TIPS & TOOLS

 

As topographical maps of human character in past, present, and future, hands embody the same four basic elements (Fire ~ Earth ~ Air ~ Water) and twelve archetypal energies as astrology. Size, shape, proportions, textures, colors, elasticity, and consistency of hands describe how we function in the world. Degrees between hand and finger stiffness and flexibility embody the three modalities (cardinal, fixed, and mutable) that combine with the four basic elements to describe the motivations of the twelve types of astrology. Skin ridge patterns and lines contain myriad details that enable a person to unveil their story. Every detail has meaning, but that same detail may mean something different depending on the hands and the nature of the person.

The human race is one enormous dysfunctional family. Like astrology, combinations of details in hands represent millions of permutations, possibilities, and probabilities. Astrologers require an exact date, time, and place of birth, a quality portable computer, and great astrological software. Unlike astrology, a palmist only needs a set of hands, good eyesight, and a basic understanding of how to look and see and listen and hear.

Once you learn to judge hand shapes and proportions, reading hands is simple and fun. Other requirements are a basic understanding of counseling and lots of practice. Here are a few tips and tools of the palmistry trade to help you sharpen your eyesight, hone your thinking, and tune your feelings.

The most important tool in my kit is a magnifying glass. There’s never enough light ~ especially at special events. Most of my income is from giving five-minute quickie readings at exclusive events. My hand held lighted magnifiers always needed to be plugged in. Most venues have few unused outlets. Wires are unsightly and people can trip on them. I used to arrive early and bring my own extension cords, plug adapters, and duct tape (in various colors) to securely fasten cords to carpeting. I’ve had to pass on many wonderful opportunities because of no electricity. LED lights freed me from bondage by solving my logistical problems. September to January and March to June, I hone my counseling skills at parties with only seconds to observe a person’s hands before speaking. This is the magnifier I use. It uses two AA batteries and has three light settings. I normally get four hours of bright light from two batteries. I purchased it from Brookstones for $40.

Judging hands is the key to palmistry. When I first began learning to read hands, my most important tool was a stainless steel 6” sliding pocket rule that can be purchased in most hardware stores for a few dollars. It’s hard to critically see subtle differences in proportions and skin qualities. You have to make a lot of comparisons to be able to recognize the differences. Measuring devices make details more scientific and accurate. A small difference in the length of a finger phalanx can mean a huge difference in the potential meaning and destiny of that finger, hand, and person.

In my experience, hands are hard to draw. Check out the literature of palmistry to see some awful illustrations. I made this 8 ½ X 11 template of a generic hand so I could make copies and experiment with drawing and writing on them. If you are unable to take an ink print or digital photo of a hand, it’s a good idea to ask the person to place their hands naturally on a blank piece of paper. Outline the hands with pencil or marker. No matter what template you use, you can write and draw whatever you want on it and modify it in any way you please. I used the template above for taking notes and playing with ideas. The two images below were derived from that template.

A hand is a small space to see a whole life. One tool my teacher’s teacher gave her and she passed on to me is the chart below. There’s a lot to observe, synthesize, and remember about hands. It’s good to record your observations and later be able to compare hands using visual aids. Numbering proportions makes it easy to compare hands and fingers. I shared a form to show you how another palmist looked scientifically at my hands.  Feel free to print out the blank forms and experiment with them.

Thoughts on Being an Esoteric Reader in an Exoteric World

I spoke with students at Bennington College about the esoteric science and art of palmistry one cold dreary evening a couple of weeks ago. Though the event was publicized, I had my smallest turnout of all time – only six people. You’d think a Gemini would learn not to schedule events on Mercury retrogrades. The six students who did show up were curious, diverse, and very smart. Fortunately for all of us, all four basic psychological types (intuitive, practical, thinking, and feeling) were represented. After briefly introducing the basic science of palmistry, I led a ‘hands on’ demonstration.

Everyone volunteered. I asked each person to come up with a question like ‘what can I do to…?’ or ‘how can I…?’ (NO yes or no answers). I digitally projected large high resolution images of their hands on a huge screen. Together, we examined the morphology and topography of each hand within the context of the questions asked and through the lens of the science of palmistry. I shared how I was looking, what I was seeing, thinking, and feeling, and how I was choosing what to say next. Insights were shared as we compared and contrasted current facts with past, present, and future possibilities. I demonstrated how no detail should be viewed in isolation and how combinations of details comprise myriad permutations, possibilities, and probabilities.

I asked for questions. Everyone wanted to know if, when, and how I read my own hands. They were curious whether other palmists and I read each other’s hands. I usually trade with bodyworkers and other practitioners in the healing arts. I told a cautionary tale of a bad trade with another reader. We debated how much of fate and destiny is genetic and how much is nurture and free will. In my experience, healthy genetics is important, but nurture and free will are powerful forces that can alter a destiny.

Most palmists are esoteric social workers. Palmistry is using knowledge of hands to help others. It’s easy to see other people’s problems. It’s not so easy to know what to say. In my practice, I blend psychology, astrology, numerology, tarot, and palmistry. Palmists sometimes point out markings in their hands and ask me what I think. I reply, “What does it mean to you? Let’s see how that fits first”. It’s not so easy to be objective about oneself. I choose the best possible outcome I can see in my personal mythology and project that on myself. I try to remain vigilant of often unforeseeable and unavoidable downsides. Few readers I’ve met are truly critical thinkers, though many think they are.

Sun sign astrology is superficial and yet tens of millions of people read their horoscopes daily in magazines and newspapers. Astrology has earned global respect because it has created ethical standards, educational opportunities, and certification programs. Astrology is shared at conferences, colleges, museums, bookstores, community centers, and online forums.

One huge obstacle for palmistry is that it lacks credibility. Palmistry is still relegated to the dark and nebulous world of red neon handed storefronts behind which gypsy scam artists beckon to remove your curses and money. There are very few good palmistry schools. The literature of palmistry is uninspiring at best. I’m one of very few spokespersons.

 

Palmistry students have often come to me to hear what I have to say about their hands. I require them to participate in their readings by answering whatever questions I have about what I see. I begin worrying when they want to impress me with their knowledge of palmistry and ask to see my hands. Not a single student has ever ‘gotten me’. Anyone can read a book, call him or herself palmist, and hang out a shingle. Lousy ingredients and flawed recipes will never create a nutritious meal. Some students tried to ‘type me’ by comparing me to some celebrity or other who I had no obvious connection to. When I disagreed, they attempted to persuade me that they were right. Others focused on interpreting a particular line or marking taken out of context of my basic character.

Many clients are impressionable, gullible, and oversensitive. They believe that if a reader has credibility, he must know what he’s talking about. When clients don’t disagree with something a reader has said that is not right, readers think they must be right. I frequently warn students to be cautious what they say to clients and not to say anything if they have nothing positive to say. I encourage them to look at a lot of hands, ask a lot of questions, and leave hopeful people in their wake.

In an earlier lifetime when I was an industrial designer, a palmist looked at my hands and blew my mind. She was reading my mind while seeing my truths in my hands. She described my character perfectly, kindled a burning curiosity in me, and catalyzed my passion to learn more. She became my teacher. I became her apprentice and best student. I was also studying astrology, numerology, tarot, and psychology at the time.

Over many years, I’ve observed two basic types of readers: head ruled and heart ruled. Extremists and fundamentalists populate the outer limits. The rest of us are, by degree, somewhere between extremes. Extreme head ruled types tend to be analytical, anal, and anti-social. Rationalization replaces reason. Compartmentalization contains compassion. Examination eradicates empathy. Head ruled people make up their minds quickly, fight ideological change, take pride in knowing a lot, and believe they have the answers to everything. They dispense advice authoritatively and act offended when their ideas are challenged. They rarely touch the people they read, within or without, but they do believe they know what’s best for them.

Alternative facts catalyze alternative fates. Pollyanna is alive and well in the esoteric healing arts. Pure heart types are empathic, oversensitive, and sentimental. Heart rules head. Feeling rules thinking. Love and trust are the only foundation for good health, financial security, emotional stability, and all other positive structures. Being helpful is prerequisite to achieving one’s own destiny. Giving is a path to grace, dignity, and wisdom, where healthy choices are made and manifested. Not feeling appreciated and being taken for granted is unhealthy and must always be addressed.

