HOW I LOST MY SANITY 7

Posted on September 7, 2023 by markseltman

Expect the expected. Bad shit happened. Dolores was forced to resign. Too many personal problems got in the way of her being able to properly perform her duties. A spanking new supervisor synchronously arrived as Dolores departed. Aside from Do, Dorothy was farther from Dolores than Kansas is from OZ. Dorothy, a Jewish American Princess (JAP) of the mental illness world, looked a lot better than she was. In her mid-thirties, she was petite, pretty, and shapely. Her personality was hard, cold, and phony. She was instantly disliked by patients and staff but had no clue how anyone felt. Most of us smiled to her face, turned away, made weird faces, or stuck a finger down our throats… a sadly laughable situation.

I felt nauseous as I wondered if Dorothy’s sucrose smile and pasty complexion resulted from too much institutional food and florescent lighting. Dorothy was spiteful, contrary, and a stickler for rules and regulations. She was angry that she hadn’t made it to the top of the trash heap yet. She had also failed after many attempts at getting pregnant. ‘Thank god’, I mused. Dorothy might actually be a mother of an anti-Christ. As I got to know her, I began seeing her as a festering canker sore from hell. She sabotaged patient progress and undermined my success at promoting class participation. I hated her.

One day after work we drove away from the employee parking lot at the same time. I followed her onto the Styx River Parkway heading south on Purgatory’s east side. High speed traffic wove perilous webs of chaos betwixt lanes. I imagined myself as Mel Gibson’s Road Warrior and tailgated Dorothy within inches. I’d surely have rear ended her had she braked, but I was confident she’d stay cool.

Glancing nervously in her rear-view mirror, Dorothy wondered what I’d do next. I’d pull up beside her, smile, and drop back on her tail again. That was the beginning of the end of my time working at the hospital and of my letting go of undying idealism and optimism. I decided I wasn’t going to let anyone get away with anything. I felt protected by the Public Service Union. It’s not easy to get rid of anyone who doesn’t want to leave. You have to make a person so miserable that they choose to leave. I returned to work the following week.

Dorothy acted as though nothing had happened. She used the rules to attempt to force me to quit. She hit me hardest in my most vulnerable spot. My desire to work with high functioning patients had been my primary goal since I’d arrived. Dorothy insisted I must devote myself to serving the whole patient population. The Cabinet knew Dorothy was an asshole. They were deaf to my argument that the obvious lack of meaningful programming for the dozen highest functioning patients needed addressing. I’d built trust with this group and made considerable progress. My other argument was that my salary was less than two percent of what those twelve patients were costing the state yearly. What a fabulous investment!

I began flooding Dorothy with memos justifying my self-created career. I copied Zandor, rehab counselor, the cabinet, and the big wigs in Central Mental Health Care in Purgatory. My public relations strategy to save myself was poorly received. Aside from the fact that no one but me was willing to take responsibility, I was kicking the cabinet below the belt by confronting them.

Dorothy countered with an attack on my schedule. She insisted I work three days instead of two. She chose days when she knew I had other teaching jobs and personal business. I tried to compromise, but could clearly see my efforts and circumstances were becoming futile.

“Perhaps you are too creative for the rehab department”, Dorothy told me. “There’s no room for your pioneering spirit”. I was soon summoned to the hospital director’s office for a private conference. She wanted to discuss my dissatisfaction with Dorothy’s supervisory actions, a pretense to warn me that I had better keep hospital business within the hospital. I clenched my teeth and fists and readied myself for battle. The head of rehab for the entire underworld had told me that our hospital was not permitted by law to operate a sheltered workshop under the plan the cabinet had previously encouraged and approved. They’d scammed everyone to enhance next year’s budget.

For several months, Dorothy continued to be abusive and oblivious to my needs and the needs and concerns of staff and patients. She pulled rank on everyone as often as she could. Not only did we feel unappreciated, we were degraded and looked down upon. Every member of the rehab staff was eventually forced to resign. Though I was there the least, I held out the longest. Dorothy had been mandated to clean house. The hidden agenda was obvious. I wrote the following letter of resignation.

It saddens me to be writing this, but I’ve been given no choice. Dorothy was mandated to clean house and fulfill your hidden agenda. This may sound paranoid, but Dorothy has forced every dedicated staff member to leave. Everyone was aware of Dorothy’s physical handicaps and personal problems. We tried to empathize and made allowances for negative attitudes, but that’s no excuse for her complete lack of caring and support. Dorothy has been oblivious to the needs and concerns of her staff and the needs and concerns of patients.

