If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
Each of us has a role to perform on this stage of life; our hands reveal the plot. Whether we’re performing our destined role or not, our hands reveal our purpose. Palmistry is a lens through which we can observe ourselves and others from the outside in. In my role as five-minute fortuneteller at special events, I often read whole groups of people who have made major life choices that work externally but not internally. Many people are doing what they think they should or are supposed to be doing. I’ve met engineers who’d be happier psychologists, lawyers who’d be more fulfilled as writers, doctors barely aware of other potentials, and countless individuals from all walks of life who for one reason or another haven’t valued their natural gifts or experienced their innate talents and abilities enough.
For five years in a row, I examined hands of incoming students at freshman orientation for the Asian Studies department at Columbia University. Cultural paradigms influenced many Asian American students who told me their families never encouraged their creativity and talents. For practical or social reasons, their natural gifts were not a priority. I advised and encouraged these young adults to nourish their latent talents by choosing satisfying and fulfilling interests and hobbies.
One of the comments I often hear is “My hands are the way they are because of what I do” referring to hand size and shape, and whether they are hard or soft, rough or smooth, or callused. That’s not true.Your hands reflect what you were designed to do. Character, motivations, abilities, and talents can be seen in the size, shape, and proportions of hands. There are four basic archetypes: Intuitive, Practical, Thinking, and Feeling. One of these four types dominates our personal psyche. Finger lengths and proportions, tips, knots, and nails, reveal how we relate to others and manifest our potentials in the world around us. Texture, color, flexibility and elasticity of skin, and consistency of hands reveal how we adapt to change. Our lines and gestures provide more detailed information about our life choices and circumstances. The arts and crafts of interpretation and counseling are learned over time with study and practice.
Hey mark,
you mentioned that “One of the comments I often hear is “My hands are the way they are because of what I do” referring to hand size and shape, and whether they are hard or soft, rough or smooth, or callused. That’s not true. Your hands reflect what you were designed to do.”
Don’t you think that this is not always true?
I personally believe that your actions and how were you raised outweigh your innate characteristics and in return your efforts are seen on your hand.
For example, I have a straight plus short heart line ending at saturn finger and for most of my life, I lived like a person who never shared his feelings to even their closed ones because it was very difficult for me to articulate my feelings. But when I came in contact with palmistry, I came to know my flaws and I seriously tried to overcome them.
I started sharing my feelings with people though it was very difficult in the beginning. With my efforts of about 6-7 months, I could see girdle of venus developing in my right hand though it is very scattered. Also, now it has become easier for me to articulate my feelings as well.
Don’t you thing if we can develop sufficient will power, any talent can be developed.
I would like to hear your thoughts on this.
Warm Regards,
I’m a huge proponent of free will. Hands change as thinking and circumstances change, especially in children. In one of my early blog entries I discussed “Nature vs Nurture” http://blog.markseltman.com/2012/09/23/palmistry-and-character/ – I talked about how my daughter’s hands changed dramatically after being nurtured, along with her own efforts in applying her conscious will power. My hands have changed dramatically over the past thirty years. As a mutable Thinking type, I used to have extreme flexibility in my fingers and thumb. By learning to discipline, structure, and focus my energies, the thumb and fingers of my conscious hand have become somewhat inflexible. As you’ve learned from your own efforts to express your feelings, it’s not an easy task to break habits and patterns, however, when you do, the results will begin to show in your hands. People who are very fixed with inflexible hands and fingers tend to change very little. In my experience, Feeling type hands change the most over time.
I’ve collected many thousands of hand-prints and digital photos of hands over the years. The majority of these people have changed very little over time and most of the changes that have taken place in their hands are minor changes in markings and lines. It takes a major effort over a very long time to change the morphology of hands. That’s what I was referring to when I spoke of hands reflecting what a person is designed to do. I’ve met farmers with the soul of a poet who write beautiful poetry, but they’re still farmers. I’ve also met poets who couldn’t farm if their life depended on it. I congratulate you on changing your behavior and hands. I suspect that if you become truly comfortable with and committed to expressing your feelings, your heart-line will grow in length over time.