Palmistry Stories: The Woman in White

It was Saturday, June 7th 2008 when friends Anna and Tommy* came for a reading at the house. I was ready for them with the tea brewed and the fragrance of sweet incense emanating from the other room.  They had booked their session in advance, wanting to split the reading between the two of them before a fun night out on the town.

Tommy was a jolly fellow, quick to smile and we hit it off immediately. His beautiful hands were easy to read, and the words flowed effortlessly off my lips as I traced his lines, and analyzed shape of his hand and fingers. I don't remember the details of his reading (common for me), but I do remember all of us laughing and being delighted at the accurate details that were coming through. After about 30 minutes, his reading was over, and it was time for Anna.

She was very excited, as was I, looking forward to a fun and illuminating experience just like the one her good friend Tommy just experienced. As I took her hands, however, I felt something I had never experienced before. There, above her right shoulder stood a figure in white, who seemed female, and maternal. She was very powerful, and looking right into my soul.

I blinked, and thought to myself, "Oh Jim, you are really obnoxious. Seriously??? A figure in white??? What a cliche! If you are going to make something up, try to do so with some creativity! Now stop this nonsense and concentrate on the reading!"

Despite my disbelief, and my attempts to ignore this specter, the woman in white remained. As much as I doubted what I was 'seeing' and as much as I feared sharing this with my client, the figure stood there. The thoughts ran through my mind, "You can't tell her this, you're a palm reader, not some kind of psychic medium! What if you're wrong about it? You could really freak Anna out, or even damage her!"

That's when the figure in white started tapping on my forehead, which made focusing on reading the palm even more difficult. Unlike the first reading, and most of my readings, the words did not flow from at all. I was stammering, clearing my throat, and saying "umm" a lot while trying to describe the Anna's lines and hand shape.

I took both a deep breath and a huge leap of faith and said, "Okay - look, I am sorry - this has never happened to me before, but... there is a figure in white standing behind your right shoulder. This feels like a maternal figure, but could be a mom, aunt, or grandma, and she is sending me some really strong emotional messages, and with urgency. First, she is full of deep and painful regret towards you - she is saying, 'I am so sorry.' Second, she loves you like crazy - her love is overwhelming and strong. Finally, she is definitely a mamma bear - protective of you, and watching over you with great power." I sighed, both relieved that I had finally gotten this out into the open, but also worried about the response I might get from my clients.

I looked up at Anna's face. She was wide eyed and had pulled her hands back from me. We stared at each other for a moment, then she blurted out, "I don't have a mom. I mean, I was raised by foster parents."

I had a sinking feeling in my gut, and I started to wonder if I had just made a huge mistake. "You don't have to pay for the reading!" I quickly offered, but Anna insisted on paying, and they quickly left.

I didn't expect to ever hear from them again, and was, over the following days, very worried about the reading, and how Anna was doing.

Three days later, I received an email from Anna telling me how significant the reading was, and that her and Tommy had been talking about it non-stop. She explained that her mother didn't "pass away" - she had made some wrong turns in life and ended up becoming a victim of the Green River Killer. Anna said that her mom never had a chance to change, and is sure that the person she was when she died was not the person she would have wanted to be remembered as. Having a chance to hear from her mom was deeply meaningful to her, adding "...the best money I have ever spent."

--------------

There have been many times in my life when I have had a lack of faith. Following the fearful path has often led me to more suffering than was warranted. In this instance, I had a choice, and had to make that choice in full confrontation of my fear of being wrong. My faith was also tested, for three days anyway, that I had made the right choice in telling my client what I was seeing.

My client also had a choice - to listen to the palm reader and allow herself to re-connect with the idea of her mother, now enlightened, whole, and complete -- or to discount the entire experience. I believe that Anna found some sort of healing from the visitation of her mom, and I am so grateful that Anna chose to have faith as well.

