Palmistry for All
RULES FOR RAPID OBSERVATION
The Fingers
Observe the fingers. If they look short and stumpy in
proportion to the rest of the palm—one may be sure that the
individual to whom they belong is of an animal nature, possessing
coarse instincts, devoid of real intellectuality, and belonging to
the lower order of humanity.
If the fingers and the palm appear equal in length, the owner
belongs to a more cultured race. He has inherited from a more
intellectual line of ancestors and for all work requiring
intelligence and a higher mentality he or she could be depended on,
whereas the first-mentioned type could not—no matter how well he
might talk or advocate his own superiority.
If the fingers look unusually long and thin, and in this way
out of proportion to the palm, the man or woman will err on the
side of too much ideality and refinement and is not suited to
business or work requiring "level headedness" and practicality. It
would be useless, for example, to put such a person in charge of
work-people or over work-rooms. His ideality and refinement would
be thrown away in such positions, and even with the best will in
the world he would be completely out of harmony with his
surroundings.
Such a man, however, could be depended upon in all positions
requiring personal mental work, research, science, literature,
philosophy, educational work or, in fact, anything relating to the
higher qualities of the mind.
If his fingers, in addition to their length, were also knotty
or jointed (joints much pronounced), he could be depended on to a
still greater extent for all work requiring great thoughtfulness,
detail, and concentration of mind.
If, on the other hand, these long fingers were smooth
jointed, he would, while having the same desire for ideality and
for everything intellectual, be impulsive and inspirational, would
lack a sense of detail and a love for detail in his own work, would
be visionary, artistic, emotional. Such a person would be suited to
artistic work, such as painting, making designs, models, etc., but
could not be trusted to perform anything requiring detail, research
or science, and would be utterly useless in any position where
discipline or control of others were required.
THE FINGERS CONSIDERED SEPARATELY
Let us now observe the fingers separately from the rest of
the hand.
The first finger is considered as the Dictator, the Lawgiver,
the finger of Ambition, the Indicator, the Pointer,
etc.
If this finger is unusually long and nearly equals the
second, all these tendencies are extremely pronounced.
Therefore, if your employee has this finger long, you can
safely entrust him with control over, and charge of others. You
will be amazed how well he or she will make rules and regulations
and see that they are obeyed; but beware, Mr. Employer, lest your
first finger is short in proportion as that of your employee is
long, for, if such be the case, you too will have "to toe the line"
and you may find yourself in a very disagreeable
position.
But let me give you a further warning: Should this man or
woman have a first finger that is long and crooked, you will
assuredly find out to your cost that the personal ambitions of such
an individual are "crooked." Such an employee would be perfectly
unscrupulous in finding out your secrets and getting you into his
power.
If the second finger is straight and well shaped, its owner
will be very serious, a little inclined to melancholy, but will pay
due regard to whatever responsibilities with which he may be
entrusted, but again beware if this finger is crooked. In this case
the owner would be, however, more subject to what may be called "a
crooked fate" than wilfully "wrong." Such people are, as a rule,
the children of strange circumstances over which they seem to have
no control. They are continually getting themselves into trouble
and into false positions, but, I must admit, more by a strange
fatality of things than by their own wilful actions. Nevertheless,
such infelicities might be very unpleasant for their employer,
especially if he has more heart than brains.
The third finger, if extremely long and straight, indicates
an extraordinary desire for glory, celebrity, publicity and the
like; and although this might be an extremely good quality in the
case of an actor, preacher, politician or public man, it may be
most undesirable if such a person is to occupy the position of a
private secretary, or the confidential clerk to some family
lawyer.
If this finger is crooked as well as very long, all the above
qualities will be intensified and exaggerated. The love of spending
money and fondness for show will also be more marked, the gambling
tendencies very pronounced. No position involving the handling of
money, should be entrusted to the possessor of such a
finger.
The fourth, or little finger, if long (passing the nail joint
of the third) is indicative of power of speech and subtlety in
choice of language—the saying "to twist a person round one's little
finger" originated from this very sign. Such people have a
marvellous gift of speech, eloquence and flow of language, valuable
gifts, of course, for orators and public persons, but not desirable
qualities in a wife if a man is fond of sleep.
