Cheiro, (pronounced K’i-ro) born William John Warner (November 1, 1866 – October 8, 1936) was the father of modern palmistry. He was also known professionally as Count Louis Hamon. Cheiro was without any doubt an unusually gifted astrologer and palmist and provided modern-day palmists with an amazing body of reference work.
Cheiro was an Irish astrologer and a well-known figure in the budding occult world of the early 20th century. He was born to William and Margaret Warner in a village outside Dublin. Throughout his professional life, he maintained several pseudonyms including Count Louis Hamon, Count Leigh de Hamong, and most famous name, Cheiro. As you might have figured out, the name Cheiro is derived from the word cheiromancy, which means palmistry. He was a clairvoyant who taught palmistry, astrology, and Chaldean numerology. During his career, he circulated in the circle of very famous people worldwide. His divination skills were heralded and he was known to make impactful predictions connected to his clients.
As a young man, Cheiro traveled to Bombay, India. There he met Guru Chitpavan Brahmin, who allowed him to study ancient texts about palmistry. He spent two years immersed in developing his own skills as a palmist. He then returned to Europe, but not to his homeland, instead setting up a palm reading practice in London, England. His first client was Arthur Balfour, who was a member of the new Society for Psychical Research. This group was researching all types of psychic activity throughout England. Mr. Balfour was quite impressed with his reading, so much that he told all his friends, who were quite influential at the time. Word of mouth brought Cherio fame and fortune, especially with the upper classes. He quickly became known as one of the most popular and influential seers of his time across Europe and in America. The accuracy of his predictions was the key reason that many famous celebrities and members of royalty consulted him on a wide variety of topics.
The Hands of Celebrities
Cheiro read the palms of Sir Austen Chamberlain, Mark Twain, Dame Nellie Melba, Oscar Wilde, Grover Cleveland, Thomas Edison, Sarah Bernhardt, Mata Hari and the Prince of Wales to name a few. Not only did he read the palms of famous individuals, but he also documented those sessions and made palm prints of their hands. As part of the overall experience, he kept a journal in which he would ask patrons to write personal thoughts on their experience with their readings. Mark Twain agreed to sit for a reading, even though he was skeptical of palmistry. He was so impressed with the accuracy of his reading, he made use of palmistry in one of his stories called, ‘Pudd’n Head Wilson’. He wrote a wonderful statement in Cherio’s journal stating how moved he was by the experience.
He correctly predicted that the Jews would return to Palestine and the country would again be called Israel. He also predicted the date of Queen Victoria’s death, the year and month when King Edward VII would die, and the assassination of Italy’s King Humbert. These are just a few of the accurate predictions that he made about world leaders. He became so popular that he stayed in America, Hollywood specifically, and saw over a dozen client per day until his death in 1936 following a heart attack.
Written Works
Cheiro amassed a great fortune writing books on palmistry, astrology, numerology and the occult. Many of his works are still in print today and they have been vital to palmists still today.
Cheiro’s Written Works
Numerology
Cheiro’s Book of Numbers – 1926
Palmistry
Cheiro’s Language of the Hand (first self-published in 1894)
Cheiro’s Guide to the Hand – 1892
You and Your Hand – 1931
Palmistry for All – 1910
The Cheiro Book of Fate and Fortune – 1971
Cheiro’s Complete Palmistry (Count Louis Harmon) – 1968
Astrology
Where were you Born? – 1930
Cheiro’s You and Your Star: The Book of the Zodiac – 1934
Cheiro’s World Predictions – 1925
Cheiro’s Memoirs: The Reminiscences of a Society Palmist
Titanic’s Last Secrets
True Ghost Stories (attested tales of paranormal experiences)
Fiction
A Study of Destiny (also published as The Hand of Fate, first released in 1898)
Books By R.J. Schwartz Available on Amazon
The Lover’s Thread, Poetry of Love and Romance
Poetry of the Human Condition, The Ups and Downs of Modern Living
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