Palm Reading for Beginners (1).pdf

Palmistry, the ancient art of interpreting the lines, shapes, and mounts on the palm of the hand, is a fascinating practice that has been passed down through generations. For beginners, exploring palmistry offers a unique journey into self-discovery and a means to gain insights into one's potential and characteristics.

1. AbouttheWriter
Auckland,NewZealandwastheplaceofRichardWebster's1946birth.Even
thoughhetravelsextensivelyeachyeartogivelecturesandleadworkshopson
psychictopics,hestillcallsNewZealandhome.Inadditiontobeingaprolific
writer,hecontributesamonthlycolumntotwomagazines.Afterstartinghiscareer
inpublishing,Richardheldpositionsasastagehypnotist,ghostwriter,magician,
pianist,publisher,andpalmistbeforespecializinginpsychicsubjectsand
becomingaprofessionalteacherandwriter.
LlewellynPublications
Woodbury,Minnesota
CopyrightInformation
PalmReadingforBeginners:FindYourFutureinthePalmofYourHand
©2000byRichardWebster.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybeusedorreproducedin

2. anymatterwhatsoever,includingInternetusage,withoutwritten
permissionfromLlewellynPublications,exceptintheformofbrief
quotationsembodiedincriticalarticlesandreviews.
Asthepurchaserofthise-book,youaregrantedthenon-exclusive,non
transferablerighttoaccessandreadthetextofthise-bookonscreen.
Thetextmaynotbeotherwisereproduced,transmitted,downloaded,or
recordedonanyotherstoragedeviceinanyformorbyanymeans.
Anyunauthorizedusageofthetextwithoutexpresswrittenpermission
ofthepublisherisaviolationoftheauthor’scopyrightandisillegal
andpunishablebylaw.
Firste-bookedition©2012
E-bookISBN:9780738718040
Coverdesignandphoto:AdrienneW.Zimiga
Covermodel:JeanetteJones
Interiorillustrations:JeannieFerguson
Editingandinteriordesign:EilaSavela
LlewellynPublicationsisanimprintofLlewellynWorldwideLtd.
LlewellynPublicationsdoesnotparticipatein,endorse,orhave
anyauthorityorresponsibilityconcerningprivatebusiness
arrangementsbetweenourauthorsandthepublic.
AnyInternetreferencescontainedinthisworkarecurrentatpublication
time,butthepublishercannotguaranteethataspecificreferencewill
continueorbemaintained.Pleaserefertothepublisher’swebsitefor
linkstocurrentauthorwebsites.
LlewellynPublications
LlewellynWorldwideLtd.
2143WooddaleDrive
Woodbury,MN55125
www.llewellyn.com
ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
FormygoodfriendCarlHerron,
giftedpsychic,humorist,
philosopher,andpublisherofThe
Path
TableofContents
Illustrations

3. Introduction
1TheWholeHand
2TheMajorLines
3TimingontheHand
4MinorLines
5TheFingers
6TheMounts
7TheQuadrangle
8MarksontheHand
9SkinRidgePatterns
10Health,Wealth,Love,andHappiness
11PuttingItAllTogether
12MakingPalmPrints
13Conclusion
Notes
Glossary
SuggestedReading
Illustrations
Figure1:EarthHand
Figure2:AirHand
Figure3:FireHand
Figure4:WaterHand
Figure5:ElementaryHand
Figure6:PracticalHand
Figure7:SpatulateHand
Figure8:ConicHand
Figure9:PsychicHand
Figure10:PhilosophicalHand
Figure11:MixedHand
Figure12:TheFourQuadrants
Figure13:PhysicalHeartLine
Figure14:MentalHeartLine
Figure15:HeartLineEndingBelowFirstFinger
Figure16:HeartLineEndingBelowSecondFinger
Figure17:HeartLineEndingBetweenFirstandSecond
FingersFigure18:UnimaginativeHeadLine
Figure19:Imaginative,CreativeHeadLine
Figure20:Writer’sFork

