From the Case Files Archives

Hora and Hand: The Dynamic Duo

Rachel was in a slump. The young physiotherapist’s dedication to work and devotion to clients had created a flourishing business.

“I was the first to arrive at the office and the last to leave—now I couldn’t care less,” she confided. “Since breaking up with my boyfriend nothing matters to me. I barely have the energy to get out of bed--I’m totally drained.”

The first thing I did was draw up a hora, an astrological snapshot of the planets that tells us what’s going on in our lives at that precise moment. Rachel’s Hora had Leo ascendant, as did her natal chart.

“Great news, Rachel! Matching ascendants are highly karmic—they tell us we are in the right place at the right time to learn what we need to know to improve our situation.”

Rachel’s natal chart’s powerful Sun in the 10th house denoted intense focus on achieving great career heights. Unfortunately, success now left her empty and without motivation, which was reflected in her handprints. Although her strong destiny line ran vertically from the base of her palm—Indicating an enthusiastic, lifelong pursuit of a goal or purpose—it terminated at her heart line. A destiny line ending at the heart line is a double-edged sword. While the heart line provides the emotional energy that drives us to pursue our life’s purpose, our emotions can also sidetrack us—entangling us in self-absorbing personal dramas that deplete our energy, erode our focus and destroy our motivation.

In Rachel’s case, she’d attached her career accomplishments—and self-worth—to romantic relationships. When the relationship ended, she lost her zest for life and fell into a listless state of inertia.

I always carefully examine the termination point of the destiny line, checking if other lines have become blocks requiring repair or fine-tuning. Rachel’s heart line was long, denoting a desire to share her life with someone. But it was also straight (not ideally rounded), denoting over-attachment and a tendency to place heavy expectations and demands on partners.

“Rachel,” I said. “Your Hora says you’re in the right place to learn what you need to know. The lesson here is to develop self-reliance and stop depending on external factors for motivation. Your convictions must drive you to succeed in life, not the emotional approval of others. A great spiritual teacher once said: Emotion empties us, while devotion fills us.

“You have a strong destiny line and a true desire to achieve—but your emotions bog you down. You must visualize your destiny line crossing your heart line. Don’t place expectations on others; through self-reliance you’ll regain your original passion and purpose, free from the anguish, malaise and disappointment that comes with thwarted desire.

Within a year, Rachel’s destiny line had pushed beyond her heart line, and as it grew, so did her passion for life.
If we are fortunate enough to be blessed with a destiny line, it is important to maintain it through constant focus, vigilance and dedication.

Is your relationship affecting your motivation? Click here to contact us to have your natal chart and handprints analyzed to help steer you in the right direction. We are here to help.

October 19, 2024/0 Comments/by Johanne Riopel

The Double Destiny of Dr. O

Dr. O was an opinionated, no-nonsense physician whose motto at work and at home was: “It’s my way or the highway”. His attitude had won him few friends and alienated his colleagues. Despite his brashness, he’d been acknowledged as one of the finest surgeons in the country until a recent skiing accident damaged his wrists and left him incapable of operating. All the specialist told him the damage couldn’t be repaired.

He reluctantly agreed to see me at the insistence of his wife, a regular client of mine who was a doctor of non-traditional medicine. She had long complained about her husband’s stubborn closed-mindedness and unwillingness to try new things. Since the accident, she’d pleaded with him constantly to seek alternative therapy for his injuries and to help his overall outlook. He steadfastly refused and the marriage was quickly deteriorating.

“My wife says I’ve become bitter and mean-spirited,” he complained. “What does she expect? I can’t work, I can’t even hold a scalpel—my career is over.”

Dr. O’s handprints revealed why he was an excellent surgeon. His long, unbending head line stretched into the hand’s great energy center of Mars positive, giving him the drive, strength of mind and cool nerves to perform with grace under pressure. And his passion and dedication were evident in his strong destiny line, but the destiny line ended abruptly at his head line, confirming the sudden break in his career.

A destiny line ending at the head line indicates there is something wrong with our way of thinking, which disrupts our destiny—our purpose in life. When the head line is properly used, we think constructively and our destiny will continue uninterrupted regardless of mishap or setback. A destiny-head line disruption can be a staggering blow to our self-confidence and sense of identity, as well as damaging our personal relationships and financial well-being.

I suspected the rigidity of Dr. O’s head line had interfered with his destiny—his inflexible thinking fully manifested following the stress of his accident, sending him into a downward spiral. Fortunately, there were two potentially helpful features in Dr. O’s handprints. Foremost was a second, overlapping destiny line above the head line suggesting that, after a period of self-reflection and the adoption of a more positive attitude, Dr. O was capable of continuing his career. Secondly, a square on the original destiny line where it broke at the headline meant he had to ability to be receptive to new ideas and to accept the support and advice of friends and family. I was certain that successfully guiding him in this direction would improve his situation.

“Dr. O, your wife has urged you to see an alternative practitioner. . . why not swallow your pride and take her advice? Look at it this way: You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

Thankfully, Dr. O took my recommendation. He began an alternative therapy program and adhered to it religiously. One year later he returned to my office.

