Palm reading, also called palmistry, originated from ancient India, and is now popular and fashionable worldwide as a way of seeing a person's fate and personality by reading palm lines, hand shapes and colors, etc.
There are five main lines on the palm: the life line, heart line (also called love line), money line (also called the fate line), head line, and marriage line. Different lines correspond with different traits.
- Life line: health and physical vitality
- Heart lin: love and emotion
- Money line: career and fortune
- Head line: intelligence and mentality
- Marriage line: married life and relationships
Learn some basic palm reading skills in just 10 minutes and become the life of the party.
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Which Hand to Read
In ancient Chinese palm-reading theory, the right palm represents females while the left represents males. In mainstream palm reading, there is a more credible theory that recommends that both hands should be read.
Your dominant hand is thought to tell the present and the future — opportunities, challenges, and limitations — that is, where you are and where you are going in your life. And the non-dominant hand is said to reveal your inherent characteristics — personality, innate ability, and potential.
Having a deeper understanding of yourself through palm reading may help you to have more inspiration, direction, and aspirations to create your destiny.
Palm Lines Reading
The first impression of the palm (given by the five major lines) tells you the general picture. A bright palm color with clear palm lines reflects good luck in recent days.
Now stretch out the palm and let's read the five main lines one by one.
To quickly check what your palm lines tell you, you can also get your palm reading result with a few taps here.
1. The Life Line — the Longer the Better
The life line is the line that extends around the thumb. It is usually in an arc. The length of the life line has no relationship with how long a person lives. It reflects one's health and physical vitality.
If the life line has a big arc and it looks clear, it means the person is energetic and vibrant. The longer the life line the better. People with a long life line are usually good at sports.
If the life line has a small arc and is near to the thumb, it is a sign that he/she easily gets tired and exhausted.
If there is more than one life line, this also indicates that the person is very full of life.
If the start of the life line (near the thumb web) is broken, he/she is/was usually sickly during childhood.
If the end of the life line (near the wrist) looks frayed, he/she should pay much attention to health problems when getting old.
If there is a circle (like an island) in the line or the line is cut somewhere, he/she might get hurt physically or be in hospital. The size of the circle reflects the seriousness of the illness/injury.
If the life line is straight, cutting across the palm parallel to the head line, he/she is brave and usually very outgoing.
More details about how to read life line.
2. The Heart Line (Love Line) — the Longer the Better
The heart line, sometimes called the love line, is the line stretching across the hand directly under the fingers. The heart line reflects things related to the heart, like feelings, reactions, emotional control, etc. The longer and straighter it is the better.
If the heart line is short and straight, he/she has little interest in expressing love or romance.
If the heart line is long, he/she will probably be a good lover — sweet, understanding, and romantic.
If the heart line starts from the index finger, a happy love experience is predicted.
If it starts from the middle finger, it means the person usually thinks more of themself than their beloved.
If the heart line starts between middle finger and ring finger, he/she will easily fall in love.
If the heart line has a big rise and fall, he/she will probably fall in love with several people. Each love story will usually last short time.
If there are one or more circles on the heart line, the heart line is divided into several sections, or there are some short thin lines crossing the heart line, it usually means he/she is not very happy with his/her current love life.
3. Money Line (Fate Line) — Clear and Straight is Good
The money line, also called the fate line, is the line that stretches from the wrist to the middle finger. It reflects one's fortune and career.
If the money line and the life line start from the same point, that person is usually ambitious and has strong self-confidence.
If there are two money lines, he/she could have two jobs together or a side business.
If the money line looks clear and straight, it usually means a good and lucky future. He/she usually doesn't need to do much to change his/her life and life is stable.
Some people's money line is divided into two or more sections. It means he/she will probably change jobs frequently or his/her life/career will have big changes.
If the money line is short, it means he/she might stop working before getting retired.
4. The Head Line — the Clearer and Longer, the Better
The head line, reflects a person's intelligence and mentality. It usually starts between the index finger and thumb (below the love line) and then stretches to the other side of the palm, looking like it's dividing the palm in halves.
The clearness, thinness, and length of the head line reflect mental concentration and cleverness.
A big arc of the head line tells us that he/she is rich in creativity.
A short head line usually means one has more chance of physical achievements than mental ones.
If there is a circle on the head line, the head line is cut into two (or more), or the head line wavers, he/she has a comparatively bad memory, easily gets disturbed by others, and usually doesn't focus on anything for long.
5. The Marriage Line
The marriage line is a short line above the love line starting immediately under the little finger. It reflects one's romantic relationships and marriage.
Some people have only one line in this place while some have several lines. The number of lines doesn't mean anything. Just read the clearest one.
If there are two equally clear marriage lines, he/she needs to be careful of a love triangle.
If there are several marriage lines without a main one, his/her marriage life might not be enjoyable.