I began seeing the best palmists in NYC in the late 1970’s. My first palmist was still practicing in her mid-eighties. A student of William Benham (father of modern palmistry), she typed me “Saturn #1”. More head than heart, she carefully printed, measured, and charted every detail in my hands before saying a word. She was a bit premature in her assessment of my character. I wasn’t hard enough on myself yet. My strong middle fingers along with Saturn conjunct Pluto closely straddling my Leo Midheaven in my natal chart has impelled me to become more Saturnine over time. Once I realized I was actually a late bloomer, I began to see Saturn as the shortest and most challenging path to satisfaction and fulfillment. Structure, discipline, and focus were my prescriptions and eventual remedies. My job was to buckle down and do the work.

Experts don’t necessarily agree on what archetype is dominant, but can still give great readings. Everyone is a blend of twelve archetypes. Different types can be dominant at different developmental stages in life. My next two hand readings were very different from my first and from each other.

In my next reading I was “Venus #1”. My large pink balls of thumb, flexible spatulate tips, whorl finger prints, and discomfort at saying “No” revealed Venus as a strong influence, but not dominant. This head ruled palmist went straight for my empathy and sentiment. Realizing the strength of my Venus made me aware of how far I had to go to find balance between my desire for love, freedom, creativity, and my overdeveloped sense of responsibility, obligation, and guilt. I tried to balance shame and guilt with empathy and compassion by blending Saturn with Venus. Fortunately they’re sextile in my chart.

On my third reading I was dubbed “Mercury #1”. This palmist, astrologer, and tarot reader was closest to getting me. My long straight pinky fingers, stellium of Gemini planets including Sun Uranus and Venus North Node conjunctions in the 8th house, and my incorrigible need to be frank makes Hermes a dominant player in my story. “The lips of wisdom are closed, except to the ears of understanding.” I wasn’t ready for him then, but I am now. Hermes lived for three hundred years in the flesh. That makes me an adolescent at seventy and explains why I feel like a teenager.

I believed that all three readers were wrong because in my mind, I was “Apollo #1”. My long ring fingers, whorled spatulate tips, clear deep sun lines, curly brown hair, medium height, and my lean muscular build are Apollonian. I saw myself as combining my Mercury, Venus, and Saturn with Apollo as an artist, musician, and inventor.

Unexpectedly, I learned how many readers have many different ways of reading people. An astrology addict showed up one day for a hand reading. Over the years, she’d been to all of the reputable readers she could find. It was my turn. I had never really considered what other readers said before or how they counseled their clients. I couldn’t imagine my client didn’t know what I was going to talk about. She asked if she could record our session. I agreed, but urged her to listen and take notes.

I’m rational, practical, compassionate, empathic, and a good listener. I asked her why she was spending her hard earned money to hear what she already knew. What did she hope to learn? She told me that she was curious. I stretched myself inside out to think of things others may not have said, but realized that what I really needed to do was let go and be fully present with her. When we finished, I asked her if she had taped all or her other sessions and if I could borrow her collection and listen. I was surprised when she said yes. I pondered if I was unethical to spy on my peers (what if they found out), but borrowed her tapes anyway, to satisfy my nagging curiosity about what other readers had to say to her. I became ethically, morally, and instantly bound to secrecy at that moment.

I became confused and concerned as I listened to the tapes. There’s no shortage of reputable readers. What surprised me was how formulaic so many were. Their counsel was impersonal. I heard explanations of sun signs and planets, spoken in esoteric jargon, mostly unfamiliar to the client. Most clients don’t need to hear about their Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto. I listened to elaborate descriptions of moon signs, ascendants, aspects, and houses. Meanwhile, many readers were clueless to the gestalt of the client in the moment. There was a very specific reason the client was there, but few people (including the client) realized what that reason was. Everyone was too busy trying to figure her out by picking at symbols like leaves, and not seeing the forest from the trees. You can have a thorough knowledge of esoteric sciences and be oblivious to the arts and crafts of counseling. The essence of the reading should have been about abusive childhood family relationships that were still binding the client to her chronic fear of trust and intimacy and influencing her choices.

Peers who I’d respected for many years had made this client cry uselessly as they unleashed childhood pain and then failed to link it to current pain. Listening to other readers has reinforced my belief that people should learn to read themselves. Knowing hands has enabled me to clearly see and know myself and others better. My challenge has been to choose what to do with what I know. My mission has been to give everyone a helping hand, their own. So far, I’ve been mostly unsuccessful at reaching the masses. Any thoughts, ideas, and suggestions on ways to raise mass consciousness and popularize palmistry will be greatly appreciated and valued.

Taurus Hands

You don’t need a Taurus sun sign, planets, or planetary placements to be Taurean. Capricorn, Taurus, and Virgo are practical types with square palms and short fingers. Pure Taurus hands have pink, firm, elastic skin, solid bulging percussion under pinkie finger, stiff jointed thumbs and fingers, and full rosy balls of thumb bounded by long clear deep life lines. Several long lines run parallel within the life line. Deep main lines and skin ridge patterns are boldly etched. Very few peripheral lines are found in Taurus hands. Long graceful heart lines end under the index finger. Horizontal head lines closely intertwine with life lines at their beginnings and gently slope downward toward the heel of the hand. Dominant loop and arch fingerprints, square tips, developed lower knots and strong middle and bottom phalanges confirm the type. You’d never guess the hand above belongs to a Pisces sun sign.

Taurus, Capricorn, and Virgo are feminine in gender. Driven by physical senses, Taurus are the most responsible, practical, pragmatic, objective, dependable, and reliable of all types. Taurus innately knows how the material world works. They understand what they see and feel, but resist trusting their ideas, intuitions, and inspirations. They get bogged down in mundane matters that limit their abstract abilities and imagination. As creatures of habit, they can easily become addicted to routine and order. They’re great at maintaining the status quo, but procrastinate at starts and finishes. Taurus must pay attention to their daily habits and patterns or become prisoners of their habitual choices. Fixed types (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) must all learn to clearly see the handwriting on the wall.

Venus, Queen of Pentacles, covets wealth and power as she transforms her visions of comfort and beauty into reality. Her compelling needs for physical and emotional security drive her practical attitudes. Honest, dependable, and trustworthy, she’s valued for her natural warmth and good sense. She won’t bend the truth or perform a song and dance act for anyone. She’s loyal, affectionate, and charming, but can also be controlling, jealous, and possessive. She’s not the best salesperson because she takes rejection personally. Don’t ever take her for granted. She must learn to trust her gut, give up control, and let go of people, circumstances, and ideas that no longer make sense to hang on to. Venus can be extreme. Mother of Harmony, Fear, and Terror, Venus must remain vigilant not to overindulge in negative emotions and physical desires. She symbolizes the pleasure loving acquisitive nature of the bull who strives for constant satisfaction. She loves family, home, food, nature, art, and music and thrives in real estate, banking, insurance, food, and fashion.

Large ball of thumb folk are givers. Saying “No” is a huge challenge for them (especially those with flexible thumbs). Pink color is normal. Red adds passion and lust. One symptom of intimacy issues can be seen when no lines are parallel to the lifeline within the ball of the thumb. Even a partial line may indicate a significant intimacy for a certain length of time. It also reveals the ability to be intimate and vulnerable. Love and trust must be earned in order to fertilize our garden and harvest a bountiful crop. Time is our friend. People ask, “When will I die?” “How long is my lifeline?”  We all definitely die. Only God knows when. Life is about quality, not quantity.

My Taurus moon and mars symbolize my need for emotional and physical stability, along with my insatiable desire for quantity of quality. I never seem to get enough good food, nature, art, music, and loving. April 19 to May 20 is the best time to look through both telescope and microscope at what you truly love and value. We must all pay to play, but good health and happiness are free.