4. Figure21:HeadLinewithDistinctBendattheEnd(Material
Needs)Figure22:HeadLineJoinedtoLifeLine(Cautious)
Figure23:GapBetweentheHeadandLifeLinesattheStart(Independence)
Figure24:LifeLineComingWellAcrossthePalm(Energy)Figure25:Life
LineThatHugstheThumb(LackinginEnergy)Figure26:SisterLine(Also
KnownastheLineofMars)
Figure27:WorryLines
Figure28:ProtectiveSquare
Figure29:DestinyLine
Figure30:DestinyLineStartingWellAwayfromtheLifeLine
(IndependentOutlook)
Figure31:TimingUsingtheDestinyLine
Figure32:TimingUsingtheHeadLine
Figure33:TimingUsingtheLifeLine
Figure34:TheMinorLines
Figure35:SimianCrease(HeadandHeartLines
Combined)Figure36:StressandStrainLines
Figure37:FingersSetonaCurvedArch(Well-Balanced
Person)Figure38:FingersSetonaTentedArch(Lackof
Confidence)Figure39:JupiterFingerSameLengthasApollo
FingerFigure40:TheThreePhalangesoftheThumb
Figure41:Murderer’sThumb
Figure42:TheMounts
Figure43:TheQuadrangle
Figure44:MarkingsonthePalm
Figure45:ThreeMainTypesofFingerprintPatterns
Figure46:Tri-Radius
Figure47:LoopPatterns
Figure48:IndicationsofMoneyonthePalm
Figure49:PrintOne
Figure50:PrintTwo
Introduction
Palmistryisoneoftheoldestoftheoccultarts.Peoplehavebeenfascinatedwithhandssincetimebegan.Thereareimprintsofpalmsintheinnermostpartsofthe
SantanderCavesinSpain,showinghowimportanthandsweretopeopleinStone
Agetimes.
Themostimportantmomentinhumanevolutionoccurredwhenmanbeganto
standupright.Thismeantthatthehands,whichupuntilthenhadbeenusedas
frontfeet,werenowabletobeusedforotherpurposes.Infact,theybecamean

5. extensionofthehumanmind.Moreroomistakenupinthebrainforthedifferent
activitiesofourhandsthanforanyotherorganofthebody.Itisfascinatingto
watchnewbornbabiesinteractwiththeworldusingtheirhands.Evensomething
assimpleastouchhastobelearned.
Thebrainsendsmessagestothehands,instructingthemtoperformanynumber
ofintricatetasks.Manyofthesetaskshadtobelearnedinthefirstplacebut
becameautomaticassoonastheyweremastered.Writingwithapenisagood
exampleofthis.Thehandsalsosendinformationtothebrain.Ifyouhaveever
touchedsomethinghot,youknowexactlyhowquicklythatinformationissentto
thebrain.
Atsomestage,peoplerealizedthateveryhandisdifferent,andfromthis
discovery,palmistrybegan.Thefactthatnotwohandsarethesamemusthave
intriguedprimitivepeople.OneexplanationforthiscanbefoundintheBible:“He
sealethupthehandofeveryman,thatallmenmayknowHiswork”(Job37:7).
1
Primitivemanwasalsoabletomakepracticaluseofthisinformation.
Thumbprintsandfingerprintswereusedinsteadofsignatures.InChina,thereare
numerousexamplesofimportantpapersthathavebeen“signed”withthe
thumbprintoftheemperor.
Some2,600yearsago,AristotlewroteabookonpalmistryforAlexanderthe
Great,andthereisnothinginthatbookthatamodern-daypalmistwoulddispute.
Consequently,thebasicprinciplesofpalmistryhavebeenaroundforalongtime.
Palmistryhashadanextremelyvariedhistory.Attimesithasbeenrevered,
whileatothertimesitwasconsideredtheworkofthedevil.Unfortunately,
differentsuperstitionswereaddedtopalmistryovertheyears,andthesecaused
manypeopletodiscreditthesubjectwithoutevaluatingitfurther.
PalmistrywasfirsttreatedinascientificmannerinFranceduringthenineteenth
century.AmancalledAdolpheDesbarrollesinvestigatedpalmistrywiththe
intentionofdisprovingit.However,hisresearchconvincedhimofthevalidityof
thesubject,andeventuallyhewroteamonumentalbookonpalmistry.
2
Ataboutthesametime,aretiredarmyofficercalledStanislasd’Arpentigny
discoveredaremarkablefact.Hehadbecomefriendlywithacouplewho
entertainedonaregularbasis.D’Arpentignyfoundthatmostoftheguestsatthe
partiesarrangedbythehusbandhadshort,blunthandswithstubbyfingers.The
guestsinvitedtothewife’ssoireeshadhandsthatwereshapely,slender,andhad
longfingers.
D’Arpentignybeganstudyingpalmistryanddevelopedasystemofhand
classificationthatisstillusedbymanypalmiststoday.Healsowroteabookon
thesubject.
3
In1900,WilliamBenham,anAmerican,publishedhismonumentalbook,The
LawsofScientificHandreading.Inthisbook,heexplainedhowtoreadpalms
scientifically.Upuntilthen,mostpeoplebelievedthatyouhadtobepsychicin
ordertoreadpalms.
Sincethen,anumberofpeoplehavefollowedinhisfootsteps.Psychologists
becameinterestedinhowaccuratepalmistryisinrevealingcharacter,andmany
bookshavebeenwrittenfromapsychologicalpointofview.Thefirstofthesewas
publishedin1848byDr.CarlGustavCarus,whowasthepersonalphysicianto

