How to Read Palms

Guide Note Palm reading: a glimpse into your future, insight into your personality, or just a clever mind game? Whatever you believe, palmistry can be a fun skill to have when you're trying to be the life of the party or just looking for an excuse to talk to someone new. This page will give you the basics for How to Read Palms—and you can decide how deep to take it!

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Line 1: Heart Line
• Line 2: Head Line
• Line 3: Life Line
• Other Considerations
• Resources for How to Read Palms

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Introduction

• Palmistry (also known as chiromancy) is the art of "reading" a person's palms in order to gain insight on certain personality traits and life experiences. Some claim that the ever-changing lines on our hands also provide a glimpse at our futures, including how long and healthy our lives will be.

• Whether or not you actually believe in the revelations of palm reading, it is certainly a fun and unique skill to learn—not to mention a great party trick that will help you stand out from the crowd! The best place to start, however, is by taking a look at the most accessible palms there are: your own. This page will provide you with the basics of palm reading so that you, too, can grab the nearest hand and start anatomizing... Just be sure they've asked you to do it first!

Line 1: Heart Line

Heart line. (Creative Commons photo by foéÖþoooey)

• Of the three main lines of the palm, the heart line is the one on top, just below the fingers. This line tells the tale of your emotions and love life (which is why it is sometimes called the love line).

1. Does the line begin under your index finger, middle finger, or somewhere in between?
   • If it begins under your index finger, you're more likely to be in loving, stable relationships in your life.
   • If it begins under your middle finger, it means you're more selfish and materialistic when it comes to love.
   • A heart line that starts in between these fingers indicates that you fall in love easily.
2. How deep, defined and consistent is the line?
   • A broken line means you're flirtatious.
   • A circle interrupting the line represents a time of depression in your love life.
   • Deeper heart lines equal deeper emotions within the person.
3. What is the shape and length of the line?
   • If the line goes all the way across your entire hand it may mean you're a naturally jealous person.
   • A straighter line indicates you can handle your emotions well, while a curvy line means you're more prone to being handled by your emotions.
   • A short heart line is a sign that you are more interested in sex than love.

Line 2: Head Line

Head line. (Creative Commons photo by Danny Williams)

• Found just below the heart line is your head line. This is where your intellectual and philosophical story is told. The photo to the right is of a hand that has a particularly straight head line, although it can also be curved.

1. Does your head line meet up with your life line (the next main line down on your hand)?
   • If so, you're probably a more cautious person. If they're apart, you're more of an adventurous risk-taker.
   • If they don't meet, the more space that is between them, the luckier a person you are.
2. What shape is your head line?
   • A curved head line means you're creative, while a straighter line reflects a more logical, realistic approach to thinking.
   • A wavy head line means a short attention span.
3. How deep is your head line?
   • The depth of your head line indicates how good your memory is. Deep head lines mean better memory.
   • A broken head line shows inconsistencies in your thinking or a specific change in thinking in your life.

Line 3: Life Line

Life line. (Creative Commons photo by Kelly Cookson)

• The third and lowest of the three major palm lines is the life line. It gives you clues about the nature of your life and health.

1. What shape is your life line?
   • If it forms a semicircle, it represents truth and enthusiasm.
   • A wavy life line indicates energy and optimism.
   • A straight life line usually means you are cautious with love in your life.
2. How deep and consistent is the life line?
   • A broken life line is an indication of poor health.
   • A deeper, defined life line represents vitality.
3. A longer life line means a longer life.
   • If you're genuinely worried about the length of your life line, just remember that even if you believe palmistry can predict the future, the lines on our hands change throughout our lives, so the future is not set in stone (or flesh).

Other Considerations

• Besides the three major lines, there are plenty of other aspects to analyze when reading one's palm.

Other Lines

More palm lines. (Creative Commons photo by Danny Williams)

• There are several other lines that may or may not be on the palm. Some of them include:

1. Fate line (red): Reveals your future successes/failures and denotes the influence of outside factors on your life.
2. Marriage line (blue): This line (or lines) is found on the side of the hand under the little finger and indicates your marriage past and future.
3. Health line (green): Shows your overall health over your lifetime.
4. Fame line (purple): Illustrates your public recognition.
5. Girdle of Venus (yellow): Shows how sensitive and moody you are.

Which Hand?

• Each hand tells a different story.

• • Your dominant hand (the right hand if you're right-handed) represents changes and developments in your talents and personality.
  • Your weak hand tells you about your natural personality, the traits you were born with.

Mounts

• The palm mounts are the little mounds of flesh that raise out of the palm (like at the base of each finger).

1. The study of these mounts is called chirognomy.
2. The Institute of Palmistry says that mounts are representative of various types of brain activity.
3. There are eight mounts (though two called Mars), each with a different celestial name such as Venus, Jupiter, and the Sun.
4. The mounts are indicative of many traits including ambition, artistic appreciation, courage, and imagination among many others.
5. Texture, firmness, and size are a factor in analyzing mounts.

Hand and Fingernail Shapes

• Besides the palm itself, you can gain insight on a person by looking at how the rest of the hand looks, as well.

1. There are 4 main types of hand shapes: pointed, square, coned, and spade, also called earth, air, water and fire.
2. Your hand can also be a mixture of these basic shapes.
3. Different hand and finger shapes mean different temperaments and personalities.
   • Coned hands indicate artistic and creative abilities.
   • Those with pointed hands tend to appreciate beauty.
4. Fingernails that are long in shape belong to those with a gentle disposition, while short nails mean you are critical and skeptical.
5. If your fingernails are very long and dirty, it probably just means you should better groom yourself.

Resources for How to Read Palms

• Amazon.com: Palmistry Books
• Wikipedia: Chiromancy
• wikiHow: How to Palm Read
• wikiHow: How to Read Your Palms
• Catalogs.com: How to Read Palms
• eHow.com: How to Read Palms
• Buzzle.com: Learn How to Read Palms
• Associated Content: How to Read Palms: The Basics 
• Google Book Search: Palmistry
• August Diva: How to Read Palms

Palm Reading Videos

• YouTube: Palm Reading on "Secrets of the Psychics"
• YouTube: Palm Reading Secrets Revealed
• YouTube: Jim Winter Teaches Palm Reading | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
• YouTube: Jim Winter on the Fate Line