“The great mass of people will more easily fall victim to a big lie than a small one”                                                                                                                                 Adolf Hitler

Adolph Hitler (4/20/1889) was responsible for over thirty million deaths. Hitler transformed the world by harnessing the power of fear and terror and linking them to the power of symbolism to control and manipulate masses. The darkest depths of Taurus catalyzed a German dictator from 1933 to 1945. Taurus can be a cruel zealous fundamentalist in desperate need of spiritual intervention. Jim Jones (5/13/31), fanatic cult leader, led 1,000 people to mass suicide in 1978. Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh (4/23/68) showed no remorse for evil.  Saddam Hussein (4/28/37), a dictator, was humiliated and publicly slain by US.

Pope Francis was created for love and spirituality. Francis is a Sagittarian with a strong Taurus backup. Healthy values make the best religious sense. Notice the barely bottom phalange on his pinky finger. Francis could care less about stuff. He truly loves us and practices what he preaches.

Pope John Paul ll (5/8/20) radiated the heavenly light of Taurus when he asked the rich to share their wealth with the poor. As the first Pope to visit a synagogue, John Paul ll encouraged Catholics and Jews to love one another. He survived countless chaotic messes and reforms in the church along with an attempted assassination. In this picture, his hand looks Arian, adding abundant courage and initiative to his solid values.

William Randolph Hearst and Orson Welles (bulls) battled stubbornly over the making and release of ‘Citizen Kane’. Kane was a Midas who Welles irreverently modeled after Hearst. Despite his natural charisma, brilliant acting, and serious directing abilities, Welles was no match for Hearst’s fortune or power to influence masses. Hearst was stubborn, acquisitive, possessive, and controlling. Welles was determined and persistent in his righteous defiance of Hearst. Hearst tortured Welles with too many legal obstacles and bludgeoned him with bad publicity until Welles could not afford to practice his principles (values) or rise to his challenges (procrastination) or control his self-indulgences (peril).

Taurus exalts mountains (masters), fertilizes fields (purpose), and tends gardens (practicality).

Sigmund Freud (5/6/1856) was Father of Modern Psychoanalysis.

Karl Marx (5/5/1818) developed the theory of Socialism.

Krishnamurti (5/11/1895) shared Spiritual Good Sense with whoever would listen.

Martha Graham (5/11/1894) was Mother of Modern Dance.

Katherine Hepburn (5/12/1907) was Grande Dame of American Stage and Movies.

Queen Elizabeth (4/21/1926) and Prime Minister Tony Blair (5/6/1953) Anchor England.

As a palmist at corporate events for over thirty years, I always arrive early to set up and settle in. Meeting planners show up to introduce the top brass to me before the event starts. Everyone wants to hear what I have to say about them. I’ve read many hundreds of CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, and COOs. I examine their hands as I hold them in mine, look into their eyes, and reflect on their personal issues.

Everything and nothing are equal; identical in nature, but different by degree. ‘Less is more’. King Midas wished for a touch of gold, got it, and transformed his beloved daughter into a hunk of metal. Food turned to gold as it touched his lips. Taurus is about values. She shows us how to be flexible and let go of wants by raising our awareness of what truly matters. She encourages us to be stable and secure so we can clearly see and know what we need. There are innumerable shades of gray between black and white. A dying billionaire will gladly trade wealth for youth or good health. A glamorous movie star will gratefully scrub toilets in Grand Central Station to cure her ailing child.

“Have you seen hands that freaked you out?” On a sweltering hot August day, an icy chill gripped my soul as I touched Manuel’s hands. His huge hot sweaty red balls of thumb had no lines within the life line, looking as if an extra-large egg had been stuffed into them. I simulated the enhancement on the left. Manuel’s tremendous desire and passion had no place to go. He had zero ability to be intimate with another human being. Manuel was a convicted child serial killer. Click here to read his story.

When a child becomes thirteen in Jewish tradition, he or she becomes a man or woman after performing a religious rite of passage. Rituals take place in synagogues and require terrified adolescents to read Hebrew from the Torah, sing, and earn their adulthood. I’ve read many thousands of hands at bar and bat mitzvah parties. I’ve worked at many hundreds of modest family gatherings and massive extravaganzas. I’ve performed alongside the world’s best mentalists, magicians, caricaturists, and esoteric readers. Costumed with my black velvet purple satin lined cape, crystal ball, and lighted magnifying glass, I’m a five-minute best friend and bull-shit detector. It’s amazing how much value can be given in five minutes.

It’s not what you see, but what you say and how you say it that matters. One evening, an entourage accompanied their friend to his reading. He was like a mini-CEO with his expensive designer suit and tie. His soft pudgy square palms and plump third phalanges on short fingers let me know that he’d never seen a lick of physical labor. His friends jokingly urged me, “Tell him he’s gay”. One asked, “Do you know who he is?” I saw a kid with lots of challenges ahead. I told his entourage’ to “back off” as I spoke to him about working harder to express his true feelings and behave naturally. His eyes and body language revealed that he could care less about whatever I had to say. When you’re one of the richest kids in the world, unearned power is not a blessing. It may actually be a curse. Later that evening, young Midas returned. He acted as though we’d never met. I gave him the same advice. When I finished, he chuckled and told me, “I fooled you. You already read my hands”.

I held his hands firmly in mine and looked directly into his eyes. “I know who you are, you’re the $$$ boy. I have some valuable free advice for you. Your money doesn’t make you better than anyone else. Your power is unearned. You’ll get old; have relationship problems, work struggles, and health challenges, along with life’s unforeseen plans for you. You must decide what you truly value and how you can make a positive difference with your abundant resources in a world that needs your help.” With eyes dropped and shoulders rounded he left, temporarily recognizing his hubris. I hope he realized his truth.

At another event, a shopping center magnate was competing with his Jewish neighbors, spending a $mall fortune for a sweet thirteen party @ a New Jersey country club. I had just finished reading 48 people in four hours. As I packed my bag to go to an evening party in Manhattan, Midas appeared and demanded, “Read my hands!” Politely, I told him, “I’m sorry, I’m done and in a hurry to get to another party”. “You don’t understand, I’m the one who’s paying you”. I let him know, “The planner already paid me”. He threatened, “I’ll stop payment on his balance!” “OK, hold up your hands”.

“Go ahead, tell me how fucked up I am”. His square palms, short fingers, and long crooked middle fingers with grilled lines beneath revealed a highly self-critical nature. Compulsively chewed nails added an argumentative quality. “I won’t tell you you’re fucked up, but I will tell you what is fucked up. You work unbelievably hard for everything and don’t have a clue how to enjoy the fruits of your labor. You’re a frustrated perfectionist, self-critical, and critical and judgmental of others. You need to lighten up and smell the roses!” He stood, “That’s enough. They told me you were good and they were right. Go to your party”.

When Uranus transited Taurus from 1935 to 1942, the USA went off the gold standard. People began focusing on values and questioning materialism. President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act. Labor organized and formed unions that went on strike and engaged in sit-downs across the nation. President Roosevelt defended the Four Essential Freedoms: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. Partisan politics has steadily undermined those freedoms, including social and national security.

People born between 1935 and 1942 have Uranus in Taurus. Many have experienced sudden and unexpected gains and reversals. Uranus returns to Taurus after 84 years in 2019 for seven years. New York Stock Exchange and Federal Reserve are bulls. Expect extreme financial fluctuations.

Capitalism is ruled by Taurus. Fueled by supply, demand, innovation, and competition, capitalism raises our standard of living by heating, cooling, and lighting us. Capitalism enables us to travel freely, independently, and communicate on a grand scale. We can have many opportunities, products, and services when we can afford them. Capitalism is designed for and by individuals and businesses who agree to exercise financial freedom in whatever ways they see fit within the law. As capitalists, we must take responsibility to help those who can’t compete with or survive greed.

Capitalism is great in theory, but like Religion, the bright side of capitalism uplifts while the dark side breeds prejudice, pain, guilt, shame, and suffering. Capitalism is wealthy, but not wise. It fans the flames of larceny as it segregates haves from have-nots. Power corrupts from the top down as value and integrity are compromised. In practice, we must be responsible and vigilant. Too much temptation for too many greedy and dishonest humans makes too much trouble for too many complacent people.

