The
Art and Science of Hand Reading – Classical Methods for Self-Discovery through
Palmistry, Ellen Goldberg and Dorian Bergen, Destiny Books, Rochester, VT,
2016, 532pp, $35.00.
The
Art and Science of Hand Reading is better than any
palmistry course I’ve ever taken and any book on the subject I’ve read. It
teaches how to look at the entire hand and combine what you see: What is the
texture of the skin? Is the hand flexible or stiff? Is there hair on the hands?
What about the fingernails—are they cracked and brittle; ridged or smooth? Are
there spots under the nails? Are the fingers evenly spaced, twisted, bent? What
does the length of the fingers indicate? What do the fingerprints have to say?
Oh, yes! This is an incredible
book. The amount of information is staggering, and there’s enough detail to
answer any questions you might have. Drawings and photos make it so easy to
understand what the text explains. Most palmistry books have drawings; few have
such great photos. What I found particularly helpful were drawings beside
photos of hand prints, showing exactly what the authors were talking about. To
see the drawing was nice, but to see it reflected in the hand print explained
it so much better.
I’ve been confused
about the mounts, which are the pads of flesh that rise up from the palm. I’d
look at my hand and say, “Okay, so how do I judge my mounts?” Not to worry with
The Art and Science of Hand Reading. Chapter
4 goes into great detail and includes lots of photos. The following chapters
each cover a mount.
When we get to the
lines, there is more than just the technical “this is the Life Line”. Goldberg
and Bergen write about Karmic Debt, quality of the Life Line, factors that help
determine life span, and more. Do you know, for example, that “defects” in the
Life Line “refer either to illnesses or periods of difficulty”? Has a defect in
your Life Line been repaired? Yes, lines can change. How will that affect you?
There is this much detail on every mount, line, fingernail—every part of the
hand.
Do you know that
there are more than just Head, Heart, and Life lines on your hands? The Line of
Intuition will indicate how intuitive and imaginative you are. Many books go
into great detail about Lines of Affection (is a person attracted to family
life?) and Children Lines (how many will you have?). Goldberg and Bergen
explain that, though “all markings in the hand have been found to be reliable”
these lines “are not very reliable”. They are included with warnings if you’re
going to mention them in a palm reading for someone. I was once told I would
have four children; I have none.
Goldberg and Bergen
explain how to compare right hand and left hand; how to determine timing of
events in a person’s life. They explain how to determine a hand’s element:
Earth, Air, Fire or Water. They also include the “bracelets” on the wrist,
which “provide information about the condition of the organs located in the
abdominal cavity.”
Do you want to read
palms? By the end of The Art and Science
of Hand Reading you should be ready. In the book’s Conclusion: Putting It All Together, the authors
include an incredibly helpful sample work sheet and explain how to conduct a
palm reading for another person.
I would advise using The Art and Science of Hand Reading the
same way Goldberg and Bergen recommend reading a palm: “…go slowly and look at
each separate part.”
One last note. Like
most books, the authors tell us a bit about themselves. They also include a
section titled The Hands of the Authors and How They Work Together, which truly
shows how looking at the palms of two different people can tell us how they
work together to enhance their work. How many authors are so willing to put
themselves out there?
I recommend
The Art and Science of Hand Reading
for those who want to learn to read hands for others, for those who want to
learn more about themselves, and for those curious about the subject. It’s a
captivating book and you won’t be able to put it down!
-
Terri Murray
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