Professional Palmistry

Mark reading female client

Anyone who reads my blog knows I’m unhappy about the current state of palmistry. Most of the world still thinks palmistry is a gypsy fortunetelling scam. After 5,500 years, reading hands is completely misunderstood and casually misrepresented!  While natal astrology and numerology provide wonderful tools and systems for examining human nature and potentials, palmistry reveals what a person has actually done, is doing, and is likely to do with their potentials. Palmistry is the ultimate tool for knowing oneself and others. Sadly, few people know it.

There’s an alarming lack of good literature, palmistry schools, certification, teachers, students, professional counseling skills, public relations, marketing, and wisdom. Students of palmistry have come to me over the years for readings. Many want to impress me with their knowledge, but depress me with how little they know about what to do with what they’ve learned. Everyone has misread me. I attempt to tweak their knowledge and skills, but end up feeling that they should go back and start over. Palmistry teachers should begin class with counseling and work their way backwards to the details of the hands. It’s not what you see, but what you say and how you say it that matters in the final analysis.

Twenty-five years ago, I taught palmistry classes. I offered a series of ten three hour workshops for ten students for ten weeks. After learning that one of my former students had abused my #1 cardinal rule of counseling, I never taught another class. I had a bad feeling about him from the beginning and ignored my basic instincts. I thought I could help the man. Instead, I cultivated a monster. Here’s the story.

Here are a few truisms I’ve learned over forty years of practicing palmistry. Everyone has current and major life issues and challenges. Wise counsel is important whenever and wherever we can get it. We can all use a helping hand. People are impressionable.

I’ve overheard conversations between ‘readers’ and guests at parties that horrified me. I’ve observed self-appointed false prophets uttering absolutes, telling people what they want to hear, and making unknowable predictions. Thoughtlessly, for their own profit, they encourage sensitive seekers to create self-fulfilling prophecies from their fears.

A very vulnerable person once came to me for an astrological reading. She told me how a ‘famous palmist’ at a party had casually predicted she would have ‘seven years bad luck’. She tearfully told me, “I had seven years of bad luck.” Every time anything ‘bad’ happened, she thought of his prediction. She was a feeling type with an islanded short heart line and three prominent girdles of Venus. I wondered what would have happened if he had told her she need not worry because she will have good luck in the midst of her most difficult challenges and she will always bounce back and land on her feet.

People give readers too much power. Too many readers give themselves too much power. I can misinterpret some aspect of my client’s character and not be challenged because in their mind, my sterling reputation and specialized knowledge must make me right. Sometimes clients quip, “I learned more in an hour and a half with you than I did in six months with my psychiatrist”. Of course, that’s not true. Hand reading is prescriptive. It’s no substitute for therapy. Recognizing or understanding something intellectually is only a first step to working it out emotionally. Hands confirm and affirm what we know. Great readers are clear in intent, honest, frank, caring, and excellent bullshit detectors.

Mark reading male clientAll twelve types are predisposed to specific relationship, career, and health challenges. A timely reflection can catalyze a change in a person’s consciousness. A man stood in line for an hour at a special event for his five-minute reading. Something I said the year before had changed his life. I saw a natural talent for writing and encouraged him to take a writing class.

 

He procrastinated as I had suggested he might, took my insight to heart, exercised his thinking and free will, and was happy he did. “What else should I work on?” he asked. He wanted me to affirm what he already knew. On one level or another, no one can tell anyone anything they don’t already know. The esoteric meanings of astrology’s twelve houses are a lens through which hands reveal a person’s character, values, thinking, feelings, will power, health, relationship potentials, creativity, philosophy, purpose, dreams, and spirituality. Knowing ourselves helps us recognize our strengths and weaknesses and freely choose where and when we can and cannot compromise.

mark reading client 2I saw someone on the street whose hands I had read for five-minutes at some special event. She told me how many of the things I said had come true, even though I don’t make predictions. She shared current events as if I already knew them. I couldn’t even remember meeting her. I’d deleted her from my consciousness the moment I finished reading her. My mind can get cluttered. On a busy week, I examine hundreds of sets of hands. Every person is the most important person in the world for five minutes.

Here are my twelve cardinal rules for anyone who wants to learn palmistry from me.

Never predict anyone’s death

Practice what you preach

Look wisely and see clearly

Listen carefully and hear truthfully

Feel fully and freely

Think critically and creatively

Examine a multitude of hands

Ask abundant questions

Read, study, and do research

Cultivate a non-judgmental attitude

Proceed cautiously and lead with your heart

If you can’t be helpful or leave people feeling hopeful, don’t say anything at all

This entry was posted in Astrology, character, creativity, feeling, fingers, Hand Analysis, Hand Reading, health, intuition, marriage, Metaphysics, Mythology, Palmistry, Philosophy, Self-help, spirituality, thinking, Truth, values and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , by markseltman. Bookmark the permalink.

