A spotlight life purpose or a spotlight gift marking — what’s the difference?

With all the conversation I’ve been having lately with clients around being called to spotlight — and usually feeling darned reluctant about it (if this is you, better read to the end of this) — one question keeps coming up:

What’s the difference between having a spotlight Life Purpose marking and a spotlight Gift Marking?

Let me explain.

In hand analysis terms, there two primary markings that show you have a “call to the spotlight” — meaning that you must express yourself to your audience and receive their applause, approval, and appreciation in exchange for sharing your work with them: a Star of Apollo gift marking and a Right Apollo Life Purpose.

Star of Apollo Gift Marking

The first is the Star of Apollo gift marking — a small asterisk on your palm on either hand, right below your ring finger — that tells us you have a gift for “Fame and Fortune in the Arts,” or being paid and being seen for your artistic expression.

With an Apollo Star, if you aren’t doing your spotlight work, the Universe has something to say about that and gives you a good swift kick in the butt in the form of “tomato fears” —  aka creative apathy, creative confusion, and creative blocks.

The solution? Do your spotlight work.

Right Apollo Life Purpose

The second is a “Creative Expression in the Spotlight” Life Purpose marking — a high ranking finger print on your right ring finger — meaning that in order to fulfill your life purpose, you must creatively express yourself to your audience.

With a life purpose marking, it is a required part of your life purpose fulfillment.

In other words, you won’t feel satisfied and you won’t have fulfilled your life purpose until or unless you have an audience to whom you are expressing yourself creatively. People with an Apollo purpose MAY have challenges with tomato fears if they are not pursuing their life purpose and/or are falling into their life lesson.

The solution? Do your spotlight work.

The bottom line

They both matter.

They both count.

Gift markings can go away IF you do “enough” of the work.

Life purpose markings NEVER, ever change.

Therefore, in some ways, you can say that a life purpose calling is more powerful because you will never feel fulfilled until you are expressing to your audience.

On the other hand, the gift marking has a certain kind of urgency to it too — don’t do it, and pay the price. In some ways it’s harder for people who have it as a gift marking than it is for people who have it as a purpose marking because of the penalty.

If you are called to the spotlight and you aren’t doing it, you are going to feel unfulfilled, stuck, confused, spinning in circles, lost, and apathetic.

At the end of the day, one way or another, you need to do your spotlight work.

If you want to summon your courage and step into YOUR spotlight, join my upcoming Spotlight Study Group, where we’ll have a safe, sensitive-friendly, small, intimate coaching group to clear up the fears, doubts, old wounds, and other obstacles to claiming your place in front of your audience — where you belong. Starts May 1. Early registration ends Sunday, April 15th. Details are here.

 

Gift markings: Use ’em or pay the piper

Most people get a little giddy over hand analysisGift Markings.” I did!

When I first had my hands analyzed, we found about 10 gift markings. It was so exciting to see my innate talents showing up on my palms. And I wanted more — I felt sure some were missing from my list. :)

Ironically, I did find more over time, but it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I’ll tell you why, but first, let me explain a little more about gift markings and how they work.

What are gift markings?

Gift markings are line formations on your palms and fingers that indicate a particular ability or talent that you are not using to its fullest degree. The marking is in your hands like a beacon from the Universe, saying, “More of this, please! And faster would be better.”

The line formations look like small asterisks (* called “stars”), single lines, or sets of parallel lines, and are in specific locations — “Mounts” on your palm or distinct line locations. The positions of the markings are important, and they tell us the nature of your gift.

There are 17 officially recognized gift markings by the International Institute of Hand Analysis.

Stars:

  • Star of Jupiter: Gifted leader
  • Star of Saturn: Midas touch
  • Star of Apollo: Fame & fortune in the arts
  • Star of Mercury: Clever communication
  • Star of Pluto: Deep transformation
  • Star in the Moon: Psychic flashes of intuition
  • Star of Neptune: Gifted empath
  • Star of Venus: Playful spirit
  • Star of Mars: Courage
  • Star of Wisdom:  The seer

Lines:

  • Medical Stigmata: Gifted healer
  • Lines of Genius: Gifted author and speaker
  • HAL 9000 line: Gifted problem solver
  • Persephone line: Deep intuitive transformation
  • Line of Clairvoyance: Psychic vision
  • Simian crease: Intense focus
  • Pure Heart line: Unconditional love

How to use your gift markings

One of the things that’s interesting about hand analysis is the redundancy. Very often, if you have a particular Life Purpose indicated by your fingerprints, your gift markings will reflect and reinforce your purpose, as will other line markings (there are many, including your life line, head line, heart line, fate line, and various other indicators).