A short "little finger" denotes the reverse of the above.
Such persons find the greatest difficulty in expressing what they
want to say, but they can write better than speak and should be
encouraged to do so.
These individuals have, however, not much power over others
and the shorter the "little finger" is, the more timid and
sensitive they are in the presence of strangers. If this finger is
crooked, then these weaknesses are all the more emphasised, but if
formed crooked and long the
power of eloquence is also crooked. Such people will tell any
"fairy tale" to suit their purpose—they are natural born liars and
the position of President of the Ananias Club is their rightful
inheritance.
The first and third fingers absolutely of equal length is the
best sign of an equally balanced mind
, but such a sign is rather rare to find.
When the fingers are very supple in the joints and turn
backwards or outwards from the palm, it is an indication of a quick
wit and clever brain; but such persons lack continuity of purpose.
They have no "hold," as it were, on any one thing.
Fingers slightly curved inwards towards the palm, denote
persons slow to grasp an idea, or a subject, but such people have
retentive memories and "hold" or grip, as it were, any one thing
they may take up.
CHARACTER SHOWN BY THE THUMB
The thumb is in itself more expressive of character than any
other member of the hand. It was D'Arpentigny who wrote "the thumb
individualises the man."
Medical science has proved that there is such a thing as a
"thumb centre" in the brain and any pressure or disease in that
part of the brain shows its effect in the
thumb .
A large well-made thumb is the outward and visible sign of a
strong-willed, determined person, be he man or woman.
The longer the thumb, the more the power of will rules the
actions; the shorter the thumb, the more brute force and obstinacy
sways the nature.
The shorter and more thick-set the nail phalange is, giving
the appearance of a club, the more ungovernable is the person in
his or her temper. Such people have no control over themselves and
under the least opposition will fly into a blind rage of fury. This
curious formation has been called the "Murderer's Thumb" because so
many who have committed murder in a mad fit of passion have been
found with this curious formation.
An employee with this class of thumb should never be given
any position of authority over others, for he could not curb his
ungovernable temper. He would also be absolutely unbalanced in his
jealousy, and no woman who has the ambition to live to the usual
"threescore-years-and-ten" should risk marriage to a man with one
of these thumbs. But as "love is blind" it is useless, I know, to
give advice in such a case.
The first joint or nail phalange of the thumb, when long and
thin, denotes the opposite of the above characteristics. In such
cases the person has the most absolute control over his temper, his
will power is also strong but quick and unobtrusive, and in a firm,
determined way people with such a thumb manage others and bend
those around them to their purpose.
The second joint, if delicately shaped, almost "waist like,"
indicates tact, diplomacy, and gentleness, also subtlety in
argument; but if this part of the thumb be full looking or equal in
size to that of the nail phalange, it denotes the person who cares
nothing for tact but who, on all occasions, will speak his mind
plainly, and with brutal frankness.
When the thumb looks as if it were "tied in" close to the
hand, the person is timid, easily frightened by both people and
circumstances, narrow-minded in his views, and miserly in his
habits. It is a well-established fact that the thumbs of all misers
are "tied in" and cramped-looking. It is perhaps this very fear of
things and people that in the end makes them misers with their
gold.
One need never waste one's time asking a person with one of
these cramped-looking thumbs to do a favour, and may God help the
business man or woman who ever gets into such a person's
clutches!
A thumb with the nail joint supple (bending backwards or as
it is also called "double jointed") indicates a character the exact
opposite of that associated with the "tied in" thumb. Possessors of
such a thumb are generous, adaptable to others, extravagant, and
impetuous in their actions and decisions. They promise things
quickly and are more often heard to say "Yes" than "No"; but if
they have time for reflection, they very often go back on their
promises.
Individuals having a "stiff-jointed" thumb, on the contrary,
cannot easily adapt themselves to others. They are distant and more
reserved with strangers. When asked to do a thing, they generally
first say "No," but on reflection or when reasoned with, they often
give in to the other and generally regret having done so. It is
useless to oppose such people—if one cannot lead them, it is no use
attempting to force them against their will.