“Great news, Ghanshyam! I’ve resumed my hospital duties. My wrists are healed; I’m operating even better than before!” he told me. Even better, he said, he was making friends for the first time—his colleagues loved his new-found openness to their ideas.

“The only person happier than I am is my wife,” Dr. O smiled. “She keeps asking me what I did with her husband!”

Do you need guidance to re-establish your priorities or sense of purpose? Give us a call at 866-428-3799, or click here to book a consultation. We’re here to help.

March 1, 2017/0 Comments/by Ghanshyam Singh Birla

From the Case Files, Palmistry

Born to Be Together: The Ballad of Jack and Julia

Jack and Julia didn’t know it, but they arrived in the world just hours apart on the same day, in the same city and at the same hospital. The nurses even placed them in adjoining cribs in the same maternity wing.

Although their families didn’t socialize, they lived in the same neighborhood, attended the same church and enrolled Jack and Julia in the same grade school. And while the youngsters weren’t in the same classroom, it didn’t mean they weren’t very aware of each other. Even as kids they felt drawn to one another and exchanged glances and shy smiles when they passed in the hallway or spotted each other during recess.

One Friday afternoon a group of older boys decided to pick on eight-year-old Julia in the lunchroom and knocked her books to the floor. Jack intervened, telling the boys to take off or else. Then he picked up Julia’s books and handed them back to her.

“Thank you,” Julia said. “I’m Julia.”

“I know who you are,” Jack said. “I’m Jack.”

“I know who you are, too.” Julia smiled.

The bell rang and they went their separate ways. On Monday morning Julia watched for Jack in the hallway, but he didn’t show up at school that day. He never showed up at school again.

Julia didn’t know that Jack’s parents had been killed in a car crash over the weekend and he was sent away to live with his uncle. While Julia’s happy, stable home life continued uninterrupted, Jack’s became a nightmare. Not only did he have to deal with the emotional trauma of losing his parents, his uncle treated him like dirt from the moment he arrived at his door. Jack was fed only leftovers and wasn’t allowed to eat with his cousins or play with their friends; he wore only hand-me-downs and was forced to work in his uncle’s machine shop each afternoon and all day on weekends. If he complained, he was beaten. On his sixteenth birthday Jack ran away, sleeping wherever he could and saving every dime he earned working odd jobs, hoping to go to college one day.

It took him two years, but Jack made it to college. On his first day, during his first class, the young woman sitting beside him dropped her pen. Jack picked it up and handed it to her. They recognized each other immediately.

“Julia!”

“Jack!”

They went on their first date that evening and caught up on all that had transpired in the decade since they’d last seen one another; they discovered their common birthdays and vowed to never lose sight of each other again. They married at the end of their first college semester and were expecting their first child by the time they graduated and started their own accounting firm.

I met Jack and Julia (and first heard their incredible story) shortly after they had enrolled in some of our astrology and palmistry courses—at the time they were celebrating their 30^th wedding anniversary. Jack wasn’t really interested in metaphysics, but because Julia was, he agreed to study it with her.

“If it makes her happy, it makes me happy,” Jack said during our first consultation.

“We always support each other in everything, even though we have completely different interests and beliefs,” Julia added. “But Ghanshyam, can you tell me why two people born at practically the same time and in the same place can be so vastly different?”

I told them that even though they were born on the same day, and actually shared many of the same planets in their birth charts, they had been born at different hours, which meant their ascendants were different. The ascendant is the zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of our birth. Because of the Earth’s rotation, a different sign appears on the eastern horizon every couple of hours. Our ascendant plays an enormous role in shaping personality and the way our karma unfolds throughout our life. When Julia was born, Aquarius was ascending; later in the day when Jack was born, Cancer was ascending. This gave Jack and Julia completely different life experiences and meant they came into the world to learn different lessons.

Despite their many differences, both Jack and Julia were blessed to have Poorva Punya lines in their hands. A Poorva Punya (“good fortune”) line reflects a rare magnetism to draw the right person into our life—someone with whom we share a common goal or destiny. It is a line that defies time, stretching into our memories of past lives, reuniting us with loved ones in our current life and drawing us toward success and happiness in the future. One of the most powerful reflections of the Poorva Punya line is of the dedication, commitment and loyalty we hold toward our beloved.

“Thank you, Ghanshyam,” Julia said. “You have confirmed what I have known in my heart since I was a child . . . Jack and I are soul mates, we were born to be together.”

Would you like to gain more insight into your relationships? Give us a call at 866-428-3799, or book a consultation by clicking here. We’re here to help.

February 14, 2017/1 Comment/by Ghanshyam Singh Birla

From the Case Files, Palmistry

Brian: A Dream Denied

Ever since childhood Brian had fantasized about being a writer. He had a brilliant way with words and caught the attention of several publications at an early age. During college, two of his stories were published in well-known magazines and he even won a prestigious short story contest.