You can think of your gift markings as the tools that help you implement your Life Purpose. Some hand analysts think your gift markings are more important or equivalent in importance to your Life Purpose.

While I disagree on one level, I also think that your gift markings can play a dominant role in your life experience, particularly if you have a lot of them or if you are not using them well.

Gift markings can change

Unlike your fingerprints and other dermatoglyphs, the line markings on your palms can change. This means that over time, gift markings can come and go. So you may be let off the hook if you start using your gift “enough.”

What is “enough”?

I’ve never had a good answer on the definition of “enough” from anyone so far, but my understanding is that if the gift marking is still there, you’ve got more work to do.

Are you in the penalty box?

As I said, gift markings are pretty exciting. Like me, most people long to have them, or more of them. This is definitely one of those “be careful what you wish for” situations, though.

Here’s why.

Every gift marking comes with a penalty. Other hand analysts describe it as being “on the student path.” In either case, it isn’t fun.

Whether you know about your gift or not, if you’re not using it, you’ll feel frustrated, thwarted, stuck, and dissatisfied with your life.

Bottom line: If you are not using the gift, you’ll face the consequences.

Penalty examples

For example, if you have a “Gifted Author and Speaker” gift marking (Lines of Genius) but you aren’t using it “enough”, you’ll find yourself spinning in circles and shuffling lots and lots of paper.

The antidote? Use the gift: Write and speak like your life depends on it.

Another case in point is one of my personal favorites and bêtes noires: The Hal 9000 line. Not only do I love the sci fi reference, but I have an up close and personal relationship with this one. The Hal 9000 line is the mark of the “Gifted Problem Solver,” and if you aren’t solving large, complicated problems (we’re talking world-scale here), you’ll create complicated personal problems to solve, like getting involved with a married man or creating financial challenges for yourself.

The antidote: Figure out the big world problem you want to solve and get cracking.

The multiple-gift marking conundrum

Only about 35% of the population have one gift marking, according to Pamelah Landers, author of “The Complete Guide to Gift Markings.”

Having 3 or more gift markings is downright uncommon.

Therefore, for those of us with multiple gift markings (more than 3), we can feel isolated. And overwhelmed.

Having multiple gift markings means having multiple masters. Not only do you need to be fulfilling your Life Purpose, working on your Life Lesson, and mastering your Life School, you’re also required to answer to the gift marking Powers That Be, each of whom seem to have their own agendas.

Luckily, as I said earlier, your gift markings tend to reinforce your fingerprint Life Purpose markings, and can give you a fuller picture of what your calling and how you can go about accomplishing it.

Truly, it’s a mixed blessing — all those penalties are no cup of tea, but they sure do give you a powerful nudge to get back on track with what you were put here to do.

Want your hands analyzed?

If you’d like to find out more or have your hands analyzed, consider joining one of my upcoming Life Purpose Breakthrough Group sessions or booking a private Life Purpose hand analysis session with me. All sessions are held by phone.

 

“One of the most effortless and deeply insightful processes I’ve gone through.”

I am amazed at how there is SO MUCH WISDOM within something so small and subtle as our fingerprints. It reaffirmed a lot I already knew about myself, but also pinpointed things I really need to pay attention to and magnify. Afterward, I spent a 4-day weekend absorbing & processing EVERYTHING. I journaled like crazy, wrote up 5 things I want to focus on, got 2 new books, and cranked out new content for my website/company I had wanted to build. For someone considering taking this course, there is no considering needed… it’s a MUST. It was one of the most effortless and deeply insightful processes I’ve gone through, and I’ve gone through MANY of them. Jenna is absolutely genuine, real, compassionate, and with just the right dosage of being intuitive for you and having wisdom for the whole group.

