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Libra and the Collective Psyche in the 20th Century

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Outer planets have a powerful influence on the personal psyche. They also symbolize massive transformations in the collective psyche as they change sign. When Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto transited the sign of Libra in the 20th Century, forces of good and evil clashed as we tried to find a balance between optimism, pessimism, tolerance, prejudice, progress, and regress. There was not much social or political stability.

While the planet Neptune (Pisces) transited the sign of Libra from 1942 to 1957, Nuclear weapons began proliferating. The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.  President Truman instructed the Atomic Energy Commission to produce an even bigger `Hydrogen Bomb’. The United Nations began blossoming. International cartels became firmly established. The European Common Market was recognized. The civil rights movement flourished. Group psychology became popular. The World Council of Churches was established. Mother Francis Xavier Cabrini, founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was the first American citizen canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.

The art world went through dramatic changes.  Allen Ginsberg became a popular poet writing, “I have seen the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness”. When Neptune left Libra in 1957, the bestselling novel was Peyton Place   focusing on sexual intrigue in a small town. People born between 1942 and 1957 tend to be overly idealistic in relationships.  They must learn to harmonize, compromise, and sacrifice.

While the planet Uranus (Aquarius) transited the sign of Libra from 1968 to 1975, the spirit of our nation shifted from optimism to pessimism. Faith in progress turned into disillusionment with national institutions and world progress. This period was marked by useless popular inventions like the “pet rock”, giant platform shoes, and shag haircuts. Punk Rock, along with primal therapy and streaking became popular. The Supreme Court legalized abortions in the first trimester of pregnancy (Roe vs. Wade). Governor Wallace, a racial bigot from Alabama, announced that he would be running for President on the newly formed American Independent Party ticket. He threatened to repeal the “so called civil rights laws”. Meanwhile, the most popular show on TV was a comic satire about a racist named Archie Bunker. Diplomat Henry Kissinger approved the financing of clandestine CIA activities in Chile aimed at preventing the election and inauguration of Salvador Allende as Marxist President. Patty Hearst was kidnapped and brainwashed by the Symbionese Liberation Army. A military junta deposed Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie.

While the planet Pluto (Scorpio) transited the sign of Libra from 1971 to 1983, growers and pickers finally reached a settlement that ended a nearly ten year grape boycott (led by Cesar Chavez). Farm workers finally had bargaining power. This time marked the official beginning of the environmental movement. The Supreme Court upheld busing as a way of integrating schools.  An assassination attempt left presidential candidate George Wallace paralyzed from the waist down. Prime Minister Idi Amin slaughtered over 300,000 Ugandans and alienated his country from the rest of the world. Violence in Ireland forced Britain to seize control of Northern Ireland and suspend the Protestant controlled parliament. An arm of the Palestine Liberation Organization terrorized the 1972 summer Olympics in Munich. In 1975 South Vietnam crumbled, bringing an end to the Vietnam War. Because of the Karen Ann Quinlan case, `right to die’ rulings were enacted all across the USA. The serial killer “Son of Sam” was finally put away after terrorizing the male and female population of NYC. Religious fanatic Jim Jones got his followers to commit suicide. John Lennon was murdered.

“Imagine there’s no country,

It isn’t hard to do.

Nothing to kill or die for,

And no religion, too.

Imagine all the people.

Living life in peace”

Virgo & Hands

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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.

LEO RULES

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“The most difficult job in the world is not being president. It’s being a parent.”

Bill Clinton is a Leo. Born three months after his real father died in 1946, Bill was raised by an abusive alcoholic stepfather. Like so many Leos, Bill spent much of his life searching for approval from father figures. His was mentally and emotionally absent during Bill’s formative years. Bill’s quest is a hero’s journey to conquer his fears of failure, abandonment, and disapproval and become a devoted parent who loves unconditionally and without expectation. Bill’s Sun, Mercury, Saturn, and Pluto are in Leo. Like many Apollonian types, Bill’s hands sport strong ring fingers. Bill adores music, women, and politics. Even though Bill has a bachelor like attitude, he enjoys being married. Bill has very high expectations of Hillary, in spite of his own personal shortcomings.

People judge Bill for his character, but Bill is his character. Apollo and Zeus are a powerful blend of charismatic forces in the real world. Zeus was infamous for his seductions and philandering in ancient Greece. Apollo was irresistible. It was impossible to say no to him. It’s hard to find healthy creative outlets for so much libido. The world is strewn with Leosterone. Powerful men and women throughout history were and still are philanderers with sexual addictions. Bill might have graciously and gracefully fulfilled his job as a national role model had he not tempted fate and lost his way. Hubris along with a powerful solar eclipse like the one coming up on August 21, 2017 was his Waterloo!

Bill loved being boss. His greatest challenge was not being too slick to believe that he wouldn’t always come out of the shithouse smelling like a rose. Zeus could have any female mortal he wanted. Unfortunately, his conquests and their offspring were cursed by Hera, who punished Zeus for his philandering. Defiance of fundamentalist values undermined Bill’s power. You can bet Hillary booted Bill’s behind when he was caught shtooping his intern. I’m glad he escaped impeachment. Resisting temptation is challenging when you’re a celebrity, a mortal, and a President.

