When I was living in Houston, Texas (mid 70's) I had a vision. One of many. This one occurred while I was stuck in traffic on the Southwest Freeway, not an uncommon occurrence in those days. It seemed that the Southwest Freeway was full immediately upon its birth. As the traffic got thicker, a question floated into my mind: where were all these cars before the freeway arrived? I guess it's like the old question, where was I before I was born? But, I digress. There I was, self-contained in my machine, immobilized in traffic, staring spacedly up on several levels of criss-crossing cloverleafs, all immobilized like myself.

It was then that my vision occurred. I saw myself, or more specifically, kind of me but more handsome, an Adonis of sorts, maybe a bit more macho (stubble perhaps) - it's my vision, I can see what I want - I was in a chariot, ancient Greece, and I was out in the country. The day was beautiful, my horse was fine, everything was copacetic; you get the picture. At this point, for no discernable reason at all, my horse reared up, toppling me from my chariot. He (my horse) turned back with a quizzical look, unperturbed by my shouts of disdain. He seemed to be wondering what on Earth I was doing there laying on the ground.

Flat on my back, I hoped / knew it wouldn't always be like this. Someday they would invent a horseless chariot. Apparently, the ubiquitous "they" already existed in ancient Greece. And there would be smooth roads, roads so smooth you could roller skate on them (after "they" invented roller skates), with places to eat wherever you wanted, and -- ahh, traffic had started to move again on the Southwest Freeway.

And I realized back then, that when I / we / they were envisioning our future there was much we did not see. Some better, some worse. We did not see the traffic jams, wrecks, and smog alerts. But, we also did not see climate control, four speaker audio systems and Corinthian leather. With this and who knows what else in mind, here in 1992, let us glimpse forward, back to the future, to (tadah - drum roll please) future palmistry.

WHY?

Before we get out our crystal ball and look at the future of hand analysis, it seems appropriate to ask why hand analysis is (at least in our culture) not taken more seriously. If any of the scenarios discussed later are to come about, this fundamental reality must be altered.

I believe, in part, this ignorance is due to our heritage as leaders of the Industrial Revolution and all that goes with it. Hand in hand with our nearly religious reverence for science comes a built in aversion to anything that we cannot explain.

But, just because we cannot explain something, it does not necessarily follow that that something is therefor baseless or false. As a matter of fact, as a quantum theory hobbyist, my reading on the subject suggests that the very foundations of our sciences are built upon what turns out to be nothing at all. Still, hand analysis is routinely dismissed as unworthy of serious attention. Why?

Five reasons, I believe:

1. Hand reading is almost universally associated with predicting the future ("You are going on a long journey, you will meet a tall, dark stranger"). Most people seem genuinely surprised that there is more to it than that.

2. No easy prove-ability. Whereas acupuncture can repeatedly be shown to work as an anesthetic, how can you prove "karmic guilt?"

3. Hand readers have not organized. We do not hold annual conventions, there is no board of certification, etc. The International Institute of Hand Analysis was founded in 1985 in part to fill this void.

4. Hand reading is associated with gypsies. For a population that has a largely European ancestral base, there is still a deep unconscious mistrust of anything gypsyish. And gypsies are the only hand readers that anyone sees or hears of in the U.S. Further, some gypsies are rip off artists (although I have some very favorable reports on others).

5. The most significant reason for hand analysis being largely ignored, I believe, is that HAND ANALYSIS IS REVOLUTIONARY IN ITS HOLISTIC IMPLICATIONS. As hard as it may be for some people to believe here in 1992, the holistic paradigm is still a minority view. After all, if the markings on your hands are exactly and only those markings that could exist on the hands of a person like you; if each scar, cut, and bruise knew exactly where to happen consistent with the mapping principles of hand analysis; if your soul's intentions for this life can appear in detail on this part of your body; then it must follow that our entire plane of existence is (to use the scientific vernacular) non-locally and non-causally connected. And this is still too much for the majority to accept. It was too much for me to accept, but 37,000 pairs of hands have convinced me otherwise.

WHAT?

As the climate changes, and the climate is changing, we can expect to see the following and more. Note: some of what follows is already happening on a limited scale.

This is the area where hand analysis (under the title "dermatoglyphics") has made the deepest inroads (see The Hand Analysis Journal, issues 1-5 for more information). Thousands of articles in the AMA Journal, pediatric journals, etc. attest to the connection between our hands and our inner condition. Yet so much more remains to be done. I envision a time when the holistic connection between dis-ease and our psyche is routinely revealed in dermatoglyphic tests. Imagine the following: a scientific team releases their report that shows that Marker A, associated with the Life Lesson: "learn to face your fears" is statistically linked to certain forms of heart attack and digestive disorders.

In fact, this has already happened - sort of. The marker in question has been researched, the link found, but the connection to its significance in terms of the person's life path has not as yet been accepted by the scientific community. As a matter of fact, has the existence of a multi-dimensional being incarnated at the Earth University with lessons to learn and a Life Purpose to unfold been looked at? What if research with hands revealed that certain medical conditions are specifically associated with unresolved guilt, anger, etc.? This day is fast approaching.

"Mr. Smith, your hand analysis report is ready and I'd like to discuss the most salient points with you. Please have a seat. We've pinpointed the trouble you have been having with the small business market, and we've put together a program that will help you develop your skills there. But, even more important, according to your Star of Jupiter and your Life Purpose designation of Leadership in the Community, we would like you to consider the management training program. Your prior performance indicates that you..."