This type has more self-control than the type of people with
the "supple jointed" formation, and is not so generous or
extravagant. Individuals of this group, however, make more reliable
friends, so their friendship, though difficult to obtain, is
generally worth having.
A thumb standing very far out from the hand (almost at right
angles to the palm) is not a good sign for ordinary success. Such
people go to extremes in everything they do and are generally
fanatics in religion, social reform, or whatever line of thought
occupies their attention.
HANDS, HARD AND SOFT
Even in the simple act of shaking hands, one can form
conclusions about character.
Beware of any man or woman whose hand seems to slip from
yours when you grasp theirs in greeting. Such persons are deceptive
and treacherous. They may smile at you with their lips, but
instinctively they regard you as their prey and will only use you
for their own object.
A soft, fat hand is the indication of an indolent and more or
less lazy person.
A firm hand is the sign of an energetic, reliable
nature.
A very thin hand denotes a restless energetic disposition,
but one that is given to worry, and fretting and is generally
discontented.
A thin hand that feels listless in one's grasp denotes a weak
constitution that has only sufficient energy to live.
A cold, clammy hand is also a sign of poor health, but
generally that of a very sensitive and nervous person.
A person who keeps his hands closed while talking, is
distrustful in his nature, has little self-reliance and can seldom
be relied on by others.
A man or woman who gives a good firm grasp of the hand, is
self-confident, energetic, and generally reliable.
When all the fingers (especially if the fingers be long) are
seen always clinging, sticking, as it were, or folding over one
another it denotes very doubtful qualities in the nature of their
possessor and a decided tendency towards thieving and general lack
of moral principal.
Remember that the hands are the immediate
servants or instruments of the brain . There are
more motive and sensory nerves from the brain to the hand than to
any other portion of the body and, whether sleeping or waking, they
continually and unconsciously reflect the thought and character of
the mind or soul of the individual.
It will, then, be seen from these observations that without
looking at the lines of the hand, one may be able to obtain certain
details of character that are more trustworthy than those given by
the face, and that these rules, if followed, should be of the
greatest assistance and value to people in all walks of
life.
Many of these observations are further amplified in
subsequent chapters of this work. There is not a single one of
these rules that has not been proved by me in my long professional
career, and knowing that they will bear the strictest inquiry and
observation, it gives me pleasure now to offer them to the readers
of the American Edition of Palmistry for
All .
Cheiro.
London.
INTRODUCTION
It was on July 21, 1894, that I had the honour of meeting
Lord Kitchener and getting the autographed impression of his right
hand, which I now publish for the first time as frontispiece to
this volume. The day I had this interview, Lord Kitchener, or, as
he was then, Major-General Kitchener, was at the War Office, and to
take this impression had to use the paper on his table, and,
strangely enough, the imprint of the War Office may be seen at the
top of the second finger—in itself perhaps a premonition that he
would one day be the controlling force of that great
department.
Lord Kitchener was at that moment Sirdar of the Egyptian
Army. He had returned to England to tender his resignation on
account of some hostile criticism about "the Abbas affair," and so
I took the opportunity of his being in England to ask him to allow
me to add his hand to my collection, which even then included some
of the most famous men and women of the day.
As Mr. T.P. O'Connor, in writing recently of Lord Kitchener,
said: "One of his greatest qualities, at once useful and charming,
is his accessibility. Anybody who has anything to say to him can
approach him; anybody who has anything to teach him will find a
ready and grateful learner."
My experience can indeed bear out the truth of this clear
judgment of one of the leading traits in Lord Kitchener's
character. That very year, 1894, was a notable one in his life; his
strong-willed action over the Abbas affair was completely
vindicated; he was made a K.C.M.G., and returned to Egypt with more
power than ever.
Once in his presence he put me completely at my ease, and in
a few moments he appeared to be deeply interested in observing the
difference between the lines in his own clearly-marked palm and
those in dozens of other impressions that I put before
him.
He was then almost forty-four years of age, and I remember
well how I explained the still higher positions and
responsibilities that his path of Destiny mapped out before him.
