Palmistry 101: The History

The origins of the art of Palmistry which is also referred to as chiromancy or chirosophy, are mysterious and uncertain. It is believed to have begun in Ancient India and spread from there. It is an art that has been known in China, Tibet, Persia, Mesopotamia and in Egypt (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013). Ancient Greece is known to make some of the most significant developments in the art. It is interesting to note the similarities and associations between lines and shapes of the palm with astrology and the deities that then correspond to that same science.

During the Medieval Era, Palmistry was used by the witch-hunters of the day who would search the palms for a pigmented spot that they interpreted as a sign of a pact with the Devil, thereby labelling it the infamous Witch’s Mark (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013). It was during the Renaissance that palmistry once again came to the forefront of seekers of truth as they sought to develop empirical evidence of the validity of the study and further developed the foundations of its basic principles (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013).

Palmistry as we now know it today grew in popularity during the age of Enlightenment due the work of Casimir d’Arpentigny, Louis Hamon (who was known simply as Cheiro) and William Benham. These earlier works influenced the famous Carl Jung and solidified palmistry as one of many arts in divination, psychology and those seeking deeper knowledge of the self.

While there may not be a consensus on the scientific validity in the study of the palm shape or lines indicating a psychic or occult predictive process, the human hand does show clear evidence of the person’s health, cleanliness, even occupation or of a nervous habit such as nail biting. It is my belief that the lines of the hands not only show a person’s past as presented through the neurological developments that occurred at that time, but also a representation of the current direction on is growing in.

When looking at the non-dominant hand you get a glimpse of the lines that do not change as often or quickly as the dominant hand. This is simply that less wear is directed upon that hand, therefore you can see a person in a much broader context. The palms of the hand are one of the fastest places for skin to regenerate on the body so when looking at the dominant hand you can actually record changes of the lines yourself. When a person makes a radical shift in their health, way of thinking or being, or has a spiritual awakening or even bouts of depression this can be seen recorded in the palms of the hands. When the mind and body are vibrating a certain way the neurological effects of this can be displayed in the patterns formed on the palm.

References:

The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (2013) Palmistry Retrived from: https://www.britannica.com/topic/palmistry