Palmistry, or palm-reading, is a form of divination that is more closely associated with Gypsies than any other. It was also historically practiced by Indian mystics. You can see a reflection of this in the modern practice of henna-painting, in which designs are drawn on the palms and feet of young women in countries from India to Morocco. In Morocco especially, this form of henna painting is a type of magic, using special symbols on the hands and feet to keep out evil spirits.

From this, it is not hard to see why mystics saw the natural lines on the palm, base, and backs of the hands as having mystical meaning.

Theories of Palmistry

Palm readers focus first on the shapes of the hands – square hands being those of a practical, earth-oriented person, and longer tapered hands being those of a more delicate and artistic person. The fingernails have special significance, as do the positioning of the fingers on the hand and their relative length.

Only after looking at all these aspects does the palm reader look at the lines and mounds of the hand. Contrary to what most people think, palmistry does not focus on the lines themselves so much as the lines' relationship with one another and with the mounts and valleys of the hand. Each finger has a mount at the base: Jupiter, Saturn, Apollo, and Mercury, from the index to pinky finger. Below these, continuing around, are the Upper Mars, Luna (at the corner of the hand away from the thumb), Lower Mars at the base of the thumb, and Venus just above it. The lines that cut across the hands are (top) the head line and (bottom) the heart line. The one that more or less wraps around the thumb is the life line and an optional line from the base of the palm straight up is the fate line.

By examining these lines and their relations to one another and the mounts, as well as a wide variety of secondary lines, a palm reader can determine quite a lot about you.

Common Sense: The Secret Weapon

But by far the most important tool of the palm reader is his or her common sense. A good palm reader can tell a great deal about you by body language and other things. Do you have a firm or limp handshake? Is there a pale spot around your left ring finger, or your left wrist, from a ring or wristwatch?

Many of the palm reader's observations about your hands and fingernails are also used by doctors and nurses to detect specific medical problems. Ridged fingernails are a sign of poor diet and may indicate an eating disorder. Blotchy hands indicate a certain type of anemia, and bluish fingernails indicate a low level of oxygen in the blood, either from anemia or from a pulmonary condition.

All these clues put together make a palm reader a formidably intuitive person. If you go to a palm reader, listen carefully to what they say. Ask why they say it.

You might be surprised at the insights you can gain to yourself.

Chakras and Eastern Meditation

The study of the chakra came into vogue in the West sometime during the 1960s, imported from India. Chakras are seven centers of power along the central axis of the body that correspond with the colors of the spectrum:

• Muladhara – in the sex organs, red, associated with survival and security, element: earth
• Svadhisthana – in the kidneys, orange, associated with emotion and creativity, element: water
• Manipura – in the intestines, yellow, associated with mental function and power, element: fire
• Anahata – in the heart, green (sometimes pink), associated with love and compassion, element: air
• Vishuddi – the famous throat chakra, blue, associated with speech and self-expression, element: life
• Ajna – in the eyes, indigo, associated with intuition, element: time
• Shagasrara – at the top of the head, white or violet, associated with one's connection to the divine, element: space

Interestingly, the traditional positions of the seven basic chakras also correspond with the placement of the most important of the adrenal glands.

Using the Chakras

Chi, or ki, energy is supposed to flow upward through the chakras to exit the top of the head. When we are stressed, one or more of the chakras may become blocked. A classic example of this is the block of the throat chakra, common in women; this is generally shown by her inability to express herself. By using meditation, and focusing on the chi energy going up through the chakra to exit properly, she may unblock her chakra, and thus also free herself to speak.

But how do you know a chakra is blocked? Sometimes a spiritual guide can tell you by talking about how you feel, or by using a form of touch therapy. Another way is through some types of Kirlian photography. Kirlian photography takes a picture of the human aura, and can also capture an image of the chakras. A chakra that does not glow properly when photographed is the one that is blocked.

Many believers in the power of chakras think that the chakras may be the key to determining what in your body is broken, and thus improving overall health. It's far more likely that chakras work for mental problems. If you have a problem expressing yourself emotionally, for instance, you may have a blockage in the heart chakra. If you are suicidal or have a problem with sexual function, the blockage may be in the base chakra.

Chakras are a useful tool, and are a great technique for meditation, which carries its own healing power. But you should never use chakras or any beliefs about them in place of the help of a doctor or other medical professional.