Bewitchingbee's

Palmistry Lesson 1

Palmistry, a Spell-binding Scientific Art

No one else in the world has a hand that's exactly like yours. Without speaking a word, your hands reveal your strengths and weaknesses, health tendencies, and life path. Prior to the middle ages, hand reading had long been associated with witchcraft. (Who knew? Isn't everything that's interesting at some point in the past linked to the craft?) Later, palmistry was studied by such notables as Aristotle, and Paracelus. Throughout history, the hand has been an object of fascination, linked with healing and magical powers. Hands are used symbolically in rituals, and many also use the hand as a talisman for luck.

So just how long have people been gazing at hands looking for clues to the inner world? This is uncertain. Could be as far back as 15,000 years ago, when stencils of hands were made on the walls of prehistoric caves like the Wargata Mina in southwestern Tasmania, or longer. Hand reading has been practiced in every culture. In India, where one of the earliest written records regarding palmistry comes from, it was recorded that palmistry was given to the people as a gift from Samudra, also called Varuna, the Ocean God. How long ago was that? This is unsure, one estimate states approximately 1700 B.C.. One thing that's for certain, is palmistry, much like magic, has been practiced in every culture and is probably much older than the written word.

Over the last two hundred years, there have been major developments in the art and science of hand reading. It is no longer considered only a system of divination. Much like the astronomer, using the combination of hard science, along with the metaphysical to understand the universe, or the meteorologist predicting weather trends, the practitioner of hand analysis uses a similar combination to interpret a person's physical well being, as well as their emotional and spiritual condition.

An interesting link exists between palmistry and astrology, in that both recognize a relationship exists between the planets, the elements, and the personality.

Palmistry is an enigma. Maybe I am drawn to it more because I work in health care. I don't know of any other study that combines the influence of recent genetic studies, and the linkage of medical and psychological research, with principled, ancient folk tradition, quite the way palmistry does.

Scientific research has revealed a correlation between stimulation of certain areas of the hand, and brain activity. An essential connection exists between the two. In short, your hands express in many ways who you are, and since the lines in your hands change over the course of your life, (and indeed sometimes lines change over the course of a few months, or weeks), your hands reflect present trends, and future possibilities. Any life changes or influences are, excuse the pun- in your hands.

Despite the old gypsy, fortune teller stereo-type, our destiny is not already decided. We develop our own karma by our attitude, and by the choices and decisions we make. Learning what the characteristics of your hands are helps you to predict tendencies, and can help you to understand yourself and others. Palmistry can empower you to make changes, and to travel towards the future you desire.

So what exactly is palmistry? Basically palmistry is a combined intuitive, and scientific interpretation of the shape and structure of the hand.

Palmistry is an extremely vast subject. All I can hope to do here is cover a couple areas of interest. Start by examining your own hands. The best way to do this is by making a print.

Quiz yourself:

1) What is palmistry?

2) How long has palmistry been around?