What do we do when our knowledge, our talents, our identity is pushed beyond their limits? I invite you to consider listening to that inner voice of the Divine, have faith, and make that choice.

Love and blessings,
Jim Barker

* This story is a true experience, but the names and specific identifying details have been changed to protect privacy.

Luck in the Hands

I have always enjoyed St. Patrick's Day. Parades, green dyed everything, and the possibility that a little fey creature may have a horde of gold someplace. Most fascinating to me is the idea that we could influence our luck on this day, and have always loved the lucky talismans: four leaf clovers, horseshoes, and wearing green and gold.

But what of luck anyway? Does luck show up in the hand?

Traditionally, luck was seen in the position of the Fate Line (or Jupiter Line), or in the Success Line. 

My biggest life lesson on luck occurred early in my relationship when I turned to my lovely husband one day and told him how lucky I felt to be in this relationship. He replied, "It's not luck," explaining that this relationship has been a labor of love and commitment co-created by both of us. "I feel fortunate to be with you, Jim." he said, "which is more than luck." 

I was greatly moved by this profound observation, and it has greatly influenced my beliefs. Today I would characterize luck more accurately as "dumb luck," meaning, you very little power over this completely random occurrence.

Fortune, however, is completely within your ability to influence. We create our fortune through our actions, in-actions, and our response to the situations, and we can change our fortune any time. How empowering to embrace this idea!

This means that there are influences, and they can show up on the hand, but ultimately, you have quite a lot of power when it comes to how those influences show up. For instance, sometimes I may see something potentially difficult in the fate line. These difficulties often show up as life lessons, but there is never a pre-ordained way that these lessons show up. This is where you have enormous power. How would you like to learn your life lesson? Through a tragedy or a blessing? Through action or in-action? You actually get to choose! The choice isn't necessarily made one day while imploring the Divine for mercy, but in the every day little choices that ultimately lead to a breakthrough, or breakdown. (often a breakdown followed by breakthrough)

So, this St. Patrick's Day, I invite you to hope for luck, and, more importantly, embrace your FORTUNE, because, truly, your fortune is in your hands.

Blessings,

Jim

Love is in Your Hands

Valentine's day - such a controversial holiday!  There is question about the origin: A modern scheme invented by the candy, greeting card, and floral industries to booth revenue post Christmas?  An ancient Roman pagan holiday celebrating the origin of Rome?  A day to remember a martyred 3rd century Catholic saint?

There is also controversy within people's heart: a day of pain for those who are separated from loved ones, either through distance, death, or divorce/breakup, or a day of joy for those who do have someone close to love and with whom to celebrate.

I see so many clients who want to know about their love life.  For some, it is the longing for a love that has not yet happened.  For others it is big decisions concerning the relationship they are currently in.

The hands reveal so much about love, and one's relationship to the idea of a relationship.  The two elements of the hand I tend to see reflecting love and potential for relationship are the heart line and the ring finger.  However, neither of these can be easily explained in the short format of a blog post, and I read their position relative to the other lines and fingers, not just by themselves.

Rather, I thought I'd share with you some of the things I have learned about love over my 35+ years of reading hands.

Love doesn't always fit into the boxes society has outlined for it. Each person's heart line is unique, and each person has a unique way they experience love, both receiving and giving. Embrace your unique love signature, and know that it has been shaped by the experiences you have had so far. In this embrace of your love signature, you can find the freedom and power to transform any part of it that isn't working for you -- or not.

Love isn't set in stone. Our heart lines move and change (as do all the lines), and more than this, the relationship of our heart line with the other aspects of the hand that speak of love change greatly. The end of your story isn't written yet - so you don't have to make any final statements about love if you don't want to.

Love is a verb, not a feeling. There are lots of feelings that go along with love: ecstasy, pain, elation, depression, warmth, rejection, to name a few. The feelings are temporary (even if some have lasted a while) but the act of love is always available. First to love ourselves, then to love those around us.

