I’m fascinated by hands. I’m always tracing mine, Xeroxing them, writing words on them; and I collect images of them as well. I may have to admit to having a little bit of an obsession going on here.
I was thinking about three people in my life today, all important, all friends, all very different. And yet the image of a hand kept coming to mind, so I traced mine in a journal.
For Beautiful Irene, whom we are always teasing about her desire to know the destination, I saw a map in the hand and a loving reminder about the journey. So I included some dictionary bits both because she likes things defined.
For Beautiful Denise who reads hands, I saw new symbols showing up. So I added some foreign-to-me characters on the fingertips. These are from little metals bits that I image were from some kind of printing typeset.
For Beautiful Amy, the hand represents the much-needed reminder she gave me today about not covering up our uniqueness.
Strung all together, their messages to me become a map for this life’s journey:
Discover yourself.
Affirm yourself.
Honor yourself.
Nurture yourself.
Share yourself.
What does your map say?
Deborah, My hands looked old and wrinkled from the time I was born! They are just as wrinkled on the top as inside. I began playing the piano when I was seven and there was no way to hide those ugly hands. I did stop biting my nails, so at least my fingers (also wrinkled!) would look a little better.
Years later, On a flight home during college, I sat doing my studies. The nosy passenger next to me said, “Miss, if you don’t do something about those hands now, by the time you are older, they are going to look awful.” It was at that exact moment…I felt very good about the hands God had blessed me with!
Well, I’m older now and I continue to be proud of my old, wrinkled hands!
Thank you for your post…I never thought about journaling this experience. I feel a post coming!!
Oh Ruth I’m so delighted you love your hands! And a little nod of thanks to that extremely rude person who offered their unsolicited opinion, and pushed you into recognizing the beauty of those hands. Yay!
Debra I really enjoyed this post. I have a friend that does scientific hand analysis and it is uncanny how accurate it is. I don’t know what my small hands say but maybe I need to have them read and find out!
Oh fun Belinda to have such a friend! I’m sure having a reading would be wonderful. I love to think of the marks on our hands as reminders/maps of what we’ve brought into this lifetime to express, just as the stars in our birthchart are reminders of the energies our souls chose to work with in this round of life.
Deborah,
I have been thinking of my own hands recently. I use them a lot for work….making art and giving massage. I am adopted but when I look at my hands, I see my family in them. My father who taught me to build and to hold a bat, my mother who taught me to cook, sew and garden, and my grandmother whose hands danced with white yarn to create delicate doily webs while we listened to her spin stories in the afternoon. Hands can hold so much of a person’s personality. I think that is why we want to touch hands so often.
Oh lovely Rachél. Now my mind has latched on to the idea of hands as markers/remembrances of those who have shaped our world. Love, love, love this. And what a beautiful observation about holding hands.
It’s so wonderful to read that you’re inspired by your hands. Sounds like a lot of fun. 🙂
LOL. Yes, and I carry them around with me all the time – ready to be inspired.
There is so much science in hands. My daughter started to get clubbed fingers and ignored them. When she became sicker and sicker and no one could figure out what was wrong she did research and found out that she might be gluten intolerant. Finally when she changed her diet, her fingers are now unclubbing and her doctor could see the differences. I also started a gluten-free lifestyle and am feeling so much better. I only had a few clubbed fingers and they too are becoming normal.
I love the affirmation section of your post. Thanks.
Our bodies truly are amazing. How interesting about the gluten – I didn’t know about clubbing as an indication of intolerance. I’m glad your daughter (and you!) are feeling better!
This was so interesting to me. I am rough on my hands – I paint with my hands – an they are just part of who I am. No fance manicures for me – it just isn’t work it. When I was younger I played the piano ALOT – and now that I look at my hands, I kind of miss the muscles I had developed. But – I’m developing elsewhere. Thanks for sharing this.
Oh Vickie, I bet your hands are very happy to be in the thick of things whe you’re painting your wonderful creations.
As a former piano teacher, I’ve spent a lot of time using my hands teaching others how to play the piano. A few years ago, I was at a garage sale and this woman came up to me. A teenage girl recognized me as her piano teacher though not from seeing my face…She had been looking at my hands!
6ftmama
Oh I love that story Jennifer!
Hands say so much! Sometimes mine don’t behave and I’m quite sure I have permanent hang nails that crop up in the winter. The map of my hand says “Open me and don’t ask where we are going”
LOL – you have wonderfully communicative hands Karen! And perhaps we’re long-lost cousins – I have the winter hang nail thing going on for me as well. 😉
My sister was telling me about a palm reading she had done and I was totally fascinated. It is something for me to do this year. Great post. Thanks Deborah.
A reading will be fun no doubt! And let me say I was delighted to see your paint-covered hands on your recent blog post – beautiful!
You and I have so much in common! I love hands too. I hosted a workshop where someone taught us all about the messages in our hands in a way that is similar to palm reading but covered much more and it was fascinating. I always think about the energy that can flow through our hands to use and accomplish whatever we desire.
What a fun workshop Michele!