When you think about palm readings, what comes to mind? A psychic wearing a gold cap giving ominous messages about the future? Forget about what you’ve seen in the movies. True palmistry (also known as chiromancy) can be defined as the art and science of reading palms in an effort to study one’s past, present, and future potential. It’s one of the most highly regarded divination practices.
The genesis of palmistry is uncertain, but one theory suggests that it may have been incepted in ancient India before spreading elsewhere. At this time, the Roma (Gypsies) were known as fortune-tellers. The chiromantic art traveled to China, Persia, Tibet, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece, where the practice was substantially developed.
Medieval palmistry was somewhat controversial as it was used by the witch hunters who believed certain pigmentation spots were a sign of the Devil. After a brief hiatus, palmistry blossomed again in the 17th century, the Renaissance era. It experienced another resurgence in the 19th and 20th centuries when studied and practiced by cerebral minds such as Casimir d’Arpentigny (founding father of chirognomy), William Benham (academic, author, and churchman), and Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist Carl Jung.
There are many variations in palmistry methods. However, all methods involve the same fundamental practice of examining the lines that crisscross the palm and interpret their meanings. Let’s take a deeper dive into this great practice with a detailed palm reading guide.
How To Read Palms
If you want to know how to read your palm, it’s essential to be aware of the size and shape of your hands, fingers, hand lines, their lengths, how and where they cross each other, and where they break or end are all a snapshot into your life and personality. Even fingerprints are vital as we each have a unique set.
Typically, you’re going to examine your non-dominant hand for insight into familial attributes, innate gifts, and challenges. You’ll observe your dominant hand for a look into your past, future potential, and choices that you need to make. Together, both hands reveal how you’re utilizing your potential in this lifetime. However, there’s also the option to only read your left hand for the former and the latter’s right hand regardless of dominance. Energy healers believe that the hands are the heart’s extensions, which hold the soul’s secrets.
Every detail of your hands has a meaning, so you’re also going to want to observe whether or not your palms are smooth or rough, if your fingers are well-kempt or dirty, and if your nails have ridges or are flat and glossy. The next step is to familiarize yourself with the different hand shapes and lines.
The Four Element Hands
There are four basic hand shapes within palmistry; each one is associated with a different element and its associated traits. Even though the four elements are ingrained in astrology, your hand shape may not coincide with your astrological sign. For example, perhaps you’re a Capricorn, an earth sign, but your hand’s shape is a water sign, revealing your personality’s graduation.
EARTH HANDS
Square palms and short fingers characterize Earth hands. They often feel fleshy, firm, and solid. Those with earth hands are grounded, practical, reliable, and logical. They can also be stubborn and too wrapped up in the present that they stunt long-term planning and goal-setting.
FIRE HANDS
Fire hands have long palms and short fingers. Individuals with fire hands are typically confident, passionate, and hardworking, but they can also lack tactfulness and empathy because their own interests drive them. These hands may also suggest an explosive temper and a lot of energy, and a tendency to be spontaneous.
AIR HANDS
Air hands are distinguished by square palms and long fingers that are often boney, skinny, and have prominent knuckles. Air hands indicate a sharp wit, intelligence, and a gregarious and talkative personality. These individuals have excellent communication skills, are intellectually curious, and have native analytical abilities.
WATER HANDS
Long palms and long fingers characterize water hands. Overall, they’re relatively narrow and are soft to the touch. The palms can feel a bit clammy. Those with water hands are compassionate, imaginative, and in tune with their emotions. They’re likely to have a sharp intuition — maybe even a psychic ability. Water hands also indicate someone who is highly sensitive and gets their feelings hurt easily.
Palmistry Mounts and Plains
After you’ve figured out your hand type, it’s time to identify your palm’s mounts and plains — aka natural topography — that correlate with different life themes. The characteristic mounts complement the seven planets and their astrological significance. Rounded, slightly raised mounts signify characteristics that are well-proportioned and balanced. Exceedingly prominent mounts divulge dominant traits that may be magnified. Lastly, sunken mounts are considered blind spots that highlight a person’s weaknesses.
MOUNT OF APOLLO
Situated beneath the ring finger, this area of the hand coincides with one’s vitality, character, and optimism. The Mount of Apollo represents happiness, success, and disposition.
