Palmistry as an Integral Part of Maharlikan Culture
Table of Contents
Among Filipino spiritual beliefs, the concept of “Kapalaran” (fate, destiny, luck) is fundamental.
It speaks to a deep-seated understanding that life’s journey is woven by unseen forces. But where does this powerful word come from?
The answer is not in the stars, but in the very palm of your hand.
“Kapalaran” is derived from the root word “palad,” which means “palm” in Tagalog and many other Philippine languages.
This points to a sophisticated, pre-colonial practice of palmistry—the art of reading one’s fate, character, and fortune from the lines of the hand.
A Science From India
In our India-dharmagensis Theory, the following Southeast Asian countries were bootstrapped by the Gupta Empire:
- Java
- Siam
- Angkor
- Champa
- Maharlika
Malaysia was not heavily Indianized because, as Chau Ju Kua writes, the Sri Vijaya were already very strong.
So it is likely that the Gupta kings bypassed them and went for those lesser Southeast Asian Countries.
- Vietnam was already under China and so the Guptas were not able to influence it.
- Taiwan was undeveloped and not suitable for bootstrapping
Palmistry was extensively practiced in India even earlier than the Guptas. However, it was they who promoted the sciences which included palmistry as Samudrika Shastra and astrology as Jyotish.
Palm Reading in Pre-Colonial Society
Pre-colonial Philippine society was animistic, with a rich world of anito (spirit ancestors), diwata (deities/nature spirits), and babaylan (shaman-priestesses).
Reading the palm was a form of divination integrated into spiritual and social life.
The Babaylan or Catalonan, as community leaders, healers, and seers, were the most probable practitioners. Reading the palm could have served several purposes:
- Life Path Guidance: Interpreting the major lines (like what we now call the life line, heart line, and head line) to advise on one’s strengths, challenges, and suitable vocations.
- Healing Diagnostics: The hands were seen as mirrors of health. Certain markings, textures, or colors in the palad might have been read to diagnose spiritual or physical imbalances.
- Omens and Decision-Making: Before journeys, battles, marriages, or planting seasons, a reading could be sought to understand the favor of the spirits and the likely outcome of endeavors.
- Understanding One’s Role: In a society with complex social structures, the lines might have been seen as indicators of one’s inherent nature or destined role within the community.
The arrival of Spanish colonizers in the 16th century brought a systematic campaign to erase indigenous beliefs. The babaylan were persecuted, animistic practices were labeled as “witchcraft” or works of the devil, and the Spanish imposed Catholicism.
Formal, ritualistic palad reading was undoubtedly suppressed. However, the concept itself was too deeply rooted in language and folk wisdom to disappear. It retreated from the public, priestly sphere and survived in the private, familial domain—passed down through generations as pamahiin (superstitions) and kaalamang bayan (folk knowledge).
Grandmothers might still gently trace a child’s palm and speak of their potential future. The belief that specific markings meant certain things—like a “M” on the palm signifying wealth (malaking pera) or certain line breaks indicating major life changes—persisted as cultural memory.
Bringing Back Palmistry
Palmistry shows the subtle energies or chi and prana that goes through a person.
It can be used to diagnose personality issues, as well as compatibility with career, spouse, teammates, business or industry, etc.
In Superphysics, we use it for profiling people, as an alternative to Myers Briggs and other persoanlity insight tools.