Hands Columns

Posted on December 6, 2016 by markseltman

Character of the Month

The archetypes that our hands embody are metaphors for our corresponding personality traits. Our inner and outer characters and the internal and external dramas they play out embody our positive and negative potentials. By knowing the myths of our archetypes, we can understand what kind of person we tend to marry; what kinds of relationships we have with our families, friends, and neighbors; what work we are likely to choose; whether we will be rich or poor; and even what kinds of potential health problems we may have. Armed with knowledge and insight, we can employ our free will to embrace the positive aspects of our characters in order to revise our hands and restage a bad script in our lives. We can choose the right kinds of people and roles for ourselves. Click on the hands below for a full description of each type.

Greek and Roman and contemporary fairy tale characters will be explored. Superficial profiles of twelve fairy tale heroines have been used as illustrations for the purpose of elucidating this idea. Copyright permissions would be required for mass publishing.

April / Aries ~ Belle (Beauty)

As an adventurous, independent, and freedom loving type, Belle makes up her mind and fearlessly pursues her desires. Her impatience and impulsiveness get her in trouble as she instinctively charges forward. Belle becomes bored and restless when she gets caught up in mundane details. She needs to grasp the whole picture. Ultimately, she somehow manages to turn a beast into a prince.

May / Taurus ~ Princess Jasmine

Princess Jasmine is practical, responsible, reliable, dependable, charming, and affectionate. She’s also stubborn and obstinate and doesn’t like change. She enjoys good food, comfortable surroundings, art, music, and sensual pleasures. She’s attracted to Aladdin (Aries) types because they spice up her fantasy life, but in real life, she knows they don’t make the best long term partners for her.

June / Gemini ~ Pippi Longstocking

Pippi is smart and very clever. Her restless nature ensures she’s always on the go. She’s fiercely independent and unafraid to speak her mind. She can conjure up a reason or rationalization for almost anything. Adaptable to all circumstances, Pippi is elusive when anyone tries to pin her down. Her animus is Peter Pan.

July / Cancer ~ Snow White

Snow White is soft and emotionally vulnerable. Controlling or overprotective mothers compel her to become over-sensitive and emotionally cautious. She does her best to avoid confrontation and repress difficult feelings. Cutting ties with controlling females helps her become healthier and happier. She’s a great friend once trust is earned.

August / Leo ~ Goldilocks

Goldilocks loves being center of attention. She wants to be adored and worshipped and can be a drama queen. She needs to be appreciated and must never be taken for granted. Pure types may have fathers who were emotionally or physically absent during their formative years. Goldie craves healthy male role models, but attracts fixer-uppers. Because she so stubbornly fights change, she must learn to recognize that when the bears come home, it’s time to let go.

September / Virgo ~ Cinderella

Cinderella is a practical hard working type. Discriminating, meticulous, and orderly, she needs to feel useful. She’s service oriented, often straightening up other’s messes. She can be overly fastidious and critical sometimes. She’s a good communicator who needs to be valued and appreciated for her integrity. Though her work is often mundane and her rewards meager, Cinderella needs to cherish whatever she earns.

October / Libra ~ Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty searches for balance. She loves harmony, fears discord, and is often indecisive as a result. She can be charismatic and beautiful. She seeks her Prince Charming to help her feel complete, but needs to see him for who he is and not who she wants him to be. Unfortunately, there are way too many frogs and beasts out there and very few princes ready, willing, or able to save her.

November / Scorpio ~ Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood has powerful emotions and a strong sense of purpose. She’s imaginative, captivating, and resourceful. You’re happy being yourself when you’re with her. When she truly wants something, she manages to get it one way or another. She has a mysterious dark side that attracts and is tempted by Big Bad Wolves who desire to corrupt her feigned innocence.

December / Sagittarius ~ Alice in Wonderland

Alice is a traveler and philosopher. She’s friendly, sincere, optimistic, and open minded. She loves her freedom and needs a lot of space to explore her ideas and environment. Alice has a tendency to see life through rose colored glasses. She must take care not to be overly opinionated, judgmental, or self-indulgent.

January / Capricorn ~ Maleficent

It’s not easy to find a positive female fairy tale character that’s pragmatic, ambitious, structured, disciplined, and focused. Capricorn types are planners who make it to the top of whatever field of interest they choose. As serious withholding types, their dark side is frequently represented by Scrooge like characters that are cold, selfish, and rigid. Maleficent is Capricorn with strong Scorpio backup. Her dark side is depressive and diabolical; she’s a person who plans carefully and tries to avoid the negative consequences of her evil actions. These types are late bloomers. They get younger while their peers get older.

February / Aquarius ~ Pocahontas

Pocahontas is outgoing, progressive, independent, and revolutionary. As a community minded individual, she loves in a kind of detached way. Her unconventional freedom loving nature can get her into awkward situations. Spending much time in her private world of ideas and inventions, she prides herself on being unique and eccentric. She’s opinionated, but makes an exciting friend.

March / Pisces ~ Little Mermaid

Ariel is the most sensitive and least acquisitive of all types. Capable of incredible foresight, she’s often misunderstood when she conveys her spiritual visions to others. It’s not easy for others to let go and take a leap of faith. Ariel can swim anywhere in the ether and dream whatever she pleases. She must be sure not to escape from reality and must also watch out for Ursula the Octopus who wants to possess her.

Hands of the Month

Stories of individuals whose corresponding character and career matches the nature of their hands and astrological sign of the month. Applicable themes will be covered:

MONTH CAREER ESOTERIC

April Sports Character

May Banking Values

June Education Thinking

July Psychology Feeling

August Acting Will Power

September Medicine Health

October Law Partnerships

November Sex / Death Creativity

December Politics Philosophy

January Career Purpose

February Technology Dreams

March Religion Spirituality

Philosophical & Spiritual Advice Column

Readers send in hi-resolution pictures of their faces and hands and ask personal questions to be answered by a master palmist from practical, philosophical, and spiritual perspectives. Questions such as, “How can I…?” or “What can I do to…?” are better than “What’s going to happen?” Queries requiring yes or no answers will be rejected. I’d like to write this column if I can find the right venue and way to market the project. Ideas?

Stay tuned for modern palmistry book concepts.

Palmistry ~ Creating the Future

Posted on November 29, 2016 by markseltman

Here’s the paradox. Palmistry is a simple and fun way of knowing self and other and most people are clueless to the realities incarnate in our hands. Our hands provide priceless validation, precious insight, and valuable tools for us to interact and get to know ourselves and others better. Illuminating the ancient science and art of palmistry and making it real for the masses has been like prying a glimmer of light from a 5,500 year old rusty dungeon door with a pen light and a pair of tweezers. In hindsight, I’ve tried to promote palmistry many ways, but have never gone deeply enough with anything.