Despite this early promise and his obvious talent, Brian drifted away from writing after graduating. He took a series of temporary telemarketing jobs to pay the rent and, although he had plenty of good story ideas, found he was too tired after work to write them down. Most nights he just flopped onto his couch and fell asleep in front of the TV. Over the next few years several of his girlfriends encouraged him to give up his day job and focus his energy on his passion—they pleaded with him to write. But Brian felt over-pressured by their enthusiasm; he didn’t know how to respond so he did nothing and eventually each relationship just fizzled out.

On his 26^th birthday Brian came to see me for a consultation. He was frustrated at his inability to get started in his chosen career, and was increasingly worried that both his life and his dream of being a writer were passing him by.

“All I want to do is be a writer, Ghanshyam,” he told me. “I know I can do it, but it just doesn’t seem to be happening for me. I can’t bring my ideas to life on paper, let alone keep a relationship alive. My career and my love life are going nowhere.”

The prints I took of Brian’s palm gave me a pretty good notion of the root of his problem.

He indeed possessed the hand of a writer, displaying a truly impressive head line and a strong intuition line that indicated a deep intellect guided by an innate and profound insight into the human condition. Unfortunately, his head line was enmeshed in a massive web of intricately woven interference lines. These types of interference lines are often found in a hand that is finely textured with a skin consistency that is very soft to the touch. A fine texture and soft consistency frequently reflect a sensitive, kind and empathetic nature, but can also indicate we lack the fire and passion to get things done.

I pressed my thumb into Brian’s palm—the simple action left a dent in his skin that did not immediately bounce back. The lack of resiliency confirmed what the prints had told me: Brian had a good and gentle nature but lacked the fortitude, motivation or staying power to tackle the demands of a writing career—or the demands of a committed relationship.

“Let me ask you something about yourself, Brian . . . and please answer honestly,” I said. “When it comes to work or love, do you find you would rather go with the flow and stick with the status quo than test yourself and work hard to get what you want?”

Brian sighed. “I think you hit the nail on the head Ghanshyam. It’s not that I’m lazy—I just prefer being comfortable. I know my attitude is holding me back, but I can’t seem to shake off this sense of lethargy.”

“Well, let’s see if we can do that together,” I said. “You have the natural genius and talent to be a great writer—but all these crisscrossing interference lines are forcing you to use your head line improperly. You use it to make excuses instead of making things happen, you daydream instead of applying yourself, you waver instead of committing and you procrastinate instead of acting. Getting rid of those interference lines will help forge the attitude you need to develop your gifts and put them into motion. And once you’ve accomplished that, your writing career and your love life will begin to take shape.”

I designed a program of meditation and yoga for Brian to develop his powers of concentration and his physical stamina. He began showing great improvement in just a matter of weeks and had started writing short stories again. Sadly, in an effort to save money, he moved in with his brother, a no-nonsense criminal lawyer who didn’t understand meditation and had no patience for yoga. He gave Brian an ultimatum: abandon palmistry or leave his house.

When making major changes in ourselves, it is critical to have the support and encouragement of those we love and rely on. Brian was on the verge of making his dream a reality, but had not developed enough resilience to do it on his own. Instead he chose to quit yoga and meditation in order to remain in the comfort of his brother’s home. As far as I know, he never wrote again.

Do you need guidance or encouragement to help your dream become a reality? Give us a call at 866-428-3799, or book a consultation by clicking here. We’re here to help.

February 8, 2017/0 Comments/by Ghanshyam Singh Birla

From the Case Files, Palmistry

Cynthia: The Dangers of An Unbalanced Venus

Cynthia was a dynamic and dedicated therapist who devoted her life to helping autistic children communicate with the world. The intensity of her heartfelt, loving approach was innovative and highly effective, allowing her to interact with kids that society had all but written off. The deep emotional connection she made with her young patients brought smiles to their faces and garnered the respect and praise of parents and peers.

Her professional success stemmed from Cynthia’s deeply loving nature and hyper-focused energy, a combination that enabled her to direct every ounce of her love exclusively to her patients. Ironically, this same combination wreaked havoc in her personal life and eventually, nearly destroyed her career.

Cynthia had been a client of mine for several years and was so impressed with palmistry that she incorporated many of its aspects into her own work, sometimes even using the the children’s handprints to design treatment programs. Unfortunately, she ignored what her own handprints reflected about herself, particularly in regards to her Mount of Venus—the concentrated source of her powerful, caring energy and the foundation of her professional success.

There are ten mounts in the hand, each providing a window into the health of a particular aspect of our life. The Mount of Venus (the raised pad of flesh below the thumb) represents our ability to love and be loved. A balanced mount is pliant and resilient to the touch; it will give in and quickly spring back into place when pressed—this tells us we can give and receive love in equal and healthy measure. However, Cynthia’s Mount of Venus was rigid, hard and unyielding—an indication that she had built a protective shell around her heart due to a past emotional hurt, and that she was passionate to the point of obsession. It explained to me why Cynthia was so single-minded when it came to work, but had remained romantically single well into middle age.

