How To Read Palms: Your Future Is In Your Hands

From the Greek kheir, hand, and manteia, divination, palmistry is the art of reading the lines of the hand. Our palms tell of our personality, our talents and the main lines of our destiny: your future is in your hands.

How do you read palms, and what does each line mean? Follow the guide.

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The lines of the hand and what they mean

Each line has its own guide: choose the one you want to understand.

The life line

Your vital energy

It curves around the Mount of Venus and tells of your vitality, not the length of your life.

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The head line

Your way of thinking

It crosses the palm and shows how you think and make decisions.

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The heart line

Your way of loving

At the top of the palm, it reveals your feelings and relationships.

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The fate line

Your destiny

Running up toward the middle finger, it speaks of your path and your career.

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The marriage line

Your romantic bonds

Under the little finger, on the edge of the hand, it tells of your attachments.

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The M on your palm

A rare mark

Formed by the main lines, it is the sign of intuition and strength of character.

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The bracelets

The wrist lines

Just below the palm, these lines speak of prosperity and success.

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What is palm reading, and how did it originate?

The Bible is said to allude several times to the palm of the hand. The origins of palmistry, or palm reading, are said to lie in India, even though the Greek philosopher Aristotle is credited with the first treatise on the subject. It was during the Middle Ages that reading the lines of the hand was most widely practiced, in secret, as it was forbidden by the Church, yet it remains popular today.

Palmistry has also interested scholars since the 19th century: Francis Galton's work on dermatoglyphics, the study of the ridges of the skin, laid the foundations for the fingerprints police still use to identify criminals. Originally, palm reading means studying the palm; but the hand is also studied as a whole, which is why we now also speak of chirology, the study of both hands.

Since the lines on our hands change only slowly, there is no point having them read every fortnight!

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How to read your palms in 4 steps

1. Identify the shape of your hand

Before going into detail, observe the shape of your hands (both have the same shape, so one is enough: opt for the left). There are 4 hand shapes, fire, earth, water and air, which match the zodiac elements. Here are the professions and traits paired with each:

• Square: the Earth hand, linked to Mars, for craftsmanship or agriculture. Stable and sensible.
• Thin and oval: the Water hand, linked to Venus or the Moon, for writers and artists. Touchy and caring.
• Fleshy: the Fire hand, linked to Jupiter, for shopkeepers and passionate teachers. Ambitious and determined.
• Long and bony: the Air hand, linked to Saturn, for researchers and engineers. Independent and smart.

2. Examine your palm, fingers and mounts

From now on, comparing your two hands matters, because you may see differences. Each finger is associated with a planet: thumb, Venus; index finger, Jupiter; middle finger, Saturn; ring finger, Apollo; little finger, Mercury.

Each finger has a small bump beneath it called a mount: the thumb dominates the Mount of Venus, and so on. The suppleness of the palm, its warmth and the length of the fingers complete the reading.

3. Analyze the main lines

The heart line, love and emotion, runs horizontally across the top of the palm: starting under the index finger, it shows serenity in relationships; under the middle finger, worries; curved, good communication with your partners. The head line, intelligence and wisdom, lies just below: the longer it is, the more thoughtful you are; short, you are impulsive; deep, it shows a good memory. The life line curves around the thumb and speaks of your vitality, not of the length of your life.

4. Look for the secondary lines

The fate line, once called the luck line, matters whether you have it or not. The money line, a short line at the base of the little finger, speaks of career and fortune: deep and long, it shows a talent for investment. And the marriage lines, on the edge of the hand under the little finger, also called attachment or union lines, tell of the state of your love life.

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Left hand or right hand: which one to read?

Always compare your two hands, because the lines can be very different from one to the other. According to a widespread reading, the left hand shows your potential and the right hand what actually happens: it is only one theory among others, but it helps read the differences.

For the overall shape, one hand is enough, as both share the same shape: choose the left. For the lines, look at both, in good light.

👉 Discover what the letter M on your palm means: a rare mark said to belong to intuitive, determined people.

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What does a broken life line mean?

A broken or interrupted life line often worries people. In palmistry, though, it is read first as the sign of major changes or transitions: events or circumstances that have had, or will have, a significant impact on your personal journey.

Other readings see it as a sign of resilience and adaptability: the ability to overcome obstacles and bounce back from difficult times. Look at your other hand too, and at what surrounds the break: a small line doubling the life line is traditionally a sign of protection.

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