Palm reading—aka palmistry—is a way of determining somebody’s personality based on the lines and shape of their hand. The hand that a person writes with represents their present and who they have shaped into as they have moved that palm most often in their life. The other hand represents a person’s “fate” or who they were earlier in their life. An ambidextrous person would consider the hand they use most their writing hand. For anybody interested in learning this unique artform can use this as a guide for some common occurrences on the palm.
The life line is the line framing the thumb. It begins around the thumb and goes downward towards the bottom of the hand. This line signifies stamina and priorities. If the line is deeply etched with no breaks in between, then the person is full of passion and an enthusiasm for life. This person does not worry too much about little things. If there are breaks—a shape other than a perfect curve is considered a break—then the person tends to worry and have insecurities that are prevalent in their life. The position of the break is important because if it is closer to the top, then the worrying is more significant in their personality than if it were towards the bottom of the hand. A line that does not go past the middle of the thumb signifies somebody who has low energy and is laid-back, and likes to sit and think often. I have never seen somebody without a life line because it forms before birth, but a lack of one signifies extremely low stamina and low energy.
The head line is positioned in the middle of the palm. It is above the life line and starts at the thumb side and then straight—or slightly curved—towards the ring finger or the middle finger. This line is about matters of the mind, including creativity and learning. A completely straight life line indicates a person who holds closely to their beliefs to a point of stubbornness in some cases. A line that curves upward towards the pinkie indicates a person who gains wealth through clever tactics. That could mean somebody who is convincing or somebody who silently finds solutions to problems. A line that curves downward signifies a person who tends to live in their thoughts. A fork in the line at some point is called “the writer’s fork” and indicates somebody who has a creative talent. That could be writing, drawing, painting, or anything like that. It tends to be something that would require a pen or pencil in the hand. A line with breaks indicates a person who has a hard time focusing. The signifiers can be combined, as a broken line that curves downward shows that the person has a hard time focusing because they are busy fanaticizing. I have met one person without a head line, this indicates a person with an unclear mind.
The heart line is the line on the top, framing the fingers. It begins by the pinkie and is straight—or curved—across that section of the hand. This line is about emotions and relationships. A deep heart line with no breaks indicates a person who is deeply affectionate and values their relationships. That could indicate that they value all their relationships, or only their most healthy ones, but either way they give much affection to their loved ones. A line with breaks indicates a person who is casual with their relationships. A break closer to the pinkie means that this tendency is common, one closer to the end of the line means they are only like that sometimes. A completely straight heart line signifies a person who cares more about what they want than what their loved ones want. I have met one person who did not have a heart line, which shows a person who is not in tune with their emotions at all.
Besides the main lines, there is the fate line, which is rarer than the main three, but still common. This line goes straight down from the ring finger. It does not always begin at the ring finger, but it is aligned with that region. If it starts on one of the main three lines, it means that a significant event will happen in their life regarding that line. For example, a line starting at the heart line means that the person may have a breakup or will have a relationship that is the most important thing in their life.
Next, are my favourite shapes on the palm, the auspicious symbols. A triangle in between the heart and head line—or that spot in the case that one is not present—indicates a person with terrible luck and has some cosmic debt to deal with. A cross in that same position indicates somebody with magical abilities. A cross below the pinkie means that the person has a sharp intuition. A cross below the ring finger indicates somebody with financial stability throughout their life. They have support from their family (or found family). A cross below the middle finger indicates somebody who is lucky socially. One below the pointer finger indicates somebody who is highly perceptive of others’ talents.
Finally, the curvature of the hand indicates how open a person is to others’ viewpoints. When somebody shows the side of their hand and tries to bend it backwards as far as possible without assistance of the other hand, if it does not curve at all, the person is not too open-minded. If it curves a lot and is closer to a ninety-degree angle, then the person is highly open-minded, even to a fault. Anywhere in between places them somewhere else on that scale.