“MISSION ACCOMPLISHED”

Four US Presidents were born under the sign of Cancer. They were all were deeply wounded and flawed, the vilest of all being (in my opinion) George W Bush. His Leo hands synchronize with his Leo ascendant to reveal the worst qualities of Cancer and Leo in his intentions and actions. George has Mercury and Pluto in Leo conjunct his ascendant and Venus in Leo in his first house. Hopefully, Prescott’s dark karma and the Bush dynasty have finally ended.

When our daughter was in fifth grade, fifteen years ago, George W Bush was President. Cass was so concerned about what was going on in the world that she wrote a letter to the editor of a local East Village newspaper (who published it). She also sent a copy to the President.

Dear Editor,

I’m a 5th grader at the earth school in the east village of Manhattan. A lot has been happening in the world and this is a paragraph to explain my point of view. I wrote it at home this afternoon and it is unedited and done completely by myself. I was wondering if you would be interested in publishing it in your newspaper.    Sincerely,

We are deeply worrying about Saddam’s toxic and chemical weapons but what we are not realizing is that we are using just if not more as dangerous toxicants in our everyday life. Eventually at the rate we are going and the life style we are living we will kill ourselves off. The only difference with Saddam’s weapons is it will happen faster. Really all it takes to turn the world evil is one bad mind. We can easily find excuses to do certain uncalled for horrible things. What we need to do is think positive and constructive for our own benefit. We have to also be cautious about who we elect for president because that one bad mind could be his and make all the difference. We are being so concerned with Saddam Hussein, but you should think about it like Saddam Hussein is one ant in a whole anthill. The only reason ants survive is because they work as a team to carry food and build that huge hill. Even without war we are still heading towards a bad future. If we continue to pollute our earth we are going to have nothing left. If we get good ideas and stop polluting right now we will still have a chance to save our earth and the people on it.

At the end of her letter, Cass asked George not to send her a signed picture of his head. I altered what she got back as my contribution to exposing the true nature of a beast that has no clue how beastly he is. Truly no child should be left behind. We must all be more loving, helpful, and attentive to all children at all times.

 

 

Barack Obama is a Leo. Born August 4, 1961, Barack’s Sun, Mercury, Uranus, and North Node are in Leo. With a warm heart and a smile, Barack practiced healthier Leo merits than his predecessors while setting new precedents for future Leo ruled presidents. Despite the constant barrage of partisan prejudicial politics, Barack served with nobility, integrity, and dignity. His intuitive hands reveal an Arian personality. His narrow less meaty hands reveal a warrior of ideas and ideals. Barack is independent, freedom loving, energetic, enthusiastic, takes calculated risks when inspired, and can accomplish anything with enough inspiration. Passion is contagious and optimism eternal. Barack does his best at what he chooses and doesn’t take rejection personally. As a naturally rebellious type, he detests bullies and bureaucrats. Barack’s Holy Grail was taking responsibility for a damaged bureaucracy aimlessly racing towards bad shit happening.

Barack is a natural hero and great crusader for good causes. He campaigns tirelessly until he realizes his aspirations. Barack’s head and life lines are separate at their beginnings where the thumb meets the hand. Combined with the little crook in the top phalange of his strong middle finger, he needs plenty of personal space to sort out his thoughts and feelings. Because of Barack’s highly developed sense of responsibility and obligation, he always chooses objectivity and practicality over freedom. Barack’s pinky’s smallest phalanx is the bottom. Barack is motivated by freedom, family, and good causes, not money.

Barack is a naturally healthy type. The clear and unfettered quality of his basic lines reveals a healthy clarity in his thinking and feelings. Barack’s heart line swings up from the percussion of his hand to the space between his index and middle fingers. He’s passionate and practical about his feelings. Barack’s headline gracefully arcs downward toward the heel of his hand, revealing balance between creativity and objectivity. He can blend creative imagination with clarity of vision. Barack’s fate line travels all the way from the bottom of his palm to the base of his middle finger. He has worked hard and remained focused on his personal goals since he was a small child. The lines in the ball of Barack’s thumb parallel his lifeline revealing a true friend to those who have earned his trust over time. Despite rampant unpopularity with Republicans, Barack served our country to the best of his ability with dignity, integrity, and nobility.

Donald Trump is a Gemini with Leo rising. His small Leo hands with their rectangular palms, short fingers, and head and life lines closely entwined at their beginnings confirm his Leo nature. Donald has embraced the worst traits of Leo and will forever be notorious as the worst President in history.

 

A lot has been said about Donald’s tiny hands. Small handed people are big picture people. They hate detail and love grand ideas. Despite his callous behavior, Donald secretly craves your approval, wants you to love him, and cares a lot about what you think of him, although he doesn’t care about you. Look at how Donald’s attitude and behavior pathologically embodies shameless grandiosity along with other negative attributes of Leo’s character. He’s narcissistic, self-centered, self-indulgent, superficial, ostentatious, egotistical, ruthless, greedy, bossy, seductive, and lousy role model.

Why do we prostrate ourselves before an opaque self-appointed emperor on a polished brass pedestal? How many gilded towers, glitzy gambling casinos, graven images, beauty queens, shark tanks, and celebrity idols do we need? It is mind boggling to see how a person with so much potential to create a positive difference for all of humanity instead chooses a path of spiritual bankruptcy for all.