It’s ironic to say that your staff felt underappreciated. They felt degraded and harassed as Dorothy relentlessly made counterproductive and unreasonable demands. She attempted to delegate her responsibilities to Zandor, who received a counseling memo when he objected to doing out of title work. Billy (the other half of my position) received a counseling memo for his generosity in rewarding the dedicated and hardworking maintenance staff a ‘THANK YOU! ‘ Plaque that he paid for himself. They graciously helped us set up the woodworking shop.

Enclosed is a copy of my latest correspondence with Dorothy. Her response was that I’m “too creative” for a rehab department that has “no room for my pioneering spirit”. She insisted I must change my schedule to a Monday or Friday, knowing these days conflict with my other work. She threatened to assign me tasks which clearly don’t use my obvious abilities to their advantage. I’m still waiting for a work evaluation that was due weeks ago.

I’m no longer concerned with the future of my career. I’m concerned about the future of the patients. They’ve been deprived of caring and capable staff members including Dolores, Bruce, Barbara, Billy, Maya, Carolyn, and Zandor. I plan to expose your cruel injustice and confirm your complicity in Dorothy’s horrible behavior and bad management practices.

I sent copies to Dorothy, the cabinet, and other department managers around the hospital. Cabinet members were hostile as they interrogated me behind closed doors. They were on the offensive and squirming in their seats as they attempted to put me on the defensive. They all agreed I was projecting my unresolved conflicts with my mother onto Dorothy. They suggested I seek psychiatric help for my problem. I said I was planning to write a (this) book about my experience and approach the media. They told me they’d find a way to ruin me.

I found my “I don’t get mad, I get even” button and pinned it next to my “Since I gave up hope, I feel much better” button on the lapel of my jacket. I couldn’t believe I’d let down the patients who I’d so eagerly promised to help and champion. Gene’s prophecy had come true. I’d disappear and never see anyone again. I had strengthened everyone’s fear and distrust of everyone’s everything all the time.

Stay tuned as I begin to unravel…

HAND READING & SOCIAL DISTANCING

Posted on March 24, 2020 by markseltman

“The Lips of Wisdom are Closed, except to the Ears of Understanding”

I’m practicing social distancing. It’s a challenging experience for me as I have a basic need to touch, feel, and spend intimate quality time with people. It feels unreal to not be holding a client’s hands, looking into their eyes, and having a meaningful dialogue about their current and major life issues, challenges, responsibilities, and rewards. In the past, I’ve refused to give remote readings, except for long term clients. I never envisioned using Skype and choosing PayPal to communicate with clients. Now I’ve been forced to rethink my choices and decisions.

I discovered palmistry well over forty years ago while I was designing and building custom furniture in a loft in NYC. My client’s wife was a serious professional palmist. She looked at my hands and began to tell me about myself. I was totally mind-blown! My perfect teacher had appeared at the perfect time. I soon became her best student. She taught me that hands are topographical maps of a person’s character in past, present, and future. Anyone can learn to navigate their map and chart their destiny with the right information, instruction, and guidance.

As I was learning to read hands, I also began taking astrology and tarot classes and workshops. I felt inspired by several amazing teachers, and by how easily accessible the information was and how precise interpretations of esoteric sciences and arts can be. Differences between the metaphysical languages quickly became evident. While astrology shows a person’s potentials, hands reveal what a person has actually done, is doing, and is likely to do with their potentials. Valuable information and precious insights are in plain sight at the ends of our arms. There’s no need for accurate birth info, complex calculations, or infinite combinations, permutations, and probabilities.

Astrology is a symbolic language that I use primarily for identifying behavioral patterns, examining life cycles, and understanding timing. Hands are much better for revealing basic character. Tarot is best for getting at hidden issues, like learning about other people, what’s actually happening in a particular situation, and examining what can’t be seen in hands or horoscopes. A seasoned reader can readily see a person’s issues and know how to guide them to change their thinking and behavior. The rest is counseling and doing the work.

Astrology was obscure for thousands of years. In 1968, with no e- social networking to make astrology go ‘viral’, Linda Goodman published “Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs” and popularized astrology. Everyone was suddenly asking, “What’s your sun sign?” Magazines and newspapers everywhere began publishing horoscope columns.

Palmistry is older and more accessible than astrology. As I learned to read hands, I was mind boggled that everyone wasn’t asking, “May I see your hands”? I decided my mission was to popularize palmistry. I’d write a book. I called Linda Goodman’s literary agent to secure an endorsement from him. He told me he wanted nothing to do with anyone or anything esoteric. He didn’t need the money or the hassle. He’d become wealthy by stealthily acquiring e-rights for all the best selling authors and their works before the big paperback publishers realized they had never addressed e-rights in their original publishing contracts.

