By Vedic Palmist-Astrologer Guylaine Vallée
When I first arrived at the Birla Center 30 years ago my mind and my hand were a mess; my thoughts and emotions were all over the place. My chitta (mind stuff/feelings) was constantly ringing in my head like a broken fire alarm, and my vrittis (volatile mental waves and emotional whirlpools that disrupt our equilibrium and erode our peace of mind) were whirling around like crazy—I was mentally unfocused, unable to concentrate and subject to frequent mood swings.
Luckily, Ghanshyam is a proficient and profoundly astute Vedic palmist—he analyzed my palm and identified my problems with the skill of a topnotch x-ray technician. “Your mind is fluctuating and you need to calm it—you might want to read Patanjali . . . the wisdom of the Yoga Sutras will help you to concentrate . . . to calm your thoughts and channel your energies.”
Once again, I took Ghanshyam’s advice, and once again that advice was spot-on. Granted, I found the language of the Yoga Sutras to be a bit challenging (modern translations help with this), but I found such deep meaning and multiple layers of life-changing information in those pages that I couldn’t stop reading. And the impact of that information really was life changing. I began concentrating on my thoughts, started monitoring my mind for fluctuations, examining my cognition and perception to test the factuality and validity of everything I had previously assumed true. I applied the same analytic method to my memories. This helped me get rid of a lot of old, false knowledge and ego attachments that had been holding me back. The words and actions of others that once caused me so much pain and agitation suddenly came into true perspective, and when they did, they lost their sting and they no longer bothered me.
As my powers of concentration improved, I was better able to focus my thoughts on understanding myself—and I was able to fully direct my mind to achieve two of my immediate goals—the successful study of Palmistry and learning English. (Some of my Grade School teachers use to smack my wrist with a ruler when I didn’t pronounce an English word correctly. This planted a negative memory (samskara) in my mind and created a mental and emotional block for me when it came to learning or speaking English. Anytime I tried to say something in English my ego revolted and my vrittis went haywire!)
However, with greater concentration, my thoughts became more neutral, and once my actions were no longer dictated by my vrittis, I was able to get my ego under control. I became less reactive and more proactive, which allowed me to get a handle on my imagination. Instead of letting my imagination lead me into worst-case-scenario thinking and panic attacks, I learned to steer it in positive and creative directions. I managed to override the negative memories of my wrist-smacking teachers and master English by carrying a pocket dictionary with me and concentrating on learning one new English word each day. And by concentrating completely on my studies, the secrets of palmistry opened up to me!
Finally, to reinforce and bolster the gains I was making, I made sure I got a deep and restful sleep most nights instead of lying awake staring at the ceiling until dawn worrying the sky was about to fall. What a difference it made! Once my mind and my moods settled down, I enjoyed a much, much greater state of mental and emotional calmness, and Ghanshyam remarked on how pleased he was with my new calm and happy state of mind. “You are making real progress!” he smiled. He was especially happy that, after only a year at the Birla Center, I was proficient enough in both English and the practice of palmistry to do consultations in English-speaking Toronto with great success. My ability to concentrate quickly paid off in huge, positive dividends!
All of this, as to be expected, was reflected in my palm. In my “before handprints”, 
taken during my very first consultation with Ghanshyam, you can see that my head line is shorter, ditto for my heart line. This was expressed in my mental and emotional turmoil. But in my “after handprints”, taken months later, my head line has grown considerably longer. And not only did my head line grow in length thanks to my calmer and more focused mind, my heart line developed three prongs—a sign that I was accessing Chit, that tranquil state of consciousness in which we meet our true self and are inspired by the power of Sat! I began to feel the sweetness of my soul in all my thoughts and deeds.
AUTHOR
Guylaine Vallée is a teacher and consultant at Birla Vedic Center. In her 35 years as a professional Vedic palmist, she has helped thousands of clients improve their lives and has inspired tens of thousands lecturing across North America and through her many radio and television appearances.
Guylaine is the author of The Happy Palmist: My Joyful Adventure in Vedic Palmistry, co-authored with Steve Erwin, award-winning journalist and author of The New York Times best-selling memoir Left to Tell.
WHAT'S NEW: This Fall, Guylaine will be hosting a weekly webinar:
The 90-Day Mounts Challenge: Unleashing the Power of the Planets in Your Hand.
