In Broad Strokes; Palmistry

Knock, knock, knock! Awakening from a light sleep, I rise and groggily open the door to my hotel room. “Hi there, sorry, were you sleeping?” “Uh, yes,” I reply, startled, “but is something wrong?” I see my KLM colleague blush. She probably finds it difficult to tell me what’s going on. Everyone carries their own baggage from home. With her eyes downcast, she continues, “I’ve heard from other colleagues that you read palms. I was wondering if you could take a look at my hands.”

Fascination with Hands

From an early age, I have been intrigued by hands. Since I started working at KLM, I’ve seen various hands of ever-changing colleagues. In Asia, I sometimes have my own hands read on the street. Unfortunately, these fortune-tellers often spout nonsense. They focus on misfortune to make you dependent on them, as if they can change your fate. In Singapore, I managed to get hold of books that describe the lines in the hands—and thus your fate—not as fixed facts. That resonates with me. During a flight, after the service when most passengers are sprawled out, I take a stroll through the pantries. What could be more fascinating than getting to know your colleagues through palmistry? Naturally, I mention that I’m practicing: In the meantime, I verify whether the theory from my books matches up with practice.

Palmistry Training

Since then, there’s been frequent knocking at my door. Colleagues recognize what I speak about. However, I lack a solid foundation of knowledge. I decide to enroll in a Palmistry course. From the start, I am intensely motivated. It feels like I’m catching up. The way palmistry is explained confirms what I feel. It’s used to empower people, making them aware of their talents. Where there are still obstacles, it encourages them to overcome them. My palmistry teacher becomes dizzy from my questions but is also amused. “I can’t satisfy your hunger; you should also take the advanced class.”

Consultations, Courses, and Team Building

As fate would have it, just as I finish the training, it’s time to say farewell to KLM due to my weak back. I quite enjoy my own entrepreneurship as a coach/trainer. Occasionally, I take a look at the hands of my coachees. Soon, I get bombarded with the following questions: “Do you also do consultations?” “Do you offer courses?” Palmistry is my passion, so I decide to respond to these queries by offering palmistry courses and consultations. The next step is facilitating ‘team building through palmistry’ at various companies such as Randstad, Amsterdam Police, KPMG Meijburg, and several municipalities. It becomes a hit.

Lines Change as You Change

You might wonder, what’s so special about palmistry? Perhaps you have a fixed idea of a fortune-teller with large earrings and a crystal ball who determines your future. True palmistry emphasizes that you take your future into your own hands because… if you change your life’s path by 180 degrees tomorrow, your lines will change too.

Why is Palmistry Special?

I just wrapped up an outdoor course Palmistry Course and Walking Week where participants were highly enthusiastic. “Why do you find palmistry so special?” I ask them.

• The fact that the lines change as you change, meaning nothing is fixed.
• That it feels so recognizable. The main lines, like the life line, heart line, head line, and fate line, are not just character lines. You can also read on these lines where you flow and where things get stuck. Now, I need to give a brief summary of the theory: The life line indicates how you manage your energy and how much space you need. If you have, for example, a burnout or an energy leak, that line stops. So, you won’t die at that age, but you have little energy left. The heart line shows how you experience your emotional life, revealing heartbreak or joy. The head line shows how you think, with islands indicating moments of worry. The fate line shows your life journey and a tendency for the future if you continue as you are. But this can change tomorrow; you have that in your hands.
• That lines sometimes intertwine: that’s why palmistry invites people to ask genuine questions in a coaching manner. This way, you build a bond. It’s also essential to verify your findings with a “Do you recognize this?” Because you can clearly see someone’s qualities through their fingers, knuckles, and lines, palmistry is an excellent tool for career questions.
• It’s a concrete reflection of who you are.

Palmistry, used in an equal way, is therefore not some whimsical crystal-ball prediction. Instead, it’s a support system that empowers you to take control of your destiny and extract as much as possible from it.