When it came to the children, Cynthia had no expectations—she wasn’t upset when they couldn’t (and didn’t) return her love. But in her personal life, she had very high expectations of others—a demanding attitude that destroyed a brief marriage when she was in her early twenties. Now in her early fifties, she was lonely and wanted someone to share her life with. I cautioned her that her dominant, rigid Mount of Venus, could make any romantic relationship she entered untenable, that the obsessive intensity of her affection would push potential suitors away and ultimately threaten her own mental stability. I encouraged her to seek a more balanced emotional life by consciously extending the type of unconditional love she showered on her patients into all her relationships.

Unfortunately, compulsiveness is part and parcel of a rigid Venus and Cynthia didn’t heed my advice. Sure enough, the obsessive nature that had served her well when focusing on her patients, proved disastrous when she met Al. Cynthia convinced herself that Al was her soul-mate. Al, however, did not feel the same way; he was in the middle of a difficult divorce and not interested in becoming deeply involved with her. Nevertheless, Cynthia made him the focus of her life—her rigid Venus pushed her to blindly direct the love she had always reserved for her patients onto Al. But unlike her relationship with her patients, Cynthia demanded and expected Al to reciprocate. She was incapable of considering his own needs and feelings. When Al abruptly broke off their short-lived and one-side romance, she fell into a crippling depression; she began ignoring her work duties, her patients and her personal health and hygiene. Her performance became so poor at the clinic that she was fired. She stopped eating, couldn’t sleep and seldom left her home. In just a matter of months she lost all she had achieved and was a shadow of her former self.

Fortunately, she did not give up on palmistry, and palmistry did not give up on her. Over the course of two years Cynthia and I worked to develop greater flexibility in her Venus Mount by shifting her focus to a wider, spiritual horizon. We began with daily recitation of Gayatri and Shiva Mantras, created a greater self-awareness with regular meditation and dissolved her long-held tension and emotional trauma through frequent deep-tissue massage. Eventually she was able she let go of her obsession with Al, rebuild her career and enjoy a far happier and healthier lifestyle. Balancing her Mount of Venus allowed her to love everyone in her life unconditionally, to love herself and to find peace of mind.

Do you need help finding balance in your life? Give us a call at 866-428-3799, or book a consultation by clicking here. We’re here to help.

February 1, 2017/0 Comments/by Ghanshyam Singh Birla

From the Case Files, Palmistry

Journey Toward a Meaningful Life: Robert's Story

Despite having a B.A. in comparative literature, Robert had no idea what to do with his education or his life. At 26, he was drifting unhappily through a series of odd jobs, including washing dishes at a restaurant a few blocks away from Birla Vedic International. One afternoon he wandered into my office, said he was miserable and asked for a consultation. Even a quick look at his hand told me that the root of his unhappiness was his utter lack of a destiny line—in other words, Robert had no purpose in life.

Lacking a purpose in life is more than an existential crisis—it is a potentially dangerous condition that can rob us of our health and happiness. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)—used by caregivers around the world to diagnose mental illnesses—links a “lack of purpose” with depression, borderline personality disorder, drug addiction and even suicide. You know you lack purpose if you experience a nagging sensation telling you: There must be more to life than this! Well, there is more—it is purpose.

But finding your purpose takes work; it doesn’t simply mean having a job, a profession or a role to play in our family or society. If our careers or duties are not driven by a deep-seated purpose, they are merely occupations and we crawl out of bed in the morning instead of embracing each day as a blessing and a new opportunity to shine in the world.

Raising our kids, doing our best at work or labouring to put food on the table provides us with an external purpose, but if that purpose does not come from within, it is unanchored, fragile and can be shattered by changing circumstance. The death of a spouse or child, the loss of a job, the realization we are in the wrong career or a bad marriage, or the prospect of a forced retirement can drain us of the meaning we thought our lives had—leaving us with only hopelessness and despair.

Our real purpose comes from deep within; it can be hard to find and even harder to sustain over a lifetime. But if we succeed—despite any hardship or heartaches we encounter—we will create a happy and healthy existence driven by a strong sense of meaning and steering us toward personal fulfillment and enlightenment. Finding and developing our purpose will enable us to lead better lives and help us make this world a better place for everyone.

In palmistry, the Saturn line—also known as the line of destiny—is a good indicator of our depth of purpose.

In Robert’s case, the presence of a Mercury line shows an ability to apply himself, enabling him to earn a B.A.—but the complete absence of a Saturn line indicated a lack of deep-seated purpose. So he had an education, but no calling . . . and he wasn’t searching for one. He passed his time earning rent money, watching television, and becoming more and more depressed. With no hobbies, passions, causes or supportive friends to encourage or challenge him to set his sights higher and strive for excellence, Robert fell into a mechanical routine of daily survival, leaving him restless, bored and completely unfulfilled.

I encouraged him to grow his Saturn line by becoming more introspective; I urged him to read books, take up yoga or meditation, become a community activist—anything to expand his horizons and engage his heart and mind, so long as it stirred his passion and required a deep commitment. I assured him that igniting his passion would lead him to his purpose, and that a purpose-driven life is one that promises us happiness, contentment and rich spiritual rewards that will generate inner joy and inspire those around us.

