I suppose it was inevitable...

For the first time ever, I was stood up by a client tonight. The event was already booked and an additional reader hired. I got to the location and was told by the client that we weren't needed anymore to do palm and tarot readings. I don't believe it's just me when I think that she could have let me know in advance by returning the phone message left with her sister yesterday, even if she didn't receive the 2 confirmation emails send previous to that.

Oh, well - A couple hundred dollars I'm out of pocket, not to mention the hours put in. Time for a policy change. From here on in I guess I'll have to take a non-refundable deposit for private parties and events where another reader is also booked.

How Long Can the Construction Noise Continue?

The best laid plans of mice and men...

After the scaffolding came down, I thought for sure the construction noise would quiet down for awhile. No such luck. They're still at it with concrete saws, sledgehammers, and other heavy machinery. Until the noise level gets down to a reasonable volume, there will still be delays on correspondence and website updates.

Back to Work II

So it's taking longer to catch up on correspondence and website work than originally thought. For the last 4 days we've had heavy machinery right outside our door. 4 days of backhoes and bulldozers, and at least 1 more day to go. Too loud to hear myself think...

Back to Work

OK, so it's back to work for me now. Taking most of June off was one of my best decisions ever. Feeling far less burned out, and ready to get back into some research projects. The construction/restoration work is still going on, so there's still not too much quiet time to think clearly here, but at least the scaffolding has finally been taken down so now some sunlight gets in.

Email correspondence and website updates will be caught up over the next few days.

On Vacation Until July

Well, the construction/restoration work here is getting closer to completion but is still ongoing, which means still very little quiet time for work, emails and website maintenance. Rather than getting completely burned out trying unsuccessfully to keep up, I'll be taking time off until July. I'm even going on an actual vacation with a trip to Tofino. (My first travel holiday in over a decade.)

Through June I will only be working at corporate events that have already been booked. I'll do my best to catch up and keep up with the email questions, but most website maintenance, link requests and directory updates will have to wait until early July for a reply. Holistic Cheirology students will continue to have student support available throughout June, but new enrollments will have to wait a bit longer.

See you in July!

Months More of Work Delays Ahead

The ongoing construction/restoration work here has become far too disruptive to continue attempting to keep up with writing and blog posts. Monday through Friday is pretty constant noise and dust now, which makes it impossible to think clearly for long or get any regular work done.

I've already had to stop teaching private students here because of all the construction work, and will not be doing any hand readings at my home until this is all done. No new students will be able to start the Holistic Cheirology course until then either. Working at other locations is no problem, so I am still available for corporate events and private parties. My tai chi classes for seniors are also happening Tuesday mornings at the Guildford Recreation Center in Surrey.

All the construction work is scheduled for completion sometime this Spring, so expect very few new blog posts or website updates until late March or April.

Broken Fingernails and Bleeding Cuticles

I've been more than a tad reclusive again lately, having very little contact with anyone except family, clients and students. Lots happening, but mostly just keeping to myself and not writing much at all. I seem to do this from time to time when something big is coming up that will require a lot of my energy, effort, and clear thinking. (That plus getting worn down by all the construction/restoration work that's still going on outside right where my patio and tranquil garden used to be. Today they're removing our windows again to finish the installation.)

One thing I noticed was that just before becoming reclusive again, ALL my fingernails broke and the cuticles on most of them began bleeding. In hand analysis that's a strong indication of exhaustion, hypercritical thinking, and the need to take a break and "recharge the batteries". It also shows that effort is being wasted trying to hide the exhaustion from others - They see it easily anyway.

My fingernails kept breaking short until last week, and the bleeding cuticles are finally looking better. Sure enough, now I'm getting back to writing and socializing again.

Slow Replies to Email Questions

It has been an extremely busy few weeks (or months?) and despite extra effort, my email correspondence has quickly fallen way behind. After responding to many more today, I now have a backlog of 'only' 391 messages and questions left to answer.

Fewer Posts

I've decided to make posts on this blog less frequently. You already can get a good idea of my day-to-day life from the previous posts, so future topics will be more directly related to palmistry and the HumanHand.com website.

Fingerprints of Foster Parents

Last night I was reading palms at another event for foster parents, and once again noticed the same high occurrence of the double-loop thumb prints (also called double whorl ). About 25% of the hands I saw had at least one double-loop fingerprint on each hand, and a few people had it on 6 or more of the 10 fingers.

(Double Loop - Fingerprint image from Creative Chemistry - Fingerprinting)

It's really quite interesting to see how similar fingerprint patterns can be found on groups of people with shared interests or similar careers.

Where Does the Time Go?

Seems like the last blog post was just written yesterday. So much going on these days it's hard to keep up with it all. Then to top it all off the construction here has been terrible the past 3 days - We've had to keep going out to get away from the noise and vibration. This building renovation project is expected to continue through the Winter, but hopefully we'll have quieter days again.

Laws Regarding Palmistry

Palmistry is one of those grey areas when it comes to its governing laws and regulations in most countries. Normally it's the municipal laws and by-laws that you really have to look at. To read palms in one city may require nothing - Not even a business license. In another area you might need a business license and then have to make applications for additional permits as well, all prior to doing any paid palmistry work.

For example, in Santa Barbara California you have to look at Chapter 5.40 of their municipal code. There you'll find that palmistry is specifically listed as one of the "fortunetelling" practices that requires an "appropriate business tax".

