Palmistry As Art Of Self Understanding Philosophy Essay

People’s destiny it’s been considered a mystery from antiquity until the present which motivated them to search for various ways to uncover it. Many of the predictions were made especially by using paranormal or supernatural means. In this attempt there have been used such methods like astrology, numerology, fortune telling, or interpretation of dreams. These forms of divination have not been confirmed by controlled experiments and therefore have been disputed by scientists and skeptics. However, there is one method that captured my attention called palmistry, but also known as palm reading or chiromancy. Moreover, it has been a topic that presented interest for humans since the Stone Age. This idea can be draw from the number of hands painted in prehistoric caves and the hands made of stone, wood and ivory by ancient people that the archaeologists have discovered (“History of Palmistry II”). So, the art of palmistry has its origins long before the Christianity itself (“The History of Palmistry I”). In today’s world people tend to either to believe in chiromancy and practice it, or to question its validity. As a result, I have asked myself if palmistry can be considered an art of self understanding.

The first position on this topic is the skepticisms, which assumes that palmists are questionable psychics who practice a technique called cold reading. This practice is cited as being an activity that allows readers of all kinds, including palmists, to appear psychic (The-Book-of-Thoth). In addition, people tend to associate such practices as astrology, numerology, or palm reading with charlatans who appear to predict the future of an individual. In time, they have become aware of the fact that the tricksters are using in their predictions people’s “tendency to accept vague or general statements as being very personal and accurate” (“The Forer Effect”). Also, people have started to put more emphasis on rational analysis in this debate. The future is determined by the interaction between all the particles in the universe, while the lines on the hand are determined by the genetic make-up most of all. Therefore, if palmistry would have been veridical, it would have meant that DNA contains information about the way that all the particles in the universe have ever behaved and will behave. This logical reasoning is one of the major reasons why certain people do not believe in predictions. Similarly, people tend to not consider this practice as a branch of science, because it is not evidence-based. For the verification of palmistry’s accuracy as a character analysis there has not been done much widely accepted research. So, there was not provided any decisive evidence that would support “a connection between the lines of the palm and a person’s character”. There was not found any definite data that could sustain the claims made by hand readers with respect to life expectancy or personality type (“Validity of Palmistry”).

The other position that people take on this issue supports the idea that palmistry is the study of the unconscious mind, the desires which lie hidden and are shown as lines of palm. It is believed that the unconsciousness builds the blocks of future. By studying both hands, the non-dominant hand which refers to our past and the dominant, which is the hand that one uses to write, to our present – we can recognize the visible link between our past behavior and our present personality, character traits, thoughts and experiences (Ghai, Nisha). So, by reading lines of palm people have actually the capability to read the future. In addition, the hand is considered to be the direct representation of the brain and mind (Hasnee, Imran). Also, according to professor Dayanand, “25% of somato-sensory area of the brain is related to both the hands”, which indicates the close relation between brain and hand. He states that “the Mounts on our hand work as magnetic centers, which attract electric currents of brain and lines on the palm show the path of these currents” (Ghai, Nisha). So, when we read lines of palm, we read our unconscious mind. Apart from this, it is important to admit the fact that originally the “intent of palmistry was for personality assessment and counseling” (“Palmistry-Hands Reading”). The hand is considered to be a mirror of the personality. Its size, shape, texture, skin pattern, finger prints, and length of fingers reveal the basic tendencies of a person and makes him/she aware of his/her personality, potentials and talents (Ghai, Nisha). Moreover, palmistry is a dynamic process since the lines of the hand are not permanent and consistent. The lines, mounts and signs of the hand, the palm and the fingers reflect the thinking and the behavior patterns. Once the thinking changes so do the lines and markings on the hands (“Palmistry-Hands Reading”). Also, by analyzing the fingertips, size and length of fingers it is possible to determine what type of activities a person likes and what could be his/her future profession. For instance, if someone has square fingertips, it shows that the person likes order and accuracy, characteristics especially found in accountants. Also, the loop that sits between the ring finger and the middle finger usually indicates that women are nurses or teachers, while on men it can indicates business skills and success in life (“Palmistry – An Insight of This Art”). As well as the science, the Bible itself mentions the markings in one’s hand in the book of Job as, “God placed signs or seals in the hands of men that all men might know their works, and there is always the timeless knowledge that God and nature make nothing in vain” (“History of Palmistry I”).

In my opinion, people misunderstand the real meaning of palmistry, which literally means the ocean of knowledge (“Palmistry-Hands Reading”). This practice is not supposed to tell us the name of our future spouse, how many children we will have, or how will our careers be like, but to make known specific features about one’s personality. There’s no scientific evidence that ties the lines on the palms to people’s fate or fortune. However, scientists have discovered that our palms and finger prints can reveal information about oneself. As Aristotle himself stated “Lines are not written into the human hand without reason. They emanate from heavenly influences and man’s own individuality” (“History of Palmistry II”). I believe people should take advantage of chiromancy and study their characters. Knowing one’s weaknesses and strengths is helpful in order to progress and make changes. It’s important to remember that nothing is set in stone. I’m sure that many of us are faithful to our character traits which determine who we are, but I am also convinced that we are creative beings who have the ability to change the way we think and features that we do not like about ourselves. We are the ones who shape our own destiny through daily decisions and actions, no matter what predictions other will make..

All in all, palmistry is an art that has the aim to help people in understanding and discovering themselves better. Studying and understanding one’s character’s features, facilitates the disclosure of a person’s concealed capacities. In today’s world palmistry is used to help people in getting direction in life and improving the personal issues. In fact, it offers people the opportunity to challenge theirselves discovering and mostly re-discovering their personalities. Also, they have the chance to work on their weaknesses and figure out how to use their strengths in their own advantage. So, a good palmist has the responsibility to encourage people to fight against obstacles and find creative solutions to their problems. Also, a good palmist has to support his/her clients in building their self-confidence by promoting the idea that a person can change the lines and their predictions in a desired way.