I self-published HAND BOOK, a paperback, which took a lot of work and time and ended up awakening me to the fact that I was unable to generate public interest in palmistry. I printed books because low-tech esoteric folk asked to see, smell, and feel a ‘real book’. My e-book version is called REAL PALMISTRY. It’s much better than the paperback because it’s less expensive, better quality, full color, and has links to corresponding information. I poured my time, energy, and resources into promoting books and sold less than 5,000 copies.

I remember how my family used to joke about kids from Pittsburgh who left home to find their Guru or better yet, to become a Guru, and then flaunt it. Yet here I was, a serious palmist, trying to share a language with many, that few will ever know or understand, and hoping that people would somehow get it. As a young person, I would not have imagined being on ‘The View’, ‘Martha Stewart Living’, CBS News, Fox’s Good Day NY, cable, and satellite TV. I was surprised at how many people were impressed and excited about my being on TV, but not curious about their own hands. I was interviewed by major magazines and newspapers everywhere and featured in dozens of articles about reading hands to no avail. Perhaps palmistry is destined to remain a gypsy fortunetelling scam in most people’s minds.

Palmistry has been good to me. I’m not complaining. I love my clients and they love me. We can have intimacy and clear boundaries. There are no ‘me too’ complaints. As a five-minute hand reader at special events, I get to go right to the gusto and directly address a person’s current and major life issues and challenges. My goal is to be constructive, helpful, and leave my clients feeling hopeful. I’ve read many of the richest and poorest people in the world. All hands are equal. I still dream of palmistry becoming “viral”, but that idea has been relegated to a back burner while survival has become my priority.

If hindsight truly is 2020, now is the time to clearly see everything as it is and not how we want it to be. Hopefully, social distancing and mass consciousness will help us be more introspective, curious, and concerned for ourselves, others, and our planet. Learning to read our own and each other’s hands would certainly help.

If you’re curious about palmistry, check out my refurbished website, read some content, click on some images that link to short videos, and share your thoughts, ideas, opinions, advice, suggestions, and epiphanies. All communication is welcome, appreciated, and valued! www.markseltman.com

Award ~ Top 15 Palmistry Blog

Posted on November 24, 2017 by markseltman

Several days ago, I received the following award from the founder of Feedspot.com, an RSS content reader that saves time for people doing internet searches by sorting out the top content in various fields for subscribers’ feeds.

Hi Mark Seltman’s Real Palmistry Team,

I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog Mark Seltman’s Real Palmistry has been selected by our panelists as one of the Top 15 Palmistry Blogs on the web.

https://blog.feedspot.com/palmistry_blogs/

I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 15 Palmistry Blogs on the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!

Also, you have the honor of displaying the following badge on your blog. Use the below code to display this badge proudly on your blog.

Here is my response…

Thanks Anuj. I’m not a huge fan of badges, but am glad your panelists chose my blog. In all honesty, I don’t know what qualifies your team to determine which blogs are best. The first thing you say about palmistry in your description is false –

“Palmistry, or Chiromancy is the claim of characterization and foretelling the future through the study of the palm, also known as palm reading or chirology”.

No serious professional palmist predicts the future! I don’t want to be grouped with those who support that idea.

I have also read some of the other blogs that you have rated as top and don’t agree with your assessment. It appears that you are looking for people with substantial followings (for whatever reason) to promote yourself.

I’ll be happy to mention the award to my followers, but I feel cynicism and skepticism about this award and most awards in general. I have won many awards for many things over many years and rarely mention any of them to anyone.

Be well, mark

Needless to say, I haven’t heard back.

My Favorite Reviews

Posted on January 10, 2017 by markseltman

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

The Future of Hands ~ Books

Posted on December 14, 2016 by markseltman

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.

Palmistry ~ Creating the Future

Posted on November 29, 2016 by markseltman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Magazine Circulation Feature Article

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

Family Circle 4,000,000+ Hands and heredity

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

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

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

Time 3,000,000+ Hands around the world

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

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

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

Glamour 2,300,000+ Glamorous hands

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

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

Seventeen 2,000,000+ Hands of famous teens

InStyle 1,700,000+ high five

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fortune 800,000+ Your fortune is in your hands

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

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

Jobs and Careers ? Your purpose is in your hands

Stay tuned for column ideas in my next post…

My Declaration of Independence

Posted on November 15, 2016 by markseltman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“May I photograph your hands?”

“What will you do with the photos?”

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

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

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

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

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

Publicity Stories #6 ~ Volunteering

Posted on October 25, 2016 by markseltman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Publicity Stories #5 ~ Radio & TV

Posted on October 18, 2016 by markseltman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Publicity Stories #4 ~ Books

Posted on October 10, 2016 by markseltman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark Seltman's Real Palmistry Blog

Hold Up Your Hands

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