Donald’s Mercury square Neptune and corresponding curved pinkie fingers confirm his pathological dishonesty. Mercury’s dark side is a trickster, magician, con-artist, and pick-pocket. The court jester was supposed to remind the king to keep his ego in check. Jiminy Cricket was Pinocchio’s conscience. Donald’s north node in Gemini is Mercurial. The North node in Gemini is a karmic invitation to join society in order to share higher consciousness and lend a helping hand by exercising higher mind. It’s plain to see how Bill Clinton (Leo) and George Bush (Leo rising) blew their Gemini north node potentials. Donald Trump has done more than his share of damage. Perhaps he is fulfilling his karmic obligation by clearly exposing the dark underbelly of politics, democracy, and capitalism. We’ll certainly never take our health and the health of our world for granted.

Donald’s day of reckoning is coming. During 2016, Uranus in Aries squared Donald’s Saturn Venus conjunction in Cancer.  It continues to be square in 2017. At the same time, transiting Saturn opposes Donald’s Sun and conjuncts his Moon. If you want to speed up his meltdown, millions of people can tweet: “YOU’RE FIRED” on these dates in 2017 – August 7, 12, 20, and 30, October 11, November 8 and 17. Anytime is good, but these dates will be most effective. It’s time for Donald to get a hearty spanking from Saturn. Donald’s hubris will take him down when the critical mass of horrors he has perpetrated will no longer be acceptable to the masses… the sooner the better.

Author’s note: many people have curved pinky fingers. They are not pathological liars. A majority of people with curved pinkies are just trying to avoid confrontation. They’re peace makers because they learned as children to ‘be nice’ and ‘not make waves’. Many too often end up choosing safe over satisfying in their lives.

LEO and Collective Psyche in the 20th Century

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Outer planets have a powerful influence on the personal psyche. They also symbolize massive transformations in the collective psyche as they change sign. When Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto passed through Leo in the twentieth century, enormous changes were taking place in personal, collective, and governmental rights and power. Uranus (Aquarius), planet of sudden change, transited Leo from 1955 to 1962 and energized strong will, rebellion, determination, vitality, forcefulness, and civil rights.

Rosa Parks defied a segregation ordinance by not giving up her bus seat to a white man in Alabama. The Supreme Court upheld her civil rights a year later. The University of Mississippi was forced to enroll its first black student. President Eisenhower sent federal troops to Little Rock Arkansas to enforce school desegregation. President Kennedy ordered the National Guard to keep schools open in Alabama. Cultural shame cultivated seeds of positive change. Equality and civil rights is more than ever a national embarrassment in the 21st Century.

New inventions promoted convenience and provided more time for recreation and leisure. Kentucky fried chicken was introduced. Play-Doh became popular. Davy Crockett and coonskin caps became fashionable. Pampers became the first disposable diapers. Crest was the first fluoride toothpaste. The first electric toothbrush was produced. The Teflon Company introduced non-stick cookware. Smith Corona introduced the first portable electric typewriters. Mattel Inc. introduced Barbie. Felt tipped pens became popular. Soft drinks were packaged in aluminum cans for the first time. K-Mart and Wal-Mart opened. Bank of America and American Express issued the first credit cards. The first transatlantic telephone cable began working. The first transcontinental helicopter flight was made. That was only a little more than half a century ago.

Neptune (Pisces) takes fourteen years to change sign. When it does, the collective psyche goes through confusing and ambiguous changes. Neptune transited the sign of Leo from 1916 to 1929. Phenomenal world confusion was happening. World War brought tremendous prosperity to Wall Street while soldiers earning $16 a month being killed in the trenches. England blacklisted and prevented over 80 US firms from dealing with neutral countries because they were suspected of trading with Germany. Prescott Bush was one of them. Influenza caused over two hundred deaths a day. Approximately one quarter of the US was sick. Half a million people were dead before the end of 1919. Daylight savings time began. Arkansas farmers dedicated a monument to the Boll Weevil, whose devastation of the cotton crop caused them to diversify and become more profitable. By 1927, the farm population had dropped dramatically. Countless farmers hopelessly and desperately sold their farms.

Neptune rules alcohol. The underworld, mafia, and gangs thrived. National prohibition began in 1920. Liquor smuggling and bootlegging became big business. It’s probable that Marijuana will be universally accepted and legalized before Neptune leaves Pisces.

Congress set a quota limiting the number of immigrants allowed into the country.

A senate subcommittee was formed to investigate the Teapot Dome oil leases.

Walt Disney released the first Mickey Mouse cartoon in 1928. George Eastman created the first color motion pictures. Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue was performed for the first time as a new form of symphonic jazz.

Doubt, fear, and panic caused the stock market to crash, leaving farmers, businessmen, and both haves and have nots in a state of terrible confusion and crisis.

History repeated itself in the opposition as Neptune transited Aquarius (1998 – 2012). War still brings prosperity to Wall Street. Agribusiness and chemical companies like Monsanto are still crushing small farmers and deluding consumers. Immigrants are still being persecuted. Oil and energy companies are still controlling and manipulating us.

The planet Pluto (Scorpio) takes approximately twenty years to change sign. When it does, it disintegrates, destroys, and transforms collective psyche. Pluto rules the dark side of the force. As Pluto transited the sign of Leo from 1938 to 1957, national and personal pride and power transformed. Despite the New Deal, ten million people were unemployed in 1939.  President Roosevelt increased appropriations for building the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Congress adopted the Naval Expansion Act. Roosevelt transformed the Federal Reserve by creating the ‘withholding tax’, which was the beginning of social security. He became the first president to appear on television.