About markseltman

Over the past thirty-five years, I've read tens of thousands of hands of people of every age, gender, race, color, size, shape, career, and socio-economic diversity. I've examined the hands of celebrities, billionaires, corporate executives, and the people who work for them. I've been in charge of the psychics at special events like the massive Bloomberg Company picnic on Randall’s Island and have worked at the Mayor’s country home and at Gracie Mansion. I've been a hand reader at PR events and family gatherings for the King of PR, Howard Rubenstein. I was the hand reader at Harvey Weinstein’s spectacular wedding. I've also read the hands of Martha Stewart, Katie Couric, Star Jones, Kevin Kline, Kyra Sedgwick, Barbara Corcoran, Dave Brubeck, and Maurice Sendak, along with numerous other celebrities and their families. I've also examined hundreds of criminally insane people’s hands at a forensic psychiatric hospital in New York City over a two-year period. I've appeared on ABC The View, CBS Martha Stewart Living, CBS Evening News, FOX Good Day NY, Lifetime TV, Queens, NPR and WNYC. I've been featured in the NY Times, NY Newsday, The Daily News, The Village Voice, New York Magazine, INSTYLE Magazine, Family Circle, Modern Bride, Manhattan User’s Guide, and other periodicals. Because of my credentials in design and technology as well as my extensive experience with public appearances on television, radio, and in the print media, I'm uniquely qualified to promote palmistry. I offer five-minute reflections at special events, counsel countless couples, raise funds for diverse causes such as AIDS, Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis, Schizophrenia, Arts Education, and the Environment. I taught Metaphysics 101 at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in NYC for five years and have also spoken, offered workshops, and taught classes at the New York Open Center, Learning Annex, Source of Life Center, Hunter College, Pace University, Fashion Institute of Technology, Marymount Manhattan College, Theosophical Society, East West Bookstore, Lower East Side Tenement Museum, and The National Design Museum in NYC. I also have a private practice with over 1,000 clients.

9 thoughts on “Professional Palmistry

  1. Hello Mark
    I am a professional astrologer with 30 years’ experience who also has an internet radio show called CosmicTuesdays (on Monday evening)… and I love interviewing all kinds of metaphysicians, and I have yet to speak with a palm reader. Show is 90 minutes long, done via Skype, and archived afterwards online… interested?

    • Hi Anthony,
      I’m interested, but the problem is Skype. I’m in the mountains of Vermont most of the time. Our cell service is non-existant and our satellite has limited band-width. It’s hard to stream and impossible to predict depending on weather. I do spend a week a month in my NYC home where I’ve got great internet service. If you give me a schedule of possible dates and times in June, I can check them against my itinerary for NYC. I schedule my time as fully as I can when I’m in the city. The early birds get the worms.

  2. How can I get a hand reading from you? Must I travel to NYC or can I send you pictures? I realize “feel” is important but I’m not sure when I’ll be in NYC. You ever visit Florida?
    I’ve made this request in the prievious post but I didn’t get a response. Is there another way that I could reach you?

    • Sorry, I don’t get to see all the comments because I’m often not notified about them. Where in Florida are you? I only do readings in person although I’ll comment or try to answer one question (no charge) if you send me hi-res digital photos of your full hands (shot perpendicular to lens with no distortion). I work in NYC one week a month.

  3. Nice rant Mark, but not much help in how to improve the professionalism of palmistry though some good comments on how to read palms. Death is a funny thing and I hang out with several who have had their near death experiences and even chase ghosts. The later is not my cup of tea though I will do an occasional exorcism. At most I would say that death is not the thing to be feared and on occasion I advise clients to look into working in hospice care. They either already have or are considering it most often. I don’t generally discuss the client’s death, because I really don’t know. I had one lady who would come to me annually. Signs in her hand traditionally indicated she was beyond her years. Every year when she asked I responded that it was a matter of her choice. Have not seen her in a few years so presume she chose to go. Much of tghe reading when more unpleasant aspects arise does depend on how you say it. I remember covering some such aspects and when finished the subject said, when are you going to get to the bad stuff. Well, either yu will have to get to the Pacific Northwest sometime or I will have to get back to NY one of these days and we can chat. Regards

    • I did not consider this a rant. Here’s a rant ~ I think one problem with improving professionalism is that most palmists are poverty conscious and feel powerless. You’re either a problem or a solution. It’s easy to analyze, rationalize, and compartmentalize our thoughts and feelings. I share your causes, Ed. I know you want to make a positive difference. I was pissed at you for a long time. A mediocre research project became an ‘Encyclopedia of Palmistry’. I don’t remember any accreditation, good artwork, case histories, and dialogue between readers and clients. Palmists with little credibility were quoted as if it were fact and truth. There was a lack of reputable sources. It’s collecting dust in my NYC apartment. I’d like to meet you sometime, Ed, but don’t expect it to be easy and fun. I plan to challenge you to a duel of palms.

  4. Hi Mark,
    I apologize. You did answer my question. I was looking at the wrong post…Mercury retrograde:).

  5. Palmistry is most interesting, especially in connection with Astrology. It would be amazing to learn from you. Please let me know if it is possible.
    Thank you, Liah

    • Thanks Liah, keep reading my blog posts. When I’ve written enough, I’ll turn ‘Palmistry for Astrologers’ and ‘Real Palmistry Stories’ into ebooks and paperbacks.

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