If Capitalism’s heart is hard, its head is even harder. How easy it is to rationalize the most horrific of actions when they’re not happening to us. We’re closer to Armageddon than Eden. Where does the light of capitalism begin and the darkness end? The trappings of Capitalism are its failings.  Why must we learn to value what we have by losing it?

Many people apply formulas for success and yet few are truly successful. Success is a state of mind, heart, and spirit. Our problems are not physical, but philosophical and spiritual. Unhealthy values point us down a path of self-destruction. Our good health and the good health of our world is a reflection of our thoughts and feelings. We must believe in ourselves, have faith, cultivate right attitudes, think critically and positively, set realistic goals, and take appropriate action. We all need good sense and wise counsel. Taurus teaches honesty, responsibility, discipline, structure, focus, courage, determination, and persistence. We must be our own best friends and bull shit detectors.

$50,000 Challenge

I challenge any and all behavioral counselors, character analysts, and esoteric readers to a four hour duel. As a full-time practicing palmist, world-class keeper of secrets, and confidential quickie hand reader for many tens of thousands of remarkable people over the past forty years, I’m ready to put my money where my mouth is. I plan to prove that palmistry is the handiest, quickest, and most effective way to observe human character.

The rules are simple. Forty-eight individuals of various ages, genders, races, vocations, and other diversities will be selected to receive five-minute consults from each of twelve challengers. It’s amazing how much valuable information can be shared in five-minutes. People to be counseled will be organized in four separate hour long groups of twelve. Three qualified mutually agreed upon judges will interview each of forty-eight people to choose which counselor was most helpful to the most people. A reputable psychiatrist, psychologist, and social worker will make a great panel.

No matter what you see or how you see it, it’s what you say and how you say it that matters in the final analysis. Over many years of honing my counseling skills, I’ve sharpened my swords into scalpels and look forward to wielding them with an open mind, heart, and spirit. This challenge may seem subjective, but even if all twelve counselors are great, someone still has to be greatest.

There are many wonderful ways to observe a person’s potentials. Any method that helps people and leaves them feeling hopeful is valuable. I hope to inspire other palmists, astrologers, numerologists, graphologists, tarot and rune readers, psychics, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, human resource specialists, guidance counselors, jury selectors, profiling whizzes, or anyone who can give forty-eight helpful five-minute counseling sessions in four hours. I’ve met many brilliant readers at special events and many others who secretly believe they’re the best, but few who have the courage or resources to bet on themselves. I’m searching for eleven others who do.

$50,000 will be awarded to the most helpful counselor. Eleven other pros and I will each pay a $5000 entry fee. $10,000 of the $60,000 will be budgeted to compensate judges, provide twelve quiet spaces with tables and chairs, a common gathering space with natural light, hors d’oeuvres, and quiet music to create a harmonious atmosphere. The venue for the event will be located in the city with the most contestants. Any left over funds will be divided equally among the challengers who must travel.

Please pass this challenge on to anyone you know who qualifies. If you believe in them, offer to wager with them. Whoever invests in me (up to half) will receive their full share (10X) if and when I win. My mission is to give everyone a helping hand, their own.

Your life truly is in your hands. Click on links below to see how issues, challenges, talents, and other potentials can be seen, interpreted, and addressed in the hands.

The value of palmistry is in seeing a person’s character, values, thinking, feelings, will power, health, relationships, creativity, philosophy, purpose, dreams, and spirituality.

The magic of palmistry is in observing hands change as thinking and circumstances change over time. A tiny change in the consistency, elasticity, texture, color, direction, or quality of a finger, mount, or line can embody a huge change in a life.

The power of palmistry is in taking responsibility for what we know. The human race has become a race against bad shit happening. We all need a helping hand, our own.

It’s time for palmistry to be recognized as a quick and easy way to clearly see self and others. Precious insight lay hidden in plain sight at the ends of our arms. Our hands are maps of our character in past, present, and future. Hand morphology and topography provide accessible, practical, and effective ways to truly “know thyself” and other.

“God has placed signs in the hands of all the sons of all men that all the sons of men may know his work” Old Testament.  No matter how you define “his”, God is in your hands.

Appearances can deceive

Behavior can be modified

Words can be untrue

Hands never lie 

Favorite Reviews & Press Materials

ARIES HANDS

You don’t need an Aries sun to be Arian. Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius are Intuitive types with rectangular palms and short fingers. If you have an Aries sun and Aries hands, you’re a super Aries. Aries hands differ from Leo and Sag hands. Leo hands tend to be harder and stiffer while Sagittarian hands tend to be softer and more flexible than Aries hands. Aries percussions (passive Mars under pinky finger) are fuller and firmer. Resilient elastic skin quickly springs back to normal when poked, pushed, or pulled. Pink color energizes. Red pressurizes. Full reddish puffy bumps bulge (aggressive Mars) where Aries thumb meets the hand. Aries types normally have a rosy full ball of thumb (Venus). Red hands embody too much energy, anger, and passion. Head and life lines are separated on pure types. Wider gaps symbolize more need for independence, freedom, and rebellion. Head and life lines that intertwine at their beginnings reveal inertia and a desire to be appreciated. Pure Leos have entwined head and life lines. They procrastinate, take things personally (even when they’re not), and must never allow themselves to be taken for granted.

As the most courageous and adventurous of all twelve types, Aries is a natural hero and inspired risk taker. His passion is contagious and optimism eternal. He never runs out of doors to knock on because (unlike Leo) he doesn’t take rejection personally. He’s ready and willing to compete with anyone at any time and place. As an autonomous freedom lover, he hates criticism and bureaucrats. Aries tend to have low set thumbs, although no matter what type you are, very low set thumbs are designed to quest for holy grails and champion underdogs. Aries crusades relentlessly and persists untiringly until their objectives are realized. Worthy causes bring satisfaction and fulfillment.

Aries is not detail oriented. When he gets bogged down with mundane tasks such as paperwork or bookkeeping, he becomes bored, restless, and easily frustrated. It’s best to stay out of his way if you can’t help him. His most important challenges are being patient, trusting his intuition, setting sensible goals, and building sound structures on solid foundations. Many Aries types enjoy working with sharp tools. They’re unafraid of blood. Mars rules executives, military leaders, soldiers, policemen, firemen, salesmen, surgeons, barbers, butchers, raw physical energy, sports, and military.

Aries rules War. Ancient warrior cultures practiced their lustiest mating rituals from late June to late July to seed future generations of warriors. Aries rules Germany, England, and Japan. Hitler contrived an Aryan race. The British barbarized and then colonized the globe. Japan was atom bombed in World War II. Modern Japanese warriors do battle in commerce, communications, transportation, and electronics.

Everyone has Aries and Mars somewhere in his or her symbolism. Aries rises at the birth of Spring. Ares is Greek. Mars is the Roman version. As an invincible warrior and lusty lover, the god of war is symbolized by an erect penis. Built to match with a strong athletic body, dominant chest, and rock hard head, he’s not called a ram for nothing.  My partner, Joanna, is Aries with Venus in Taurus rising. She can be stubborn. I call her ‘Rambull’. I’m very Gemini. She calls me ‘a piece of work in progress’.

Aries are amazingly resilient and innately bounce back, always landing on their feet. A strong sense of inner strength, courage, and persistence make them formidable foes. Aries conquers procrastination, overcomes inertia, initiates action, and rules physical energy. Health issues are inflammations, fevers, headaches, and high blood pressure.

Aries descend from heroes like King Theseus of Athens, Jason and the Argonauts, Joan of Arc, Xena, Mulan, Robin Hood, and his popular eastern cousin, Aladdin, orphaned son of the king of thieves, handsome adolescent street rat, and diamond in the rough, destined to become a prince. The hand pictured belongs to a real life Aladdin. Click here for his story.