The House investigated un-American activities. It was the beginning of huge multi-national business conglomerates. Western Europe tried to appease Hitler with the Munich Pact, which turned Czechoslovakia over to Nazi Germany. Polls showed Americans approved. The Nazis invaded Poland, which caused Great Britain and France to declare war. Winston Churchill asked President Roosevelt for help.

In 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Japanese Americans paid a high price as they were forced from their homes into concentration camps where they became innocent victims of hate and prejudice. Fundamentalist devotion to ideologies and tyrants began to crumble. In 1943, the fascist dictator Mussolini fell from power. By 1945, most of the world knew that six million Jews had been slaughtered in Nazi concentration camps.

The atomic bomb was the ultimate plutonian weapon. After we bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered. In 1949, we supported a war in Korea that ended up killing three million Koreans in less than a year. In 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy began his sensational tirade against communist subversives and traitors in the US. Julia and Ethel Rosenberg were sentenced to the electric chair for stealing bomb secrets.

In 1951, the United Nations complex was completed in New York City. AT&T became the first company with over a million stockholders. Christine Jorgensen became the first transsexual to go public in 1952. Norman Vincent Peale’s best seller, The Power of Positive Thinking was published. The first kidney was transplanted. The first mechanical heart was made to work. Chevrolet introduced the powerful sexy Corvette in 1953. The US launched the Nautilus, the first nuclear powered submarine in 1954. The Soviet Union opened the world’s first atomic power station. Reigning British Monarchs made their first visit to American soil. We reached for outer space.

My Pluto in Leo generation, known as the `ME NOW’ generation, born between 1938 and 1957 have used technology to build personal power. Pluto in Leo rules crony capitalism. Rest assured, if we haven’t destroyed ourselves and our planet by the demise of Trump and his band of cutthroat thieves, plutocrats will have little problem finding the money, rights, resources, and technology to own, harness, package, distribute, and sell our Sun’s energy to all of us as Uranus returns to Leo (2039-2046).

LEO PAWS

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Leo is a solar archetype. Helios (Greek), Apollo (Roman), Ra (Egyptian), and Narashima (Indian) are Leo gods. Hercules (Greek), Samson (Judaic), and Parcifal (English) are Leo heroes. Goldilocks and Lion King are Leo fairy-tales. Everyone has Leo in their story. Who are your heroes? Which hero are you? What’s your holy grail?

You don’t need a Leo sun, moon, ascendant, planets, aspects, or houses to be Leo. Intuitive types  have long rectangular palms and short fingers. Leo hand shape and proportions are identical to Sagittarius and Aries. These highly spirited, enthusiastic individuals dislike details and need to grasp the whole picture. They require a lot of freedom to express themselves naturally. They take pride in their honesty, integrity, and dignity. They also pride themselves on being independent objective thinkers who must set inspiring goals through which they can channel their abundant energy and passion. Leo loves being center of attention. Creative, dramatic, generous, enthusiastic, and fiercely loyal, Leo embraces you with ‘pride’ and then expects you to worship, admire, and appreciate him. Many fans look forward to his or her humor and stories.

Leo is a fixed type. Leo hands are stiffer, denser, and firmer than Sagittarius hands. Sag tends to be lazier and more self-indulgent, which softens hands. Leo’s skin is less elastic than Aries skin. Aries acts and then bounces back. Leo reacts and then procrastinates. Leo’s life and head lines often intertwine where a rosy bump meets strong stiff thumbs on a firm pink hand. Head and life lines that are closely braided at their beginnings care a lot about what others think, want to be liked, need to feel appreciated, and should never ever allow themselves to be taken for granted. That’s the beginning of the end.

No matter what your sun sign, people with square fingertips and stiff knotty joints are more methodical and cautious than those without them. They have more inertia and tend more to procrastinate at beginnings and at endings. They prefer to arrange their material objects and ideologies in designated places. Intuitive types are challenged to keep them there, especially when the middle phalanx of their pinky finger is shortest.

Many Leos have long and strong ring fingers. Shapes of tips, proportions of phalanges, knots, nails, lengths of fingers, directions of lines, and breaks, along with other qualities of topographical markings reveal what a person chooses to create with their free will. A seasoned palmist can readily see a person’s people skills, career potentials, behavior, and health issues. Consistency and flexibility of hands and elasticity of skin reveals the three modalities. Whorl fingerprints (concentric circles and spirals) add originality, spontaneity, eccentricity, and unconventionality. It’s important to note that even though palmistry is a science, human nature cannot be defined through exact details, but subtleties of details affected by free will, choice, and context. Palmistry is my favorite of many wonderful ways to observe and understand human character.

Ring fingers reveal artistic and aesthetic abilities, drama, versatility, salesmanship, showiness, gambling proclivities, satisfaction, and reputation. No matter your archetype, strong ring fingers add adaptability, creativity, and expressiveness. Cultivated Leos love beautiful things and savor a developed sense of taste and style. Long ring fingered folk are likable and they work at it. A ring finger is judged for length against the middle finger. When the tip is shorter than the middle of the first phalanx of the middle finger, it’s considered short. When longer, it’s considered long. Hands of actors, artists, architects, designers, craftsmen, photographers, curators, businessmen, teachers, salesmen, politicians, and diplomats have long ring fingers. I’ve seen similar ring fingers on hands of gamblers. Their problem is they win, but don’t know when to stop.