Robert dropped by a few months later to let me know that, although he was still washing dishes to pay the rent, he had started writing film reviews for a community newspaper and had written the first chapter of a novel. He wasn’t sure if writing was his true purpose, but it was a good place to start looking for it.

Are you looking for your true purpose? Vedic palmistry and astrology can help. Give us a call at 866-428-3799 or book a consultation by clicking here. We’re here to help.

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December 21, 2016/0 Comments/by Ghanshyam Singh Birla

From the Case Files, Palmistry

Don’t Let the Love of Your Life Sail Away

Charles was a graduate student of philosophy at a major university who wanted the security of being a fully tenured professor. Melissa was a talented musician and recent immigrant to Canada who earned a living giving private music lessons. They’d both grown up near the water—Charles on the banks of the St. Lawrence River; Melissa on the coast of Jamaica—and shared a deep passion for sailing. They met at a boating regatta near Montreal, where they rented a small skiff and fell in love while skimming across the waves on a beautiful summer afternoon.

Charles recited love poems to Melissa from ancient Eastern texts and Melissa played classical guitar for Charles until he drifted off to sleep. He had never been happier in his life, and she felt the same way. They talked of the future, planning to raise a family and sailing around the world together when they retired.

For two years they were inseparable, except those times, Melissa noted uncomfortably, when it came to meeting Charles’ parents or the faculty members at his university. She finally asked Charles why he had not introduced her to his mom and dad or his colleagues. “Charlie—is it because my skin is darker than yours?” Charles was flustered. “Melissa, you know I don’t have a prejudiced bone in my body—but my mother . . . she is old fashioned, she wouldn’t approve. And the president of the university faculty is very conservative—he believes academics should only marry other academics. So please, be patient—one day I will have tenure and can do what I like. And who knows, sooner or later my mother might come around. Let’s just wait and see what happens. Let’s be patient.”

‘Be patient? It’s been more than two years! We don’t need other peoples’ approval to be happy together. Why don’t we just leave and start our life somewhere else. We are young and in love, we can earn money . . . what’s stopping us? Let’s rent a boat and sail away somewhere—anywhere in the world!”

“I would do that in a heartbeat—if we won a lottery. We can’t exist on love alone, Melissa.”

“But money can’t buy you love Charlie! You said you wanted to get married, to have kids and spend our lives together! You better make up your mind and decide if that’s the life you want,” Melissa said.

“Okay, Okay . . . I’ll think about,” Charles answered.

That Christmas Charles failed to invite Melissa to the faculty party or his family get-together. A few months later, on the third anniversary of their first meeting, Melissa was about to give Charles a lottery ticket as a present. “Move to the West Coast with me,” she said. “I can teach music to support us, you can finish your studies at a new university and we can go sailing whenever we like. We’ll live our dream; if we put each other first, the money will follow.”

“I’ll have to think about it,” he said. Melissa kissed him goodbye as she put the lottery ticket back in her pocket and left. Charles never saw her again.

I met Charles several years later while he was completing his thesis and researching some of the rare Vedic texts in the Birla’s private library. He asked to have his handprints taken and wanted to know which feature or character trait was most prominent in his palm.

“The lines and signs of the hand form a complex and integral web—they should be read as a whole,” I said. “But what stands out most in your palm is the cross on your Sun line. The Sun line is an expression of personal joy, success and contentment—if it’s healthy and solid, it means you’re following your heart selflessly and without the need of praise or approval. However, this cross is cutting your Sun line in half. The cross has likely been caused by some unconscious or external force that’s interfering with your ability to decide or act upon what your heart is intuitively telling you is the right thing to do. Have you had difficulty finding or keeping the things that give you joy? Do you have trouble committing to your passion or happiness?”

That’s when Charles told me his sad love story and how his relationship with Melissa ended. “But the real irony is this—a mutual friend recently told me that the lottery ticket Melissa tried to give me was actually a winning number. She became a millionaire, then she met and married another man; they bought a boat and are sailing around the world. I let the love of my life sail away from me because I couldn’t make up my mind—I let other people decide the kind of life I would lead. I guess that’s my destiny.”

“What I see in your hand is not etched in stone, Charles. What happens to us is not predestined. We can change our lines, and our lives, if we truly desire and commit to change. We can fix your Sun line, Charles—the question is, do you want to fix it, do you want to change your life?”

“I’ll have to think it over,” Charles said as he left my office. When I last heard of Charles, he had become a tenured professor and was living in his mother’s house. He never married.

Palmistry is an amazing tool that can not only reveal the personal challenges blocking us from a full and truly happy life, but can also help us eliminate those blockages and embrace the happiness and joy we deserve. All we need to do is find the courage and commitment to change.

If you’d like to learn more about how the Sun line, or any of your lines, influence your life, sign up for one of our introductory courses by clicking here. If you need help in your relationship, give us a call at 866.428.3799, or click here for a consultation. We’re here to help.

