Longmont woman to read palms at Cinco de Mayo celebration

By Melanie M. Sidwell 
Longmont Times-Call

LONGMONT — Critics of palmistry call it a moneymaking hoax akin to snake oil remedies or, at worst, comparable to witchcraft and devil worship.

Believers, however, say the lines on people’s palms are “the book of nature,” an ever-changing spiritual tool based on an individual’s past, present and future.

“Everybody seeks answers,” said Myrna Lou Goldbaum, a new Longmont resident and longtime palm reader who says she’s made a career of reading the palms of everyday citizens, criminals, celebrities and even former President Gerald Ford.

“(Palmistry) is personal; it’s not general or fluff. People want to know things: What path should I be on? Am I doing the right thing? Should I start over?”

Goldbaum, who has written three books on the subject, says the lines on people’s hands are not necessarily predictions — they change as people age. The lines are assigned to a person’s longevity, career, relationships and children, she added.

“Everyone has a choice. Everyone has free will,” she said. “You have potential. If you want to move forward, the lines will show where you are stagnant. We all have in us what I call your ‘higher power.’ And your higher power is godlike.”

Palmistry (also called chiromancy) originated in India thousands of years ago as a primitive system of knowledge stemming from the Vedas, the earliest sacred Hindu writings, according to various palmistry Web sites.

Palmistry then spread to China, Tibet, Egypt, Persia and Europe. Sages studied hands as a way to unveil and understand the self and relationships with others, the Web sites state.

These forms of divination, or a means of drawing knowledge and insight, were closely allied with religion among pagan, Hebrew and early Christian peoples, according to online encyclopedia Encarta.com.

Those in the palm-reading community are divided over whether the Catholic Church persecuted or preserved the chiromantic art form, since the earliest manuscripts on palmistry were found in European monasteries, according various Web sites.

Goldbaum, who began reading palms at age 10 after reading a book on Oriental palmistry, said the public is increasingly open to this ancient practice.

Donna Jewell of Frederick said she is. She has had her palm read before and recently took a palm-reading class with her daughter and granddaughter at Goldbaum’s Longmont home.

“There’s something more to our world than just the physical things,” she said. “Palm readers just give insight. I just like to see what they have to say. My grandmother used to go to a palm reader for years, and I went to one in Estes Park for years and years.”

Jewell said skeptics are entitled to their opinions, but she “likes to believe what (palm readers) have to say.”

“Do I base my life on this? No. But it sure is fun,” she said.

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WHAT DOES 2008 HAVE IN STORE FOR ME?

Myrna Lou Goldbaum

Palmist/Psychic/Author

Every new year I am bombarded with questions about the coming year. To me every new year is like a bright shiny penny. If it stays on the ground it will get tarnished and drab-looking but if it is picked up with enthusiasm it has a chance to gleam in the light.

 I am asked “What does the new year have in store for me? This question is asked by everyone who has a palm reading with me. People seek answers and want to know what to look for in their near future, what to steer clear of and how to manage whatever life throws at them. By knowing ahead of the curve they are one step ahead of the game.

 The human palm is a storehouse of valuable information. It holds secrets to one’s past, shows what is going on in one’s life today and it fortells what is about to happen to the individual in the future. The lines are like a road map that someone insightful who is in the “know”, such as a Palmist can decipher to guide one in the decision-making process we all have to go through at various times in life. 

 Life is full of diversity, in situations, personalities and the choices one must make. Everyone needs to think before taking any action, then follow through to completion. A palm reading aids in an individual’s progress toward steps necessary to move forward in life. Hands are the mirror of the soul. When a problem exists a solution can be found that will be beneficial for the person if they are shown there are choices available.  Palmistry does not make the decision.  The individual must use free will and go with the best possible route to correct a situation, alter it or change it completely.

 A reading can hit high and low points in a person’s life. The lines do not lie; they are imprinted on a hand, present at birth.  It is the time element of living and moving from one experience to another during a lifetime that changes their direction. Sometimes a line stops for no apparent reason.  Sometimes lines meander across other markings then stop. Some start in another time frame.  Example: A person in their 20’s could be going in one direction but by their late 30’s change and go in another.  The lines will show the switch, sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

  Call me today at 303-651-6273, email hmg@privatei.com or write to me at P.O. Box 19081, Boulder CO 80308