Leos love being boss. Last time I checked, there were more Fortune 500 and NASDAQ (over 10%) LEO CEO’s than any other sign. Our most recent four Presidents are all dominated by Leo. Stay tuned for a post generalizing the best and worst of Leo ruled Presidents.

Leo’s strength and courage shines like the sun. He’s naturally charming, talented, and very versatile. Leo liabilities are self- consciousness, emotional insecurity, and vanity, clinging to obsolete behavioral patterns, cultivating challenging circumstances, and nursing fruitless relationships. Don’t ever take Leo for granted. He takes criticism personally, even when it isn’t. Leo must choose an inspiring quest or risk mediocrity. Leos become easily bored when life gets mundane and routine. As big picture types, too much detail makes them nuts. If you can’t help them, stay out of their way.

Leo must learn to cultivate clear vision and enduring patience. That’s not easy since he’s naturally impatient and impulsive. Frequently accused of ‘being opinionated’, his point of view is so very important. Communicating clearly and effectively is a must. Extroverts in general flourish best when they’re behaving responsibly, honestly, patiently, and naturally in their relationships. Leo’s hardest challenge is to establish clear boundaries and limitations.

Leo’s physical sense is sight. The esoteric equivalent is enlightenment. Leo must burn brightly without judgement or expectation, embrace truth, learn to see the handwriting on walls, cut their losses, and let go of false pride. Too many multi-talented Leos spread themselves too thin and become the proverbial jacks of all trades, masters of none. Potential health problems are eyesight, heart, and poor circulation.

CANCER HANDS

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You don’t need a Cancer sun, moon, planets, or planetary placements to be Cancerian. All feeling types have long narrow palms and long fingers ~ often held closely. Healthy Cancer hands are firm and consistent with pink elastic skin. Finger joints are less stiff than Scorpio and less flexible than Pisces. Cancer head and life lines tend to separate at their beginnings on pure types. If head and life lines are closely connected at their beginnings, the individual has (mother) issues around losing control, fear of criticism, and need for approval. Anyone with that combo should never allow themselves to be taken for granted. Cancer is sensitive. More lines add more sensitivity. Long gently sloping head lines are compatible with developed heels of hands and personify a healthy balance between intuition, creativity, and practicality. Heart lines that gracefully curve toward the index finger embody a romantic, idealistic, and sometimes unrealistic vision of other people. I’ve observed lots of round or conical fingertips with long broad nails and loop fingerprints on Cancer types. Emotionally stable Cancers offer firm sincere handshakes.

Note: I’m generalizing details from my own personal experience.

Cancers are intuitive, empathetic, complex, and well aware of the needs of others. They can be hard to understand because they hide their most vulnerable selves beneath a facade of nurturing actions. Try to pry into their private lives and they’ll retreat into their shells. Cautious and vulnerable, Cancer needs to be frank and direct, rather than tactful and diplomatic. The only thing that makes sense is to choose satisfying over safe. Although they often try to avoid emotional confrontation, they need to cultivate intimacy wherever and whenever they can. Their feelings may swing from loving and devoted to secretive, reclusive, obsessive, and fearful of the future. When Cancers are feeling controlled or confined, they may become dark and moody. They must feel protected and secure before they can fully trust. Once trust is earned, loyalties run deep. Healthy family connections and close friendships nourish them. The more structure, organization and detail in their lives, the more stable and secure their feelings.

Healthy Cancerians are loving, compassionate, and devoted beings. They’re most compatible with other feeling types. They feel safe with responsible, reliable, and dependable practical types. They’re sorely challenged by thinking and intuitive types. They’re nervous they’ll be left holding the psychic garbage bag (and they often are) and forced to deal with the consequences when idealism, optimism, enthusiasm, and logic wane (and they do). Cancers are acutely consciousness of everyone’s emotional needs. When feeling insecure, they can become internally secretive while becoming externally ambitious. Cancers work hardest when income matches output. Motivated by good food, emotional security, and fertile soil, their mission is to nourish their family, home, and creative imaginations.

Demeter, Greek earth goddess of grain and the harvest, is a combination of Virgo and a powerful overprotective Cancerian mother. When Pluto abducted Persephone, Demeter asked her siblings for help, but ended up exercising her power over both gods and man by creating winter (death). All gods need to be worshiped, so they negotiated a deal.

“You’ve got to play to lose”

The old guy above is the young guy with me in this picture captured forty three years ago in a photo booth at an Kennywood Amusement Park in Pittsburgh, Pa. Lloyd and I met while working part time at a wood, metal, and plastics model making machine shop where we fabricated preschool children’s learning devices for the University of Pittsburgh. We made toys for ourselves on our own time. Soon to graduate from different colleges, I was to become an industrial designer and Lloyd would continue to be an artist. We were a couple of Peter Pans on our way to Neverland.

 

Lloyd didn’t get much nurturing as a child. He developed his quick wit and sense of humor while trying to avoid extreme physical abuse. When his mother was happy, Lloyd was safe. When she was unhappy, she’d incite Lloyd’s rage filled father to beat him. Lloyd’s mother committed suicide, his father was committed to a mental institution, and his beautiful sister, who I’d met in Florida with her two young children, great husband, and apparently idyllic life, suddenly and unexpectedly blew her head off with a shotgun.
Lloyd’s slender rectangular palms and long fingers match his Cancer sun, which is conjunct my Mercury. His Gemini ascendant harmonizes with my Gemini sun. Lloyd’s head and life lines are tightly intertwined at their beginnings and reveal his desire to feel appreciated. He was a sensitive child who needed love and support, but didn’t get any.

