People often go to palm readers for a clue to their future. Pic: Christopher Davy

FOR those who believe that the lines on your hand form a map of your life, the palmists of Yangon can offer advice, consolation and, should danger loom, warnings.

The shape, contours and colour of the palm of the hand and the length and pattern of the creases formed when it folds are a reliable guide to the person’s past, present occupation and preoccupations, and also their future, many Myanmar believe.

“The lines on your palm describe what kind of person you are and predict what trouble you experience at present,” says Daw Khin Yadanar Sint, who has made a career of reading the palms of people from all walks of life since 1993.
She added that astrologers can tell a lot about a client by examining his or her hands.

Even the colour and shape of a palm can hold clues, so that vegetable sellers have flat palms and rich and successful people have pink and fleshy palms.

Daw Khin Yadanar Sint said every line on the human hand has a meaning. A person might travel many different paths during a lifetime and encounter many events that mark important stages in the journey. Her job is to advise on the right move at the right time to ensure success in work, or in love.

“The more I keep the moral precepts, the more my preaching is right,” she said. She dedicates her life to reading palms because the work keeps her calm.

She says astrology cannot protect people from the fate in store for them. But their fortune is reflected in the pattern of the lines of the palm.

Some pregnant women seek advice on the best time for their child to come in the world, and contrive to follow the stars’ advice when they give birth. Some people ask what kind of house they should buy, and which direction it should face, and apply the astrological calculus and advice they receive.

Saya Chan Nyein started his career as palmist and astrologer in 1990, noting that palmistry and astrology, arts older than the Buddha himself, could not be ignored. “In fact, our prediction might not be as correct as Buddha’s prophecies. But people flock to us to overcome their present troubles, and we can listen and advise,” he said.

When people anguish over a dilemma, stumble into crime or fail in health, that’s when they think of astrologers, he added.

“Some used to ask advice from the astrologer before they do business, they want to know whether they will make money. Some ask about family affairs or their work,” he said.

“It is true that they do rely on us,” he adds.

Most people approach famous palmists and astrologers whose predictions appear weekly in local journals, hoping for a glimpse of the future.

“People want to be consoled and to know the reasons why they encounter trouble, rather than worrying whether our prediction is true. This shows that astrology has influence over people,” he adds. Saya Chan Nyein charges K1000 for a reading.

Saya Theidi Aung, who started reading palms in 1993, said clients asked what the future will bring, and especially: will I be rich? It’s a question posed at all his readings.

“People seek answers and want to know what to look for in their future and how to manage whatever life throws at them. By knowing ahead of their turning point they manage to avoid problems or to achieve their goals more quickly,” Saya Theidi Aung said.

But he also agreed that astrology cannot completely protect a client from the danger that befalls them. Luck is also a factor.

Most people are crazy about astrology. Many carry a pocket-sized astrology book whatever they go and follow its instructions every day, avoiding things they should not do, said Saya Theidi Aung.