Cheiro (1866–1936) Professional name of famed Irish palm reader “Count” Louis Hamon. Cheiro was a charismatic and flamboyant personality who demonstrated a genuine skill in Divination, and he left a lasting impression upon the art of Palmistry. His professional name Cheiro means “hand” in Greek.

Cheiro wrote his autobiography in his book Confessions, which probably features some exaggerated accounts of his feats and circumstances. By his own account, he was born William Warner on November 1, 1866, in Ireland to Count William de Hamon and Mademoiselle Dumas. He said his family lineage descended from Normans before the time of William the Conqueror. He was forced to drop out of school when his family was reduced to poverty. He acquired his interest in the occult from his mother.

Cheiro went to London to seek his fame and fortune. On the train from Liverpool to London, his destiny as a fortune-teller was sealed. Cheiro sat reading a copy of an English translation of the first textbook on palmistry, Die Kunst Chiromantie, published in Germany in 1485. His traveling companion remarked that it was a strange interest. Cheiro read his palm and foretold that the man would be a great leader, but his career would be cut short by a woman. The stranger was Charles Stewart Parnell, a politician who advocated Irish home rule. Several years later, Parnell’s career was cut short when he was named as a correspondent in a divorce suit.

After a brief stay in London, Cheiro traveled as a stowaway to Bombay, India, where he developed his skill in palmistry with the help of a Hindu priest. It is likely that during this time he developed a psychic gift; he said later that the lines on a hand did not directly provide information but that they stimulated his “occult consciousness.” He also traveled to Egypt.

Cheiro returned to London and opened a salon on the pricey and elegant Bond Street and furnished it in elegant style. His first client was Arthur Balfour, who was active in the new Society for Psychical Research (SPR)and who went on to become one of its presidents. The SPR was actively investigating all kinds of psychic phenomena. Balfour went away impressed with his reading; word of mouth did the rest, and soon Cheiro was famous among London’s upper crust. He was known for his accurate predictions. His fame spread to Europe and America. Cheiro was so much in demand that in one year alone he read for 6,000 clients. His advice was sought by royalty, politicians, artists, and writers. Among his clients were American President Grover Cleveland, Oscar Wilde, England’s king Edward VII, Belgium’s king Leopold, Lord Randolph Churchill, Sarah Bernhardt, and others.

One of Cheiro’s clients was the American author Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). According to Cheiro, Clemens was mightily impressed with his reading and said that his fortunes changed as a result of it. Clemens visited Cheiro in London in the early 1890s. He was on the brink of financial ruin late in his life and was despondent about the future. He found Cheiro’s explanations of palmistry fascinating. From this session, Clemens was inspired to write a book, The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson, in which fingerprints were important to the plot. The book provided much-needed income, as did a lecture series in Europe.

Cheiro traveled extensively, visiting China, Russia, and the United States as well as Europe, where he lectured to large audiences. In Confessions, he claimed to have joined in a battle of skills with Grigori Rasputin. Each tried unsuccessfully to hypnotize the other. Cheiro said he predicted Rasputin’s death in the Neva River and the fall of the Romanoff dynasty—prophecies also claimed to have been made by Rasputin.

It is not certain if Cheiro ever worked for British intelligence; according to lore, he did so during World War I and was a lover of the famed spy Mata Hari.

In 1920, Cheiro married one of his clients, a woman much younger than himself and who had irresistible small hands.

Cheiro wrote about a dozen books on the occult, including one on astrology in which he claimed to have worked out an astrological system for winning roulette. He also developed a complicated numerology system that he called Fadic numbers that he used in conjunction with his palm-reading skills.

Cheiro went to Hollywood where he wrote film scenarios and hoped to make a film of the life of Cagliostro, a goal he never achieved. By then he had amassed a fortune. He started a private banking house and made investments for clients. He was charged with skimming about $500,000 in funds and was sent to prison for a short term.

In about 1930, his powers suddenly failed, and his friends and clients deserted him. He fell into depression and suffered setbacks. He wrote books to make a meager living. In 1936, he was found by Hollywood police babbling incoherently on a sidewalk. They took him to a hospital, but he died enroute. Cheiro made no innovations to palmistry, but he did dramatically raise its visibility and popularity.

FURTHER READING:

• Cheiro [COUNT LOUIS HARM ON]. Mysteries and Romances of the World’s Greatest Occultists. New Hyde Park, N.Y.: University Books, 1972.
• Mysteries of the Unknown: Visions and Prophecies. Alexandria, Va.: Time-Life Books, 1988.

SOURCE:

The Encyclopedia of Magic and Alchemy Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley Copyright © 2006 by Visionary Living, Inc.