Lloyd tried hard to fix his broken parents, but they were too sick to support him. Instead, they judged, criticized, and abused him. Lloyd survived without anyone’s approval, though he thrives on appreciation. He’ll give his friends the shirt off his back, but they had better never take him for granted. Lloyd has literally given me the shirt off his back in my moment of need. I was on my way to an important meeting and got a nasty stain on my shirt. Before I could blink, Lloyd took off his shirt and traded with me.

Cancers are collectors. Some stockpile food in case of shortage or emergency. Lloyd collects art books, literature (he’s the most well-read person I know), religious art, art supplies, tools, and clothing. When wealthy people die, their families donate clothing to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Lloyd has a keen eye for the finest designer clothing as he picks through the merchandise. He’s a master bargain hunter. I call him my personal dresser. We wear the same sizes. Lloyd chooses suits, coats, and jackets with me in mind. He has gifted me with suits worth thousands of dollars that he paid ten or fifteen dollars for. Many had never been worn.

Lloyd would say to me, “People who tell the truth don’t need good memories”. I’d reply, “We may be bastards, but at least we’re honest”. Over fifty years of friendship have witnessed many challenging lessons in humility for us. We delayed balancing our outer and inner worlds by always choosing to learn the hard way. There were no shortcuts. We had to finally let go of our need to be more and greater than we were.

Lloyd’s very flexible thumbs symbolize his ability to adapt to the most horrible of circumstances. They also embody his generosity of heart and spirit. It’s very hard for Lloyd to say “NO”. He probably doesn’t realize it, but the gold ring on the bottom middle finger of Lloyd’s unconscious hand symbolizes his need to have clear boundaries, be frugal, and not give everything away.

 

 

Lloyd Wilson is Pittsburgh’s best kept secret because he loves his anonymity. His artwork reveals a magical spirit, but few will ever get to know it. Lloyd personifies Cancer’s best qualities. He’s supportive, sympathetic, receptive, reflective, intuitive, imaginative, and extremely devoted to friends and family. He’s my best (male) friend.

Pluto (god of sex, death, and transformation) transited Cancer from 1913 to 1938. Partisan politics, nationalism, and isolationism transformed the world. World War I became World War II. In 1913, President Wilson pressed a button in the White House and blew up the Gamboa Dike in the Isthmus of Panama, creating a canal between oceans, and transforming travel by sea. Wilson legislated the Carter-Owen Bill that established a Federal Reserve System to transform the strangle hold on the nation’s currency and credit system by banks.

Daylight Saving Time transformed the nation’s clocks. Transcontinental telephone service transformed communications. World infrastructures and atomic energy transformed humanity. NBC was the first Nationwide Broadcasting Company. Wall Street prospered from war while soldiers earning $16 per month died in the trenches. President Wilson established a lottery style draft promoting patriotism. Congress passed the Espionage Act fining draft dodgers $10,000 and imposing a twenty-year jail sentence. No child was left behind.

“Do your bit” was an encouragement to buy Liberty Bonds. There were wheatless-meatless days. The end of 1919 marked the end of the Influenza pandemic that caused half a million deaths and a quarter of the nation’s population to be sick. Prohibition banned liquor for all citizens. Black markets and bootlegging industries flourished. Black leader Marcus Garvey organized ‘The Empire of Africa’ with 500,000 followers. He led the largest mass exodus of Blacks with the least sense of brotherhood in U.S. history.

In 1929, doubt, fear, and panic upset a stock market that faced its darkest hour and most difficult time. Foundations and structures of home and family transformed. People born during this period spend much of their lives taking care of family. Parents with overdeveloped senses of responsibility, guilt, and obligation have motivated children of this generation to be dropouts and runaways.

 

As the planet Uranus transited the sign of Cancer from 1949 to 1955, Mothers stopped staying at home and went to work. Women began wearing the “bikini”, a fashionable French bathing suit. ‘I Love Lucy’, a comic show about a housewife and her Cuban bandleader husband became the most popular show on TV. Ranch houses and basement playrooms were popular. The subconscious mind was explored in psychology. Born between 1949 and 1955? You’re somewhere between oversensitive and fearful and rational and aware.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED?

We may want to think twice before we elect (or appoint) another Cancer President. Four USA Presidents were born under the sign of Cancer. Our most recent, George W Bush has intuitive hands and an egocentric character to match his Leo rising. George revealed the worst qualities of Cancer and Leo in his behavior, presidential intentions, and actions.

Like George Bush and Al Gore, John Quincy Adams finished second in popular vote behind General Andrew Jackson. There was no majority. A choice was put before the House of Representatives. The Speaker, Henry Clay, swung the election to Adams. When Adams appointed Clay as Secretary of State, Jackson followers cried, “Corrupt bargain”.

 

“Of all the men whom it was ever my lot to accost and to waste civilities upon, he was the most doggedly and systematically repulsive. With a vinegar aspect, cotton in his leathern ears, and hatred in his heart, he sat like a bulldog among spaniels”.
W.H. Littleton.

The 30th President, Calvin Coolidge, shared a birthday with the Declaration of Independence. He was famous for “holding his tongue”. That earned him the title, “Silent Cal”. Two of his infamous sayings were: “If you don’t say anything, you won’t be called on to repeat it” and “The business of America is business”.