The Santa Barbara Independent: We’ve all seen the signs for Madam Rosinka’s fortunetelling businesses, but other than that, we’re no Salem. Or so it seemed before reading Chapter 5.40 of the Santa Barbara Municipal Code.

Not that such practices are discouraged — rather, they’re perfectly permissible, so long as the magician pays the appropriate business tax. Among the professions for which a permit is required are astrology, palmistry, phrenology, life reading, fortunetelling, cartomancy, crystal gazing, and clairvoyance. You think that’s a comprehensive list? No. There’s also clairaudience, magic, necromancy, psychism, psychometry, mind reading, mental telepathy, automatic writing, spirit writing, trance mediumship, and sandgazing. If you’re reading this and asking, how could they have forgotten potion making in this list, rest assured — they didn’t. They also included materialization, ballot reading, conducting trumpet séances, prophecy, augury, divination, and the making of “magic articles.”

For anyone considering palmistry as a profession, it's just one more example of why you need to carefully check out the laws and licensing requirements in your exact area ahead of time.

Caught a Virus

Somehow wound up with a worm virus in my computer. Don't know yet how it got there in the first place, or how much damage it did before it was caught and repaired. So far everything is back and seems to be working fine (knock on wood)...

Another Day of Work Disruptions

Construction noise here almost non-stop today as the remaining outer walls were removed. This is the view out our patio window onto what used to be a tranquil nature scene:

At least I was gone out for most of the morning teaching tai chi...

More Palmistry Questions - Back to Work

Next time I take time off from computer work, I'll have to take some actual time off as well. Quite a few palmistry and other hand related questions kept me busy, not to mention regular work also. Here's a few of the interesting questions:

Q: When I close my hand and try to re-open the large finger on each hand remains locked at the knuckle. I can open up by using extra pressure. Is there a cure for this?

A: That sounds like a condition called "Dupuytren’s contracture". You can find some expert information on this at these 2 links:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dupuytrens-contracture/DS00732
http://www.eatonhand.com/hw/hw009.htm

Q: There is fungus under my thumbnail and although it's receding, the bottom of my nail on one side is loose. I suppose I will lose the nail but want to know how to remove it properly.

A: A doctor is best equipped for doing nail removals, especially since you are also dealing with a fungus. If you absolutely must treat it yourself, the best option is usually keeping the thumbnail cut short and let the loose part grow out on its own. It may take several months for the nail to come off on its own, but then there is usually another nail already growing in its place.

Q: I recently went to get my palm read, is it okay to share the details with family and friends?

A: In most cases it is perfectly fine to share with others the info you receive from a palm reading. If anything seems too personal to you, just keep that part to yourself.

If you were specifically told by a palm reader to not share with others anything they told you, I would be very suspicious of their motives and abilities. Some palmists give everyone almost exactly the same reading...

Taking Some Time Off

I'll be taking some well-earned time off for the next couple of weeks. Answers to email questions and other correspondence will get done after I'm back to work.

Simian Line Forum Cleanup

I went through the Simian Line Forum today and cleared out all the inactive members - More than 130 members were removed, along with 1 inappropriate post.

If you haven't been to the forum lately, you will want to take another look.

Working From Home

Days like today sure make me appreciate being able to work from home. It's been one of the first quiet days here in awhile, with the construction noise mostly just on the far side of the building. A perfect day to catch up on a slew of emails, relax, and spend time with family.

If things stay this quiet, I'll be able to start doing daytime hand analysis readings at home again!

The Handman Podcast Ending

Think I'll have to officially end The Handman Podcast or put it on hold for awhile. It's no problem recording them, but the rest of it takes me way too long. I already have a few episodes that were completely recorded but still have to be edited and uploaded - My time can be much better spent on other tasks.

Intuitive Life Coach

It was suggested to me yesterday that I should not call myself a hand analyst or palm reader because that doesn't completely describe what I do, nor is it accurate enough. I was told that a much better description might be "Life Coach", or "Intuitive Life Coach".

When I do a private session with a client, or even the short readings at corporate events, my focus is not the typical palmistry hand readings. I examine both hands carefully to assess the person's natural talents and traits, and to see what areas are currently identified as difficulties, problems or limitations. (The "negative" or "bad" markings.) These problem areas can show as almost anything - Cuts and scrapes, faded fingerprints, fingernail problems, palm lines, etc. It's different for every set of hands, and the problems indicated change over time.

Next comes evaluating and comparing all the different problem areas to narrow it down to 1 or 2 "root causes". Most of the other issues and difficulties can be seen stemming from this root cause. It's like a knocking over a row of dominoes - You can either push them over one at a time (treating symptoms instead of the cause), or you can tip over just the first and let them all go down one after the other (dealing with the cause and let the symptoms disappear on their own).

Finally, I make suggestions or recommendations on how to directly deal with the root cause in the most efficient way possible - Their maximum gain from minimum effort. Sometimes it's a major issue that needs to be tackled head-on, other times it can be something as simple as reducing the intensity of exercise or doing a bit of basic meditation.

This can all be done in just a few minutes per person, which is how most corporate events go. A private session last much longer, of course, and usually includes palmar massage with directed energy work to make handling the root cause(s) much quicker and easier.

It goes way beyond just hand analysis as well. With each reading I also draw on my experience in meditation, martial arts, shamanism, hand gestures, and other metaphysical fields.

So it's probably correct that a better description of what I do is "Intuitive Life Coach". Time to think about getting some new business cards...