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December 7, 2016/0 Comments/by Ghanshyam Singh Birla

From the Case Files, Palmistry

You Don’t Listen to Me! Opening the Lines of Communication

“She says I don’t hear a word she says,” Mateo blurted out, as he stepped into my office with his girlfriend, Mercedes. “But really, it’s her who doesn’t listen to hear me. I told her palmistry can’t help our relationship, but she went ahead and bought the plane tickets and dragged me here yet again.”

“He doesn’t hear me, Ghanshyam,” Mercedes said. “And I don’t think he sees me, either. We’ve been together for five years and I feel invisible to him.”

I first met Mercedes who, ironically, was a best-selling author of books on love and relationships, in 1996 at a symposium on Ayurvedic healing in her hometown of Los Angeles. She’d been travelling to Canada twice a year ever since for a consultation. Usually she came alone, but the year before she had brought along Mateo to help them solve their communication problem.

“When I saw you last year you both agreed to be more open with each other’s feelings. What happened?” I asked.

“I’ll tell you what happened,” Mateo jumped in. “A few months ago we went to a spiritual retreat and as soon as we walked in she was mobbed by her book fans. A huge, handsome guy who looked like a Swedish tennis pro elbowed me aside to tell her how much her books meant to him and his wife. Mercedes didn’t even acknowledge I was there. I felt two-feet-tall while she soaked up this guy’s praise. She should have known how I felt. I can’t get past that feeling of being ignored and treated like I’m unwanted.”

“Does that explain what happened after the retreat when we went for a romantic dinner at our hotel?” Mercedes countered. “Our waitress blatantly flirted with you right in front of me, and you encouraged it by winking and smiling at her. She was practically sitting in your lap and you loved it! You looked like you wanted to take her up to our room and jump into bed with her. How can I trust you when you invite women to come on to you?”

“Can I help it if she found me attractive, Mercedes?”

“No, but why do you have to flirt with other women when you have me?”

“Okay, you two,” I said. “Let’s calm down and see what your handprints can tell us.”

I compared Mercedes’s current handprints with the ones from the year before and saw that her heart line hadn’t changed in either her right hand (reflecting her conscious mind because she was right-handed) or in her left hand, relating to her subconscious. This meant her affection for Mateo had remained constant. However, a series of lines paralleling her union (marriage) line had formed in her subconscious hand and the union line itself was now turning downward. These were clear indications of a growing emotional separation from Mateo, which could soon lead to an actually separation.

Mateo’s handprints from a year ago revealed a multitude of parallel union lines in both hands, and those lines were just as pronounced in the new prints. Most worrisome was that the long, solid heart line from the previous year originating in his idealistic Jupiter mount had changed in the new handprints—it had shrunk and was now broken in two.

“When I looked at your handprints last year,” I began, “I said that you were communicating with each other as if you were on opposite sides of the street. Today it is as though you are talking to each other from opposite sides of a football stadium—it’s little wonder you can’t hear each other.”

“Mercedes, your parallel union lines are reactionary—they have formed because you sense Mateo is shutting you out, making you feel insecure and distant from him. But Mateo, your parallel union lines have been there for years, they have been present in many, if not in all of your past relationships. Your idealistic heart line tells me that you put your partners on a pedestal and you feel let down and unwanted when they don’t live up to your unrealistically high expectations of them. That’s when you subconsciously begin looking for a new relationship, hoping it will fulfil your fantasy. But it is a fantasy you will never fulfill because the women you love are real people with their own lives, goals and personalities. They cannot be everything you want them to be in the kitchen, in the bedroom and in public.

“At the spiritual retreat, Mercedes was being appreciative and receptive to her fans and admirers—you could have chosen to be proud of this and let her enjoy the attention, but you took it as a slight. Your broken and shrinking heart line indicates your ideal image of Mercedes is broken and subconsciously you are pulling away from her in search of another ‘ideal’ woman. If you don’t fix this now, your relationship is heading toward disaster. Both of you have down-turning union lines—that is destiny’s way of bringing you together to work out your issues. It’s up to you to do the work.”

I half expected Mateo to storm out of my office, but he didn’t. Instead he took Mercedes’s hand in his own and said: “Ghanshyam, I don’t like what you’ve said, but I have to admit that you just described my entire history with women. I suddenly understand why all my relationships ended unhappily. This relationship is going to be different.”

He turned to Mercedes and said, “From now on I am not only going to listen to everything you say to me, I’m going to hear you. And I guess I was wrong, palmistry can help our relationship.”

As they left my office, Mercedes looked back at me, smiled and whispered: “Thank you.”

Open the lines of communication with your partner or spouse—palmistry can show you how. To book a consultation, give us a call at 866-428-3799 or click here. We are here to help.

Did you find the story of Mercedes and Mateo helpful? Leave us your comments!