6. thekingofSaxony.Hisbook(DieSymbolikderMenschlichenGestaltundUeber
GrundundBedeutungderVerschiedenenFormenderHand)relatedthefingersof
thehandtotheperson’sconsciousmind,andthepalmtothesubconscious.
SincetheendofWorldWarII,theKennedy-GaltonCenter,attachedtothe
UniversityofLondon,hasbeenstudyingpalmsscientifically,usingthemto
determinethepredispositionofpeopletowardscertainillnesses.Certainly,nothing
couldbemoreimportantthanhealth,anditisexcitingthatmodern-dayscientists
areprovingscientificallywhatpalmistshaveknownforthousandsofyears.
Bytakinguppalmistryyouwillbejoiningatraditionthathaslastedfor
thousandsofyears.
Ifirstbecameinterestedinthesubjectasayoungboy.Iusedtoregularlyvisita
neighborwhowasanexcellentcook.Iwasakeenreaderandwasfascinatedto
discoverthatsheandherhusbandhadalargelibraryintheirhome.Iwouldsitin
theirlibraryforhours,eatinghersconesandcakes,andlookingatthebookson
everywall.
OnedayInoticedalargesectionofbooksonpalmistry.Thesebelongedtoher
husband,whowasapalmist.PalmistrywasillegalinNewZealandatthetime,and
heusedtogivereadingsquietlyandsecretly.Ithinkitamusedhimtofindasmall
childshowinginterestinthissubject,andhetaughtmesomeofthebasicsof
palmistry.Iwouldgotoschoolandlookatthepalmsoftheotherstudents,butdid
nottakethesubjectseriouslyuntilIreachedpubertyanddiscoveredwhata
wonderfulwayitwastomeetgirls!
SincethenIhavereadthousandsandthousandsofpalms.Ihavemademyliving
inseveraldifferentcountrieswiththisskill.ForsomeyearsIusedtodoquick
palmreadingsinshoppingmallsandwouldseehundredsofpalmseveryweek.At
onetimeIconductedhoroscopeparties,whichweremindreadingdemonstrations
inpeople’shomes.Themostexcitingpartoftheseevenings,from
theguests’pointofview,wastheprivatepalmreadingtheyreceivedafterthe
demonstration.
Palmistryhasbeenverygoodtome,andIamgratefultoitforthemany
opportunitiesithasgivenmeovertheyears.Iamstillasenthusiasticabout
palmistryasIwasasateenager,andhopethatyouwillpickupsomeofthis
enthusiasmasyoureadthisbook.
[contents]
1
TheWholeHand
Youdonotnecessarilyneedtoexaminethelinesonthepalmtoreadahand.Youcantellagreatdealaboutapersonsimplyfromtheshape,resilience,color,and