 

Al Gore’s rectangular palms and short fingers reveal a link between his intuitive personality and his Aries Sun. Al’s Mars, Saturn, and Pluto are in Leo and Jupiter is in Sagittarius. Abundant inspiration motivated Al as he attempted to transform mass energy consciousness and corresponding politics. Like Jason and the Golden Fleece, Al and his Argonauts bagged the coveted Nobel Peace Prize while opening masses of minds to the hazards of Global Warming.

 

As a conceptual thinker, Al loves the idea part of his process. His biggest asset is his ability to see the big picture. With no time and little aptitude or patience for details, Al is a salesman who can sell anything he truly believes in. Al’s long index finger enhances his egocentricity and ambition. Charged with a lightning bolt from Zeus, once Al is clear about what he wants, he’ll acquire the facts he needs to make the case for his cause. As a man of great influence, privilege, and wealth, Al must always keep a close eye on his personal footprint and practice what he preaches.

U.S. ex-Secretary of State, ex-General Colin Powell is an Aries. With Sun and Mercury in Aries (April 5, 1937) and his rectangular palms, short fingers, and widely separated life and headline, he’s the embodiment of King Theseus of Athens. Theseus escorted Jason on his quest for the Golden Fleece. He defeated the dreaded Minotaur (Saddam Hussein, a Taurus) and united the warring Greek factions under his rule.

Secretary Powell’s powerful and practical personality persuaded Americans to keep the faith while we invaded Iraq. He actually believed he could make a difference, but ended up being goldenly fleeced by the Bush administration. Emperor George pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes as he proudly wore Powell’s noble charisma, flawless credibility, and ethical principles on the front lines of international diplomacy. Colin’s greatest battles are still ahead as he approaches the end of his life and wages war with his personal loyalties, honesty, integrity, dignity, and the truth. As a true hero, he must cleanse his legacy by shining a blinding light of absolute truth on the many shades of gray in his life.

Largest of energy giants, XX is Aries with first trade March 25 1920. A predatory power broker must shift its greedy paradigms to embrace the philosophical and spiritual laws of nature. Mother’s creative juices were meant to be shared by all of us. XX profitably sells them by pumping mom’s blood from natural reservoirs into pipelines and artificial tanks to personal storage tanks through financial umbilical cords. World economies and planetary good health are at stake. XX must become a guardian for, not a seller of our soul. XX must not be allowed to become XXX by choosing $$$ over humanity.

Uranus changes sign every seven years. Aries and Uranus bring fierce individualism, pioneering spirit, abundant energy, and limitless financial resources to bring concepts to fruition. The only outer planet to transit the sign of Aries in the 20th Century (1927 – 35), Uranus invigorated our collective psyche through revolutionary technological changes. Here are my favorite highlights from our last Uranus revolution eighty four years ago.

Physics and astronomy created the “Big Bang” theory of an ever-expanding universe

Neutron was discovered

King Kullen was the first Supermarket in Queens, NY

Wonder Bread and Homogenized Milk were born

First Laundromat opened in Fort Worth Texas

Flashbulb was invented

3M Company introduced transparent Scotch Tape

Nylon fiber was invented

First plastics were synthesized in Britain

Bell Laboratories developed stereophonic sound

German ophthalmologist pioneered the first contact lens

First drive-in movie theatre opened in New Jersey

Model A replaced the model T Ford

First air-conditioned office building in the US opened in San Antonio Texas

Jet engine was patented

Charles Lindbergh made the first solo flight from New York to Paris

America was captivated when Lindbergh’s 20-month-old son was kidnapped

Mao Tse-Tung began his `22 years in the wilderness’ where he developed guerrilla warfare tactics that conquered China

Leon Trotsky was expelled from the communist party

Federal government entered the field of hydroelectric power with Boulder Dam

First all talking motion picture, ‘The Jazz Singer’, starring Al Jolson, revolutionized the film industry. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was born

The stock market crashed, forcing people to re-examine their values and institutions

Uranus completed its eighty-four year cycle in the spring of 2011 as it turbulently returned to Aries to crumble regimes, topple demagogues, ignite cities, and fuel the Arab Spring that spread across the Mid-East. Devastating earthquakes in Japan forever changed how governments look at nuclear power policies. Protestors in Spain set the stage for Occupy Movements in New York and London. Osama Bin Laden was killed.  His demise appeared on Twitter before it was officially announced by the Whitehouse. WikiLeaks raised our consciousness of government secrets and conspiracies.

We’ve come full circle in six years with neo-demagogues and ‘alternative facts’. Apparently, we need much more tough love before we take action. On the eve of our self-destruction, the NRA has weaponized the masses and inadvertently created a People’s Army. Interpreting our second amendment may be our doing or undoing.

Mars is the blood, guts, and gore of war. Uranus with Mars is an explosive combo. Psyches devoured by passion, lust, and hatred are a prescription for MPTSD (mass post-traumatic stress disorder) “Hasta la vista baby”. With Saturn and Pluto, the “Big Bang” theory has come far from the first Neutron. So much for supermarkets, laundromats, homogenized milk, Wonder Bread, Scotch tape, plastics, and the Model T…

Pisces and Hands

You don’t need a Pisces Sun or Pisces planetary relationships or placements in your natal horoscope to be Piscean. Pure types have dominant top phalanges on long narrow fingers, smooth joints, conical tips, and loop prints, especially on index fingers. All feeling types have long rectangular palms and long fingers. Pisceans have medium set mildly flexible shapely thumbs, sensitive looking fingers, a combination of round and conical fingertips, long narrow nails, and their head and life lines interwoven at their beginnings. Pinkies with tiny bottom and middle phalanges and no knots symbolize not having any need for physical order or material wealth. Feeling types with inwardly curving pinkie fingers hate emotional confrontation. In my experience, Pisceans tend to have more hand and finger flexibility, more peripheral shallow lines, and less deeply etched basic heart, head, life, and fate lines than Scorpio and Cancer types.

Pisces is a personification for spiritual growth. As the astrological home of Neptune (Poseidon, King Triton), ruler of the seas. Pisces embodies emotion, instinct, personal feelings, and the collective unconscious. Neptune can be a calming or destructive force in nature. The King of the Sea rules substances like prescription and recreational drugs, nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, or anything that alters consciousness, produces illusions, and feeds delusions. Pisces mundane correspondence is religion. Spirituality is its esoteric match. Spirituality without religion is fine. Religion without spirituality is blind.

Pisces is the most sensitive, least acquisitive, and most introverted of all types. She’s often misunderstood because she communicates through a lens of feeling. Less sensitive, more practical Pisces have strong earth, air, fire, and deep clear basic lines, large thumbs, stiff joints, square fingertips, developed knots, broad nails, and arch and whorl fingerprints. When head and heart are balanced, Pisces can be extremely powerful. George Washington was a Pisces. Former CEOs of Citigroup, IBM, Merck, DuPont, and Bank One were Piscean. One intriguing Pisces CEO is Michael Dell of Dell Computer. Like Ariel, daughter of King Triton, ruler of the Seas and the unconscious, Michael imagines whatever he wants as he swims into collective unconscious. He intuitively knows what the public needs and hones in on that. He must keep a watchful eye on Ursula (octopus conglomerate) who lusts for control of his empire.

Pisces is well suited to teaching, human resources, and helping professions. Many are at home in visual arts and music. Hand qualities will vary depending on their natural talents and abilities, decisions, and actions. Piscean strengths include compassion, humility, and faith. Not known for mental or emotional decisiveness, Pisces are private, spiritual, and hard to be intimate with. Their trust must be earned. Impressionable and easily influenced, some Pisces attempt to escape reality when circumstances get too hard. Many become substance abusers like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lewis, and Liza Minelli.My father was Pisces, along with my brother and daughter. I’ll love and cherish them unconditionally for eternity.

Pisces is intimately connected to the collective unconscious and mundane events. Uranus was the only outer planet to pass through Pisces in the twentieth century from 1919 to 1928. Uranus completed its eighty-four year cycle through the zodiac in 2003 and began its path through Pisces, crossing into Aries at the end of 2011. Let’s observe the cultural similarities as Uranus passed through Pisces in the 20th and 21st Centuries.