You are so loved by the Divine. In every palm reading I have done, I have seen how tremendously the Divine adores each person. No matter your past, no matter your current situation, the Divine is in adoration of YOU, the precious precious child of the Divine. This love is expressed to you all the time, all you need to do is become aware of it. Every time someone smiles at you, every time you see something beautiful, that is the Divine telling you, "I love you, my precious child" - and if you are reading this paragraph, know that this message is for you.

There are many hand gestures that can help with healing the heart. The ring finger is a good place to start - the finger of self esteem and feelings (the "feeler") ruled by Apollo.

To encourage compassion and empathy towards others, relax the ring finger, and allow it to curl in. In so doing, imagine relaxing and allowing yourself to feel the emotional energy of those around you.

To encourage strength and self esteem, straighten the ring finger, and adorn yourself with jewelry on those fingers.

May you be blessed with the awareness of Divine love, and the power to act with love.

Many blessings,
Jim

Faith Not Necessary

Faith not necessary.

I had a pretty profound realization during a palm reading with a client this week.

Near the end of our time together, my client said through her tears, "I just wish I could have faith!" She meant faith in herself, faith in the connection she has to the Divine.

I didn't know what to say to that, and was astonished as I watched my body respond to her.  Here is what came out of my mouth:

"Is gravity an act of faith?  If I drop this pen, will it fall?  ::drops pen::  Exactly.  No faith required.  Gravity is just there - so much so that we don't even notice it most of the time.  So it is with your connection with the Divine.  Your connection to the Divine just IS.  There isn't anything to do about it except NOTICE it!  It is always there, always reliable, always true.  Just like gravity.  You don't need faith to know that you are profoundly connected with the Divine.  You simply need to stop, breathe, and notice it.  Just like you can notice gravity when you stop, breathe, and notice."

When I stopped talking, we both kinda sat there for a moment.  I was dumbfounded at the depth of those words, that I had never really thought about before.

Later that week, I was unexpectedly called to minister to a dying woman in hospice. I entered her room, and realized immediately how deeply she was connected with the Divine.  In her case, the goddess Brigid (Bride).  As I performed the requisite ceremony preparing her for her great transformation at the end of life (she died less than 12 hrs after my visit), I was reminded again of how profound our connection with the Divine really is.

Like a pillar of light, we are physical manifestations of God/ess walking on earth.  I can see that pillar up out of the top of our head to the heavens, and down from our torso to the core of the earth.  We walk in this pillar of divine light always.  All we need to do is notice it.

And in noticing our deep and lasting connection with the Divine, we know our worthiness, our love-ability, and our beauty.  In knowing these things about ourselves, we come to see and know those same aspects in the other human beings who walk with us.

Blessings to you and yours,
Jim Barker
www.TheDivineHand.com

True Humility is in Knowing and Fully Embracing Your Gifts

People often ask how I became a professional palm reader.  Though I tell part of the story on my website, one of the deeper reasons is due to an experience I had in realizing my own worth.

In my mid 20's, I had been dabbling in palmistry for a while, but at the time, I would not have called myself a "palm reader". Palmistry was just a silly thing I did on the side, a parlor trick for people. Many people commented about my readings, but I never took their comments seriously.

I was at a point where I was questioning my life direction.  I remember watching the 1996 Olympics (Atlanta) on television, and the thought occurred to me that these athletes had made it to the pinnacle of achievement.  Those who were skilled and lucky enough to medal, were considered the top athlete in the world. 

Though it seems a bit ridiculous to make the comparison in hindsight, at the time I wondered if I would ever be "Number One" at anything.  I felt stuck in mediocrity.  I was a "B" student (OK, sometimes a "C" student), I had a normal job, making an average wage.  

So, I lamented in my head, "What am I good at? What will I be "Number One" at doing?  When can I call myself an expert?"

Immediately an answer, seemingly from a higher source, popped into my head, "What about your palmistry?"  