The value of palmistry is in being able to readily recognize basic character traits and motivations. The beauty of palmistry is that once we understand our strengths and weaknesses; we can alter our thinking, exercise our free will, and transform negative thought patterns into positive behavioral patterns. The magic of palmistry is that hands change as thinking and circumstances change. Our successes and failures transform the morphology and topography of our hands over time. A tiny change in the direction or quality of a line can symbolize a huge change in a life.

How do we turn the multitudes on to palmistry? There’s no one answer, but a good way to start is to influence the influencers. Palmistry needs support from major players with huge followings. Initially, a large metaphysical community can be enlisted. Well-crafted essays and compelling columns can be published in venues alongside astrology, numerology, tarot, and other esoteric subjects. Palmistry classes and workshops can be offered at Omega and Esalen institutes, Kripalu Center, Kepler College, and Naropa University. Esoteric thinkers and spiritual seekers will fall in love with palmistry once they ‘get it’.

We must convince thought leaders to place their hands in the gauntlet of palmistry. I’ve read Martha Stewart’s hands on her show and Star Jones on ‘The View’. That was a good start, but just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher, Charlie Rose, and Bill Moyers turned on to hands. What about John Maxwell, Ken Blanchard, or Anthony Robbins? How about Terri Gross or Krista Tippett? How much awareness would Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson generate? Palmistry could use a Ted Talk. Celebrity is credibility. Influencers influence. You get the point.

Oprah’s love of Dr. Phil launched a fabulous career for him in a very short period of time. I wanted to meet Oprah and asked my friends if they knew anyone who knew anyone who knew her. I ended up at lunch with a former editor-in-chief of ‘O’ Magazine. Seemed like a good start. I figured she’d introduce me to her ex-boss after we talked about her hands. My new friend loved her reflection; however, she had introduced Oprah to James Frey. Oprah loved, and then hated him. My contact had retired from editing and told me that she would never again introduce Oprah to anyone. We parted on a friendly note. I’d have to figure out some other way to connect with Oprah. I haven’t tried.

Ideas are a dime a dozen. The work is hard. There’s a glut of information out there. In my experience, it’s easier to buy than sell. I usually accomplish more on my dime, but what’s the best way to spend it? Advertising is a hook. It’s a complete waste of time and money without the right bait (content or product) and an expert fisherman. Publicity is effective. It’s much less costly; however, an ocean of it is required to make a difference. Social networking requires endless time, persistence, and discipline. I don’t enjoy any of it. At nearly seventy, I’d rather be on my mountain bike in the forest or kayaking in a lagoon.

I had hoped to find solidarity and support in the palmistry community. Instead, I found deafening silence, pettiness, jealousy, competitiveness, defensiveness, obsession with irrelevant details, and a desperate need to be smart, clever, and right. It’s challenging finding palmists who are supportive of my quest to popularize palmistry. I share my ideas and plans with a small palmistry forum of 120 members (The Profitable Palmist). Luckily, I have strong support from the astrology and psychology communities. After 5,500 years in obscurity, it’s time for hands to be seen in the light of truth. People should be asking “May I see your hands?” in addition to “What’s your sun sign?”

Palmistry should have its very own ‘Popular Palmistry’ magazine. Remember ‘Popular Mechanics’ and ‘Popular Science’? They’re still popular. ‘Popular Palmistry’ can be printed in full color on the same stock as other popular magazines. ‘Popular Palmistry’ would feature articles on the science of palmistry, new ways to see hands and understand what to do with what you see, interviews with palmists, palmistry stories, info about palmistry schools, events, books, world news, and definitely a handy advice column.

Successful magazines need devoted editors. Dell Horoscope published one of the first popular astrology magazines. It’s still thriving thanks to a passionate and dedicated editor-in-chief, Ronnie Grishman. As a competent astrologer and a respected member of the astrological community, Ronnie has maintained quality content, integrity, reputation, and found clever ways to satisfy both professionals and novices. A healthy magazine is a healthy family. Most successful magazines include specialized departments with individual editors. Expert authors share their understanding and experience with a generosity of spirit. Everyone contributes what they can. What’s your contribution? Do you have something valuable to share? Can you write an article about what you do and how you do it?

Who will inspire the influencers? Hopefully, we will. I’m investing my time and energies in serving my existing clients and thinking critically about the future of palmistry these days. Everything about everyone is in their hands. Here are some ideas I’ve come up with for publishing powerful palmistry content and generating the most interest with the least effort and resistance. Feel free to adapt my ideas to your expertise and skill set. Don’t be afraid to run your ideas past me before you query editors. I’ll be happy to lend a helping hand on healthy concepts and innovative ideas and collaborate on meaningful projects.

The following is a diverse list of two dozen leading consumer magazines, along with suggestions for articles. There are many more and you can use your imagination. I list print circulation by subscription. Many also have online subscriptions. In their media kits, some magazines claim that a dozen or more people read each copy. More issues are sold individually at newsstands. There are hundreds of sheltered magazines that are good venues for palmistry articles as well. Here’s a link to articles I’ve been featured in.

Magazine Circulation Feature Article

AARP Magazine 23,000,000+ Hands of people who ‘made it’ after fifty

Family Circle 4,000,000+ Hands and heredity

People 3,400,000+ Hands of celebrities (weekly)

Woman’s Day 3,200,000+ Hands of successful women

Sports Illustrated 3,000,000+ Hands of famous athletes

Time 3,000,000+ Hands around the world

Reader’s Digest 3,000,000+ Secrets of a master palmist

Cosmopolitan 3,000,000+ You got the guy in the palm of your hand

Shape 2,500,000+ Your nature is in your hands

Glamour 2,300,000+ Glamorous hands

Parents 2,200,000+ How to read your children’s hands

American Baby 2,000,000+ How to read your baby’s hands

Seventeen 2,000,000+ Hands of famous teens

InStyle 1,700,000+ high five

Money 1,500,000+ Your wealth is in your hands

TV Guide 1,500,000+ Emmy award winning hands

Women’s Health 1,500,000+ Your health is in your hands

Self 1,500,000+ Your life is in your hands

Ebony 1,200,000+ Hands of famous African Americans

The New Yorker 1,000,000+ Hands of interesting New Yorkers

Fortune 800,000+ Your fortune is in your hands

Psychology Today 275,000+ Your personality is in your hands

Back Stage 60,000+ The perfect role is in your hands

Jobs and Careers ? Your purpose is in your hands

Stay tuned for column ideas in my next post…

My Declaration of Independence

Posted on November 15, 2016 by markseltman

At the exact moment I publish this, a super full moon is conjoining my natal lunar north node in Gemini. I’m using that power to launch my declaration of independence. Donald Trump and I share that same node. Our karmic responsibility is to communicate higher knowledge to the multitudes. Bill Clinton and George Bush also share that node, but blew their chances. Donald Trump may have already fulfilled his karmic destiny by exposing the dark underbelly of democracy. Donald Trump’s hubris will be his legacy.