December 1, 2016/0 Comments/by Ghanshyam Singh Birla

From the Case Files, Palmistry

Blinded by Love

Has love ever made you act crazy, irrationally or even dangerously? Misdirected passion can take a heavy toll on our lives. We can help you develop a healthy and balanced love life. Check out Randy's story:

A Crime of Passion: Randy’s Story

Randy was a law abiding truck driver; Linda was a yoga instructor with big dreams. When they met in their early 20s it was love at first sight. Randy wanted Linda more than anything and promised to her the world if she would marry him. She said yes and they tied the knot, rented a small apartment and soon had two young sons.

Randy adored his boys and was still crazy-in-love with his young wife. But Linda was restless and unpleased with the slow progress of their lives. She desperately wanted her own yoga studio and relentlessly pressured Randy to earn more money to make her dream come true. Despite working 60-hour weeks, Randy knew he would take at least a decade to save enough to give his wife what she wanted. He was desperate for a solution, so he came to see me.

The first words out of his mouth were: “I love my wife and I am going to buy her a private yoga studio. It’s her dream, and she will be able to help hundreds of people find peace and harmony.”

I told Randy I thought that was a great idea and a very noble ambition.

“Thank you, Ghanshyam,” he said. “The problem is . . . I can’t afford it. That’s why I’ve decided to rob a bank. I will do one bad deed and then do good for the rest of my life. What do you think of that idea?”

“Are you joking? I think that is a terrible idea,” I told him. “If you need money, go to the bank for a loan, not to rob it! It’s against the law; someone could get hurt . . . you could get hurt. You don’t want to be a criminal, you’ll lose your freedom and your family. It might take longer to earn the money you need honestly, but it is the best and only way to do it.”

“Okay—skip the philosophy Ghanshyam . . . just read my palms and tell me if you think I’d get away with it.”

I told Randy palmistry wasn’t about predicting the future, but is an invaluable tool in helping us avoid making big mistakes, which I really wanted to help him do.

Randy’s handprints provided a lot of insight into two very different aspects of his personality. The dominant hand, the hand used to write and that reveals our current resolve and circumstances, reflected a stable and rational mind. His quadrangle—the area between the head and heart line—was beautifully balanced. A head and heart line that are healthy and of equal length suggest a coherence between our feelings and our thoughts—our passions don’t rule our logic, and visa versa.

However, Randy’s non-dominant hand, the hand reflecting our subconscious desires, fears and latent characteristics, told a different story entirely with its broken headline and inordinately long, unbending heartline originating from his Jupiter mount. His heartline told me that his idealistic expectations of love and sex were both unreasonable and all-demanding, and could easily push him to illogical extremes. It also made him prone to extreme jealousy, possessiveness and fits of temper. His broken headline made matters worse by short-circuiting his logical thinking and predisposing him to irrational and unreasonable behavior, which could be triggered by any major setback or frustration.

I conveyed this to Randy, advising him he needed to change the negative aspects in his non-dominant hand and bring them in balance with the mature, well-rounded features of his dominant hand. The best way to do this, I suggested, was by associating with supportive, positive people, developing a daily spiritual practice and treating the people in his life with love and kindness.

“But I don’t want to lose my wife,” he said. I told him he wouldn’t lose her if he treated her with love instead of doing something foolish in an attempt to possess her.

Randy didn’t return for his follow-up appointment. A year later Linda came for a consultation and told me that Randy was serving five years in jail for attempted bank robbery. Not only that, but he was convinced she was cheating on him and had threatened to have her beaten up.

Writing to Randy in jail, I told him that although he may feel that he’d lost everything, he actually hadn’t. He still had a wife and two loving children waiting for him, but that he would lose them if he didn’t develop balance in his life and in his hands. Despite his environment, I again encouraged him to surround himself with the most positive people he could find and to reflect upon those he cared for with love and kindness.

“You maybe imprisoned, Randy, but you are free to choose the kind of person you want to become,” I wrote.

When Randy came to see me after his release he was a changed man, he was working hard to build a yoga studio for Linda and was practicing yoga himself every morning. He was a loving dad, a good husband . . . and he was happy. The vastly improved lines in his non-dominant hand reflected his new outlook and approach to life.

“Your letter struck a chord in me Ghanshyam. I began thinking about how important my kids were to me and that made all the difference. I joined a prison anger management group and a daily meditation class—and I began focusing on myself and my family with love. Suddenly everything changed. It’s funny that I had to be locked up to become free.”

If you would like to learn more about how your non-dominant and dominant hands can affect your actions and opportunities, call us at 866-428-3799 or click here to book an appointment. We are here to help.

November 3, 2016/0 Comments/by Ghanshyam Singh Birla

From the Case Files, Palmistry

Find the Strength to Live and the Courage to Love… in your hands.

It takes courage to love, and energy and strength to overcome the challenges, hardships and obstacles we so often encounter in our life and careers.

A few years ago Monika sashayed into my office two hours late for her appointment, dismissing her tardiness with a dramatic flick of her wrists.

“I’m running behind schedule today,” she said. “I overslept this morning; I couldn’t find anything to wear . . . and then my taxi didn’t show up on time. You know how it is. But none of that is important—what’s important is that I’m here now and I need help with my career—I need your help to become famous!”

