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I For a true intuitive, it is possible to read meaning in many things. Coins that are tossed, runes picked or straws that are dropped, tea leaves in the bottom of a cup, or playing cards drawn randomly, all afford significant pictures for one who is sensitive.

Underlying the visible world of things, nature's arrays and the human physiognomy is a telling subtext that is plainly written and decipherable even to one who is merely logical. It is interesting to see that certain types of quasi-sciences based on human physiognomy have fallen out of practice while palmistry, with its rich traditions and universal language, persists as a practical form of reading character.

Phrenology, the practice of character reading by the shapes and bumps on the head, for example, was once a common form of human study. It is hardly ever practiced today and I suspect it was the rise of modern psychology that led to its demise as well as more accurate knowledge of the brain's structure through neuroscience.

One of the more unusual volumes in my library is "Descriptive Mentality From the Head, Face and Hand" by Merton Holmes, published in 1899 by David McKay. Holmes characterizes his study as "Psychologic physiognomy" and, coining a quasi-scientific neologism, "mentology." He claims in the preface to his book that "each mental faculty has a direct influence upon one or more parts of the face, hand and body." Though he attempts to put many of his questionable claims on a scientific footing with elaborate charts and diagrams, it's significant that Holmes devotes over half his book to hand reading. And it is in that section where there is actually some sound information.

You don't have to be an expert palm reader to quickly note a person's general character by the shape of their hands. Are the tips of the fingers round and the hands square? That individual is a builder, a person with common sense. People with square or spatulate hands generally have palms that are equal to or slightly longer than the fingers themselves. They are good at beginning and finishing projects that are artisanal in nature, work that is directly done with the hands. Large palms indicate grounding in the world of practical materiality.

Do this builder's hands have calluses or show evidence of direct contact with wood or metal? That is a common sense observation any reader can make. Much of the meaning the visible world can render is quite logical in nature and it will reveal itself to one who simply pays attention to small details.

Are the joints between the digits in the fingers excessively knotty, larger than the phalanges themselves? That is the philosophic hand, that of the thinker, one who by nature asks questions. And the joints themselves are like visible bridges of passage between two different modes. The philosopher naturally considers well the passage and transition to another mode. More inclined to think before acting, the knots themselves indicate a world of reflection. If those knotty fingers reside on a hand with wide and long palms, you know that individual is a practical philosopher, one who may be inclined to reflection but unafraid to act.

Are the fingers long and thin and themselves longer than the palm? That is the psychic and intuitive hand. The fingers extend far up into the world of idea and spirit. Are the nails on this psychic hand long and painted? Or are they short and workmanlike? That is a directly visible indication of this individual's practicality. They may be intuitive by nature but still "get their hands dirty" in the practical world of materiality.

How do these individuals hold their hands at rest? What do they do with their hands when they speak or when they are excited? If the hands are active during speech you may be sure that you are looking at an excitable, perhaps creative, individual. Do the hands fold upon one another during the act of listening? That gesture may indicate a mind closed to the matter at hand.

All of these visible gestures of the hand, taken in context, reveal much about their master. To read the hands, begin by paying great attention to the shapes of the hands and their movements. You will begin to decipher meaning in a way that Sherlock Holmes, that great fictional reader of character, told his physician assistant is "elementary, my dear Watson."

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