Virgo & Hands

You don’t need a Virgo Sun, Moon, planets, aspects, or placements to be Virgo. Virgo’s square palms and short fingers are less meaty and more flexible than Taurus hands and pinker and more elastic than pure Capricorn types who have whitish flat palms and well developed first knots on lean fingers. Virgo is most adaptable of three practical types. Strong middle fingers that crook toward ring fingers at first joints strive for perfection and need personal space. No matter your type, enlarged second knots, square fingertips, and short fingernails add more order and practical Virgo qualities. People who chew their nails to the quick are self-critical and critical of others (worse if many lines crisscross beneath middle finger). Bitten nails belong to contrary people who will choose another side of an argument, just to make a point, even if they agree with you.

Virgo is best where discriminating, reliable, modest, and orderly service is required. Famous for cleaning up everyone else’s messes, Virgo may sometimes obsess on details and be overly thorough and meticulous. Contrary to popular belief, Virgo doesn’t enjoy details. Short fingered people in general (practical & intuitive) dislike details and need to see the whole picture. Details are a nuisance; something others should do, but few can do them better than Virgo who addresses them and then does what needs to be done. Because they usually ask too little for themselves, Virgo must be valued and appreciated. They know their value, but are reticent to ask for it. Ego gratification is not a motivation. Never take Virgo for granted. Virgos work hard to feel useful. They must learn to cherish every molecule of what they earn. Careers like accounting, medical, nursing, social work, maintenance, cleaning, and health food are magnets for Virgo.

“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”  Stephen King (9/21/47)

Carly Fiorina, former fortune 500 CEO is a conservative Virgo. Despite bad publicity over her tenure at HP and a failed presidential attempt, Carly practices what she preaches. Whether you agree with her or not, her intuitive hands with short fingers, along with her Virgo sun are saying, “Challenge the mind and capture the heart”. Aristaeus `Guardian of the flocks and farming’ in Greek myth is a Virgo archetype. Aristaeus taught bee-keeping. He embodies the capacity to dedicate selflessly in service to others.

Virgos who have worked and been rewarded include: Writers Agatha Christie & Leonard Cohen; Lawyers Alan Dershowitz & Marcia Clark; Financiers J.P. Morgan & Warren Buffet; Actors Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Sophia Loren, Paul Walker, Keanu Reeves, Blake Lively, and Cameron Diaz; Singers Michael Jackson & Beyonce’ Knowles; Political figures Margaret Trudeau, Lyndon Johnson, George Wallace, Yasser Arafat, & John McCain with Taurus hands, short index finger, crooked pinky, and intuitive tips that say what you see is not what you get.

 

 

 

Virgo is earthy and practical. He/she represents more scientific and technical aspects of thinking. Virgo is more logical and healthier, while Gemini is more intellectual and cleverer. Imagination is more important to Gemini than practicality. Mercury, the winged foot messenger, holds a caduceus (medicine) ruled by Virgo (healthcare) while Gemini rules communications. As a Gemini, Mercury, my ruler is in retrograde motion at the moment.

 

 

 

I’d begun to practice palmistry professionally in my early thirties when a young man showed up and asked a mind boggling question. “When will I die?” A healthy looking Virgo, he was well built, energetic, handsome, smart, and a multi-talented craftsman. He appeared to take excellent care of himself. His well-balanced square palms were pink and firm with short straight fingers. His pink elastic skin, resilient palms, flexible wrists, and mildly flexible finger joints revealed a healthy balance between his determination and adaptability. His basic lines were clear and deeply engraved. How lucky he is, I thought, but his fate had been sealed when he had contracted AIDS.

AIDS was a death sentence at the time. I was clueless how to look for AIDS in his hands. Nothing stood out. I also lacked experience to counsel him. Instead, I said, “I’m sorry, only god has the answer to your question”… “You’re a naturally healthy type. If anyone can beat this disease, you can.” I highlighted his most positive qualities, but he wasn’t interested in hearing about them. We continued to chat about what he planned to do about his situation. He wanted to be proactive. I charged no fee for his session.

My curiosity about AIDS and my desire to make a difference motivated me to volunteer twice weekly at Bailey House, an AIDS housing organization. I showed up twice weekly for two years to counsel clients and staff. I used palmistry, astrology, and tarot as lenses to view their issues and challenges and help them make decisions about what’s next.

I printed AIDS infected hands monthly to monitor the progress or regress of the disease. I began to notice changes in skin ridge patterns on the percussion of the hands, but lack of adequate funding, limited time, and not enough statistical data made it difficult to be thorough or scientific. Most people with AIDS suppress their potentials because they obsess on the harsh realities of their fragile and impending mortality. I affirmed talents and strengths and tried to inspire AIDS sufferers to continue making positive choices and taking positive actions. Everyone looked forward to our weekly sessions.

