It’s hard to obtain any real facts as to the origins and history of palmistry. There are many who claim that palm reading has existed in many, if not all, cultures throughout the world at some time or another. However, most serious scholars agree that such claims are impossible to substantiate.

What is known, though, is that there are references made to palmistry in religious texts as ancient as the Bible and the Vedas. As history progresses, important figures such as Aristotle and Julius Caesar are associated with palmistry. Many kings and queens also hired their own palm readers and astrologers. As time has passed, palm reading has taken on less of a mystical and more of a practical approach.

If you are interested in learning more about palmistry’s origins and history, Johnny Fincham is one of the most recognized scholars on the subject. The Web site also contains information on his book The Spellbinding Power of Palmsitry: New Insights into the Ancient Art, general palm reading texts and a listing of the workshops he offers. Also included on the website are the findings of Christopher Jones.

There are three main aspects of palmistry: chiromancy, chirognomy and dermatoglyphics. The combination of these three aspects is called chirology, sometimes written as cheirology.

While palm reading is a general term that refers to numerous ways to interpret the hands, chiromancy refers only to the divinatory use of palm reading. Interpreting the lines in the palm was, for many years, the only known form, or at the very least, the most well known form, of palmistry. As this section continues, you will see how this practice has grown and now includes a number of different techniques and branches to be used not only for divination, but also for more practical means.

Chirognomy was introduced in France in the 1700s by D’Arpentigny. He realized that hands could be grouped according to their shape and size. He created the following classifications: square, spatulate, psychic, knotty, and philosophic. The many hands that do not fit into one classification are considered mixed hands. He also realized that people who share hand shapes also share many personality qualities. He paved the way for a whole new system of palm interpretation. Other palmists have since included skin texture, color, finger length, nail quality, etc. as a means to more accurately interpret a person’s palm.

Dermatoglyphics is a relatively new study, having only come about in the 1900s. It involves the study of the lines and skin patterns on the hands and feet and their relation to our genetic makeup. Because skin ridges form in the first months of fetal development, many scientists believe that they may contain information on possible chromosomal abnormalities.

Scientists have been able to link skin ridge patterns with genetic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, schizophrenia, Down’s syndrome, rubella, behavior problems and autism. Often called the “Father of Dermatoglyphics,” Harold Cummins has paved the way for this new branch of science.

Chirology, often spelled cheirology, is the combination of all these techniques: chiromancy, chirognomy, and dermatoglyphics. Many palmists prefer this term to the term “palm reader” as palm reading is still associated with only the divinatory history of palmistry.

So if palm reading is not just fortune telling, what is its purpose? People have many different motives for seeking out a palm reader. Often, they do not want to know what will happen to them, but are simply wanting to know themselves better, are in need of a little direction, or maybe they are searching for answers to their physical ailments and haven’t been satisfied with those of allopathic medicine. Each person is looking for something different. As the facets of palm reading are many, an experienced reader will be able to provide his or her client with just what he or she needs.

Read more about breaking into and succeeding as a palm reader.