Given the time you had to go over everything for 4 people, Jenna, you did an amazing job of being comprehensive and intuitive that was just right for the time we had. It was so so so nice to have someone who just “got me“…and that’s a true sign of a true intuitive. I take my life purpose very seriously and have spent a lot of time honing it and trying to live it. But it’s time to really take it up a notch it and make it my FULL-TIME work. That is my vision and goal.
~ Lola Tsai, Vancouver, BC, www.lolaloveandlight.com

“The inspiration and clarity of the reading, along with your keen intuition, has helped empower me in better embracing my soul’s life purpose.”

“I have been sitting with the awe of the accuracy and enlightenment your fingerprint analysis has brought me! The validation and relief, as well as the inspiration and clarity of the reading, along with your keen intuition, has helped empower me in better embracing my soul’s life purpose. A wonderful gift and icing on the delicious cake I have been savoring in your course — thank you for your sacred work and gift of love!”
~ Helena Himani Das, Managing Animals Naturally, Inc.

Is there a link between sensitivity and creativity?

Elaine Aron, author of The Highly Sensitive Person, says that “almost all HSPs have an artistic side they enjoy expressing … or they deeply appreciate some form of art.” She also says that, “almost all studies of the personalities of prominent artists insist that sensitivity is central.”

Todd Henry, author of The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice, notes, “It’s not a rule by any means, but many creatively gifted people tend to display a natural tendency toward introversion. Perhaps the isolated nature of a lot of creative work is what calls many of us to our chosen profession to begin with. We love to get lost in the process of moving big conceptual rocks…”

(To be clear, while not all introverts are sensitives, all sensitives are introverts in the classic sense of the word “introversion”: meaning that we recharge our energy by having time alone.)

I think there’s a link between creativity and sensitivity due to the deep, rich, and imaginative inner life sensitives experience. While our vivid imaginations can run amok from time to time, it’s a powerful tool for venturing into new creative territory.

Similarly, our tendency to empathy gives us a great resource when it comes to exploring the emotional depths, which can also be a boon when it comes to creative expression.

Just the other day on Twitter, I joked about my screenwriting:

The challenges of sensitivity and creativity

I notice that the challenging aspect of both being sensitive and creative comes primarily on the audience side of things.

And ironically, I can’t tell you how frequently I analyze hands for creative, sensitive types who have “Spotlight” in their hands — it’s astonishing. So much so that I’m seriously considering doing a one-time class on “Sensitives in the Spotlight.”

(“Spotlight” is a shortened version of the expression, “Creative Expression in the Spotlight” for someone with a Right Ring Finger life purpose, and for the term, “Fame and Fortune in the Arts” for someone with an Apollo Star gift marking.)

As Elaine Aron puts it, “The difficulty, I believe, is that normally we artists work alone, refining our craft and our subtle creative vision. But withdrawl of any kind increases sensitivity — that is part of why one withdraws. So we are extra sensitive when the time comes to show our work, perform it, explain it, sell it, read reviews of it, and accept rejection or acclaim.”

Some of my private clients and I recently did some work on this topic of “being seen” and discovered the importance of being willing to fully receive acclaim and trying not to block the massive flow of energy that comes with attention from an audience, but rather allowing it to flow through us and around us.

I was also recently reminded through my screenwriting class of the power and importance of intelligent, quality feedback to help us to improve our work.

As Artists in the Spotlight, we must be engaged in the exchange of our artistic expression for applause, approval, and appreciation from our audience. It is exhilarating, and while it may appear to be purely ego-driven, it is a necessary part of the equation for artistic fulfillment, at least from a life purpose perspective.

So yes, Virginia, I do see a link between sensitivity and creativity, and I think it brings challenges all of its own.

Your Turn

What does this inspire or raise for you? Let me know on the blog.

 

 Jenna

Coming Attractions

~> Ongoing. My Protection & Grounding Jewelry is on close-out. Only TWO necklaces are left, and then they are gone for good. Find them here.

~> February 2, 2012. Start the new year fresh with your life purpose clear in your mind. My next life purpose breakthrough group session in on February 2. Details. SOLD OUT.

~> February 20th, 2012. The next session of my Writer’s Circle starts. Sign up here. Get my Free Writing Tips series too, and receive a coupon for a savings on your first 4 week session.

 

What I'm Up To

~> Ongoing. Writing in the ProSeries class at ScreenwritingU, which was just named the #1 screenwriting class by InkTip.

~> Daily and especially Fridays. Sacred writing time. The Do Not Disturb sign is up.

~> Still watching Castle, Season 3. Loving it!