I’ve had an epiphany. If Donald Trump can become president, I can shift the paradigm of ‘palmistry as a gypsy fortune- telling scam’ to ‘palmistry as a potent path to knowing oneself and other’. By ignoring palmistry’s history and making up my own rules, I’ll drag hand reading, kicking and screaming if necessary, out of the dark ages and into the light of the sun. My mission is to give everyone a helping hand, their own. Once you realize the true value of palmistry, you’ll be looking at your hands with reverence.

I’ve been an astrologer, palmist, and tarot card reader for forty years. As an astrologer, having an exact date, time, and place of birth empowers me to recognize character types, observe behavioral patterns, and understand life cycles, habits, and timing. As a palmist, I observe body language and examine the morphology and topography of hands to interpret a person’s actual potentials. Our hands reveal what we’ve done, are doing, and are likely do with those potentials. Tarot cards unveil unconscious and subconscious minds and answer questions ~ like about other people’s stuff.

Astrology had been quietly knocking at our door for thousands of years. In 1968, we opened wide and asked “What’s your sun sign?” Linda Goodman wrote and Bantam Books published the simple and entertaining ‘Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs’. Suddenly, astrology became fun. The popular astrology movement was catalyzed. Horoscopes magically appeared in newspapers and magazines everywhere. Astrological organizations, schools, books, and clubs sprouted, thrived, and continue to flourish. Over one hundred million copies of Linda’s books were sold with no Amazon.com or e-social networking.

In my attempt to understand how Linda Goodman transformed astrology, I reached out to her literary agent, Arthur Klebanoff. After reading his autobiography, ‘The Agent’, I was convinced he would be a good catalyst for launching palmistry. I hoped to persuade him that I could become the ‘Linda Goodman of palmistry’ with his help. Too bad for me, because Arthur had retired from agenting and was wary of esoteric authors. Linda had been a royal pain in the butt as a client. I assured him the only relationship between Linda and me was a metaphor between charts and hands. His answer was still ‘No’. I needed to find another way to gain credibility with publishers. If you’ve read my recent personal publicity series, you know how hard I’ve tried.

Here’s my paradox ~ hands are more potent than astrology for seeing basic behavior. There’s no need for accurate birth info, computers, software, or hindsight. While natal astrology charts remain static, hands change as thinking and circumstances change. We get to observe our changes in the mirrors of our hands over time. I use astrology and palmistry together. Viewing hands through the lens of the twelve signs and houses of astrology instantly reveals our basic characters, values, thinking, feelings, will power, health, relationships, creativity, philosophy, purpose, hopes, fears, and spirituality.

Palmistry has not had a champion since Cheiro (hand) in the early 1900’s. Cheiro (Count Louis Hamon) was a self-appointed, self-promoting seer, showman, gossip, and indisputably the most fascinating palmist of all time. He was a bit like Donald Trump in that he made up his own rules as he went along. He’d be a superstar these days with reality TV. You can read more about him in my blog post, ‘Your Palmistry Education’.

It’s time for palmistry to be reborn, but palmistry needs a spokesperson. I’ll be happy to support anyone who is qualified and wants the job. If I’m forced to become a face for palmistry, I’ll rise to the task, but I’m not Cheiro (except for having amazing clients and stories). I have reservations about going public. I cherish my anonymity. I must always remain discreet about my clients’ private lives and secrets. I’ll be seventy next June.

I hope to inspire expert palmists and sincere seekers to take responsibility for what they know and need to know. Knowledge and wisdom are keys to unlocking the magic of hands, but you don’t need to know about hands, or millions of details, or be an expert at anything, to see what you need to see. You must learn how to look and ask the right questions. Hands can be seen and heard by whoever chooses to look and listen.

If you’re a professional palmist and have a legitimate service, product, or school, you should be part of this. Once the public is turned on to palmistry, masses of people will be searching for sources for all things hands. I will promote you when you’re ready, but I’ll require a lot of help from you. First you need to have your act together.

Why aren’t we asking, “May I see your hands?” My intention is to catalyze a popular palmistry movement as soon as possible. Everyone is seeking spiritual insight and better understanding of oneself and other. There’s no competition for being you. Open your mind, stretch your awareness, and cultivate your ideas ~ be creative. Let me know what you’re planning. Ask for my advice. What I know isn’t proprietary. I have no trade secrets. I will freely share any ideas and ideals that make good sense for the future of palmistry.

I’ve spoken about hands at local venues to mostly uniformed audiences. I’ve shared my knowledge, experience, and creative ideas at colleges, universities, museums, new-age bookstores, community centers, churches, and cafes’. I’ve consulted with psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers about fast forwarding diagnosis, to salesmen about improving sales quotas, and human resource professionals about seeing and knowing whether a person is right for a job. Sounds like a lot, but it’s not. Unless you’re waving what you’ve done or are doing in someone’s face while it’s still hot, it’s quickly forgotten.

I’ve shared my personal publicity experiences with newspapers, magazines, books, radio, TV, volunteering, and public speaking. The workshop flier below was from one of my favorite events. Working with small communities is very satisfying. By participating in local events, you can give people a taste of what you do and let them know you plan to share what you know with the community. With digital camera in hand I ask,

“May I photograph your hands?”

“What will you do with the photos?”

“I’ll blow them up huge on a screen and talk about you with you in front of everyone.”

I’d be terrified if someone asked me. I have too many secrets. I’m always surprised how many people are ‘up for it’. I assure them I would never say anything hurtful or harmful. Being constructive, helpful, and leaving people feeling hopeful is the name of the game. Workshop volunteers sign a model release. I use their photos in limited ways. I choose twenty people for my poster while instantly creating a captive audience expecting an interesting experience. I place fliers online and in local village stores a couple of weeks ahead of time. This event worked especially well because people were turned on, the workshop was inexpensive, and the proceeds were donated to the café cinema series.