 

 

“He was an economic fatalist with a God given inertia. He knew nothing and refused to learn”. William Allen White “He was weaned on a pickle” Alice Roosevelt Longworth

The 38th President, Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr., didn’t know he was adopted until he was seventeen. His wife, Betty performed all the domestic chores as Gerry wouldn’t lift a finger around the house. As Speaker of the other house, Ford passionately pleaded for an escalation of the war in Vietnam. He urged to “unleash devastating air and sea power”. His failed crusade to impeach liberal Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas was a favor to his buddy Richard Nixon. Ford granted Nixon a “full complete and absolute pardon” for all crimes relating to Watergate. Ford blamed democrats for a disastrous rate of inflation and warned that electing more would “jeopardize world peace”. He admitted to never reading books, but did find time to watch football on TV.

“I cannot dislike him personally — he’s cordial and gracious, but he’s consistently wrong and consistency is a virtue of small minds. He’s never proposed a constructive solution to anything”. Congressman Robert Drinan

Lyndon Johnson said Ford “had played too much football with his helmet off” ~ “Jerry’s the only man I ever knew who can’t walk and chew gum at the same time”.

“Ford isn’t a bad man, but he’s dumb—dumb. He shouldn’t be dumb either. He went to school just like everybody else”. Reverend Duncan Littlefair

“The important thing is that men should have a purpose in life… it should be something useful, something good”

The Dalai Lama (Cancer) is “The Reborn Soul of Buddha”. Orpheus, a singer, priest, healer, poet, and musician in Greek myth, charmed and enchanted Death into letting him enter the matrix of collective unconscious to find his beloved Eurydice. A moment of weakness caused Orpheus to look backward after death warned him that he’d lose Eurydice if he did. The wounded healer cannot heal himself but can heal others. The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 to live as a “simple monk” in a remote corner of Northern India. Unable to go back, he chose to promote world peace and love over returning to Tibet. Is our debt to China a threat to Tibet?

Gemini Karma

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Millions of new Geminis are born each year from May 20 to June 21. New Gemini generations are also born each century with karmic missions based on their age regardless of their sun signs.

The only outer planet to transit the sign of Gemini in the 20th Century was Uranus. When Uranus transited the sign of Gemini from 1942 to 1949 the emphasis in this country shifted to education. The U.S. Supreme Court abolished religion in public schools. The GI Bill enabled thousands of people to go to college. Occupations in communications fields like radio and television became more prevalent. In 1946, the first computer calculation began at the University of Pennsylvania.  It was called ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer). Columbia Records introduced the 33 1/3 rpm “long playing record”. The Atomic Energy Commission was created. The United Nations held its first session in London. The United States joined NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). People born between 1942 and 1949 are the Uranus in Gemini generation. They have restless temperaments and minds that grasp new ideas quickly.

In the 20th Century, people born between December 24 1945 ~ August 11 1947 (70-72), August 6 1964 ~ February 21 1966 (50–52) and March 15 1983 ~ Nov 1 1984 (32–33) share the same karmic invitation and responsibility to join society to share higher consciousness and lend humanity a helping hand. North nodes in Gemini generations are created to teach us all to exercise higher mind. Let’s observe the oldest living group (my generation) through the lens of politics. George W Bush, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump all share a Gemini lunar north node and Uranus in Gemini. Bill Clinton and George Bush wrecked their opportunities to positively raise public consciousness. Unfortunately, history repeats itself. Donald Trump has already done more than his share of damage. How many gilded towers, glitzy gambling casinos, graven images, brass pedestals, beauty queens, shark tanks, and celebrity idols do we need? Bill (Leo), George (Leo rising), and Donald (Leo rising) all have damaged egos and corresponding hubris. The dark side of the force is alive and well in each of them. Perhaps Donald Trump has already accomplished his karmic mission by teaching us how not to be and what not to do. Since hindsight is 20/20, you’d think we’d learn from our mistakes. We’ll find out when Uranus transits through Gemini again beginning at the end of 2025.

Celebrities born 1946 with North Node and Uranus in Gemini

ENIAC has come a long way since 1946. The Internet is the electronic version of Hermes principle of mentalism. As the most efficient and effective communication tool of all time, it instantly enables anyone to communicate with anyone and everyone at any place and at any time. The Internet represents an opportunity to create value out of thin air. Healthy content is essential to healthy communication.

Consider this paradox. E-business produces E-contamination. E-Pollution is a result of creating, collecting, and cultivating, but not properly disposing of E-garbage. We can close landfills, but what do we do with cyber-fills and digital-spills?  How do we recycle, reuse, and recreate cyber-toxins and hazardous dot-coms? How can we best employ Hermes ‘Law of Polarity’ to help transform these ten negative qualities of Gemini?

  • Superficiality: Creating and implementing products without a healthy vision, foresight, well thought out marketing plans, or adequate financial framework
  • Deceitfulness: Having no purpose – the IPO is the product
  • Dilettante: Technology for the sake of technology
  • Commercialism: Inability to integrate content and advertising
  • Detachment: Banner Syndrome: creating consumer numbness to advertising
  • Too Clever: too many sugar coated widgets
  • Sneakiness: Invasion of privacy / Spam / Viruses
  • Fickleness: User characterized into a statistic for some mailing list
  • Anything is better than nothing: Boring graphics – poor bandwidth
  • Babbling: Too much hype

Humanity needs to wake up and smell the psychic garbage. It’s time to get real!