MOUNT OF JUPITER
You’ll find the Mount of Jupiter at the base of the index finger. It represents ambition, leadership, and confidence. Additionally, it suggests a connection to the spiritual world.
MOUNT OF LUNA
Located toward the bottom of the palm where the pinky resides, this area reveals a persons’ imagination and benevolence. The Mount of Luna represents inventiveness, intuition, and psychic powers.
MOUNT OF MERCURY
Positioned underneath the pinky finger, the Mount of Mercury is linked to intellect, wit, flexibility, communication, and social skills. This zone exposes one’s ingenuity and strategic mind.
MOUNT OF SATURN
Situated at the base of the middle finger, this area is linked with intelligence, authority, and perseverance. It spotlights a person’s integrity, as well as the highs and lows of life.
MOUNT OF VENUS
You’ll find the Mount of Venus at the base of the thumb. As you might guess, it’s associated with love, sexuality, passion, sensuality, and indulgence. This area highlights innate magnetism and a person’s emotional connection to love and romance.
INNER MARS
Mars plays a significant role in palmistry. Three specific sections signify aggression, flexibility, and temperament. Inner Mars (aka Lower Mars) is located above the thumb. It represents physical strength and perseverance.
OUTER MARS
Located between the Mounts of Mercury and Luna, Outer Mars (aka Upper Mars) represents steadfastness and emotional courage.
PLAIN OF MARS
Located in the lower center of the palm between the Mounts of Inner Mars and Outer Mars, the Plain of Mars balances inner and outer mars’ qualities. As this is typically a flat area, its meaning is determined based on which lines dominate the section.
Hand Lines
Take a look at your hands. The folds and creases you see are referred to as lines and are used to unravel future events. What do the lines on your hands mean? Each line has a different meaning, which is determined by length, depth, and flow. When observing hand lines, remember context is everything. Pay close attention to where each line begins and ends, which mount it crosses, and where creases converge. Try to let yourself go a little and follow your intuition when observing palm lines. Apply your observations to real situations happening in your life.
HEAD LINE
Located directly in the center of the palm, this key line unveils the lessons you need to learn during your lifetime. The head line is critical in molding your fate, and it’s a snapshot into your keenest interests and intellectual pursuits on a deep cerebral level. The complexity of one’s endeavors is revealed by how deep the line is, whereas the length represents their extent. Breaks in the line could either indicate a significant breakthrough in your life or a mental struggle.
HEART LINE
Above the head line lies the heart line (aka the love line), the highest horizontal line on the palm. It rules all matters of the heart, including sexuality, romance, commitment, and friendship. Once you find it, determine if it begins below the index or middle finger — the former spotlights whether or not you’re content in a relationship. The latter reveals that you may feel bored or restless. Depth is related to how meaningful a relationship is, while the length is associated with how long the union was, is, or will be. If you see breaks, that could indicate that you’ve had numerous lovers or were unfaithful. Of course, fractures aren’t a green light for infidelity or promiscuity.
LIFE LINE
Make no mistake. The life line is no joke, so you shouldn’t make false interpretations (aka you’re going to have a short life), especially if you’re not a professionally trained practitioner. Furthermore, this key line is actually about your life journey, not your death. In fact, a short line represents independence and self-determination. Located underneath the head line, the life line reveals your experiences — its depth indicates their abundance.
FATE LINE
A vertical crease situated in the center of your palm, the fate line unveils how your life will be influenced by external circumstances under your control. This line is malleable, meaning it is constantly changing. It’s good to observe it when you’re going through a significant shift in your life. Itchy hands? Professional palmists believe that’s a sign of upcoming changes.
Our palms naturally evolve throughout our lives, but the fate line transforms the most frequently. Whenever you’re experiencing a massive shift, whether personal or professional, take a quick peek at the fate line. Has it changed? Palmists believe that itchy hands are a sign of upcoming changes, so stay attuned to this physiological clue, as well.
SUN LINE
The vertical crease near the pinky side of the palm is known as the sun line. It represents fame, legacy, and public image. Its length, depth, and position vary. Together with the fate line, you can gain insight into the level of success you can achieve. If the sun line and fate line intersect or run parallel, it’s an indicator that your reputation may be affected by events you can’t control. If these two lines aren’t close to one another, it suggests you’re steering the ship.
Keen Editorial Staff
