A feature in the winter issue is a piece by author and palm reader Helene Saucedo on “The Stories in the Sky,” where she takes a look at the constellations from a palmist perspective. Helene also has a book coming out this fall from Harper Design (with the same editor and publisher as The Faerie Handbook and The Mermaid Handbook and an upcoming third book in the series, as it happens!)
Here’s Helene being glamorous while practicing her art:
Which we decided to ask her a few questions about, since we are deeply nosy.
Enchanted Living: So why palmistry?
Helene Saucedo: Tarot, astrology, the I-ching, and tea leaf readings are all fantastic metaphysical practices, but the physical and tangible nature of palmistry resonated with me. In a Tarot card reading you ask a specific question and receive information through intuition and/or visual symbolism, and then you put the cards back in the deck, and the information can fade from memory. Your hand is always with you. Your hand grows with you. It serves as a reminder, a check point, and a companion, documenting your life story as you live it. It is also helpful that my background is in Design and Art Direction. The visual aspect of creating a story from the lines, markings and other characteristics of the hand clicked very quickly.
EL: How did you get into it?
HS: I experienced what I call my “Mid Life Correction” following the total solar eclipse of 2017. In the two years prior, I experienced a traumatic child birth accompanied with a year of PPD (postpartum depression). When I came out on the other side of the darkness, I felt the call to change my life, to find a life that was more authentic. I left my marriage, came out as queer, made the decision not to go back to work as a full time graphic designer and bought a vintage camper, with no clear plan on what to do with it. My hometown of Atlanta has a very strong “now age” community. My friends are into crystals, herbalism, yoga and meditation, and the like. I asked myself what Atlanta was missing… a palm reader! My good friend encouraged me to read at a Christmas pop-up event she was coordinating. I created a designed sheet on which to print ones hand and mark up the information, to serve as a cheat sheet to myself. There was a great reaction and I am riding the wave to see where palmistry will take me as a tool of connection, storytelling, and living art. Now I read out of my shops, events, festivals, and my camper.
EL: What is it like, reading palms professionally?
HS: Palmistry is a highly misunderstood art. It can be awkward upon meeting someone to tell them what I do. “I am a palm reader” is met with “Ohhh..how interesting…”, “So you can tell when people are going to die?!”, or “My Aunt got their palm read and they predicted {insert story here} and it actually happened.” What I do is not predictive, nor does it involve fortunetelling. I evaluate hands in terms of personality profiling and life path, and use that information as a platform for an exploratory conversation. It is an incredibly satisfying job for someone with their Sun and Moon in Cancer. I meet and converse on a deeply personal level with people from all walks of life, allowing them to be seen and heard in a nonjudgemental environment.
EL: Do you have a tip you can share with us?
HS: If you are interested in palmistry, I would encourage you to start the learning process by documenting and exploring your own hands. Begin by taking photos of the palms of both of your hands in the daylight. Learn the meanings of the four major lines: the heart line, the head line, the life line, and the line of stability aka line of fate. The lines can and will change based upon your journey through life. Your dominant hand is the hand you write with, commonly the right hand, and represents who and where you are in the present moment. The opposite hand is your recessive hand, and holds your destiny. Observe the similarities and difference and what that could mean. It is an interpretative art. There is no right or wrong.
EL: Can you tell us about the book you’ve written?
HS: I am thrilled to be releasing a DIY-inspired palmistry kit through HarperCollins Design in October 2019. The Handful of Stars Palmistry kit will include all of the tools necessary to ink and read your hand: an ink pad, ink roller, silver gel pen and a step-by-step guidebook.
EL: How do you stay enchanted?
HS: I stay open to experiencing magic in my life.
You can find Helene (and her Handful of Stars Readings) on Instagram as @handfulofstars_readings and at www.handfulofstarsreadings.com.
And here are a few more photos from this tantalizing shoot Helene did with photographer Angela Medlin and models Brittany Redmon, Helene Saucedo, and Allison Williams:
