Palmistry Basics

Palmistry (hast rekha) reads the hand — its shape, lines and mounts.

The main lines

• Life line — curves around the thumb; traditionally linked with vitality and major changes, not with the length of life.
• Head line — runs across the palm; shows the style of thinking.
• Heart line — the upper line; shows emotional nature.
• Fate line — runs up the middle; shows the course of career and responsibility.
• Sun line — under the ring finger; shows recognition and creativity.

The mounts

Raised areas at the base of the fingers and the palm are named after the planets: Jupiter (index finger), Saturn (middle), Sun (ring), Mercury (little), Venus (base of the thumb), Moon (opposite the thumb) and Mars (two areas). A well-formed mount shows the strength of that planet's qualities.

Hand shapes

Hands are often grouped by the four elements — earth (square palm, short fingers), air (square palm, long fingers), fire (long palm, short fingers) and water (long palm, long fingers) — each with its own temperament.

Reading responsibly

Lines change over the years and are read as tendencies. A good palm reading, like a good chart reading, describes strengths and areas for care; it never predicts death or illness. TRAC's Palmistry page explains the lines in your photo in plain words.

A worked example

A hand shows a long, clear head line sloping slightly towards the Moon mount, a heart line ending under the index finger, and a fate line starting from the middle of the palm. A palmist might say: an imaginative but practical thinker; warm, idealistic in relationships; and a career that becomes clear and self-directed in early adulthood rather than from childhood.

Which hand to read

Many palmists read the dominant hand for the present and future (what one makes of life) and the other hand for inborn tendencies. Comparing both shows how a person has grown.

Fingers and thumb

Long fingers suggest attention to detail; short fingers suggest quick decisions. A strong, firm thumb suggests will power; a flexible thumb suggests adaptability.

Common mistakes

• Reading the life line as the length of life. It is read for vitality and major changes only.
• Judging from one line. The whole hand is read together.

Frequently asked questions

Do lines really change? Minor lines can change over years; major lines change less.

Can palmistry and astrology be used together? Yes. They are different methods that can confirm each other.

The mounts in more detail

• Mount of Jupiter (under the index finger) — ambition, leadership, confidence.
• Mount of Saturn (under the middle finger) — responsibility, patience, seriousness.
• Mount of the Sun (under the ring finger) — creativity, recognition, joy.
• Mount of Mercury (under the little finger) — communication, trade, wit.
• Mount of Venus (base of the thumb) — love, warmth, enjoyment of life.
• Mount of the Moon (opposite the thumb) — imagination, intuition, travel.
• Mounts of Mars — courage (lower) and endurance (upper).

A well-developed mount shows the planet's qualities strongly; a flat one shows them quietly.

Marks on the palm

Small marks such as stars, crosses, squares and islands are read with care. A square, for example, is traditionally seen as protective; an island as a phase of reduced strength in that line's area. Like all palmistry, these are tendencies.

Key points to remember

• Read the hand as a whole: shape, lines, mounts and fingers.
• Compare both hands to see inborn tendencies and growth.
• Never read palm lines as the length of life or as illness.