‘You will marry between the age of 28 and 29, the man will be much older, dark haired, and a sportsman’…….thus with those words my lifelong interest and study in Palmistry began. It was in the early 1960’s and I was about 15 years of age when my mother and I went to see a palmist in the Dandenong Ranges of Victoria. I recollect a cold wet winter’s day, with my father waiting impatiently in the car for us, listening to the football on the radio. Mum and I were served afternoon tea prior to the reading – which in actual fact was what we paid for as anyone taking money for ‘fortune-telling’ in those days was frowned upon! The palmist, a well dressed middle aged lady, spoke those fatal words after looking at my fat little hand, along with other predictions including the type of furniture I would have in my house one day and that the initial ‘L’ would be of great significance in my life!
In the ensuing years I have collected a modest selection of palmistry books but my favourite is the Benham Book of Palmistry which was originally published over 100 years ago. The book is about the size of a house brick with 42 pages devoted to the thumb alone! I really enjoy ‘reading’ the thumb as I believe much can be revealed from this interesting digit. In the science of palmistry, the thumb represents strength of character and ‘self’. In ancient Roman times, the thumb held up or pointed down indicated life or death to a gladiator.
In modern days thumbs-sticking-out-of-pocket of jacket or trousers is usually found in dominant characters who feel superior to others. A supple-jointed thumb (such as my son has) shows a flexible and sometimes unconventional personally. I have noticed the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair has this type of thumb as well! A ‘chicken-winged’ thumb is described by Benham as the sign of a ‘pick-pocket’ or someone who is light handed with money. Whereas hands that have a stiff, firm thumb are determined and strong minded. Beware of hands bearing a short, clubbed thumb as in extreme cases, this is a sign of extreme anger and Benham describes this dramatically as the ‘hanged-man thumb’. Look for thumbs that have a ‘waist’ between the top and middle sections as their owners are usually kind and considerate. However, sometimes I have felt that the deeper the indentations are on the waist of the thumb, the more sensitive and tired the owner of the hand is. Lack of a waist on the thumb is often representative of an argumentative or plain speaking character.
A good palmistry reading therefore consists of more than the usual reading of the major lines which are life, heart and head. There is the overall appearance of the hand to consider together with various other features including the prominence (or lack thereof) of the mounts (the fleshy mounds below the fingers and base of the thumb).
There are also minor lines such as the lines of affection (underneath the little finger on the side of the palm). These are also known as ‘marriage lines’, but they usually indicate a significant relationship not only marriage. Little lines running off this line are thought to represent children. Other lines of significance include the Line of Saturn (or Line of Fate or Destiny), the Line of Apollo and Line of Mercury.
Health matters are also shown in various parts of the hand, namely the palm including color and texture, as well as the fingernails. If the lines on the palm are a deep red in color, the owner may by angry or upset. A mottled effect on the Mount of Moon (the mound at the bottom of the hand below the little finger) may indicate deep personal unhappiness and unresolved issues in the spirit as well as in the physical body.
There should be an overall firm texture with some ‘bounce’ on the palm, neither too soft nor too hard. Horizontal and vertical ridges on the nail bed are common as are white flecks which can indicate a nervous disposition. A concave nail shows physical tension whilst a clubbed nail can indicate respiratory problems. I proved the clubbed nail theory myself some years ago when I was diagnosed with a serious respiratory illness. Prior to the diagnosis the nail on my right ‘pointy’ finger or Jupiter Finger developed a prominent ‘claw’ appearance with the waist of the third phalange shrinking alarmingly so that the top of the finger appeared clubbed. Not a pretty sight! Now that I am well, the finger has resumed its normal appearance and the nail has flatted out.
Think of the hand as a road map of your life and the lines as flowing rivers! Your life is in your hands and with your own willpower over time, you can change the lines and features of your palms. You are not constricted to the ‘hand of destiny’ you have been dealt. Some palmistry schools of thought believe your destiny is contained in your non-dominant hand and your dominant hand is what you decide to actually do with your life. Sometimes there are considerable differences between the right and left palms which indicates your free will is charting your own course. Study your palms for a while and see if your own volition is running your life or if you have left most of your important life decisions up to destiny and karma. This would be more likely if there are few differences between your right and left palms.
Have some fun with palmistry which is a fabulous tool to add to any ‘psychics toolbox’.
Oh…yes, I did marry at 28 1/2 years of age to a dark haired sportsman who was 17 years my senior and eventually had one child, a son named Luke!