If you go into palmistry for money, you’re in the wrong profession. You can have a happy and healthy life as a palmist without being rich. I work as much as I choose, but will never make big bucks. Corporate speaking is profitable, but it’s a hard sell and the least satisfying work in the end. Your real wealth is in recognizing hands as powerful tools for healing mind, body, and spirit. In the process, you meet a diversity of amazing individuals, cultivate quality private clients, and attract fascinating special event work.

Over the next several weeks, I’ll post my ideas for popularizing palmistry on my blog. Feel free to question, comment, suggest, advise, imagine, or whatever you choose. If you have a better idea or know how to make an idea better, share your thoughts and insights. Let go of palmistry’s past. Take a leap of faith. Figure out what works for you. All of humanity must know and understand self and others better for a better future. Precious treasure wants and waits to be discovered at the ends of our arms.

“The lips of wisdom are closed, except to the ears of understanding” Hermes

Donald Trump’s Horoscope from a Palmist’s Perspective

Posted on October 27, 2016 by markseltman

Most astrologers know that unless it’s critical, no one is actually watching the clock when a child is being born. Donald Trump is a Gemini with Leo rising. If Donald had been born ten seconds later, he would have Virgo rising. His small Leo hands with rectangular palms, short fingers, and head and life lines closely intertwined at their beginnings confirm that Donald embraces Leo. He was likely born earlier than 10:54 am.

Small handed people are big picture people. They abhor detail and love grand ideas. It’s easy to see Donald’s behavior embodies shameless grandiosity along with the most negative attributes of Leo’s behavioral patterns. He’s narcissistic, self-centered, self-indulgent, superficial, ostentatious, egotistical, ruthless, greedy, bossy, seductive, and a lousy role model. Why do we prostrate ourselves before an over-clothed self-appointed emperor on a polished brass pedestal? How many gilded towers, glitzy gambling casinos, graven images, beauty queens, shark tanks, and celebrity idols do we need? What has happened to Donald’s (and our) humanity? It’s mind boggling to witness how a person can be so physically wealthy and spiritually bankrupt at the same time.

Donald’s Mercury square Neptune and corresponding curved pinkie fingers confirm Donald’s pathological dishonesty. Mercury’s dark side is the trickster, magician, con-artist, and pick-pocket. The court jester has become king. Donald’s north node in Gemini is conjunct those Mercurial archetypes. The North node in Gemini is a karmic invitation and responsibility to join society in order to share higher consciousness and lend humanity a helping hand so that we can all exercise higher mind. It’s easy to see how Bill Clinton (Leo) and George Bush (Leo rising) screwed up their Gemini north node opportunities. Donald Trump has already done more than his share of damage. Perhaps he has fulfilled his karmic obligation by clearly exposing the dark underbelly of democracy and capitalism. If you’re looking for more dirt, research what Donald was up to on the exact dates in 2011 and 2012 when Pluto squared, then opposed Donald’s Mercury Neptune square. Look for scams on dates in 2012 and 2013 when Uranus opposed and squared that same combo.

Donald’s head and life lines are closely intertwined at their beginnings. Despite his callous behavior, Donald craves your approval and cares a lot about what you think of him, though he doesn’t care about you. Donald’s day of reckoning is coming. During 2016, Uranus in Aries has been squaring Donald’s Saturn Venus conjunction in Cancer and will continue to square it in 2017 while transiting Saturn opposes his Sun and conjuncts his Moon. If you want to speed up Donald’s meltdown, millions of people should tweet to Donald J Trump “YOU’RE FIRED” on the following astrologically selected dates in 2017 – April 2, May 6, July 7, August 7, 12, 20, and 30, October 11, November 8 and 17. Anytime is a good time, but the above dates are the most effective. Donald’s hubris will finally take him down when the critical mass of horrors that he has perpetrated will no longer be acceptable to the masses. George Bush had a similar problem. Hopefully, he’s gained some humility with hindsight.

Author’s note: many people have curved pinky fingers. They are not pathological liars. A majority of people with curved pinkies are just trying to avoid confrontation. They’re peace makers because they learned as children to ‘be nice’ and ‘not make waves’. Many too often end up choosing safe over satisfying in their lives.

Hillary Clinton’s Horoscope from a Palmist’s Perspective

Posted on October 27, 2016 by markseltman

In palmistry, the shape and proportions of the hands, like the ascendant in astrology, symbolizes a person’s basic character and behavioral tendencies. There’s a lot of confusion and controversy around Hillary Clinton’s time of birth. Last week The Washington Post and LA Times wrote feature articles about the dilemma. The Wall Street Journal devoted its front page to the issue of Hillary’s birth time on September 29. Many astrologers have agreed that Hillary was born around 8 am. That gives her Scorpio rising. I disagree.

Hillary has a fiery earthy Capricorn hand with square palms, straight short fingers, and separated head and life line. She has no earth in her horoscope except for her north node in Taurus. I believe she’s got either Capricorn rising or Saturn in Leo on her ascendant. If Capricorn is rising, her birth time is between 11:05 am and 12:59 pm. If Saturn is rising, her birth time would be around 12:17 am. That fits her personality best.

Hillary Clinton is a Scorpio with a Pisces moon square Uranus in Gemini. There’s no doubt that Hillary has secrets. She’s all water and fixity. Hillary is also a natural manager who embraces the responsibility of delegating every aspect of daily business while maintaining a long-range vision. She has no problem starting early or staying late to finish a task. She’s structured, disciplined, and focused, expects you to be on time, and do what you say. She has no patience for excuses and inherently doesn’t trust slick and flashy types (though she married one).

Hillary is much less conservative than most people think. She’d prefer to stray from the rules, but continues to support and be supported by a system that she doesn’t know how to change. Practical and prudent, she patiently bides her time until circumstances are right. She’s independent and freedom loving and hates bureaucracy, despite being a hostage of one. She becomes quickly bored and impatient with routines. Hillary must have a worthwhile quest for her life not to become too mundane. She’s not possessive, but demands too little of her partner in her emotional life (low set pinky).

Hillary must listen more to her natural intuition and less to her handlers and backers. She’s got less charm (doesn’t need anyone’s approval), but greater executive abilities than Bill. Hillary’s powerful north node in Taurus opposes her Mercury in Scorpio. One of her great lessons in life is to understand the difference between what she wants and what she needs. From a karmic point of view, Hillary’s job is to help humanity wrap its psyche around humanitarian values and issues that really matter. I believe that if Hillary does become President, she’ll rise to the occasion.

With Saturn about to oppose and then square Hillary’s Moon Uranus square, you can bet she’s plenty frustrated right now and feeling distant from everyone. Unlike her opponent, it’s hard for Hillary to fake her feelings and not be real. She’d rather show than tell any day. If she’s elected she’ll meet with a lot of prejudice and staunch partisan opposition to everything she tries until the end of 2017. 2018 will be a year of reform for her and us as Uranus opposes her Sun.