7. textureofhisorherhand.
MajorandMinorHands
Weeachhavetwohands,whicharedescribedasthemajorandminorhandsin
palmistry.Themajorhandistheoneyouusemostnaturally.Ifyouareright
handed,itwillbeyourrighthand.Naturally,itwillbeyourlefthandifyouare
left-handed.
Traditionally,themajorhandwastheonethatrecordswhatyoudowithyour
life,whiletheminorhandrevealstheskills,talents,andqualitiesyouwereborn
with.However,althoughthereissometruthinthis,itdoesnotgivethewhole
story.
Ourhandschangeasweprogressthroughlife.Evenourminorhandschange,
andthiswouldnotbethecaseiftheysimplyshowedwhatwewerebornwith.
Consequently,Iconsiderthemajorhandtorevealwhatthepersonisactually
doing,whiletheminorhandshowswhatthepersonisthinkingabout.Itisstilla
mapofpotentials,butitchangestoreflectwhatthepersonwantstodo.Naturally,
thiscanbecompletelydifferenttowhatthepersonisdoinginhisorhereveryday
life.
Consequently,youneedtoexaminebothhandswhengivingapalmreading.
WhenIamdoingquickreadings,perhapsinapartysituation,Iwilllookatthe
majorhandonly.However,Ialwaysstudybothhandswhengivingaserious
reading.
SkinTexture
Itiseasiertodeterminetheperson’sskintexturebylookingatthebackofthe
hand.Theskintextureisthequalityoftheskin,andthiscanrangealltheway
fromfineandsmooth,toroughandcoarse.
Theskintexturerevealshowrefinedthepersonis.Someonewithanextremely
fineskintexturethatissilkyandsmoothlikeababywillbesensitive,gentle,and
refinedinoutlook.Thispersonwillbeeasilydisturbedbyanythingthataffectshis
orhersensitivities.
Conversely,someonewithcoarseskinwillberougher,moredown-to-earth,and
lesshigh-strungthansomeonewithafineskintexture.Thispersonwillbe
straightforwardanddirect.
Theskintexturegivesyouanimmediateclueabouthowthepersonfunctionsin
life.Forinstance,itwouldbehardtoimaginesomeonewithcoarsehandsselling
beautifulworksofart.However,thispersonmightdoextremelywellselling
engineeringsupplies.
Consistency
Wecanpickupagreatdealofinformationbyshakingsomeone’shand.Someone
whotakesyourhandwithafirmgripconveysabetterimmediateimpressionthan
someonewhooffersaclammy,lifelesshand.
Afteryouhavedeterminedtheskintexturefromthebackofthehand,turnthe
person’shandsoverandgentlypressonthepalms.

8. Consistencyisdeterminedbythedegreeofelasticityinthehand.Hand
consistencyvariesfromextremelyhardtosoftandspongy.
Peoplewithhandsthataresoftandspongyaresensualpleasureseekerswhodo
theleastamountofworktheycangetawaywith.Theyfunctionbestin
comfortablesurroundings,wheretheycandaydreamandlazetheirlivesaway.
Peoplewithfirmer,moreresilienthandsarepractical,energetic,andhard
working.Theyenjoychallengesandneedtokeepbusyinordertobehappy.
Flexibility
Theflexibilityoftheperson’smindisdeterminedbytheflexibilityofhisorher
palm.Peoplewithflexiblehandsareadaptableandcanquicklyadjusttochanging
circumstances.Peoplewithrigidhandsareinflexible,stubborn,andrigid.
Todeterminetheflexibilityofsomeone’shandIrestthebackofhisorherhand
onmyfingerswhilepressingagainsthisorherfingertipswithmythumb.Some
peoplehavehandsthatfeellikeablockofwood,whileothershavehandsthat
bendbackandalmostcreatearightangle.Mostpeople’shandsfallsomewhere
betweenthesetwoextremes.
Color
Thecolorofthehandprovidesvaluablecluesabouttheperson’shealthand
temperament.Naturally,thecolorsofourhandschangedependingonthe
temperature.Thechancesarethatpeoplearesimplyfeelingcoldiftheirhands
appearblue.Theymayhavejustcomeinsideafterbeingoutinthesnow.
However,thereisapalmistryinterpretationiftheroomtemperatureisnormal,but
theperson’shandshaveabluishtinge.
Peoplewithwhitehands,forinstance,arelikelytobeanemic.Thisresultsina
lackofvitalityandenergy.Thesepeopleareunfeelingandselfish.Theybecome
irritableandupseteasily.Theyareself-sufficient,idealistic,andcold.
Handswithayellowishtingetothembelongtopeoplewhohaveaslightly
jaundicedviewoftheworld.Bluishhandsshowthattheperson’sbloodcirculation
ispoor.
PinkishhandsareconsiderednormalinpeoplewithaEuropeandescent.Thisis
agoodsignandshowthatthepersonisloving,appreciative,sympathetic,and
supportive.
Redhandsbelongtopeoplewithagreatdealofenergy.Itisimportantthatthis
energyisusedwisely.Peoplewithredhandscanlosetheirtemperveryeasily.
Sometimes,therednessisvisibleononlypartofthehand.Whenthisoccurs,the
energiesofthatparticularpartofthepalmareincreased.
TheShapeoftheHand
Thereareanumberofdifferentwaysofclassifyingthehand,butbyfarthe
simplestistoseeifthepalmitselfissquareoroblonginshape.
SquarePalm
Peoplewithasquare-shapedpalmaredown-to-earth,capable,practicalpeople.

