The Palm

THE palm itself, its shape and consistency, aside from the markings upon it, tells much about the person whose hand you are studying. Development of the hand, which is the instrument of the brain, is dependent on all the biological and chemical factors which also de- termine the personality. Studies of the ductless glands have given us some understanding of the complicated chemistry governing human energy, sex, and nervous reactions, from the simplest reflex to involved inhibitions and neuroses.

This same machinery of nerve communication and glandular secretions, which decides the weight, height and nervous and muscular responses of the individual, also determines the development of the

From studying a large number of hands, I have been able to hand.

associate particular types of palmar structure with specific characteristics.

For example, the consistency of the hand tells much about the A firm, full, elastic palm, warm and alive to the touch, indicates a person who is active, well-directed, alive. Flabbiness shows individual.

a phlegmatic disposition, to which action comes with an effort. If the palm is at the same time both flabby and covered with minute lines, you may be sure that the subject dissipates his energies in nervous reactions. If the palm is thick, flabby and soft, indolence, whether physical or mental, is indicated, and the fleshier such a soft hand, the greater will be the love of ease and luxury.ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 34 When the palm is thin and narrow, you timid individual, lacking mental ability and with this sort of palm is likely to be shallow fingers on a narrow palm are long, tyranny stricted to personal relations is A force. and selfish. on a small A indicated. nences shows a warm, responsive nature. can expect a narrow^ moral A person the When scale re- palm with high emi- flat surface usually goes with intellectual interests. If the palm is in good proportion to the fingers, about the same in length and width, and if it is even in shape, firm, though not hard, it shows a well-balanced, receptive mind, control of the emotions, in- telligent use of the talents. tion to the fingers, I When the palm overdeveloped in rela- is have usually found the individual over-confident and egocentric. If the palm’s development is especially heavy at the hand which is particu- base, near the wrist, sensuality is indicated. larly heavy at the wrist and at the same time hard in consistency A shows brutality unless a strong but sensitive thumb or an exception- good headline (see plate 27) negatives this indication. ally THE HOLLOW PALM A hollow palm shows lack of aggressiveness and perseverance. It is with misfortune. Undoubtedly, the lack of these associated frequently is the cause of much ill luck and for that reason poor de- qualities velopment in the center of the hand must be regarded as an omen, no matter how favorable the rest of the hand may be. The depression in the center of the hand often of a particular line or section of the palm, lies in and then ill the direction it specifically mount, or sign toward the hollow falls under the line of relates to the faculties associated with the line, which the hollow life, I inclines. When have sometimes found it to be when under an indication of domestic the line of destiny, it troubles; in with one’s career. connection appointment is associated with dis- LARGE AND SMALL HANDS The size of the hand as a whole is of extreme importance. The legend that large hands are capable, I have found from experiencePALM 35 more than a superstition. Usually, a large hand, particu- long-fingered, will be methodical and inclined towards detail work. But the hands which go with the conception of large projects, to be little larly if with the formulation of breath-taking plans, with discovery, daring and forceful execution, are comparatively small. Large hands need direction from others. Small hands supply the direction. LEFT AND RIGHT HAND Since most changes in the sonality and adjustment hand resulting from growth of the per- to circumstances manifest themselves in am going to discuss the significance of the left and right hands in conjunction with the palm, rather than in connection with the palm, I the hand as a whole. The right hand is the one to study in a right-handed person. That hand gives us a picture of the human being as he is. The left hand tells us what he might have been whether for better or worse. What the left hand pictures is a person’s inheritance, the weaknesses, the strength, the talents and the lacks with which he was born. From the left hand we are able to judge a person’s potentialities. From the right what he has created out of his potentialities. In a left-handed person, the significance of the two hands is of course reversed. This sort of knowledge is a weapon, and with knowledge of our weaknesses we may be able to overcome them. Here is one very great value in the message of the left hand. By pointing out the pitfalls into which we are likely to fall, it helps us to avoid them. In the right hand we see how far we have developed or dissipated our inherent endowments. Frequently you will find the two hands very different from each other. Sometimes, especially in hands with weak thumbs, you will see all the vices lacks hinted at in the in the hand hand and pitfalls, the illnesses, the of inheritance confirmed of actuality. In persons of strong will you a tendency to flightiness bolstered by purpose, tions held in check by reason. site and magnified find the oppo- wayward emo- It is therefore important, in studying the hands, to compare the general contours of the palms, the left with the right. Examine each of the mounts to see whether they differ in prominence in the twoANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 36 Look with special care at the principal lines of the hands. Of the hand’s markings, the lines are the most sensitive to changes taking place in a person. As you grow or shrink in mental stature, hands. all your line of head will reflect the change. It will also register your mental health. I have seen hands in which a naturally vivid imagina- tion was allowed head. The hand, at left head which hand showed not a trace had a level, extremely matter-of-fact line of the same time, retained a low-dipping line of to atrophy until the right of this gift but, instead, testified to the original bent. The same applies to the line of heart. In persons who have had to repress affectionate responsiveness, I have often found the line of heart in the right hand growing faint and narrow, sometimes diverted out of its original course to show the influence of self-seeking instead of generosity. The line of destiny obstacles. But may, in the left hand, be almost destroyed by hand it may be remade, showing the con- in the right quest of difficulties by a strong person. Unfortunately, the reverse is just as often true. Failure to make use of natural gifts, wasted energy, misdirected ambitions leave their imprint in a broken or abruptly ended line of destiny. In any case, the message of the operative hand is never a static one. Comparison of the two hands tells us where we have gone astray from the path which would have been best for us, and it is thus pos- sible to correct our mistake. Of course, in a lefthanded person, the readings have to be reversed. Just what the cause of lefthandedness or ambidexterity is we do not know. It is, however, a recognized fact that the tendency to use one hand rather than the other is closely associated with the balance of the central nervous system. Changing the balance by forcing a nat- urally lefthanded person to use his right is likely to have disastrous results. Many speech defects are laid to interference with the natural dominance of one hand or the other. In children especially, nervous maladjustment, extreme shyness and slow perception result from trying to make them use the right hand when the left is the naturally operative. Formerly schools and parents tried to make left-handed youngsters learn penmanship and other manual arts with the right hand. Nowadays advanced educa-MOUNTS OF THE HAND 37 have learned that difficult behavior problems, secretiveness, lying, even stealing, result from such interference with nature’s intentions. Parents and teachers should be especially careful about trying to icadjust a child’s natural preference for one hand or the other. tors