Palmistry: Is it Science or Pseudoscience?

I watched an interview with Johnny Fincham recently. Johnny is an expert in Palmistry, he is the UK’s number one hand reader, and rated number three in the world.

You can watch the full interview here.

Why am I writing about this I hear you ask? Well, I found Johnny’s interview so interesting, it has promoted further research on the subject of palmistry.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will have noticed a theme by now. That theme is my curious but sceptical mind applied to every metaphysical subject I discuss.

If I’m being completely honest, I have I always thought that palmistry was a load of rubbish.

There is no way a series of lines on your hand can predict your future.

And do you know what?…. I was right!

That is what made the Johnny Fincham interview so interesting to me. Johnny doesn’t believe that our future can be predicted by the lines on our palms either.

Yes, you read that right!

Modern palmistry actually doesn’t have anything to do with predicting your future, it has everything to do with gaining a deeper understanding of who you are.

By gaining a deeper understanding of the inner workings of yourself, you can better understand the way in which you are best suited to live your life.

This is especially useful if you don’t quite feel like you fit into your life. Understanding why, and what you can do about it would be valuable to anyone.

I have just walked away from a career I’ve been in all of my adult life, and I have no real plan moving forward.

What have I got to lose by looking into this? If palmistry can give me the answers, then I need to be shouting about this from the rooftops.

What is Modern Palmistry?

The following is taken from a mixture of Johnny Fincham’s website, and his book, Palmistry – Apprentice to Pro in Twenty-Four Hours

Johnny uses the latest scientific and psychological research into the hand and finger shape, texture, size, prints and lines to make dramatic and captivating insights in people’s lives. He is the hand reader called upon by celebrities, royalty, politicians, scientists, academics, entertainers, athletes and business leaders who seek him out for his no-nonsense and transformational advice.

Johnny’s philosophy is that a hand reading isn’t a confrontation with a fixed fate, but is a moment of revelation, opportunity and change.

Despite it being as old as civilisation itself, palmistry has been obscured by more myths, mumbo-jumbo and superstition than almost any other subject on earth.

The legacy of chiromancy (which means to predict the future from markings on the palm or from any natural signs), has obscured the astonishing potential of palmistry as a tool for self-development. The idea the one’s fate is fixed is a legacy of a medieval life-view.

Modern palmistry is often known as ‘chirology’, which is from the Greek for ‘hand study’. Chirology is associated with a more enlightened approach to the art, performing in-depth, non-predictive palm analysis for self-understanding.

Do You Need Psychic Ability to be Able to Read Palms?

Related Post – Conversations With a Palmist: Can Having Your Palm Read Change Your Life?

This is one of the first questions that came into my head.

So far, it’s is all sounding very science based.

Additional research I’ve done suggests the biological brain and the hand are linked. I have found many online sources that study the link between the lines on the palm and the nervous system, as well as physical health.

The length of the fingers specifically has been recognised to directly correlate with attributes such as personality, cognitive abilities and sexual orientation.

Professor John Manning is a Biologist at Swansea University. He has published research determining a link between the length of the ring finger and oxygen metabolism in athletes. Source – News Medical Life Sciences.

Professor Manning has also published findings following research on the link between finger length and the severity of Covid-19 symptoms. Source – Nature.com – Scientific Reports.

“Our findings suggest that Covid-19 severity is related to low testosterone and possibly high oestrogen in both men and women.

“’Feminized’ differences in digit ratios in hospitalised patients supports the view that individuals who have experienced low testosterone and/or high oestrogen are prone to severe expression of Covid-19. This may explain why the most at-risk group is elderly males.”

Professor John Manning

All of this suggests that no psychic ability is required for palm reading.

So why is palmistry still largely considered to be Pseudoscience?

What Are the Sceptics Saying?

Sceptics of palmistry typically dismiss it as a form of pseudoscience, arguing that the interpretations offered by palmists are subjective and lack empirical support.

They often criticise palmistry for its reliance on vague or arbitrary associations between lines on the hand and various aspects of a person’s life, personality, or health.