If the line veers up or is short and shallow, usually he/she will not get married or get married lately.
If the marriage line stretches as far as between the little finger and ring finger, he/she has high requirements when choosing a spouse.
If the marriage line stretches to the ring finger, it predicts that his/her spouse's family is rich and friendly.
However, stretching further than the third finger is not a good thing. Reputation and fortune might be affected by the marriage.
If there is an island (like a circle) on the marriage line, the couple might live apart for some reason for a period.
If the marriage line splits into two under the little finger, he/she should pay attention to love management, as the couple might leave each other.
Rare Palm Lines: The Cutting Palm
Cutting-palm (half-palm): This phenomenon occurs when the head line and the love line are so close to each other that it looks like just one thick line cutting across the palm.
There is a saying in China that: "A man with a cutting-palm will have a good career; a woman with a cutting-palm is usually very mentally independent."
4 Hand Shapes in Palm Reading
Besides reading palm lines, hand shape reading is also considered an important part in comprehensive palmistry practice, telling a person's general fate information.
Generally, there are 4 hand shapes: the earth hand, the air hand, the water hand, and the fire hand.
What hand shape do you have? Read on below to find out how to identify hand shapes and how they relates to life, career, personality, etc. in palmistry.
Hand Shape 1: The Earth Hand
Features:
- Palm: square, thick, and tough to touch
- Fingers: short, finger length equal to palm length
- Color: ruddy
Earth hand traits:
- Practical, down-to-earth, energetic, and responsible, earth hand people are usually strong at executing instructions and a good help to leaders.
- Not very ambitious, people with earth hands are usually comfortable with a fixed plan or certain situation. Their life desires are not as many as other hand shapes'. Jobs requiring basic skills (without high-tech or complicated operations) are more suitable for them.
- Doing few romantic things, they're satisfied with a basic lifestyle.
Health: Earth hand persons easily develop vertigo and have problems with respiratory system diseases.
Hand Shape 2: The Air Hand
Features:
- Palm: square or rectangular, dry to the touch
- Fingers: long, usually with big knuckle bones
Air hand traits:
- Intelligent, good at analyzing, and adaptable to changes
- Imaginative and curious: People with air hands desire to explore things with their high curiosity, which fuels their creativity.
- Good at social interaction, flexible in mind, and romantic in lifestyle.
Hand Shape 3: The Water Hand
Features:
- Palm: long or oval-shaped, soft and clammy to the touch
- Fingers: long, conical, and flexible.
- The whole hand looks very narrow.
Water hand traits:
- Intuitive, perspicacious, sympathetic, imaginative, creative, and introverted
- Emotional and fragile, people with water hands' feelings are easily hurt.
- They love beautiful things like art very much.
- Flexible, they can easily adapt to changes.
Hand Shape 4: The Fire Hand
Features:
- Palm: square or rectangular
- Fingers: short, fingers usually shorter than the palm
- Color: ruddy or pink
Fire hand traits:
- Energetic, smart, diligent, extroverted, optimistic, and self-confident
- Sometimes lacking in compassion
- Loving adventure and a colorful life
People with fire hands usually love traveling very much. They're always traveling or on the way to travel. They are stimulated by their desire and do things boldly and intuitively.
FAQs about Palm Reading
1. Do palm lines change with time?
Palms are not fixed. Most people's palm lines change three times during their lives!
2. How many kids will I have based on palm reading?
The children lines are the lines above the marriage line, in the same direction as the little finger. The number of the children lines predicts the number of children a person will have. But how many children parents actually have is determined by both husband's and wife's children lines and their willingness.
A long little finger (an average little finger is level with the ring finger's top joint) usually means good luck and health for the person's children. He/she has a high possibility of having both boys and girls and enjoying good relationships with his/her children.
A short little finger usually means a high possibility of giving birth to girls. The person's children are usually filial and he/she will have little trouble with money.
3. Is palm reading a real science?
No, not really. Palmistry is considered a part of physiognomy (the pseudoscience that associates traits with a person's appearance).
According to the records in murals and relics, palm reading was very popular in ancient India as a way of seeing one's fate and future.
In ancient India, researchers found people with common personalities and life styles usually had similar signs in their faces, palms, feet, or other parts of their bodies.
Based on this, palmistry was used gradually developed to predict a person's future. It then spread to other areas of the world like Europe and China. Now palmistry has become a popular career in many countries.
4. Is palm reading a hoax?
Not intentionally: it is based on ancient research and long-held traditions. However, it has no proven scientific basis.
5. Is palm reading accurate?
Sometimes/often, if done correctly, but not necessarily even then.
Fate is not determined, just indicated. If you are determined (or lucky) you can change your fate.
Keep in mind that palm lines and lives both can change with time.
Palm reading helps us see potential advantages and avoid disadvantages. Working hard, being patient, keeping on learning, and being responsible will always lead to better luck eventually.