If Hillary does have 21 degrees of Leo rising, her outlook is much better. Transiting Uranus has been trine instead of inconjunct her Saturn / Ascendant. At inauguration time, transiting Saturn will be trine her Saturn / Ascendant while Jupiter will be sextile them. This new ascendant may also explain Hillary’s attraction to Bill as his Leo Sun is conjunct that ascendant. The outer planets will leave Hillary’s Leo ascendant without hard aspects for her first couple of years in office.

Publicity Stories #6 ~ Volunteering

Posted on October 25, 2016 by markseltman

Volunteering has always been good for business. Being generous with my time and energies has been extremely rewarding on many levels. I get to meet other givers at charity functions. I’ve connected with some of my favorite event planners, performers, and caterers at fund raising events. Forty years later, we still recommend each other for well-paid work when we get the opportunity. Another benefit of charitable events is benefactors, who may pay $1000 or more a plate for dinner and entertainment. They also throw their own parties. I often give out business cards when asked and collect referrals for other causes and more lucrative events. I read many people at these events who have the maladies we’re working for or have family members or friends who have them. I feel grateful to be able to be there to support them.

Newspapers, magazines, books, and radio & TV were obvious ways to promote business. When I first started contributing my time and talents to causes, it never occurred to me to volunteer for the purpose of marketing or publicity. I was taught in early childhood that if you’re lucky enough to have a good life, you have a responsibility to give back in some way. I used to search for old ladies to help across the street, carry their bags, give up my seat, or open a door. I never expected anything in return. I believe that learning to give contributed to my having a happy childhood.

These days, I sign copious petitions and donate time and money to a variety of social causes. I sometimes regret getting involved as I receive copious requests for endless causes and contributions in my mailbox. I feel like unsubscribing from everything and becoming a hermit, but I don’t. It’s impossible for me to stand by while plutocrats and bigots exploit our environment and trample our human rights under gigantic footprints.

I volunteer regularly for charitable causes like AIDS, Cancer, Schizophrenia, Cystic Fibrosis, Blindness, Healthy Environment, and Dance & Arts Education. The same organizations have called me back year after year. I ask them to pay these days, but offer a substantial discount. They’re grateful to have me and tell me that their guests ask ahead whether I’ll be there. Some of their patrons feel like old friends who like to inform me of their progress since last year’s five-minute rendezvous.

Back in the late ‘80’s, I started working with the AIDS community. It began as research. I hoped to be able to identify the virus in a diversity of hands and track its progress or regress. I printed many hundreds of immune deficient hands of people in various stages from early HIV to full blown AIDS. As I continued to print their hands, I found substantial changes over time. It was hard for me to finance my time and expenses. I tried to find a sponsor to help fund my efforts. No one seemed interested in paying for my research.

In 1994, I discovered Bailey House and met Roy Fowler. Bailey House was an AIDS housing and health organization and Roy was in charge of rehab. Roy wanted to help and hired me to read their clients’ hands, tarot cards, and astrology. I worked two afternoons a week for two years with Roy and Bailey House’s staff and clients.

Individuals with HIV/AIDS tend to suppress their potentials because they’re concerned mainly with the harsh realities of their impending mortality. I was able to identify their strengths, abilities, and talents and encourage them to have hope and make use of the time and resources they had. I played a role for many as a spiritual counselor. Just my being there encouraged some of the more despondent clients to show up at the center.

It was hard to leave, but I needed to make more money. I also hadn’t been able to gather enough hard statistics to validate my research. When I left, Roy handed me this unsolicited testimonial (below). He hoped to help me advance my palmistry work.

Publicity Stories #5 ~ Radio & TV

Posted on October 18, 2016 by markseltman

I was first interviewed on radio in 1986, a few years prior to the Village Voice feature. WNYC Radio asked me to explain palmistry to their listeners for thirty minutes. I was nervous, but knowing I wouldn’t be seen alleviated my biggest fears. As an NPR affiliate, WNYC generated interest in Boston, Chicago, Albuquerque, Houston, and other cities.

I’ve had many radio interviews since WNYC. One challenge is that if you have nothing to sell, there’s no way to make $. Even if you have something of value, a lot of people must see it and recognize you. I was interviewed by Frankie Boyer numerous times. Frankie promoted my book during the show. It didn’t translate into book sales. I believed Frankie was the perfect venue for me: syndicated in thirty major cities, Frankie interviewed Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dwyer, John Gray, Dr. Oz, Suzanne Somers, and other thought leaders. Her listeners seemed perfect for palmistry and me. I was wrong. I mostly got inquiries from other media looking for stories. My publicist friend who introduced me to Frankie told me it can take as many as fifty radio interviews before listeners respond.

I prefer smaller venues. My all-time favorite tarot teacher and friend, Patti Canova, hosts a radio show she calls ‘Got a Lite’. How many people are actually listening is hard to know, but shows are recorded and archived online, so fans and friends can hear them anytime. I’ve been on Patti’s show several times. She’s got a loyal following. When Patti says, “Mark is great” or “You need to go see this man”, listeners listen. I got friend requests, likes, follows, links, shares, and a few readings from being on her show. Link to my first show.

I was interviewed for ninety minutes on a show called ‘Cosmic Tuesdays’ that airs on Monday nights. Anthony Picco, a knowledgeable astrologer with a personable interviewing style, blends the esoteric with the practical in the electronic ether for an earful. Link

TV intimidates me. Appearing on screens has its drawbacks. Viewers can see your awkwardness and self-consciousness. Mistakes are permanent and not easily forgotten (mostly by you). Watching yourself afterwards is sobering. “If only I had done or not done…” I spent my first hour on TV with Bliem Kern on ‘Satellite Psychic’. Bliem’s quirky humor and casual informative style made it easy for me to be myself. We joyfully shared our metaphysical ideas and experience on the air.

Back in 1994, I read Patti Davis on Lifetime TV, on the same day she came out on the cover of Playboy magazine. We sat apart in ‘the green room’, waiting to go on the show. A frustrated stylist was unsuccessfully trying to put makeup on me while Patti was ignoring me. When the producer walked in, she introduced us. “Patti, I want you to meet Mark. He’ll be reading your hands on the show.” Instantly, Patti was kneeling beside me with her hands in my face. “My family loves this stuff!” We talked about what it was like living with Ron and Nancy Reagan. The first thing the two chatty hosts asked me, “Well Mark, what’s in Patti’s hands that we haven’t already seen?” They made jokes about everything I said. By the middle of the show, I regretted doing it, though I was glad to have met and read Patti.

