Tarot and Palmistry

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 05 Apr 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Rusty Neon	05 Apr 2003
Both tarot and palmistry are astrological sciences. However, I'm curious as to whether anyone has found a way of transferring palmistry principles to tarot and tarot reading.

Thirteen	05 Apr 2003
Well, um, yes and no. Yes in that both, as you point out, involve astrology and planets and such. No in that palmestry is palmestry meaning it requires a palm. I suppose you could lay out five cards, one for each finger and connect it to the meaning of each finger in that way?

paradoxx	14 Apr 2003
sicne you use the palm to work with the cards, perhaps after studying your lines you can relate how you project energy with how you read the cards. the left hand (if your right handed) is the receptive hand, place your hand over the card and try to guess what card it might be. Although a tarot of palmistry would be interesting.

Astraea	14 Apr 2003
It's not a tarot, but there is a palmistry deck of 64 cards called (appropriately) Palmistry Cards. I couldn't find a review or pictures, but here is a link to a place where the cards are sold, featuring a picture of the box and a brief description of the deck http://www.mandala.org/html/palmistry-cards.html

paradoxx	31 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by paradoxx sicne you use the palm to work with the cards, perhaps after studying your lines you can relate how you project energy with how you read the cards. the left hand (if your right handed) is the receptive hand, place your hand over the card and try to guess what card it might be. Although a tarot of palmistry would be interesting. you could also place a few cards for your palm in teh spread, one for teh life line, one for the head line, one for the heart line.

TemperanceAngel	08 Nov 2003
I am not sure if this helps you, but sometimes when a client sits down I look at their hands and start picking up on many things about them (and say them as well) before I put the cards down. That would be the only way I can think that Tarot and Palmistry mix for me..... Bit off the track I know XTAX

psychiclayla	12 Nov 2003
If you look at the hands of the people on your deck (if the pics are realistic enough) you will often find that the artist has given each figure the appropriate hand shape. So the King of Pents usually has big, solid, earthy hands & the Queen of Cups often has long, graceful, watery fingers. I noticed this when I was first studying palmistry - artists tend to give someone a hand shape that represents their personality.

Rusty Neon	12 Nov 2003
Quote: Originally posted by psychiclayla If you look at the hands of the people on your deck (if the pics are realistic enough) you will often find that the artist has given each figure the appropriate hand shape. So the King of Pents usually has big, solid, earthy hands & the Queen of Cups often has long, graceful, watery fingers. I noticed this when I was first studying palmistry - artists tend to give someone a hand shape that represents their personality. Interesting. I guess the tarot artists who do happen to know palmistry consciously or unconsciously do this. Do you happen to recall which decks you noticed this with? Was it the case with the Conver/Grimaud Tarot de Marseille as well?

Alissa	14 Nov 2003
The markings on the Devil's raised palm is the most significant palmistry-like example I can think of. Pollack likens it to a "astrological glyph for Saturn, a planet often seen symbolizing evil or misfortune...." The marking itself looks like the fate line (the vertical) intersecting with the head line (the horizontal), with the life line seen hugging the Devil's thumb. Significantly, his palm is missing one other common line ... the Heart line. If I were to read the Devil's existing lines, I'd say : this person formed their ego-identity late in life and from the start felt a need to set themselves apart from the morals and beliefs of the authority figures that raised them, that they are impulsive in thought and deed, will lead a life that drifts and that they have a mind that thinks short, analytical thoughts (versus long, dreamy, creative thoughts). As a palm reader, I still can't really find a way to get away from the basic fact that was already mentioned ... you need a palm, or a hand, to do palmistry and so how can you do a deck of palms? Use a whole bunch of examples as cards and then ascribe meanings? And I *love* what you said about the illustrations' hand types psychiclayla! Great observations! If you're interested, you can search the palmistry thread on hand types in the General Study Groups forum, under : Palmistry Study Group.

psychiclayla	15 Nov 2003
Thanks Alissa! I noticed this on my usual deck (Cosmic Tarot) but I've started to look at other decks and found this to be the case with many of them. The more realistic decks show this best. I think good artists do this naturally without having a knowledge of palmistry - In older paintings saints & other religious characters are often shown with long, tapering hands & farmers have big, solid fingers. I'm trying to think of some examples but my mind has gone blank...

psychiclayla	16 Nov 2003
Quote: Originally posted by paradoxx Although a tarot of palmistry would be interesting. A Palmistry Tarot would be fab! Most decks concentrate on the faces & upper bodies of the Tarot characters. So why not concentrate on the area from chin to belly-button with the emphasis on the hands? I just imagine the Queen of Pents with her conic hands (with almond shaped nails) placed firmly on her hips...The King of Cups grasping a quill in his soft, white artistic hands. The Cups could be represented by cupped hands, The Wands by thumbs-up (symbolising positive, yes, go-for-it type energy), the Pentacles by outstretched palms (giving & recieving) and the Swords by pointing fingers. Or you could have a different hand position and type for each card - for example the 9 of swords would be a pair of deeply lined, worriesome hands tightly clenched together. Anyone got the number of palmists anonymous? I think I need help!

The Tarot and Palmistry thread was originally posted on 05 Apr 2003 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.