Palmistry - Introduction And History

INTRODUCTION 

Palmistry or chiromancy (also spelled cheiromancy, Greek kheir (χεῖρ, ός), “hand”; manteia (μαντεία, ας), “divination”), is the art of characterization and foretelling the future through the study of the palm, also known as palm reading, or chirology. The practice is found all over the world, with numerous cultural variations. Those who practice chiromancy are generally called palmists, palm readers, hand readers, hand analysts, or chirologists.

The information outlined below is briefly representative of modern palmistry; there are many ― often conflicting ― interpretations of various lines and palmar features across various schools of palmistry.

HISTORY

A Palmistry or hast rekha can trace its roots back to Greece from Aristotle (384–322 B.C.E.) discovered a treatise on the subject of palmistry on an alter of Hermes, which he then presented to Alexander the Great (356–323 B.C.E.), who took great interest in examining the character of his officers by analyzing the lines on their hands. Aristotle stated that "Lines are not written into the human hand without reason. They emanate from
heavenly influences and man's own individuality". Accordingly, Aristotle, Hippocrates and Alexander the Great popularized the laws and practice of palmistry. Hippocrates sought to use palmistry to aid his clinical procedures. However, it is believed that Palmistry reached the shores of Greece from the Far East.The knowledge of palmistry has been used in the cultures of India, Tibet, China, Persia, Egypt and to some countries in Europe. Studies show that most ancient communities like the Sumerians, Tibetans, Hebrews, Babylonians, Egyptians and Persians were greatly interested in the study and practice of palmistry.

It is believed that Palmistry originated in India with its roots in (Hindu) Astrology (known in Sanskrit as Jyotish), Chinese Yijing (I Ching), and Roma (Gypsy) fortune tellers. The Hindu sage Valmiki is thought to have written a book several thousand years ago, whose title translates in English as "The Teachings of Valmiki Maharshi on Male Palmistry", comprising 567 stanzas. Renowned palmist Cheiro learnt palmistry in India where he is believed to have read ancient scriptures on palmistry. From India, the art of palmistry spread to China, Tibet, Egypt, Persia and to other countries in Europe.  From China, palmistry progressed to Greece where Anaxagoras practiced it. However, modern palmists often combine traditional predictive techniques with psychology, holistic healing, as well as alternative methods of divination.

• Captain Casimir Stanislas D'Arpentigny published La Chirognomie in 1839.
• Adrien Adolphe Desbarolles published Les Mysteres de la Main in 1859
• Katherine Saint-Hill founded the Chirological Society of Great Britain in 1889
• Edgar de Valcourt-Vermont (Comte de St Germain) founded the American Chirological Society in 1897
• Count Louis Hamon (Cheiro) published Cheiro's Language of the Hand in 1894.
• William Benham published The Laws of Scientific Hand Reading in 1900
• Charlotte Wolff published works from 1936–1969, contributed to scientific chirology
• Noel Jaquin published works from 1925–1958, contributed to scientific chirology
• Arnold Holtzman (Psychodiagnostic Chirology)
• Edward Heron-Allen published various works including in 1883 Palmistry - A Manual of Cheirosophy which is still in print.

In Renaissance magic, palmistry (known as "chiromancy") was classified as one of the seven "forbidden arts," along with necromancy, geomancy, aeromancy, pyromancy, hydromancy, and spatulamancy (scapulimancy).