Palmistry: The Main Lines of the Hand and What They Indicate

Palmistry is an old branch of Indian knowledge, counted as part of Samudrika Shastra, in which the features of the body are read for indications of character and circumstance.

It has one practical advantage worth noting. It requires no birth time. For the many people who do not know theirs, it offers a useful supplementary method.

Which hand

Traditional practice reads the right hand for men and the left for women.

A more useful modern approach reads both. The less used hand indicates inherited disposition and latent capacity. The dominant hand indicates what the person has actually done with it.

The difference between them shows how much a person has changed their own course.

The four principal lines

The life line begins between the thumb and index finger and curves around the base of the thumb.

It indicates vitality, physical energy, health and the general quality of life. A deep, clear life line indicates good vitality.

One misconception must be corrected here. A short life line does not mean a short life. This is the most widespread and most harmful misreading in the subject, and it has caused a great many people needless fear.

The heart line runs horizontally across the upper part of the palm. It indicates feeling, affection, relationships and matters of the heart.

A long, clear heart line indicates a capacity for deep attachment. A broken line suggests fluctuation in relationships.

The head line runs horizontally below the heart line. It indicates the manner of thinking, intellectual capacity and how decisions are made.

A straight head line indicates practical, logical thought. One curving downward indicates imagination and creative inclination.

The fate line runs upward through the middle of the palm. It indicates career, direction and the return on effort.

Not every hand has one. Its absence does not mean an absence of fortune. It generally indicates that the person's path is not a conventional one.

The mounts

The raised areas of the palm are called mounts, and each is linked to a planet.

Below the index finger is the mount of Jupiter, indicating ambition and leadership.

Below the middle finger is Saturn, indicating discipline and seriousness.

Below the ring finger is the Sun, indicating art, recognition and self expression.

Below the little finger is Mercury, indicating communication and commercial skill.

At the base of the thumb is Venus, indicating affection, beauty and vitality.

Along the edge of the palm are the two mounts of Mars, indicating courage and resilience.

At the lower outer edge is the mount of the Moon, indicating imagination and intuition.

The shape of the hand

Before any line is read, the overall form of the hand is considered, because it indicates basic nature.

A square palm with short fingers indicates a practical and steady disposition.

A long palm with long fingers indicates an analytical and sensitive one.

The softness of the hand, the texture of the skin and the flexibility of the fingers are all part of the reading.

The principle that matters most

The deepest principle in palmistry is that the lines change.

This is verifiable. Photographs of the same hand taken some years apart differ. New lines form, some fade and others deepen.

The philosophical implication is significant. A hand is a picture of present tendency, not a verdict. Palmistry, read properly, argues that the future is open.

A practical caution

Drawing a conclusion from a single line is the commonest error. The hand should be read as a whole, and any indication should be corroborated by two or three others.

The best approach is to read a hand alongside a birth chart. Where the two agree, the conclusion is worth some confidence.

If your birth time is unknown, indications from the hand can also assist in rectifying it.