Practical Palmistry

I do not intend, in this Introduction, to take up much of my readers’ time by going over the old trodden by almost every writer on work of palmistry, as to the antiquity of the science of chiromancy. We may say that it is, to use an expression that everyone will understand, “as old as the hills.” It certainly dates back from before the time of the Bible, and, in order to prove how much was thought of the Science in Bible days, I shall give, in a later part of this Introduction, over thirty different texts from the Old Testament which refer to the hand and lines on the hand.

That palmistry undoubtedly is a science and an art, I firmly believe every intelligent and deeply-thinking man and woman would agree, if they would only take the trouble, and pains, to devote a small portion of their time to investigate, with a genuinely unbiased mind, and completely purge from their imagination the ridiculous and, I may say, the amusing side of the question, which has no doubt crept into the science through its being taken up by a large proportion of the people as “something to amuse them,” It is very far from my mind to condemn this spirit altogether. We are not advanced enough in the science in this generation to make people take it as the serious and interesting subject which many deep-thinking men and women, and clear to boot, know it to be.

I will venture to say that, whilst this old world of ours is inhabited by human being as they are now constituted, that innate wish to “peep into the future” will always be with us Now, the question which vexes some people’s minds more than any other is this: It is right to do so or attempt to do so? This will be answered by utter bigots with a decided negative. From open-minded people, probably, to a certain extent, a contrary answer will be given, and I shall endeavour, in this Introduction, to prove to the open-minded personage (to bigots I have nothing to say) that in a reliable and honest person’s hands an enormous amount of benefit and good advice can be, and I firmly believe should be, and is meant to be, given to the human race through the now almost wasted science and truths of palmistry, which although so old, for some inconceivable reason seems to have been periodically the butt for ignorant bigots in all ages.

However, I sincerely trust and believe we are on the threshold of more enlightenment on the subject. I trust more clever, intelligently thinking and brainy people will make it worth their while to commence some little inquiry into the subject for themselves. They will find it such an exquisitely interesting one that I have no of their relinquishing it. Fancy, in a few words, “We are all carrying with us a most beautiful map, in close connection with the soul, or brain (the seat of the soul), and on that map is the writing of God.” If this is not an interesting subject for the most thoughtless (I will bar bigots again) I am no judge of human nature.

But to imagine it is a clever thing to attempt to strangle by ridicule one of God’s most interesting of studies and science is the action is the action of a fool. “Fools think it clever to laugh at anything which they cannot understand, or do not think it worth their while to study.” I can imagine a person of this character, if he could have been shown a page of Pitman’s shorthand a few years before it was discovered, taking the circles, dashes, strokes, dots etc., as an immense joke, to be laughed to scorn, as meaning absolutely nothing to his mind, as these mark, until one studies and understands the meaning of them, would appear ridiculous; or he might at the present time stand on the Thames Embankment and giggle and make fun at the hieroglyphics on the Cleopatra Needle. Why? Simply because he cannot understand the meaning of them. Any egregious ass can turn to ridicule the most religious or scientific subject, but this form of ridicule is but a sign of his own ignorance, and in this instance an insult to the Divine Spirit who has placed these mark in men’s hands. Feeling very strongly on the subject, I must say I consider it impudent ignorance when intelligent people know and feel that the mystic signs placed in the hands of man and woman are placed there by the Great Divine Being, who does nothing without reason and purpose, yet scoff at palmistry.

Far be it from me, simply a humble palmist, who perchance has studies the subject and these mark in man’s hands a little more than others, to arrogate to myself any supreme knowledge, or to attempt even to appear to know more of the future than it is meant by the Great Spirit that we may know for our own good, and perchance the good of others. I say all who will take trouble to study the subject may understand, and I honestly say will believe, the truth of the science. A for myself, the more I study men’s hands, the more ignorant I appear to myself when I see and prove the Divinity there is it, and, I firmly believe, a Divinity that men may, and will in the future use for their own good and welfare in life. Speaking metaphorically, as I turn each page limited vision, and the greater and more interesting the volume before me becomes.

I can only briefly allude to some of the more nonsensical opinions, that palmistry is not a science, which are put forward by ignoramuses, whose only excuse for putting them forward can be this great one-that they know nothing whatever of the matter, probably have studied it, or cared to do so. But it is, at the present time, as it appears always to have been. A bigoted minority has always stood in the path as ob stacles to scientific enlightenment, and endeavoured by injustice, and when possible even giving any scientific reason or any proofs that these scientific truths are not, simply saying: “I don’t believe them I cannot bring forward any genuine reasons why I do not believe them, but as I don’t, I am determined if possible, no one else shall.”

I have seen lately published, I Presume in all good faith that “the lines of the hand were simply creases formed by folding the hand.” Creases forsooth! Anything more grossly ridiculous and untruthful was never written. Lines never come in this way. Small lines, dashes, dots, crosses, and minute kinds of hieroglyphics will came and go, particularly in the right hand, within less than a year. Anybody can prove this statement. Let them, particularly one passing an active life or about to make some great change in life, such as marriage or some other important event, take a cast of their hand now, and another in six ‘or twelve months’ time, and I will guarantee they will see some fresh signs produced and some old ones gone. This is positive proof, and a test that anyone can try. The man who speaks of “creases by folding his hands” cannot produce an iota of proof of his statement.