9. Theyenjoyachallengeandarepreparedtoworklongandhard,whenrequired,to
achievetheirgoals.Theyhaveplentyofstaminaandenergy.
OblongPalm
Oblongpalmsarethehandsthatartistslove.Thesehandsarelongandshapely,
butaremuchlesspracticalthansquarehands.Peoplewithoblongpalmsenjoy
comingupwithideas,buttheseoftenremaindaydreamsandareseldomputinto
action.Thesepeoplearecreative,idealistic,andgentle.
Thisdividestheentirehumanraceintojusttwocategories.Wecandoublethis
byexaminingthefingers,andclassifyingthemasshortorlong.Usually,itisa
simplemattertodetermineifthefingersareshortorlonginproportiontothe
palm.However,attimesitcanbedifficulttodecide.Ifthisisthecase,askthe
persontofoldtheirfingersoverthepalm.Ifthefingersreachmorethanseven
eighthsofthewaydownthepalmtheyaresaidtobelong.Eventhisisnotperfect,
though,sincesomepeoplehavemoreflexiblehandsandfingersthanothers.Ifit
isimpossibletodetermineifthefingersarelongorshortinproportiontothe
palm,theyareobviouslymediuminlength.
ShortFingers
Peoplewithshortfingersarequickontheuptake,andbecomeimpatientwith
peoplewhotakeallday.Theyliketogetin,dothejob,andgetoutagainas
quicklyaspossible.Theyenjoybeingbusy,andfrequentlytackleanumberof
differenttasks,allatthesametime.Theyareoftenbetteratstartingthantheyare
atfinishing.Theypreferthebroad,overallviewanddonotenjoythedetails.
LongFingers
Peoplewithlongfingersenjoyworkthatisdetailedandinvolved.Theyarepatient
andliketotakewhatevertimeisneededtofinishataskproperly.Theyenjoy
finishingwhattheystart.Theyareconscientious,responsible,andliketogetdown
tothebottomofthingstounderstandwhatmakesthemwork.
MediumFingers
Manypeoplehavefingersthatareneitherlongnorshort.Thesepeoplearea
mixtureofthequalitiesofpeoplewhohaveshortandlongfingers.Consequently,
theycanbepatientattimes,butimpatientatothers.Theyareconscientiousand
responsiblemostofthetime,butcandoaslapdashjobifthetaskdoesnotappeal
tothemverymuch.
Knowledgeoffingerlengthalonecanbeusefultoyouinyourdailylife.Ifyou
havetowaitinlinesomewhere,trytochoosealinethatiswaitingforacashier
withshortfingers.Thatperson’slinewillmovemorequicklythanthatofalong
fingeredcashierwhowillwanttodouble-checkeverything.Theshort-fingered
cashierwilltrytodealwithpeopleasquicklyaspossibleandwillworryabout
balancingthecashregisterattheendoftheday.
However,therewillalsobeoccasionswhenyouwillwantthepersonyouare
dealingwithtopayparticularattentiontothedetails.Inthiscase,selectsomeone