"My palmistry?  I don't know - it's just that dumb thing I do."

"How many times must I tell you that what you are doing is amazing, and helps people, before you will believe me?"

"Ummm... I don't think You have ever told me this.  When have you told me these things?  Surely had I heard it from You, I would have known, right?"

"Every time you have heard it from other people, that is Me speaking."

At this point, I suddenly flushed and got tingles down my spine.  Of course - Had I been rejecting the Divine all along, for years?  So many times when I would read someones hand, the person would often respond with positive feedback.  And repeatedly, I just brushed it aside.  Was the Divine really speaking through the people who tell me that I had a positive impact on their lives?

I immediately realized that what was being revealed to me was much deeper - I had been squandering my talent.  I had been dismissing my Divine gift!

That was a big change for me.  I started hearing the feedback from people completely differently. I realized that the feedback they offered was not just my client, but also the Divine speaking through them, and telling me that what I was doing was important, and was making a difference in the world.  I realized the value in my ability to read hands, and to see the Divine presence within my clients.  My work became cherished, special, important.  It was no longer "that dumb thing I do."

Today I embrace my ability to read hands as a gift.  I realize that to be humble in accepting my gift from the Divine, I have to live in it fully, and take it on completely.  No more false modesty detracting from the true value of my ability.

So, I pass along this challenge to YOU: where have you been rejecting the love and admiration of the Divine?  When others tell you that your art/cooking/music/writing/skills/talents are amazing/beautiful/transformative - do you honor those words as affirmation from a Divine source?  And what would your life look like if you did?

In love and light,

Jim Barker

www.TheDivineHand.com 

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!  May you feel the promise of the return of the light this season.

Perhaps you celebrate the light during the eight nights of hanukkah.  Maybe its the lengthening of days after the Winter Solstice.  Or, perhaps it is the birth of the Light of the World in the Christ child.

However you observe, may the light start in our hearts and radiate out to all, warming their hearts and souls.

In love and light,
Jim Barker
www.TheDivineHand.com

Let Your Fingers Point the Way: using body position to motivate change.

Lately the topic of healing and palmistry have been coming up a lot. Maybe it's the holiday season that gets us present to the need for healing and peace, or the new year and our desire for a clean slate. Whatever the reason, I thought I'd share some of my thoughts on this subject.

Our hands are always subject to the expression of our body language. Each finger represents an archetype, and the ways we use that finger are telling motifs of what is going on within. Perhaps you have been feeling powerless as of late. A loss of power at work, and/or at home. Maybe you are overwhelmed, or maybe somebody pulled the rug out from under you. Maybe you are stuck in a no-win situation, or maybe you are simply following orders.

All of these (and more) situations related to a loss of power and agency are displayed on the hand in the index finger. An extended finger indicates exerting power, and a flexed finger inticates receptive to power. In the quick situations described above, it is likely your index finger would be flexed (curled).

If you wanted to find power in your situation, there are many ways to do so, but sometimes the first step is very difficult. One of the ways to take control of your situation using palmistry is to make a concious effort to extend that index finger. When you extend your index finger, your body can't help but read this as exerting power and agency. When your body senses this, it sends signals to your mind, and to your psyche. Soon enough, if you are holding that index finger straight, you will find access to power in your situation. You will find courage to start on that overwhelming thing, or find your footing after a change.  You will find a way to escape the no-win situation, and find your way to contribute while following orders.

This principle relates to all of the fingers.  If you are feeling unmotivated or lazy, just extend that thumb out and you won't be able to sit still for long.  If you are feeling low self esteem, extend your ring finger.  Feeling censored? Extend your pinkie.  Feeling like your ethics are being violated? extend your middle finger (maybe along with the other fingers to avoid signaling the wrong thing.) I am always amazed at how well this works for me.

The old paper phone books used to say, "Let your fingers do the walking." That's true in palmistry as well.  Let your fingers help you find your way.