William G Benham 1859 – 1944
Hands throughout history have been studies and assigned magical qualities.
The importance of our hands was recognized by cavemen with impressions of hands which were created by man 35,000 years ago, being found in caves. Five thousand years ago hands were studied in China. Centuries ago, palmistry was studied by royalty giving insight into the person with whom they were dealing, revealing their trustworthiness.
Hands are the servant of the mind, reflecting out thinking and our personalities, showing much about our character. The hand equates to a map carried by each one of us, a map which corresponds to past, present and future. In Palmistry both hands are studied to see the complete person. No two hands are the same, not even for the one individual, so both the dominant and passive hands are analysed. The dominant hand is the hand we write with. The passive hand carries a blue print of our potential, while our dominant hand indicates what we do with that potential. Babies are born with these lines in place.
Our hands set us apart from other animals with our thumbs providing us with the ability to manipulate our environment. Hold your thumbs across the palm of your hand to see the limitation in use of the hand without them. A new born baby holds their hands in tight little fists until they develop and are able to interact with their environment and with this development he thumbs enable the hand to create what the mind imagines.
Palmistry consists of two studies, chirognomy which is the general appearance and qualities of the hand and Chiromancy which is a study of the lines of the hands. The four major lines of the hand are the Life Line, Heart Line, Head Line and Fate or Destiny Line. Babies are born with these lines in place. These four lines equate to the 4 elements in Tarot and Astrology of Earth, Water, Air and Fire. These lines tell about how we think and feel as well as describe our attitude to life and our will and determination. In addition to the four major lines, there are also minor lines, all of which change as we change. The hands are a source of knowledge about ourselves, each one of us a unique individual.
