How Palmistry Works

Our Hands: A Personal Blueprint

Centuries ago, the sages of India transcribed the wisdom of the Vedas into six major texts known as Vedangas (or limbs of the Vedas). One of the foremost of these limbs—jyotish—represents the “eyes” of the Vedas. Jyotish, which translates literally as Lord of Light, is the study of the effects of light on human beings—in particular, the heavenly lights of Sun, Moon, stars and planets.

Jyotish itself contains many branches of learning. One of them, samudrik shastra, which translates as the ocean of knowledge, consists of a system of interpreting the features of the human body (human morphology). Just as the earth is part of the solar system, which is part of the Milky Way galaxy—itself, merely a small part of the universe—so each of us is a microcosmic universe with galaxies, constellations and solar systems. Each cell with its protons, neutrons and electrons is a miniature solar system. The human body is constructed in patterns that repeat themselves down to the microscopic level. For example, we can see that the circulatory system, with its multiple-scale branching arteries, veins, capillaries and blood vessels, repeats the same pattern from large to small. The configuration of lines on the hand follows a similar design of multi-scale branching.

Within samudrik shastra there are many branches of knowledge, such as graphology (the study of handwriting), phrenology (the study of the structure of the skull), and palmistry. In India, palmistry is known as hast jyotish, which is the study of the effects of light from the heavenly bodies on hast—the hand.

To a greater or lesser degree, most people experience physiological reactions to emotions. Our hands turn cold and clammy before a visit to the dentist, we blush when praised or embarrassed, our throat tightens when we hear that a loved one has been stricken with calamity, and laughter releases tension. There is an observable link between the mind and body. The mind may function consciously or subliminally. In the East, this observed link between mind and body extends to the hand. The rishis say that, as an individual evolves through life, the lines and patterns of the hands change; and consistently, modifications appear in particular lines reflecting positive or negative changes in specific areas of human life. Over centuries, the science of palmistry developed into a method for developing self-awareness.

Just as our dread of the dentist’s chair makes our heart palpitate in sympathy, so our thought patterns and mental preoccupations form the details of lines seen in our hands. The quality of these lines and signs is in direct proportion to our level of consciousness. In other words, we ourselves program the details seen in our hands whether we are conscious of this or not.

Self-Awareness Through Palmistry

The goal of palmistry is to assist our personal evolution by establishing an equilibrium in all areas of life through greater self-awareness. This equilibrium can be cultivated at the conscious, subconscious and superconscious levels. A better understanding of the three levels of awareness will help us gain insight into our own reactions to everyday life situations, including our relationships.