I can relate to this viewpoint. I often dismiss a lot of pure sceptical views as they seem just as ‘out-there’ and ‘closed-minded’ as the views they are opposing.

However, I can’t help but think there is a reliance on vague or arbitrary associations.

I needed to dig a little deeper.

What Can My Hand Tell Me?

I am yet to have a reading with an experienced palmist but that is coming.

In the meantime, I have read the book I mentioned earlier, Palmistry – Apprentice to Pro in Twenty-Four Hours by Johnny Fincham.

I spent the entire time starring at my right hand with the book in my left, constantly analysing my own palm.

To say I am fascinated by this subject is an understatement.

Let’s look at what I’ve learnt. Below is a picture of my right hand, which is my ‘active’ hand.

Your non-dominant hand is your ‘passive’ hand. In a full hand reading, looking at the passive hand and making comparisons, is just as important. However, I am very much at a beginner level so, we are focusing on my active hand only. We are also only going to talk about the major lines on the palm. I recommend Johnny’s book if you’d like to get a better understanding.

Vitality Line

My vitality line is long and gets deeper as it curves around my thumb ball at the base. I’m not sure what the deepness means, but the curving of the line around the thumb ball suggests I am someone who likes to stay close to home.

The small line that branches off before the curve is the travel line. The fact I have this too suggests I like to travel, but my roots are very much at home.

What does your vitality line look like? They can be strong, weak, long, or short.

The vitality line is used as a measure of stability and vitality. Depending on what your vitality line says about you, you can identify and implement structures to help you in life.

For example, if you have a faint vitality line, it likely means you are easily overwhelmed and struggle to implement structure and stability. Developing healthy routines and sticking to them will help enormously.

Line of Consciousness

The line of consciousness on my hand begins above the vitality line. For some people, it is joined to the vitality line.

This suggests that I am an open and adventurous person. A line connecting to the vitality line suggests someone is more likely to find comfort in what they know.

My line of consciousness is also quite long, it extends across the majority of my palm and curves downward.

This implies that I am someone who thinks a long way into the future. I consider every possibility before making a decision. The curving down of the line suggests that I am a deep thinker but not necessarily a level-headed or logical thinker.

Line of Emotion

My line of emotion is the most prominent line on my active hand. In simple terms, this means I am a person who is ruled by emotion. I would make decisions using my heart over my head.

The ideal line of emotion would curve upwards and end in-between the index finger and the middle finger. Mine appears to split into two at the end. One ending nearer my middle finger, and the other heading to the ‘ideal’ area between the two fingers.

I believe this means that I operate to two emotional levels. A public front level, and a personal level.

I say ‘believe’ because it could also relate to a serious emotional loss.

This palmistry lark is not easy to decipher!

Lifepath Line

You might be wondering why I haven’t marked a lifepath line on the picture above. It is because I don’t appear to have one.

The lifepath line is generally fainter than the others and runs vertically up the middle of the palm.

This line is associated with the career. The fact I have just walked away from my career in finance might be an indication as to why I don’t have a line currently.

The lines on our hands can and do change. As I establish a new and more fulling career, it will be interesting to see if I develop a lifepath line.

Final Thoughts

Okay, you can stop looking at your hand now!

So, what do you think?

I think the descriptions are indeed vague but, I know I haven’t even scratched the surface. You cannot look at the lines alone. If you add in finger/thumb length and flexibility, you get another layer of information. You then add in the prints on the fingers and the palm which adds another layer of information. And it just goes on……. This is without looking at the other hand and adding in the layers of information there too.

I definitely think I am on to something here. I have a reading coming up with a hand consultant in a bid to get a better understanding.

I will post more details about it and what other information my hands can tell me.

I believe that if we can get a true and deep understand of ourselves, we can use that information to help us live our lives in the happiest and most authentic way possible.

I have a feeling that my hands will tell me that I am not made for a career in finance. If I’d known that information sooner in my life, perhaps I could have avoided the years working in a job that didn’t fulfil me.

Related Post – How To Use Mindfulness When Navigating Difficult Life Issues