be studied from this line alone. The peculiar line is thought to be a combination of the head and heart lines on such hands that are separately marked on the rest of the hands.

According to Cheiro, this line is thought to endow a person with an intensity of purpose or single-mindedness, the nature of which is decided upon by exact position of this line on the hand and the direction of any branches shooting from it, which is normally the case. In hands where such a line exists without any branches as a singular mark, it indicates an extremely intense nature and special care is needed for such persons. The normal position for the line is starting below the index finger and ending where normally the heart line terminates at the edge of the hand below the little finger, indicating average interests for the person and the intense side of the nature is decided purely by the direction of any branches shooting from it. The upper half of the palm lying immediately below the fingers is considered to represent the higher or intellectual nature and the lower half of the palm to represent the materialistic side of the nature. If one of these halves is larger than the other as decided by the central placement of the head line or in this case the single transverse palmar crease it shows greater development of that aspect of the nature. Based on this general principle, if this line is placed below its normal position it indicates an intensely intellectual nature; if it is placed above its normal position it indicates an intensely materialistic nature and interests. The direction in which any branches may be found shooting from this line have a significant impact on the nature of this line resulting in suitable modifications from the above defined results depending on the nature of the mounts on the hand. For instance, if a branch from this line shoots to the mount of Moon lying on the lower edge of the hand exactly opposite the thumb, it indicates an intensely vacillating nature and emotional temperament.

• The fate line runs from the bottom of the palm near the wrist, up through the center of the palm towards the middle finger. This line is believed to be tied to the person's life path, including school and career choices, successes and obstacles. Sometimes this line is thought to reflect circumstances beyond the individual's control, or alternately the person's choices and their consequences.

Other minor lines:

• Sun Line - parallel to the Fate Line, under the ring finger; believed to indicate fame or scandal
• Girdle of Venus - starts between the little and ring fingers, runs in a rough arc under the ring and middle fingers to end between the middle and pointer fingers; thought to relate to emotional intelligence and the ability to manipulate
• Union Lines - short horizontal lines found on the percussive edge of the palm between the Heart Line and the bottom of the little finger; believed to indicate close relationships, sometimes - but not always - romantic.
• Mercury Line - runs from the bottom of the palm near the wrist, up through the palm towards the little finger; purported to be an indicator of persistent health issues, business acumen, or skill in communication.
• Travel Lines - these are horizontal lines found on the percussive edge of the palm between the wrist and the heart line; each line is said to represent a trip taken by the subject - the longer the line, the more important the trip is to the subject.
• Other Markings - these include stars, crosses, triangles, squares, tridents, and rings under each of the fingers; their supposed impact and meaning varies by location on the palm and freedom from other interfering lines.
• "Apollo Line" - the Apollo line means to have a fortunate life; it travels from the Mount of the Moon at the wrist to beneath the Apollo finger.

[edit] The mounts

The mounts in Palmistry
Jupiter, Saturn, Apollo, Mercury, Mars positive, Mars negative, plain of mars, Luna mount, Neptune mount, Venus mount. ^[1] [2]

Cheirognomy is the study of mounts in chiromancy, the art of characterization and foretelling the future through the study of the palm of the hand. Each mount correlates to a planetary influence in the astrological sense. The thumb, Rhea, is above the mount of Venus. The index finger, ruled by Jupiter, is above the mount of Jupiter. The middle finger, ruled by Saturn, is above the mount of Saturn. The ring finger, ruled by Apollo/the Sun God, is above the mount of Apollo. The little finger, ruled by Mercury, is above the mount of Mercury. Lower Mars mount is located beneath the mount of Jupiter, the plain of Mars is located in the center of the palm (beneath the mount of Saturn), and upper Mars mount is located beneath the mounts of Apollo and Mercury. Earth mount is located on the fleshy mount created on the back side of the hand when the thumb and index finger are pushed against each other. The mount of Luna (or Moon) is located on the lower part of the palm directly below the lower plain of Mars.

[edit] Science and skeptics

A considerable amount of research into palm crease and fingerprint whorl variations has been undertaken in mainstream scientific journals, generally with respect to the usefulness of these phenotypic markers in diagnosing genetic medical disorders. Such research has uncovered strong correlations between both the single palmar crease and aberrant fingerprints and chromosomal disorders such as cri du chat syndrome (chromosome 5), aberrations on chromosome 9^[2], Noonan syndrome (chromosome 12), Patau syndrome (chromosome 13), Edward's syndrome (chromosome 18), Down syndrome (chromosome 21), and Aarskog-Scott syndrome (X-linked recessive).

Aberrent digit length, which can include having one or more unusually short fingers (brachydactyly) or severely incurved fingers (clinodactyly). has also been scientifically correlated with numerous genetic chromosomal disorders and congenital syndromes.

John T. Manning has linked digit ratios to other conditions, such as prenatal androgen exposure, sexual dimorphism, homosexuality, depression, reproductive success, and musical aptitude^[3].

There has been little widely accepted research verifying palmistry's accuracy as a system of character analysis, and so far no conclusive evidence has been provided to support a connection between the lines of the palm and a person's character beyond what could be deduced from analyzing that the person suffered from a chomosomal disorder or belonged to a certain statistical group based on their digit ratio. No conclusive data have yet been found to support the claims made by hand readers with respect to life expectancy or personality type.

Skeptics often include palmists on lists of alleged psychics who practice a technique called cold reading. Cold reading is cited as the practice that allows readers of all kinds, including palmists, to appear psychic.^[4] Although fortune telling is much less common today in mainstream palmistry than it was in the past, sceptics almost always associate palmistry with fortune telling rather than reading character.

[edit] See also

• Alectormancy
• Dermatoglyphics
• Digit ratio
• Single transverse palmar crease
• Chironomia - the art of using gesticulations or hand gestures to good effect in traditional rhetoric or oratory
• Guidonian hand
• Phrenology

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Complete Illustrated Guide to Palmistry: The Principles and Practice of Hand Reading Revealed by Peter West; published January 1998, Thorsons/Element.

• Palmistry: How to Chart the Lines of Your Destiny by Roz Levine; published December 1992, Simon & Schuster.

• Hand und Horoskop - Was Handlesen mit Astrologie verbindet by Manfred Magg; published September 2002, Chiron Verlag, Tübingen, Germany.

• The Encyclopedia of Palmistry by Edward D. Campbell; published 1997, Robert Hale, London

• Palmistry Your Highway to Life by Hazel Whitaker; published 1998, Barnes & Noble Books

• Palmistry Quick and Easy by Hazel Peter; published 2001, Llewellyn Publications, Minnesota

[edit] External links

• Cheiro. Palmistry for All at Project Gutenberg

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