She sat down across from me with an exhausted sigh: “I’m a good actress, Ghanshyam, but I want to be a star—a movie star. It’s so hard getting to the top, though. There is so much competition . . . and so many lines to memorize. Last week I stayed up all night trying to learn my lines, so of course I slept in the next morning. And because I arrived late at the studio, they gave my part to another actress. Do you think you can help me improve my memory so it’s easier for me to memorize my scripts?”

Monika’s lateness for our appointment left little time for an important first consultation. But even a quick glance at her handprints revealed the source of one of her major difficulties.

“You have a serious problem in your Mars Galaxy—it’s disrupting your entire hand, and I suspect it’s disrupting your entire life.”

I explained that the hand consists of 10 connected mounts which reflect our emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being. For example, the Mount of Luna, or Moon, represents our mind and imagination. The Mount of Saturn represents our logic and discipline. If our Saturn is depleted, or weak, our imagination can run out of control, getting us into all sorts of trouble. In Monika’s case, her Mars—which consists of two mounts, Mars negative and Mars positive, forming the Mars Galaxy—was seriously depleted, especially her Mars Negative.

“The Mount of Mars derives its name from the planet Mars, the warrior planet,” I continued. “It represents our energy, our emotional and physical strength and our courage to deal with life. We can sometimes get by without a balanced Mars for several years by robbing energy from other mounts, but this is unhealthy and unproductive and, in the long run, unmaintainable. We will eventually find we are completely drained—physically, mentally and emotionally—and end up without a true purpose. We become like a motorboat without a motor, drifting down the river of life. Even if we know where we want to go, we will not have the energy or fortitude to get there.

“You have a healthy Mount of Venus,” I told her, “which shows your passion and desire to express yourself creatively . . . but you need the strong, reliable support of Mars energy if you hope to do that successfully. Honestly, right now your Mars Negative is so depleted that I am surprised you have the physical energy to clean your apartment, let alone the mental energy or focus to earn a living in a profession as demanding as acting. This may explain your difficulty learning lines and being on time for appointments and auditions. But the good news is you can strengthen your Mars, and improve your memory by . . .”

“Excuse me, Ghanshyam,” Monika cut me off. “It’s true I am late a lot, and a bit untidy and disorganized. But I don’t need to worry about being messy or earning a living. My parents help me with rent, and they send their maid to clean my apartment and cook once a week. That might sound strange, considering I’m 30 years old, but I think they are extra-protective of me because I was adopted. As a matter of fact, I’m in the process of re-connecting with my birth father right now. I’ve always dreamed of having my real dad in my life.”

I wasn’t surprised that Monika had ready excuses to explain away her bad habits—those with a depleted Mars often draw upon (and diminish) their Saturn logic to justify their behavior. But I was concerned by everything else she’d disclosed.

“Monika, as I was about to say before—we can strengthen your Mars Galaxy by giving you small tasks to complete each day—arriving for appointments on time, cleaning up after yourself, cooking your own meals. Accomplishing small, daily goals will build up the stamina and discipline needed to take on greater tasks—like memorizing movie scripts. Regular exercise, proper rest and meditation will also help you. But having someone else pay your rent, cook for you and clean up your mess will undermine these efforts.

“And as for re-connecting with your birth-father . . . the universe is giving you this opportunity to develop a healthy and balanced Mars Galaxy. Any loving or intense personal relationship requires emotional strength and the courage of commitment—qualities you’ll need to develop if you want this new relationship with your dad to be both happy and long-lasting.”

Monika looked dubious, but said she would consider my advice. We arranged a follow up consultation for the next month, but she failed to show up. A few weeks later she phoned to reschedule, saying she’d been so distracted trying to get to auditions that our consultation had slipped her mind.

“But I did meet up with my birth father,” she added.

“Oh really, how did it go?” I asked

“It’s been a disaster, Ghanshyam. “He’s a wonderful man and he explained why he and my birth mother gave me up for adoption—they were only 15 when they had me. But now he wants to call me once a week to check on me and take me out for dinner once a month—it’s too much attention for me to handle; it takes up too much of my time and is too much effort. I told him it’s best if we don’t see each other again.”

Monika missed her re-scheduled appointment as well, and I never heard from her again. I regret that she didn’t take my advice on strengthening her Mars Galaxy before reconnecting with her dad. She missed out on the opportunity to form a loving bond with someone important to her.

It takes courage to love, and energy and strength to overcome the challenges, hardships and obstacles we so often encounter in our life and careers. These qualities emanate from our Mars Galaxy, so it’s in our best interest to make sure our Mars is healthy and balanced.

You would like to increase your focus, energy and stamina by developing your Mars, give us a call at 866-428-3799, or click here to book a consultation. We are here to help.

Did you find Monika’s story helpful? Leave your thoughts by commenting on our blog at the bottom of this page.

September 22, 2016/1 Comment/by Ghanshyam Singh Birla