For those who aren’t too familiar with palmistry, it is the study of the palmar lines and mounts of an individual’s hands. While there are many schools of interpretation in chiromancy, a strong reading (and the type I went for) involves both hands, so that your palm reader can get a cohesive sense of your past and present self, in the hopes of providing insight to your future.
After writing an article about palmistry last month, I decided to put my theoretical knowledge to the test. I wanted to have my palm read – both for the experience and to see just how well this metaphysical field of study stacked up against the rest. As somebody who checks their daily horoscope religiously and always gets a Tarot reading before any major life decisions, I wanted to know how much use a palm reading could really be in my life.
Here’s What I Learned in My First Palm Reading
Palmistry Isn’t Fortune Telling
We’re all familiar with that scene in movies and television, where the wise old crone hunches over a character’s palm and proceeds to reveal the glory of their destiny – or their horrifying demise. I hate to break it to you, but real palmistry is nothing like that. Since the topography of our hands changes through our lives, so does their meaning in palmistry.
In the ancient forms of chiromancy, it was believed our entire lives were written on our hands from birth; where’s the fun in that though? As the person I went to see for this reading pointed out, we shape our own destiny with our intentions and desires, and these values are constantly changing. There is no line at the base of a finger that will tell you how many children you’ll have or a mole that indicates how long you’ll live.
I admit, I was expecting a little of this type of divination when I went for my reading, but over the course of the hour, I realized the true benefit of palmistry – having an impartial sounding board that enables you to self-reflect, and reach important conclusions with additional insight to your life and traits. I’d much rather hear that my life line shows I live with joy and vitality than worry about figuring out where that metaphoric line ends.
There is Valuable Psychological Insight
Those who go to a palm reading hoping to hear that that’ll meet the love of their life in 5 years or that great success will happen in their 40’s will be sorely disappointed. From my experience in my reading, palmistry is less about divining significant acts and moments in your life, and more about the qualities within you that will attract or repel things like love, success, vitality, and happiness. People expect mysticism in palm reading when they might actually receive more of a personality assessment.
For example, my palm reader informed me that the deep, flexible tissue of my Venus mount means I tend to devote myself fully and passionately in relationships – and that the corresponding faint, broken love line on my other palm indicates that this hasn’t always worked out for me in the past, which is a total understatement.
So not exactly an ETA on Prince Charming, but still an important quality about myself to consider that will influence my success in future relationships. Palmistry won’t tell you which coffee shop to visit in order to meet your twin flame, but it might help you reconcile the things within you that are holding you back from achieving a successful relationship.
Be Open to the Process & Results
I am neither a skeptic nor a true believer when it comes to palmistry. I went into this reading with my mind open and unbiased, committed to no particular outcome. I simply wanted to learn more about the art of palm reading while having fun and trying something new. As a result, I was pleasantly surprised by the insights into my personality and behavior, without feeling like I had been ‘ripped off’ by not hearing the perfect future of my dreams.
I definitely walked away from this experience with a deeper sense of myself, and confirmation of certain things I probably need to work on in order to better my life. If I had any doubts going into my reading, it was in the amount of information somebody would be able to find in my palms – it’s a hand, how much can it really say about me?
As it turns out, quite a lot.
I was lucky enough to get my reading from somebody with 10 years of experience, who was able to see my tendency to cling to negative things well past the point where I should let go, and give me advice on how to start letting go with grace. I never expected to hear that level of insight during a palm reading, so I’m grateful I decided to embrace the whole experience without expectation.
Try a Palm Reading for Yourself!
If you decide to add palmistry to your repertoire of metaphysical tools and go for a reading, the best piece of advice I can offer is to have an open mind and no expectations. Just like a Tarot deck can be sullied by the touch of another and crystals can lose their potency if handled incorrectly, going into a palm reading with a laundry list of hopes and demands can tarnish the valuable knowledge you’d receive by leaving yourself open to the authentic experience.
Your palm reader should have years of practice at hand, as it were; trust them to guide you through the reading, and you’ll be lucky enough to leave with insights that could help you on your life’s path.
Related Article: Introduction to Palmistry: How to Read Between the Lines