The heaviest and greatest of all would, I told him, be undertaken
in his sixty-fourth year (1914), but how little either of us
thought then that in that year the most terrible war of the century
would have broken out.
Believing, as I do, in the Law of Periodicity playing as
great a rôle in the lives of individuals as it does in nations, it
is strange to notice that the same radix numbers that governed Lord
Kitchener's career when he was planning out the Egyptian campaign,
which resulted in his great victories of Atbara and Omdurman in
1896 and 1897, are exactly the same for him in 1914-1915, and 1916
gives again the same radix number that in 1898 saw him receive a
vote of thanks from both Houses of Parliament, and a gift of
£30,000 from the State.
From the standpoint of those interested in this strange study
of hands, the accompanying impression of Lord Kitchener's cannot
help but be regarded as of great importance. In it, the rules of
Palmistry that I have given in the following pages are borne out in
all their details.
Returning to the impression of this remarkable hand; even in
shape alone one may read by the rules of this science the following
clearly-marked characteristics:
Length of fingers—intellectuality (page
134 ), strong determination and will-power
(chapter on the Thumb, page 127 ),
mentality and firm determination of purpose (
see Line of Head, page
17 ).
The remarkable Line of Fate running up the centre of the hand
and turning towards the first finger, denotes ambition and
domination over others (page 52
).
The Line of Success and Fame, starting on the hand from the
Line of Life and ascending to the base of the third finger, exactly
coincides with the period in Lord Kitchener's career when he began
to find recognition and success (page 63
).
As in my larger work on this subject I published Gladstone's
hand as a remarkable illustration of the truth that may be found in
this study, so in this present work with the same confidence I give
this illustration of Lord Kitchener's as another proof of character
indicated in the shape and lines of the hand, and as it has been
said so often that "Character is Destiny," so it is surely not
illogical to point out that in following the rules laid down by
this study one may obtain a clear idea of the destiny that the
Character, Will, and Individuality trace out in advance—tracks, as
it were, stretching far out into the distant future for the engine
of purpose and achievement to find already laid and ready to be
used at the "appointed time."
In conclusion, as I have now completely retired from all
professional work, I may be allowed to point out that I am not
publishing this book with the idea of seeking clients. I have no
desire but to see this strange study taken up as a useful and
practical means of obtaining an exact judgment of the character,
qualities, and hidden tendencies that might otherwise be
ignored.
I think that if all parents knew at least something of
Palmistry, the vast majority of children would be more usefully
trained and their proper tendencies developed.
It is often too late when a child discovers—and most probably
by accident—some tendency or talent that had never been suspected
by its parents.
It is no wonder that so few persons find their true vocations
in the world, when it is remembered the random, haphazard way in
which children are brought up—educated for the most part in some
scholastic mill that grinds down all to the same dead level of
mediocrity, and then turns them into the Army, the Church, or into
trade.
If, on the contrary, all these studies that teach the
understanding of character were more encouraged, parents would have
less excuse for the supreme ignorance they now show as to the real
nature of those children who hold them responsible for their entry
into the battlefield of existence.
These same parents would lift up their voices in righteous
indignation if soldiers were sent into battle untrained, without
their proper equipment, and yet these same parents have never, in
the whole course of their lives, made the simplest study of any one
of those many subjects by which they could in knowing the nature of
their child, have strengthened weak points in the fortress of
character, or by developing some talent or gift, doubly armed him
for his entry into the battle of life.
It is from this standpoint that I earnestly hope this study
of hands may some day be taken up. It was from this standpoint that
I interested such men as Gladstone, Professor Max Muller, of
Oxford, Lord Russell, when he was Lord Chief Justice, King Edward
VII., and many others too numerous to mention; and lastly, it is
from the same standpoint that I have now written this book, which
under the title of Palmistry for All
, will, I hope, appeal to all classes, and cause such an
interest in the Study of Character that, instead of such an art
being left in the hands of a few, it will, on the contrary, become
universally used for the benefit of all.
Cheiro
PART I—PALMISTRY OR CHEIROMANCY
CHAPTER I