Palmistry is a divination practice that uses natural variations in the appearance of the palm to predict the future. Its origins are in India or Southeast Asia, and it is widely accepted in parts of Asia but viewed as a curiosity in North America and suppressed in Europe. Skeptics argue that it is a scam, while believers think the lines on the palm contain information about the future.
Palmistry is a practice that people claim can be used to predict information about the future. People who practice palimpsests — called palmists — examine their clients’ palms and make predictions based on natural variations in the palm’s appearance. The acceptance of palmistry varies widely around the world. In North America, for example, it is often regarded as little more than a curiosity, while in parts of Asia palmistry is taken very seriously and readings can have long-term ramifications for their subjects.
People have been attempting to tell the future for thousands of years, and palmistry appears to be one of the oldest methods of divination. The origins of this practice are a bit difficult to pin down, but they appear to be in India or parts of Southeast Asia. From here, they spread to other regions with traders and nomadic peoples, and many cultures developed their own versions of palmistry.
There are several approaches to palmistry. All are based on the idea that destiny is predestined and that the future can be read in the lines of the hand, with the implication that one’s destiny has already been written. In addition to studying the lines and creases of the hand, palmists also look at the settings or risers, gathering information that should be used to create a complete profile.
Palm reading, or palmistry as it is sometimes known, was once widely practiced around the world. In Europe, however, it was suppressed by the Church, for fear of being associated with witchcraft and astronomy. Its underground status has proved difficult to recover, especially with the rise of modern scientific thought, and as a result many Europeans and people of European descent do not regard palmistry as a legitimate science, although the Roma of Europe continue to practice it.
In parts of Asia, palmistry is one of many accepted arts that people use to learn more about their future. PDA readers often offer their services cheaply on the streets, and people may also turn to a reader for a profile. Profiles can also include the launch of an astrological chart.
Skeptics argue that fortune tellers use the same techniques used by cheaters and scammers; rather than having a glimpse into the future, they are simply very good at reading people and telling them what they want to know. Believers in palmistry think that the lines on the palm actually contain information about what might happen in the future.
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