The Time is Now
for a Hand Revival!
On my endless quest to understand what is going on, I was a little bewildered to find myself staring down at—well, my hands.
It started with some little hand altars I created, and it spiralled down the rabbit hole. Engineered for precision, tenderness, and creativity, hands once had a much more active and expressive life.
Since our primitive hands first formed over 60 million years ago, they have sustained our species with their dexterity, sensitivity, and astonishing adaptability. Recently downgraded to typing, texting, swiping, and scrolling, I think it’s time we not just pause in awe, but give them something more to do.
The Substack platform might crash if I attempted to list all its magic. But you, Linkletter reader, have hands of your own. See what they remember.
“The hand is the visible part of the brain.” — Immanuel Kant.
All religions and spiritual traditions have incorporated hands into their practices. From Sufi Whirling Dervish spiral meditation, Hindu and Buddhist mudras, to Christian hand blessings and gestural magic, hands have long served as a pathway to the upper and lower worlds. Our palms become portals, our fingers the conduits.
Hands have been the bridge to what is sacred. We bow with them. We offer them. We bless others with them. We hold them open, up and together at our heart.
Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain.” —Carl Jung.
Hands hold weight—emotional, historical, invisible.
We cradle newborns, hold the hands of the dying and learn when to let go.
As a mother, I’ve used mine to cuddle, caress, and soothe my children through difficult days and challenging nights.
The author, artist, and storyteller Maira Kalman put words to this quirky reel, "Women Holding Things," the title of one of her whimsical illustrated books.
Hands were our first tools. They made fire, broke bread, and created altars.
They signed treaties, wrote vows, and broke them.
They sowed seeds, stitched quilts, and held the dead.
They painted murals on caves, created sculptures, and anointed our bodies.
“Hands’ by Louise Bourgeois
“The hand is the instrument of instruments.”— Aristotle
While this video is a homage to hands and a testament to multitasking, I opted for the word “Hand” in song titles on my Spotify playlist.
How we touch one another matters. One way to explore this in the bedroom is in Betty Martin’s book, The Art of Receiving and Giving. She proposed that touch is not a one-way gesture. When we touch a person’s skin with our hands, we should ask ourselves: Am I giving or receiving? Am I doing this for you, or me? Seems simple. Turns out it’s not.
For the Stoics, the hand was more than a limb—it had agency. They believed freedom came from focusing on what’s within your grasp: daily actions, practiced virtues, steady care. Journaling helps integrate and synthesize our thoughts.
Hands are how we show up. Hold them up and shake ‘em. Carry a sign. Use your hands to amplify your voice. Use them as a whistle and let everyone know what you feel.
A hand blessing
May your hands create with endless curiosity.
May they hold what is heavy and release what is not yours to carry.
May they become wise through repetition, tender through rest, and strong through care.
May you raise them not just in resistance, but also in reverence.
— Janet
I love revivals!!!