I’d never merged design with metaphysics before now. Combining them turned out better than expected. I was the “Guru of Garbage” on Fox ‘Good Day New York’ and a successful industrial eco-designer who creates new products from recycled materials on Japanese WOWOW TV. My esoteric and environmental worlds were beginning to morph into a new physical and metaphysical awareness.

Martha Stewart threw an exclusive millennium party at the ‘Four Seasons’ in NYC for celebrities, super stars, and other notables. The theme was metaphysics and Martha’s guests could have quickie counseling sessions with master astrologers, palmists, and tarot readers. I got to read the hands of some of my favorite personal heroes. The other palmist and several other readers had published many more books than me, but I had the longest line of celebrities waiting for their reflections.

Martha’s producer called me later to schedule a palmistry segment for CBS ‘Martha Stewart Living’ for April 2001. Martha’s TV studio had state of the art technology, great food, and a lot of hip well paid young professionals running around making sure all things are perfect at all times. I’d heard Martha was a cold task-master, but in person, she was charming and gracious. She has high expectations and truly wants to offer her viewers the most elegant and sensible solutions to whatever crafts, activities, and challenges she’s choosing to illuminate at the moment. In hindsight, I wished I’d done a better job explaining palmistry to her viewers. You can read more about my reading of Martha’s hands here and watch my favorite minute of my segment on her show here.

After appearing on Martha’s show, I was nervous that people would recognize me on the street. Fortunately, I don’t think many New Yorkers watch her show. The next call I got was from the producer of ABC ‘The View’. She was planning ‘The View from Beyond’ and was lining up a week’s worth of the best esoteric readers she could find. She wanted me to be the guest palmist and promised that I could present palmistry in whatever way I chose. My problem was that while Martha Stewart’s show was taped and edited, ‘The View’ was live. I could be put on the defensive or get stuck with an awkward question I couldn’t answer and be embarrassed. She assured me the show would go smoothly. It actually went really well until Star Jones inadvertently put me on the defensive. “Well Mark; tell me something the audience doesn’t know about me.” Click here to see the look in her eyes as I respond to her question.

I’d never watched ‘Martha Stewart Living’ or ‘The View’ before they called me. I had no idea how many people watched those shows, but assumed the largest audiences for daytime network TV were suburban housewives and unemployed people. Many more strangers recognized me from my appearance on ‘The View’ than from Martha’s show.

The next call I received was from a producer at AOL in collaboration with Huffington Post. They produced a popular video series called ‘You’ve Got’ which was promoted on AOL. A substantial crew of videographers, lighting experts, and stylists showed up at our little east village apartment with a ton of video equipment. A whole afternoon was spent shooting a 2 ½ minute segment entitled ‘You’ve Got Mark Seltman and Joanna Brotman’. The video was all about how I chose to marry Joanna because of her hands and how reading hands has affected our marriage. This short segment got well over a million views within hours of posting.

Since that time, I’ve been approached by a variety of Cable TV producers with reality TV show ideas. I haven’t said ‘yes’ to anything. I do believe the timing is right for the right metaphysical show. Everyone is searching for answers and many people are turning to metaphysics with questions. I’d love to participate in something meaningful, but everything I’ve seen so far has been more like a ‘circus’ or ‘dog and pony show’. I have no desire to become the Jerry Springer or Maury Povich of metaphysics.

Publicity Stories #4 ~ Books

Posted on October 10, 2016 by markseltman

Since I began practicing palmistry professionally in the late ‘70’s, people have asked, “Have you written a book?” or “Why haven’t you written a book?” or “When are you going to write your book?” or “How can I learn to read hands?” I’d reply, “I’m working on it”. I had no interest in writing another palmistry cookbook, wasting trees, or ending up on some obscure bottom shelf in bookstores along with the worst selling astrology, tarot, and occult divination books. In my opinion, the literature of palmistry is the number one reason palmistry is misunderstood and unpopular. I’ve read almost everything ever written on the subject. I can think of one palmistry book that was actually fun to read ‘Confessions: Memoirs of a Modern Seer’ (collection of sensational personal palmistry stories). Not a ‘how to’ book, Cheiro’s melodramatic content and theatrical writing style made it impossible to navigate the blurry boundaries between truth and fiction.

Reading Cheiro inspired me to write ‘Your Life is in Your Hands’ in 1990. I decided to share my personal experience as an expert palmist and throw in enough ‘how to’ to inspire readers to want to learn more. I printed a few hundred copies and gave them to friends, family, and peers in the metaphysical world. My creation received plenty of praise, along with a healthy dose of criticism. Readers were excited to learn more about their hands, but confused about what to do next. I know from personal experience that it’s easier to learn from teachers than books. I had no desire to teach again. I decided to let go of writing books until I could figure out how to do it better.

Most palmistry books are cookbooks full of unrelated ingredients and unreliable recipes passed down for generations. The illustrations and the content are an unappetizing smorgasbord of poorly mixed details. This detail means this and that detail means that. The truth is that every detail must be examined in the context of the whole and all other details at the same time. All questions are in every detail and all details are in every answer. The danger in interpreting details out of context is in substituting one form of pre-determinism for another by reducing individuality to formulas. Sadly, that’s why so many palmistry books are like junk food for the mind.

In fairness to some modern palmistry authors, there are a few books I recommend. I devoted this blog post to the subject. I’m adding the science of fingerprints. ‘Life Prints’ by Richard Unger and other books by dermatoglyphic protégé’s are among the only original palmistry thinking in the past century. The most recent book I read was ‘The Art and Science of Hand Reading’ by Ellen Goldberg & Dorian Bergen. It’s the best “William Benham” upgrade I’ve come across. It’s fun to read if you love reading encyclopedias. As a textbook, it should be required reading for all western palmistry students.

Over the years, free-lance authors asked me to co-author esoteric books with them. I declined because I never felt the right chemistry with anyone. I’m happy to contribute to someone’s effort, but not to their speculation. I take my own calculated risks. When I examined Maurice Sendak’s hands, I asked him if he’d like to collaborate with me on a children’s palmistry book. I knew it would be an automatic winner. I visualized palmistry as finally out of the closet and seen as a valid portal to self and other. He declined, saying it was an interesting idea, but he was too old to work on anyone else’s project.

I’d been in books before like “Who’s who in the East” (for my industrial design work) where publishers honor you, and then encourage you to purchase expensive beautifully bound books and give them to your family, friends, and for promotional purposes. It’s risk free for them and very profitable when you pay to play.