Why should these lines, signs, marks, etc., come and go in the hand? It is my firm conviction that they are formed from, and in direct communication with, the brain through the nerves. A certain event, or coming event, is centered in the brain. Speaking vaguely, on says, “The head is full of and such an idea.” and the more the head or brain is full of it the more distinct will that certain mark or sign, conformably with that idea in the brain, mark itself in its own way in the hand. The more sensitive a man or woman is the lines and other signs show in their hands. Some certain event in the life of one person will have a greater effect on the mind or the brain of one than of another. A highly-strung, nervous woman, of a very affectionate nature, woman, of a very affectionate nature, would naturally feel certain events in life in connection with her heart’s affections or disappointments, sometimes taking years to overcome certain troubles, more than a callous or harder nature would do; consequently, the mark in the hand of the sensitive woman would be more distinct than if this were not the case.

Another instance. One man of iron nerves would probably laugh at the most imminent peril to his life, or at a hair’s-breadth escape, when passed, and would probably in a short time forget all about it. Another man, of a more timid nature, would be so much impressed by the danger he had undergone and escaped from that it would be one great item in his life which he would always remember and speak about. Therefore, the mark showing such danger had been passed, no matter from what cause, which shows plainly in his hand, is as easily to be read by a clever student of chiromancy as if he give one more simple instance of this with regard to travels. I have seen a printed statement of the news.

I will give one more simple instance of this with regard to travels. I have seen a deeply-marked line travel in the hand of a lady who had only taken one long journey in her life-from Birmingham to Italy-when a young woman, and had met and married her husband there. That journey had impressed her brain, and had been discussed over and over again to her numerous friends and children; in fact, that travel was one of the great events of her life, consequently it was marked more easily for me to read than the numerous travels of a Stanley or some globe-trotter, always on the move, and on whom a run from London to Cape Town and back would scarcely leave an impression.

D’ Arpentigney has hinted at this connection with the brain and hand, and that eminent and painstaking scientific lady palmist, Mrs. Katharine St. Hill, states that she has found this to be true during her studies of hands in hospitals. She says that “the lines fade out of the hand when the brain is inoperative, either permanently or temporarily-permanently, or in cases of paralysis, softening of the brain, senility; or temporarily, as in cases of concussion of the brain, in which case, when the patient recovers his or her senses, and the brain thinks coherently again, the lines return deeply into the palm. A great many doctors examine the hands of their patients now, even the skin and nails. And no normal hand is found where the brain-power is either absent or diseased, or amongst lunatics. The brain can be likened to a Marconi receiver, and registers its thoughts and impressions all over us by means of the nerves, through whose action on the skin the lines are formed.

The future is the embodiment of the consequences of the present, a road already made though not yet traversed. By those who have the knowledge it may be foreseen sufficiently to warn travelers against the obstacles in the way, so that they can turn and probably avoid them. Certain temperaments are subject to certain dangers. Warnings can be given with regard to certain illness, and also in the case of some accidents, which may possibly be avoided. The hands show all this.”

I have clients who call my attention almost every week to certain lines and mark which they assure me have just come, or have very recently come, into their hands. They are quite certain this or that peculiar mark was not in their hand three or six months ago, as the case may be. In scientifically telling them what these marks, to your knowledge, may denote, there is no witchcraft, no magic, no black art. What seems so utterly impossible to the ignorant-I mean the person ignorant of the subject of Palmistry-when explained to him or her, and a sensible reason given, becomes not “impossible,” but “how simple.” The greatest mysteries in life are the simplest when they are understood.

I have endeavoured to make this book as common-senselike, simple, and clear as it is possible to make any work dealing with subjects of an occult or mystical nature. The day is not with us when all these things are so clear that “he who runs may read.” Such is human nature that, probably if it were so, much of the interest now centered in it would be gone. Like the North Pole, the unknown will always be sought after until its mysteries are mysteries no more.

We cannot altogether explain some of the predictions of palmists. I thoroughly believe some human being have to an acute extent some sense (I have no name else for it) that is very little thought of or recognized – a ‘sense of futurity’. Some will call it a presentiment of coming of coming good or evil, and there are people who have it with regard to themselves only, or to those closely connected with them and whom they dearly love, and find the sense comes to them by forebodings or dreams. or dreams. There is no doubt the lower animals have this sense to a marked degree, and it accounts for their migrations, etc. The carrier pigeon retuning to its home from immense distances, the occasional restlessness and baying of a dog before death, the scent of the bloodbound, seems almost a miracle. The North American Indian’s foreknowledge of events, also his skill in tracing his enemies and dangers, are similarly unaccounted for.

These are some senses which, besides the five wellknown ones, cannot be altogether explained; they belong to the unknown. It is very probable that civilization and the use of reason in man has supplanted and almost annihilated this power, but it is not quite gone, and is still powerful in certain organizations. It may be that through its actions the nerve centers, mark the hand.