When World War I ended in 1919, discrimination, immigration, and consumerism grew.  Uranus left the sign of Aquarius and moved into Pisces. A new kind of rebellion began. Over four million steel workers and miners walked off the job to protest too many work hours with “inhumane pay”. Three Presidents held office during Uranus’s first transit through Pisces (Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover). The 30th President, “Silent Cal” Coolidge (born on the 4th of July) said, “The business of America is business”. He told us, “Biological laws tell us that certain divergent people will not mix or blend”, speaking of the “inferior races” of Asia. While focusing on and promoting ‘government business partnerships’, they all put material wealth and unobstructed corporate power in the forefront of the nation’s political, social, and cultural fabric. Government was in bed with big business. On its recent return through Pisces, George W. Bush gave our healthcare Industry to the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, energy to big oil companies, and security for airports and seaports in the hands of private enterprise. He even tried to bequeath our Social Security to the Stock Market.

When Uranus transited into Pisces, traditional thrift and austerity gave way to neo-consumerism and buying on credit. Two out of three Americans had electricity, refrigerators, and washing machines. Spending on recreation tripled. Henry Ford announced cars in Green and Maroon as well as black. Mass produced foods: Rice Krispies, Lender’s Bagels, Mounds Bars, Betty Crocker, and Peter Pan Peanut Butter influenced mass taste. Consumerism and credit created the illusion of an easier more convenient life. Movie houses, chain stores, and radio advertising proliferated. By the end of Uranus’s transit through Pisces, movie attendance had outstripped church attendance. Consumer magazines like Modern Romance challenged moral codes. Many critics believed consumerism was driving Americans into a soulless existence of materiality and conformity. Sinclair Lewis, author of ‘Babbitt’, highlighted the delusion of Uranus in Pisces. He blamed mass production and consumption for “having created a bloodless, loveless, and standardized world”.

The Ku Klux Klan had a resurgence that targeted African Americans, blacks, immigrants, Catholics, and Jews. The Klan marched on Washington DC In 1925 with over 40,000 hooded members. New immigration laws reduced the stream of immigrants to a trickle when congress decided to reduce the flow of immigrants based on quotas of 150,000 new immigrants a year.

Uranus in Pisces symbolizes a conflict between science and religion. Modern science clashed with Intelligent Design and Creationism as Uranus transited Pisces in both centuries. Tennessee legislators voted that it was unlawful for any teacher in a state supported school “to teach any theory that denies the story of man’s creation as taught in the bible”. Man was too intelligent to descend from a lower order of animals. One high school biology teacher named John Scopes taught the theory of evolution. As the defendant in the infamous “Scopes Monkey Trial” legal battle, John Scopes lost.

Culture clashed with school curriculum, obscenity, censorship, race, and sexuality in theater and literature. The German Bauhaus School of Architecture, with its less is more design philosophy, influenced architecture and products around the globe. When I graduated from Carnegie Mellon in 1969 as an industrial designer, ‘intelligent design’ was about making and saving money for manufacturers. No one cared about waste, except for disposal and financial cost. Truly ‘Intelligent design’ is when designers create useful products, choose sustainable resources, determine how much energy will be used in production, know what pollutants are generated, what remedies are available, and how the product will ultimately be disposed of, reused, or recycled.

Common sense is not good sense. The human race has become a race against bad shit happening. Donald Trump has taught us that it’s not what you do, but what you get away with that really matters. Why do we continue to nourish a perverse society with a morbid sense of reality and humor? We can be a lot healthier and happier by taking better care of our planet, ourselves, and each other.

Here are some similarities between the past two transits of Uranus in Pisces:

1919 – The worst baseball scandal (Black Sox) in history occurred when a grand jury brought indictments against eight players from the Chicago White Sox. Accused of throwing the 1919 World Series, they were eventually found not guilty.

2003 – The illicit use of steroids became the biggest scandal in modern baseball.

1919 – The eighteenth amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors, which encouraged home brewing and bootlegging.

2003 – George W. Bush prohibited Medicare from negotiating drug prices. A black market for drugs from India and Canada began to thrive.

1921 – First formal investigations of the Teapot Dome oil scandals were initiated.

2003 – USA invaded Iraq under false pretenses in order to secure oil resources.

1924 – The worst tornado in US history obliterated 35 towns in Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois.

2005 – Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

Much has happened since 1919. Not much has ideologically changed.

Neptune takes 164 years to completely cycle through our zodiac. Neptune returned to its home base in Pisces on April 4, 2011 and will remain in Pisces until April 1, 2025. It’s hard to predict what Neptune will symbolize in Pisces because Neptune dissolves the illusion of reality. Many astrologers say that Neptune in Pisces symbolizes the dawn of a new age of spiritual enlightenment. This may be true, but it appears we may have to get there the hard way. Our culture must first lose what we value in order to appreciate it.

Pluto transited into Capricorn in 2008. Uranus transited into Aries in 2011. These three outer planets together symbolize a total transformation of business, energy, politics, and religion. I don’t feel comfortable making predictions about Neptune because it’s so nebulous and fickle, but we can already see in six short years how the illusion of power resulting from extreme wealth has nourished a delusion and disillusion of the 99%.

Neptune rules HMO’s, hospitals, and pharmaceutical industries that value profits over people. Prisons have been privatized for profit and packed with predominantly black petty criminals. Religion has abandoned spirituality, becoming more fundamentalist, fanatical, and violent. Even bacteria and viruses have become a lethal threat to the fabric of humanity. The USA has a president who is certifiably insane and cabinet members whose mandates are contrary to the purpose of their positions. Before Uranus leaves Aries in 2018, we could see a religious war, designed to stimulate our economy, fought by the have nots, and created to pack the burgeoning pockets of the haves.

Reaching Inward

Until my first Saturn return in my late twenties, I never thought about reaching inward. Making money, acquiring power, and having a good time was my calling. In my quest for worldly success, however, I managed to find myself fiscally devastated by fire; mentally and emotionally wrought by drug and gambling addictions of business partners; and psychologically and spiritually ravaged by the sudden unexpected death of my father.

Maybe I wasn’t meant to be doing what I thought I was supposed to be doing. I began pondering the concepts of fate, free will, and destiny. I moved from Pittsburgh to NYC, became an initiate in a mystical order, and began studying palmistry, astrology, tarot, numerology, and psychology. I lived in a fleabag residence hotel in Times Square and worked as a part-time machinist in wood and metal working shops to support my habits.

I meditated, practiced hatha yoga religiously, received regular bodywork, consulted a multitude of psychics and esoteric readers, studied Gestalt psychology, and consulted several psychotherapists. I devoured nearly everything written on the subject of palmistry, researching both western and eastern systems. Combining hand reading with astrology, tarot, and psychology enabled me to create my own eclectic system for understanding character. A life can be examined and reexamined through various lenses and illuminated by any circumstance or question. There’s no end to the amount of self-scrutiny possible.

I’ve been a self-appointed guidance counselor for nearly forty years. Within five minutes of examining a person’s hands, I can see their character, reflect on their current and major life issues and challenges, and offer constructive advice. Examining others has been the most effective method of reaching inward for me. I’ve learned to be more conscious of my own positive and negative potentials, to accept my limitations, to be more patient and tolerant, healthier, happier, and more fulfilled in my work and relationships.

People ask, “Do you read your own hands?” Yes, but it’s not easy to be objective about oneself. Reaching inward needs to become a ritual practice. I search for the best qualities in myself and try to maximize my assets and minimize my liabilities. Many people hope to learn something new by consulting an esoteric reader, but no reader can tell anyone anything they do not already know about themselves. I can say something completely wrong about a person and they may not contradict me because they think that my great reputation and specialized knowledge must make me right. People don’t realize how much they do know. I’ve counseled a lot of astrologers, tarot readers, numerologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and healers who came to affirm and confirm what they already knew. We must all learn to trust what we know about ourselves.