It wasn’t until 1995 when I met Patricia Collins that I decided to be featured in a book again. Patricia was searching for the best esoteric readers in NYC. I was one of them. I recommended several friends, peers, and colleagues who are also in the book. Most major players know each other as metaphysics is a small world. Local books are best for local business, like newspapers and magazines. They generally have a shelf life of a year or two. You’ll find them on Amazon after that. If the content and artwork is laudable, you can increase your shelf life by speaking and promoting yourself on social networks.

I got a lot of calls from ‘Psychic New York’ the first year and still get occasional calls twenty years later. Although my prices have doubled, no one questions my cost.

In 2002, I was interviewed by another New York author. ‘Esoteric Guide to New York’ was similar to ‘Psychic New York’ with more new age practitioners and shorter blurbs. I liked my write-up. They called me “The Mozart of palm readers”. I got a lot of business from that venue and still get sporadic readings from infrequent queries, although I get more from ‘Psychic New York’, even though it’s even more dated.

Many authors self-appoint themselves as experts and talented researchers. We assume that if it looks valid in print, it probably is. That’s not true. I believe the goal of this author was to find 100 popular readers with enough of a following that the author could sell an additional 10,000 books. She assumed readers would buy a bunch for family, friends, and to promote themselves. I told her that I was a counselor who uses symbolism, not ‘a psychic’. She promised to give me my own category. My interview felt shallow.

It should be a big deal to be one of 100 in America, right? When the book came out, I wasn’t pleased with the quality of the printing or the content. I ended up not buying any books and only owning the free copy she promised with the interview. I think the other readers may have felt similarly. If you don’t promote the venue you’re in, it won’t fly. I didn’t. My one percent is sitting on a shelf somewhere gathering dust at the moment.

Around June of 2012, I decided to try again. Everyone was writing e-books. That made a lot of sense to me. I created ‘Real Palmistry’. I included content from ‘Your Life is in Your Hands’ (subtitle of all my books), plus I added over twenty years’ experience to the mix. It would be full color, provide plenty of thought-provoking links, and cost consumers only $4. I could promote it on social networks, pay for e-releases, and do radio interviews. I spent a few hundred dollars sending out press releases and was amazed at the stunning lack of response. Markets for e-books seemed saturated. A burgeoning glut of authors was ‘out there’ touting their book as the next best thing since the bible.

I tried selling ‘Real Palmistry’ to the metaphysical community. Many people wrote back and asked ‘when I was going to create a real book?’ Many esoteric people are living in an earlier era. They needed a paperback. I created a print version of ‘Real Palmistry’ and called it ‘Hand Book’. It was black and white, didn’t have links, artwork was straight from the e-book at 72 dpi (poor print quality), and cost $10.95 (three times as much as the e-book). I printed several hundred copies to give away and sell at the back of the room at my speaking engagements. I placed them in local bookstores and cafes on consignment.

Everyone was saying how important reviews were. In a short time, ‘Hand Book’ had more legitimate five-star reviews than any other palmistry book on Amazon. My best reviews were unsolicited. Here’s one of my favorites from someone who really got me. Reviews haven’t produced sales. I’ve sold around a thousand books. Writing has been a satisfying avocation, but not a profitable vocation. I’ve written other books I’d like to publish, but am holding off until I can figure out a better way of putting them out.

On another note, many years ago, I spent two days a week for two years getting to know over 150 serial killers, murderers, and violent criminals in a forensic psychiatric hospital. I examined their hands, cast their astrology, and threw the tarot for them. I decided to transform my incredible experience into a novel. There are eight episodes of ‘How I Lost my Sanity’ on my blog. Here’s the first episode. Click forward for the other seven. I stopped writing when my tale became too dark to publish alongside my non-fiction work.

Publicity Stories #3 ~ New York Magazine

Posted on October 4, 2016 by markseltman

Wealthy people and tourists look to New York Magazine to recommend NYC places, happenings, and people. No press to date has matched the publicity power of New York Magazine for my long term business. The Village Voice article was a wonderful introduction to the public. The New York Times feature was great for short term business. My little New York Magazine segment, ‘A Hands-On Approach’ has generated tens of thousands of dollars in private clients and special events over the years. New York Magazine archives articles online so whoever can search whenever for whatever.

One thing I didn’t mention in my previous publicity posts is that once you’ve been featured in a venue, they tend to return for various reasons. I’ve been featured in articles in the New York Times on several occasions. At the turn of the Millennium when everyone was panicking about Y2K and Armageddon, the Times ‘Week in Review’ called various ‘prognosticators’ to prognosticate about what was about to happen. I was the only one who was 100% accurate. I forecast that when we crossed the threshold to the year 2000, people would wake up, brush their teeth, and go to work.

New York Magazine’s online venue ‘The Cut’, asked me to be their expert palmist for a sixteen page feature they called ‘16 Celeb Palm Readings, Annotated and Explained’. From the President to the Prince to the Pope to Angelina Joli and Justin Beiber, I analyzed hands of various celebrities (from photos).

Author’s note: no matter what I write, the editor always has the last word. The content I create is recrafted in the context, style, and language of a venue’s demographic.

Local press is the most financially productive publicity. ‘Time Out New York’ has featured me on several occasions. The most recent article was entitled ‘The best psychics in NYC’.

‘Downtown Magazine’ published a feature they entitled ‘Downtown’s Psychic Scene: A Promising Future’. I was very pleased with the article. It’s great when a journalist ‘gets it right’.

My all-time favorite interview is five pages long and published by an online magazine ~ ‘Refinery 29’. They called it ‘Meet the Real-Deals of NYC Fortune Telling’. The writer, Annie Greenberg, asked great questions, had a wonderful sense of humor, and totally got what I was saying. Unfortunately, the story came out near the end of August 2011 at the exact same time that Hurricane Irene struck NYC and the Northeast coast. Palmistry was the last thing on anyone’s mind. Fortunately ~ it’s always online. I’m still getting calls from searches. I also refer potential clients to the link when they inquire about what to expect from a consultation with me.

National magazine coverage has been good for my ego, but hasn’t done a lot for my pocket book. I was thrilled when ‘Family Circle’ magazine called to interview me. Being featured in a two page article entitled ‘Palmistry’ seemed like a great opportunity to become recognized in the consumer mass market. It wasn’t.

‘Modern Bride Magazine’ approached me with a unique four page feature they entitled ‘Hand in Hand’ ~ I read the hands of couples who were engaged and advised them about their partnership. Couples were able to critique my reading of them. It wasn’t all roses, but it was realistic and I was fine with that. That feature generated a few wedding showers and other party business.

