Back in April 2001, I examined Martha Stewart’s hands on her CBS TV show, Martha Stewart Living. Born August 3 1941, Martha has her astrological Sun, Pluto, and Midheaven in Leo. Although the Leo character type has a rectangular palm and short fingers, Martha is an Athena type with a square palm and long fingers.

As a thinking type, Athena has always been one of my favorite archetypes. She was the Greek Goddess of Wisdom and Justice. Athena sprung from the head of Zeus and rules the strategic thinking required in battle. Greek heroes like Odysseus and Achilles worshiped her. She’s most often pictured as a handsome Goddess in battle armor with a shield in one hand and a sword in the other. In metaphysics, swords always symbolize the thinking function. In Libra, Athena holds the scales of justice. She’s sometimes pictured with an owl which symbolizes Wisdom. Athena was notorious for conveniently shedding emotion in favor of thinking with crystal clarity.

Raised in a large traditional Polish family, Martha grew up compulsively ambitious and hardworking. Her very strong, talented, hardworking hands are well suited for gardening and crafts. Her hands are natural and peasant like with regard to their consistency, texture, and elasticity. I didn’t see “fame” in Martha’s hands. I saw an extremely powerful index finger which indicates an incredibly ambitious hard working person. Martha also has large stiff thumbs with well-developed full balls of the thumb. I admired her will power, passion, and determination. She was a very gracious host. As a boss, she’s very demanding. I observed dozens of hip young professionals scurrying around making sure Martha and her work always looks good. Martha’s intention and mission is to truly give consumers something of value. In hindsight, I regret not having done a better job explaining palmistry to her audience.

Several days after the show, I examined the prints I had taken of Martha’s hands along with her astrological chart. I wish I could share them with you, but she didn’t give me permission to publish them. I saw that there was likely to be some confusing and challenging years ahead in which her integrity and reputation might be challenged. I wrote and offered to discretely share my insights with her. She never replied.

When the ImClone stock scandal broke, friends who knew that I had been on Martha’s show began calling and asking if I had seen it coming. They suggested that I remove her from my press kit and made cruel jokes about her. I felt sickened when I realized how many people found pleasure as Martha crashed and burned. There were so many real white-collar good old boy criminals playing higher stake games and getting away with them. The media had dressed Martha in Wolf’s clothing while she became their sacrificial lamb. I wrote again to offer my insights. I had heard that Martha personally reads most of her mail, but there was still no reply.

Martha is an honest person. Her fingers are straight and the lines in her hands are clear and well defined. She became a high profile casualty of corporate greed and corruption.  Guilt or innocence was not really the issue. Martha’s pride got in the way. As a former financial planner, she used poor judgment. She wasn’t thinking “I’m insider trading” when she sold her stock. She was taking advice on not losing money from her stock broker. She should have known better. Many mega rich people insider trade all the time without thinking twice about it. They get away with their actions because they’re not under public or private scrutiny, they know how to avoid being flagged, and because they’re very discreet and keep secrets well.

The irony here is that Martha cares what people think. Her closely connected head and life line symbolize how diligently she tried to get approval from her highly critical father. Whenever you see such a strong connection, you can assume that the person has a desire to be liked and wants your approval. If you want to piss them off, then don’t appreciate them or take them for granted. I would have advised Martha that as a heroine she must always take the highest road possible. I’d have urged her to apologize to her loyal fans and publicly offer whatever money was involved to some great cause.

Martha should have chosen humility like Mufaasa, but instead behaved irrationally like young Simba. Where were Pumbaa and Timon when she needed a refresher course on the laws of the jungle? Goldilocks may improve on the porridge and decorate the beds more beautifully, but the bears are still pissed when they get home. Many fans resent Martha for demonstrating the hubris that destroyed the gods and many heroes in Greek and Roman Mythology. As Martha reclaims her throne as Queen of mass taste, she must also re-earn people’s trust by remaining truly humble. I hope she’s learned her lesson.

Here’s an appropriate myth. In peacetime, the Greek goddess Athena ruled Arts and Crafts. Athena is often pictured with a spear in one hand and a bowl or spindle in the other. Athena looked after weavers, potters, and craftsmen.  Athena battled with a mortal named Arachne (Martha). Arachne was an incredible weaver. Other mortals compared her to Athena. Arachne should have given Athena credit, but instead, she arrogantly challenged Athena to a weaving contest. Arachne made matters worse by poking fun at Athena’s family in her weaving. Her creation was magnificent; however Athena still transformed Arachne into an arachnid (spider), the greatest weaver for all time. It’s not a good idea for mortals to mess with Gods. Martha is not Athena. She’s not our savior. Martha is a great teacher who is capable of making a huge difference in our world while weaving tasteful and meaningful webs of strength, beauty, hope, and faith.