No matter how well we think we know ourselves, we still have to make decisions, create structures, cultivate relationships, maintain our health, and strive for personal happiness and fulfillment. We must take risks and participate in the world. If a person’s hands are hard and fingers stiff, they will fight change with every last molecule in their being. They’ll procrastinate at beginnings and endings, even when the all too familiar hand writing is on the wall. They need to learn to let go in order to make space for new beginnings. People with soft flexible hands will find myriad reasons and rationalizations not to focus their energies, or be disciplined and structured. Too many interests and distractions become handicaps. These folk need to focus, be disciplined, and structured, which is like taking bad tasting medicine for them. What are the best and worst consequences of choosing what we want? Not choosing is also a choice.

No matter what our hands say about us, the minute we begin to manifest anything that interferes with our current cycles, patterns, and habits, our demons will rise. We must learn to examine our lives subjectively, objectively, and act appropriately to catalyze the changes we need to make happen. We must learn to exercise our free will to transform our thinking, feelings, and circumstances while reaching inward and accessing our most positive inner resources. The morphology and topography of our hands will reveal the corresponding transformation over time.

Aquarian Hands

You don’t need to have an Aquarius Sun to be Aquarian. All thinking types have square palms and long fingers. Pure Aquarian types tend to have medium to low set stiff thumbs, inflexible fingers, mixed round and square fingertips with broad nails, and head and life lines closely intertwined at their start. More analytical, technical, and scientific types have well-developed first phalanges and knots on middle fingers and dominant second phalanges and knots on ring fingers. Many have strong straight pinkies with long first phalanges and smooth joints. Inventor and designer types have whorl prints on square tipped thumbs and/or spatulate tipped ring fingers. Other fingers have loop prints. Aquarians tend to have less peripheral shallow lines than mutable types and more deeply etched basic heart, head, life, and fate lines than cardinal types. Gemini and Libra types reveal very different hand qualities.

Everyone has Aquarius somewhere in their symbolism. Aquarians are cool and detached, but highly sociable individuals. They avoid intimacy while spending a lot of time in a world of their own ideas and inventions. Aquarians need to become more aware of their Leo opposition. Most think they can solve problems better than other people (many can), but their egos get in the way. They value free speech, but overvalue their opinions, which can at times be obnoxious.

Aquarians relish a revolution when a cause is right. As independent and progressive beings, they pride themselves on their originality and flaunt their eccentricities. They must learn to value their uniqueness for what it is and not for the sake of being different. Aquarians usually attract other free spirited unconventional and unusual types. The best way to influence an Aquarian’s thinking is to be completely logical. It’s hard to for them to argue with good sense. Aquarians love technology. Encourage them to be creative. They’ll be happier.

In mundane astrology, when Neptune exited Aquarius in 2012, our greatest illusion and deception was that public policy was getting better for old, poor, and sick people. Sadly, too many are searching for physical and spiritual answers and finding nothing. Profits from false prophets are confusing and controlling the 99%. Plutocrats who financed our political campaigns own the partisan politicians who control our health care, manage our welfare, gamble with our pensions, and risk our social security. Greedy monopolies will devastate over a billion people aged 65 and over by the time Pluto enters Aquarius in 2024. As Pluto in Aquarius traumatically and tragically transforms our personal and planetary inequities, humanity will finally understand what’s truly valuable. We will learn the hard way to look and see, listen and hear, and ask the right questions.

My Favorite Reviews

I briefly mentioned testimonials and reviews in my Publicity Series. While it’s been a long time since I’ve had to sell myself, this wasn’t always true. In my earlier years, I solicited reviews and referrals from clients to generate more private clients and special event business. I also received a lot of unsolicited reviews. Here are some favorites.

Private Clients

“After mark did my reading, I spent a lot of time today thinking about his words. It was remarkably resonant, and inspired in me an incredible fascination with the depth and art of palmistry. Much of what he said I knew about myself, but there is something in the way he reads and speaks- with care, but also unafraid- that provides a certain kind of affirmation. It’s as though these qualities I know about myself became more true, because now I am aware of constantly wearing them. I was also struck by learning that our hands will reflect a change in mentality, however subtle or severe. I am completely in awe of the work he does and I really appreciate his sharing it with me.” Amalia W.

“It was a real pleasure working with Mark. He brought incredible insight and intuition to the table, without any presumption. I left feeling as though he had known me for years, better than many good friends, and that the knowledge of me that he had propelled me into a greater understanding of myself. As if that wasn’t enough, he also helped me to think about real, practical things that I could do on a day-to-day basis to encourage my personal growth. I recommend Mark very highly, I am sure you will not be disappointed.” Talya H.

“Without Mark’s guidance over the past few years, I would’ve had a much harder time figuring out my life – in particular, my career path and relationships. He was able to help me see what I didn’t yet know was there – or what I was avoiding looking at – and find a way to approach it with intelligence and grace. Not everyone can say they have a legit Hand Reader on their side, but I feel so lucky to be someone who does. I highly recommend Mark — His multi-faceted, intuitive approach will blow your mind and get you back to yourself so that you can live how you’re meant to. Thanks for everything, Mark!”  Jess G.

“For the past 4 years, Mark has provided me with extraordinarily valuable palm, astrology and tarot readings. Mark has been a guiding light in my personal and professional life, providing insight to make the most of the situations at hand. When I am at a crossroads, this is where I turn for unbiased yet nurturing perspective.” Laura W.

“Thoughtful, inspired, just. Mark is not only a consummate scholar of astrology, tarot and palmistry; he is intuitive in his scholarship. He meets you with an open mind and heart to deliver uncanny insights and doable suggestions for your growth. Life is an unfolding process and his art is all about nurturing your dreams with focus and hard work so that you can realize the auguries in the stars.” Randolyn Z.

“So this fascinating gentleman sits in my class one day and while we’re discussing a whole other topic he reveals he is a Palmist. I sit w/him first at a lecture as his volunteer for hand analysis then seriously as a client. What can I say but: Go see this man, Mark Seltman, I promise you will not be disappointed. Informative, insightful, intelligent articulate, accurate, amazing.” Pattie C.

“Mark has worked with me personally as an interpreter of my and my family’s hands and he has also joined events we hosted for clients at VOGUE Magazine. I recommend him 100%. He is expert in palmistry and tarot and he is sensitive to his customers so that he interprets what he sees in a thoughtful and insightful way. There is nothing “magic” about what Mark does — it is truly all in your hands and in his ability to understand the individual he is helping. After so many years of working with Mark (over 10), he truly has become a trusted advisor and my admiration of him and his ability has only grown stronger.” Ann L.

Special Events

“I am a professional live event entertainment producer and Mark is the top of the top of readers based on client’s responses. He is a reader clients continue to see privately– guests feel transformed by his readings.” Tina B.

“Mark is easy going, great with clients and a wonderful entertainment option. I have hired him a number of times for corporate events and my clients from all over the world love him. Me too! Hire him and you won’t regret it.” Tricia M.

“Mark has done readings for my company and clients for over 20 years now. In a word, he is AMAZING!  He is intuitive, though provoking and lots of fun. An absolute treasure to add to any party or event! I can’t recommend him highly enough.” Michael Chaut, President, Magical Nights, Inc.

“I have known Mark for over 20 years and have found him to be excellent at his profession. He has shaped a widely unknown intuitive art form into a valuable reliable tool for many of his clients and has performed this service for many well-known celebrities and executives. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for that additional piece of information.” Kit M.

“Thank you for doing a great job at our annual holiday party.  Everyone we spoke with said that you were right on target!  It was an enjoyable afternoon and by far the best entertainment we’ve had.  We think that you did a fantastic job and hope we have other events / occasions to use and recommend your services.” World Gold Council

“Thank you so much for the wonderful job you did at my party last week. You were a great hit with my guests and made the evening such fun.”   Martha Stewart

“Many thanks for being part of our event; everyone is still raving about you!” Jennifer Lanzarone / Condenast

“Many people were stunned by the deep insights; even the hardnosed senior executives were taken aback by Mark Seltman’s perceptive information”. R. Ross

I speak wherever and whenever I can. Here are some favorite responses.