The most productive national magazine for me was Instyle Magazine. I was asked to be their expert palmist for the first major national palmistry column that they entitled ‘high five’. At the time, all the major magazines and newspapers had astrology. No one had palmistry. Instyle wanted to separate themselves from their competition. They assigned me the last page of each issue to analyze a new celebrity hand each month. Check out these issues ~ Kathy Najimy (I got a warm thank you note from Kathy) and Joey Lawrence. Time Inc. publishes Instyle, along with ninety different magazines. I figured it was my golden opportunity to be a player in the magazine world. I loved working with my editor, Leah Rozen. We often joked about my initial analysis ~ especially about what we weren’t able to print. We worked closely to craft what we would say. People Magazine asked Leah to be their film critic and she jumped at the opportunity. That was the beginning of the end for me and ‘high five’.

Instyle’s new editor and I didn’t see eye to eye. She told me that it was really hard to get celebrities to participate because they feared I was going to see things in their hands that they didn’t want anyone to see. I assured her that my interpretations would always be positive and constructive, but she cut the column from the magazine. I was hired on occasion to comment on celebrity hands and to work at celebrity parties for People Magazine.

Conde Nast has been one of my favorite clients for special events. I’ve worked at plenty of parties for Vogue, Glamour, Traveler, Architectural Digest, and others. I’ve read many of their top executives privately and am sometimes hired for their personal parties. I’ve pitched several column ideas to editors. Most recently I proposed a ‘Hands around the World’ column for Conde Nast Traveler after dazzling Glamour’s top advertisers at a private party at the publisher’s home.

There are many magazines dedicated to specific audiences. I’ve experimented with a variety of exclusive markets and am sharing my experiences here.

‘Astrogirl Magazine’ is a very superficial look at combining astrology and young celebrities for teens. Astrogirl hired me to analyze the hands and describe the personalities of the hottest young celebrity idols. They called it ‘Celeb Palm Readings’.

I was trying to expand my speaking business and wrote an article for a national speaking magazine, ‘Sharing Ideas’, called ‘The Sale is in Your Hands’. I figured it would help me promote my speaking business, but it did nothing on its own. I included it in my press materials when I queried meeting planners and speaker bureaus and it gave me a little added credibility.

‘CRUSH fanzine’ hired me to write a feature entitled ‘Palm Analysis’ about hands of well-known modern conceptual, visual, fashion, and performance artists. The editor emailed digital photos and scans (awful quality, no detail). I felt upset that I never got to review how my notes were edited before the article was published. The opening night party was a formal celebration. I got to read some of the people I had read remotely in the issue in person and found them different than my interpretation. I much prefer reading hands in person.

My alma-mater, Carnegie Mellon University, is always searching for bragging rights for alumni. I think it was my first New York Times article that came across their search engines. In 1998, they contacted me and asked if they could feature me in the alumni magazine. I agreed. They sent a journalist from New York City, Judith Trojan, to interview me. Judith was thorough and professional. She wrote a three page feature they called, ‘Mark Seltman ~ A Work in Progress’ (my mate, Joanna, calls me ‘a piece of work in progress’) that appeared in Carnegie Mellon Magazine. The primary benefit of the article seemed to be that it reunited me with old college friends. I also discovered several alumni who had become friends over the years, but we never realized we shared the same college.

Publicity Stories #2 ~ The New York Times

Posted on September 27, 2016 by markseltman

I’d had plenty of press as ‘Guru of Garbage’, but never experienced the ‘power of publicity’ until I was featured on the front page of the ‘City Section’ of the NY Times. The Village Voice article had produced a lot of inquiries, but a small amount of actual business. I realized that today’s news truly is tomorrow’s fish wrap unless you’re waving it in someone else’s face. The significance of the Voice was that other publications and journalists were fishing in my pond for thought-provoking content for their venues.

‘Manhattan User’s Guide’ interviewed me and created a flow of new clients and parties. Too bad I was selling my time for so much less then. ‘Where NY Magazine’ dubbed me “Weatherman of the psyche”. I liked ‘Whetherman’, but the editor didn’t. Some writers were looking for a free reading. Pitching the article was their excuse. I quickly learned to separate the wheat from the chaff and to avoid questionable press and advertising.

Having fresh publicity facilitated my speaking business. I spoke about the history of palmistry in New York City at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. The National Design Museum asked me to create a workshop / lecture series on the symbolism of the sun to complement a major solar design exhibition (testimonial). I’d given previous talks at the museum about designing products with recycled materials.

I was a faculty member of the NYC chapter of NCGR (National Council for Geocosmic Research) for nearly 20 years. I spoke at astrological conferences about combining hands and horoscopes. I offered hand reading workshops at the New York Open Center, Learning Annex, Theosophical Society, and East West Books.

As the eighties came to a close, I was switching back and forth between environmental and metaphysical work. I’d designed and fabricated an ‘all natural’ architectural loft for an artist and award winning film editor in Tribeca. When I completed the project, she celebrated by transforming the space into a salon and inviting a unique collection of notable individuals. She was my Gertrude Stein. That’s where I met Robert Lipsyte.

Bob was a celebrated journalist and novelist. As a 25 year old sports writer for the NY Times, Bob wrote about a boxing match between little known Cassius Clay and Sonny Liston, ‘The Champ’. Destiny united Ali with Bob and marked the beginning of two illustrious careers. Ali became king of the ring, while Bob became a famous sports journalist, Ali’s biographer, and friend. Bob met the Beatles on their first American tour with Ali. Bob also won prestigious literary awards for his YA novels and was the Emmy- winning host of the nightly public affairs show on WNET~ The Eleventh Hour.

When Bob found out what I did (besides designing and building lofts), his curiosity was roused. A natural skeptic and cynic, he couldn’t wait to challenge my esoteric mind and ideas. Bob hungered for answers to unanswerable questions. My ambiguous responses made him even more inquisitive. He enrolled in my ‘Metaphysics 101’ class at the Cooper Union. That’s when he jokingly started calling me ‘his guru’.

I think Bob wanted to help me become the ‘champ’ of metaphysics. He asked if he could feature me in the weekend edition of the Times. He also asked me to be a guest on The Eleventh Hour. I said ‘yes’ to both. Unfortunately, the TV show was discontinued before my time. PBS gave his spot to Charlie Rose. I’ve lost touch with Bob, but know I can call on him anytime for any reason and he’ll be happy to hear from me.

Newspapers are good for short term publicity. My big surprise was receiving thousands of inquiries within a few weeks. Momentum from Bob’s article expanded my speaking and party businesses and generated even more free publicity.

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