Chiromancy

The art or science of hand analysis is known as Chiromancy. Many people know this system as Cheiromancy after Cheiro who is considered as the Father of Palmistry. This is so not because Cheiro invented palmistry, which was there much before than him, but because he perfected the art to such an extent that it was re-invented by him. It is said that in his time, he has made hundreds if not thousands of predictions and readings, all of them one hundred per cent true and accurate. This is why Cheiro is considered today something of a legend.

[edit] The basics of hand analysis

Chiromancy is a very complex science and requires not only in-depth knowledge but also much experience and even a little psychic ability to be able to interpret correctly a person's past, present and future. Most people have the impression that palmistry is only about reading the lines on the hand. The truth is that there is much more to hand analysis than the lines on the palm; you need to take into consideration the shape of the hand, the nail color, the shape of the nails, the length of the fingers and their shape and so many other things.

According to the hand shape, you can tell the basic traits of a person. This is mostly what the modern palmistry follows:

1. Square hands – this is when the palm shape with fingers closes resembles a square. This is also known as the earth hand and the person who hand this is will have all the characteristics symbolic to earth such as dependability, strength and integrity.
2. Air hands – this is when the palms are square, but the knuckles are protruding. The fingers of this type of hand are long and the thumbs quite low set in comparison to the rest of the hand. This hand that shows intellect and inclination in arts, sentimentalism, spiritualism and other air characteristics.
3. Water hands – this hand is almost oval in shape and the fingers conical in shape. This represents people who possess the characteristics of water element.
4. Fire hands – this is another square or rectangular hand, but the fingers are short and stubby. The characteristics that these hands represent are people are high energy, temperamental and creativity.

[edit] Cheiromancy or reading the hand the Cheiro way

As mentioned earlier Cheiro was a master of palmistry whose accuracy and insights are still followed and accepted today. There have been many other brilliant palmists down the centuries, but no one could come even in close comparison to the incredible brilliancy of Cheiro. There are many books, which explain how to read the hand according to Cheiro. In fact, the style and method he used for reading palms is now known as Cheiromancy.

He had a knack of deciphering hands, as you would read a regular book. A small anecdote about Cheiro says that a death row convict had asked for a palm reading so he would decide whether to apply for a pardon or not. Cheiro told him that he would not die executed. He appealed and his appeals were all rejected. Once again, this convict asked Cheiro to read his palm; once again, Cheiro repeated his statement. On the day the execution was scheduled, this man believing implicitly in Cheiro's prediction, hoped for a miracle. Nothing happened and he was hanged. However, after being hanged, he did not die, and this was taken as a sign that he was innocent and his pardon plea accepted. He went on to die of old age, proving Cheiro's prediction true. This is one of the incidents that made Cheiro an eternal legend.