Healthcare is a mundane correspondence for Virgo. Good health is a birthright we all deserve. Everyone has physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health challenges. Our partisan government, acquisitive pharmaceutical companies, and greedy health insurance industry have transformed our healthcare system into an extortionate superstore. Gluttonous insurers care more about profit than people. Megalomaniacal money managers and materialistic managed care providers bribe prejudiced politicians to institute and enforce the rules of their game. Selfish executives prosper while dedicated doctors are forced to ignore root causes and treat symptoms with overpriced medications. Saturn was in Virgo from 9 / 2007 – 10 / 2009. Seeds for structural change to healthcare were sown and the Affordable Care Act was harvested.

Your health is in your hands. In the days before computerized medical diagnosis, doctors used their intuition, tasted a patient’s urine, looked into their eyes, and examined their tongue, skin, and especially their hands to diagnose illness. Hands reflect a person’s physical, mental, and emotional health. I encourage seekers to examine and reflect on their own hands and the hands of people they care about. There’s much to see in a mirror.

 

Fingernails are windows to a person’s health. Illnesses that can be seen in nails are anemia, thyroid disease, malnutrition, carpal tunnel syndrome, psoriasis, eczema, liver disease, heart, lungs, colon, chronic respiratory disease, lymph system problems, diabetes, Raynaud’s disease, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcers, Hodgkin’s disease, and sickle-cell anemia.

Dozens of stress related problems and several types of cancer can be seen in skin ridge patterns (dermatoglyphics). Conditions of lines in hands can indicate conditions of the heart, brain, kidneys, liver, stomach, and male and female systems. Palmistry is prescriptive, but when I observe a potential health problem in hands, I never diagnose or prescribe. I tell clients I’m not a health expert and suggest they see a specialist.

Many health problems are natural predispositions to specific character types. Know the type and understand the corresponding potential health problems. This is a generalized list of health issues that correspond to particular fingers. Click links to learn when and how a finger is dominant and what other qualities in addition to health are represented.

Dominant index finger ~ blood disorders, liver trouble, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and problems with hips, thighs, and throat. One habitual challenge is the temptation to overindulge in food and drink.

Dominant middle finger ~ skin problems, teeth with age, knees, ligaments, secretion of bile, skeletal, left ear deafness, paralysis, rheumatism, gout, hardening of the arteries, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins.

Dominant ring finger ~ eyesight, heart, and blood circulation.

Dominant pinkie ~ delicate nervous system, weak bronchial and respiratory systems, thyroid gland, headaches, memory loss, and speech impediments.

Dominant ball of thumb ~ throat, lymphatic system, venereal diseases, heart and circulation, and nervousness.

Dominant heel of hand ~ bodily fluids, stomach problems, tumors, female disorders, epilepsy, mucous membranes, gout and rheumatism, kidney and bladder, and mental illness.

Dominant thumb and percussion of hand ~ inflammations, acute fevers, infections, muscular disorders, blood diseases, hemorrhage, infectious and contagious diseases, throat and chest trouble, and high blood pressure.

Scorpio types ~ reproductive system, ruptures, hemorrhoids, ulcers, venereal diseases, and problems with prostate or urethra.

Aquarian types ~ ankle weakness, anemia, cramps, heart weaknesses, nervous diseases, varicose veins, and sensitive skin.

Piscean types ~ feet and toes including bunions and gout, colds, mucous discharges, tumors, drug addictions, and liver troubles.

Bernie Serotta was a Pisces with Virgo hands and matching character. Bernie passed from the physical plane in 2004. It’s easy to see his warm, open, friendly, hardworking, and practical nature from his dominant hand. His muscular square palm and short fingers are saying, “Hello, goodbye, and I’ve got nothing to hide”. Despite my being peculiar to Bernie, I always felt honored and embraced by him.

 

Bernie was more Piscean as a child with his sense of wonder and love and appreciation of all things beautiful. As a young adult, Bernie embraced his Virgo nature as he started a family and a business. Bernie owned and operated a hardware store in Saratoga, NY for forty years. He served his family and community with dignity, grace, and humility. Bernie was retired when we met. He’d begun to explore his Pisces nature again, a second childhood. He had to let go some of some very practical habits to make space for his curiosity and creativity and engage in a more magical journey as he aged. We chatted about music and philosophy. Bernie practiced violin, enjoyed playing chamber music, and continued to do good deeds for family and friends until he passed.

Publicity Stories #6 ~ Volunteering

volunteer-work

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.

bailey-house