Gemini Hands

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You don’t need a Gemini sun, moon, ascendant, planets, or house placements to be a Gemini. No matter what your astrology says, pure type Gemini hands have widely spread long fingers, flexible tips, and supple thumbs. All thinking types have square palms with long fingers. As a mutable modality, Gemini is more mentally adaptable than (fixed) Aquarians and (cardinal) Librans. Geminis and Librans are dual air signs that frequently have split head lines resulting from always having to make decisions and having too many choices. Cancer and Pisces are dual water signs whose conflicted feelings are often embodied in split heart lines. Anyone can have any split line for many reasons.

I despise generalizing, but I can safely say that it’s impossible to accurately foretell from a natal astrology chart how a person will embrace their symbolism and manifest their free will. Astrology reveals a person’s potentials. A sun, moon, stellium of planets, dominant signs, house placements, or powerful aspects between certain planets or points in a horoscope may or may not reflect what a person chooses to integrate into their character and behavior. Hands are topographical maps that actually disclose a person’s character in past, present, and future. As we embrace our strengths and weaknesses and exercise our thinking and free will, our evolving characters, stories, and changing circumstances are reflected in the morphology and topography of our hands over time.

Healthy Geminis have long straight strong pinkie fingers that symbolize logical thinking, honest communication, and good sense. Gemini hands feature firm pink elastic skin and long straight widely spread fingers with dominant first phalanges and loop prints. Long ring fingers with whorl prints add talent, attractiveness, irresistibility, salesmanship, and luck. Strong middle fingers with square tips and developed first knots add technical and scientific attributes. Powerful index fingers dramatically increase writing, oratory, and other professional skills. Geminis make great lawyers, bankers, doctors, orators, writers, engineers, teachers, salesmen, accountants, and shopkeepers. I work at special events with miraculous magicians who have dominant pinkie fingers. They surprise and astound audiences by deceiving the eye and mind of the beholder. Prominent pinkie people prefer small musical instruments that require a lot of dexterity. Music makes sense because hearing is Gemini’s physical sense.

The pinkie is the shortest finger. If the tip is longer than the crease between the first and second phalange of the ring finger, it’s long. If shorter, it’s short. Hermes (Mercury) was the shortest god. A dominant pinkie fingered person is often short in stature (Ed Harris) with a slender body and face. Pure types have animated hands, dark hair, and penetrating eyes with crow’s feet in the corners. Gemini is the most youthful of all types. They’re eternally childlike and love children. Men often have thin beards like Johnny Depp (Gemini). Michael Jackson, a Virgo (ruled by Mercury), and a genuine Peter Pan, actually lived in ‘Neverland’. In real life, Peter marries Wendy or a parent. Someone’s got to be practical.

Our pinkie finger shows our ability to communicate. It also indicates truthfulness. Our early family dynamic may be observed in the way the pinkie is set on the hands. If it is very short or low set, trust is a major issue. Some women who have very low set pinkies have told me that they have trouble having orgasms. Their real challenge is in trusting someone enough to have real intimacy. The length and proportions of our pinkie finger symbolizes technical, language, family, and sexual potentials.

Gemini rules hands and governs our nervous and respiratory systems. Gemini health issues revolve around the nervous and bronchial systems. Geminis also have problems with headaches, thyroid glands, memory loss, and speech impediments. I’m very Gemini and have been coping with Tinnitus (ringing in my ears) for several years.

Gold and diamond rings are often found on the pinkie finger of acquisitive people. Pinkie rings can symbolize the sublimation of sexual energies in order to accomplish something requiring a lot of libido. I once examined a group of fifty young men and women who were born into very wealthy families in the 80’s. Considering the prosperity of the period, it seemed paradoxical that every one of them had an obviously short phalange on the bottom segment of the little finger of his or her dominant hand.  Money will never be the motivation for their career choices. Family and personal values will drive these individuals.

Would you buy a used car from this guy? Gemini’s liabilities are deceitfulness, trickiness, fickleness, nervousness, restlessness, and shallowness. People preaching on soapboxes, pickpockets, and most con artists have dominant pinkies (most inwardly curving). When there’s a telltale yellow coloration in the palms, there’s nastiness somewhere. The trickster is a master at hiding his dark side. There are many wonderful people with curved pinkies who learned as children to ‘act nice’ and are still doing their best to avoid confrontation.

Cultivated Geminis are consummate communicators, social and intuitive geniuses, and great judges of character. Most social of all types, they’re frequently accused of being impractical dreamers because they love ideas so much. They can detach themselves from mundane realities and be objective about anything. They overvalue their intellect and undervalue emotion (everyone’s). They’re threatened when their opinions are ignored. They accept your viewpoint, even when they disagree with you. They get mad when their ideas are challenged without good reason. They’re easily distracted and don’t like being responsible for their decisions. They resist focus, discipline, and structure. They long for freedom and love to be unrestricted.

Geminis are androgynous. In Greek mythology, Hermes and Aphrodite had a fling that resulted in Hermaphrodite. Dominant Hermes (whether he or she knows or admits it) is often bi-sexual. David Bowie was a Capricorn with powerful Hermes. Mick Jagger is a very Mercurial Leo. Kate Blanchett is a Mercurial Taurus. Boy George is a Gemini. At 69, Grace Jones is still an exotic Taurus with her Mercury conjunct Uranus in Gemini.

Thoughts on Being an Esoteric Reader in an Exoteric World

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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.

$50,000 Challenge

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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 

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