Industrial Designers Society of America

Lower East Side Tenement Museum

National Design Museum

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Art and Science

Amazon reviews

Press

Media

Volunteer Work

 

The Future of Hands ~ Books

Your character and corresponding destiny is incarnate in your hands. You don’t need to be an expert palmist or know millions of details to learn what you need to know about yourself from your hands. Asking the right questions and interpreting what you see in your hands is the challenge. As a palmist, I mostly address questions about relationships, career, health, children, and whether anything can done to be more fulfilled and happy.

Palmistry is not about ‘this detail means this and that detail means that’. A series of five workbooks should be created to address what matters. The content must be compelling; crafted with fascinating narrative and straightforward illustrations, handy diagrams, and blank pages where readers can participate in interpreting their own hands and issues.

I printed 500 copies of “Your Life is in Your Hands” before my child was born, almost a quarter of a century ago. I gave most of them away. I hoped to make palmistry more real for people by sharing my knowledge and experience as a serious professional palmist in NYC. I created ‘Real Palmistry’ (e-book), and ‘Hand Book’ (paperback) to inspire people to want to learn more. Very few people have read any of my books, despite my best efforts to market them. Perhaps I should have named them ‘Sun Sign Palmistry’ or Palmistry 101’. I’m not sure that would have made a difference. I have several books ready for publishing, but I’ve decided to wait until I’ve figured out the best way to do it. Meanwhile, here’s my latest book concept.

Five Volumes: 25,000 words each

Delivery: Book One: April 1, 2017

Other four: Every six months following.

Ideal Format: Workbook ~ 8 1/2 X 11 to allow full size hand prints and charts.

BOOK ONE

WHAT’S IN A HAND?

 Your life is in your hands

The key to knowing and unlocking your potentials is in your hands. Reading hands (palmistry) helps you know and understand your character. Gain insight into your physical, mental, and emotional attributes, major influences which affect your life, and degrees to which you are fulfilling your potentials. Hands disclose information about your basic character, values, intelligence, emotions, health and healing abilities, career aptitudes, relationship capabilities and limitations, spirituality, creativity, and intuition. Your hands are topographical maps of your past and present and furnish valuable information and insights into possible future events and trends.

While other symbolic systems such as astrology and numerology show a person’s potentials, palmistry shows what a person is actually doing with those potentials. The value of reading hands lies in the capacity to objectify our personality traits and internal struggles. Knowing our natural strengths and weaknesses can help us avoid the hazards of our negative personality patterns. We can embrace our positive potentials. The beauty of hand analysis is our hands change as our thinking and circumstances change. As we exercise our free will and alter our thinking, our changes will manifest themselves in our hands over time. As we influence our destiny, we get to observe our successes and failures reflected in the mirrors of our hands. I’ve observed noticeable changes in hands in a matter of weeks.

My ultimate goal is to turn everyone on to palmistry. I hope to shed the light of day on hands and transform the paradigm of palmistry as a gypsy fortune telling scam. I want to share my unique methods for observing the essence of a person before getting caught up in superfluous details. I want to address frequently asked questions including: Will I be happy? Will I find my soul mate? Can you tell me about past lives? What career should I be in? Do you ever read yourself? What can and cannot be seen in the hands?” I want to share stories of people who transformed their lives, incorporating `before and after’ hand prints and interpretations. I’ll include examples of celebrities including actors, musicians, sports figures, politicians, religious figures, business people, and maybe a terrorist or two.

People can benefit by learning to observe and understand themselves, their talents, positive potentials, and limitations. Most people can learn to read hands.

                                                              BOOK TWO

                                                             HOLDING HANDS

                                 A Guide to Hand Analysis and Palmistry for Lovers

Relationship compatibility is my all-time favorite application of palmistry. Examining the hands of two people together reveals the strengths and weaknesses of that relationship. Healthy compromises can be unveiled within minutes of observing both sets of hands. By examining hands of couples, I can instantly see ways of improving their relationships.

We don’t have to look any farther than the ends of our arms to identify our relationship potentials. While examining our hands, we can gain insight into our sexuality, ability to trust and have real intimacy, and our emotionality. We often experience challenges because of conflicts within ourselves. Why do we choose insecurity over security? Why abuse over nurturing? Why guilt and obligation over freedom and fun-loving?

Who are you attracted to and why? What kind of person are you likely to marry? What kinds of relationships will you have with your families, friends, and neighbors? Examine your hands and your partner’s hands and see where compromise is possible and where it’s not.

BOOK THREE

TAKE MY HAND

A Look at your Child’s Future through Palmistry

Children’s hands change dramatically during the first five years of life. It’s no surprise they’re called “formative years”. Reading your child’s hands puts your own needs under the microscope. By knowing your children’s natural potentials, talents, and abilities, you can encourage and guide them in their natural directions. No matter what age, your child’s hands can help you understand his or her real needs and concerns. Knowing children’s hands helps them choose an educational plan, career direction, and ultimately a life direction. Learning to read hands will teach you to be more patient and tolerant.

I lent a helping hand to deliver my child at birth. I pulled her body from my wife’s womb and cut her umbilical cord. Joanna was blown away that I was reading our baby’s hands before knowing what sex she was. Her beautiful little hands already had a story to tell with tales that lie ahead, her character, strengths, weaknesses, talents, goals, and dreams. On closer scrutiny of her tiny hands, I felt confused and disturbed. Joanna and I have long heart lines (romantic, sentimental, and needing to express our feelings). Our daughter’s was short (serious, untrusting, and unable to verbalize feelings). Her index finger was also short which symbolized future problems with self-esteem. Her first two years of life were characterized by fear, lack of trust, and clinginess. Joanna and I imagined she must have had horrible role models in a past life and we were determined to transform that. Armed with foresight, we loved, respected, nurtured, and helped her unfold as who she wanted and needed to be. Our decision and commitment empowered her to lengthen her index finger and grow her heart line longer during her formative years. Self-assured, fiercely independent, healthy, and happy, she no longer has problems expressing herself.

Did you ever hear or say “I don’t want to make the same mistakes on my kids as my parents made on me”. The best way to avoid that is to learn to read your child’s hands.

BOOK FOUR

SHAKE HANDS

A Hand Analyst’s Guide to Business and Career

I’ve seen headlines and advertisements in newspapers such as the National Enquirer like “YOUR HAND HOLDS THE SECRET TO LOTTERY MILLIONS”, or “A FORTUNE MAY BE HIDING IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND”. These are sensational scams. Your fortune truly is no farther than the end of your arms. That’s the irony. Our hands carry out the messages of ours mind. They also reveal our nature. Career choices, work styles, and even success and failure are natural predispositions to specific types. Understand the type and you will understand the corresponding career capabilities and challenges.

We will cover work and career issues for all twelve types. An examination of fingers is key to pinpointing a person’s profession or work. Case histories and illustrations are essential to understanding how myriad details affect the whole picture.

BOOK FIVE

HEALTHY HANDS

Healing Yourself and Others through Palmistry

People are naturally predisposed to specific health problems. Understand the character and you’ll understand the potential health problems. Readily identify character through the shape and proportions of hands. Fingers, their lengths, proportions, shapes of tips, knots, and nails reveal how we relate to our world. The consistency of our hands, along with the color, texture, and elasticity of our skin shows the kind of energies we have to work with. Lines provide insight into the directions, qualities, and details of our life choices and circumstances. Gestures reveal attitudes in the moment. All factors help us to know our physical, mental, and emotional selves, and how we are fulfilling our potentials.

In the days before computerized medical diagnosis, doctors used their intuition, tasted a patient’s urine, looked into their eyes, and examined the tongue, skin, and especially the hands to diagnose illness. Dozens of illnesses can be diagnosed from fingernails, which are considered windows to health. Some health problems which can be diagnosed by studying nails are: anemia, thyroid disease, malnutrition, carpal tunnel syndrome, psoriasis and eczema, disease of the liver, heart, lungs, or colon, chronic respiratory disease, lymph system problems, diabetes, Raynaud’s disease, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcers, Hodgkin’s disease, and sickle-cell anemia. Diseases such as stress related problems and some types of cancer can be seen in finger prints and skin ridge patterns (dermatoglyphics). Lines in hands can indicate conditions of the heart, brain, kidneys, liver, stomach, and male and female systems.