10. withthelongestfingersyoucanfind.
HandClassification
Wenowhavefourpossiblecombinations:asquarehandwithshortfingers,a
squarehandwithlongfingers,anoblonghandwithshortfingers,andanoblong
handwithlongfingers.Thesefourtypescanberelatedtothefourelements:earth,
air,fire,andwater.
Figure1:EarthHand
EarthHand
Anearthhandisasquarehandwithshortfingers(figure1).Earthhandsusually
havefewlinesonthem,thoughthelinesthatarepresentarewellmarked.These
peoplearealwaysbusyandenjoydoingthingswiththeirhands.Theyare
practical,careful,reliable,andsolid.However,theycanalsobeimpatient,
suspicious,critical,andeasilyroused.Theyenjoytheoutdoorsandpreferquiet
lifestyles,awayfromthehustleandbustleoflargecities.Theyenjoythefeelof
soil,andlikeworkingwiththeearthinsomesortofway.Theyareusuallyfreeof
stressandtakelifeexactlyasitcomes.Thisphilosophymeansthattheyusually
enjoygoodhealthandleadlong,fruitfullives.

11. Figure2:AirHand
AirHand
Anairhandconsistsofasquarepalmandlongfingers(figure2).Thesepeopleare
inventive,innovative,practical,andthoughtful.Theyareconscientious,goodwith
details,andneedconstantchallenges.Theairhandbelongstosomeonewhois
moreintellectualthansomeonewithanearthhand.Despitethisemphasisonthe
intellect,peoplewithairhandsalsopossessastrongintuition.Theycanmaketheir
mindsuprapidly,usingacombinationoflogicandfeeling.Theyenjoyexpressing
themselvesandareeasytogetalongwith.Theyhaveaninquisitivenaturethat
keepsthemperpetuallyyoung.Theyarerefinedandexpressthemselveswell.
Theyareinterestedintravel,communication,freedom,andanythingthatis
slightlyoutoftheordinary.

12. Figure3:FireHand
FireHand
Afirehandconsistsofanoblongpalmandshortfingers(figure3).Thesepeople
areimaginative,enthusiastic,versatile,andimpatient.Theyhavegreatideas,but
needtoevaluatethemcarefullytomakesurethattheyarepracticalbeforestarting
onthem.Theyarebetteratthebroadbrushstrokesthanthefinedetails,andoften
loseinterestbeforethetaskiscompleted.Theirchangeablenaturescansometimes
befrustratingtoothers,butusuallytheyareabletocarrypeoplealongwiththeir
energyandexcitement.Theyaregenerous,sociable,andgregarious.Firepeople
needtobebusytobehappy.Theywouldnotlastlonginanyoccupationthatwas
toosimple,dull,orboring.

13. Figure4:WaterHand
WaterHand
Awaterhandconsistsofanoblongpalmandlongfingers(figure4).Thisisthe
shapethatislovedbyartists,butisnotoverlypracticalindailylife.Peoplewith
waterhandsleadrichemotionallives,andareextremelyimaginativeandsensitive.
Consequently,theydowellinanycareerthatinvolvescreativityandastrong
aestheticsense.Theyarebasicallyidealisticandfeelconstantlyletdownbythe
actionsofpeoplewithhandsshapeddifferentlythantheirs.Theyarereceptive,
changeable,andimpressionable.Theyarealsosympatheticandhaveagreatlove
foralllivingthings.Theygivetheimpressionofbeingcalmandincontrol,but
inwardlysufferfromnervoustensionandworry.
Thissystemofhandclassificationistheonethatismostusefulnowadays,since
everyonecanbeclassifiedintooneofthefourgroups.However,thesystemthat
d’Arpentignydevelopedlastcenturythatclassifiedpeopleintosevengroupsis
stillbeingused,andyouwillfinditusefultoknowsomethingaboutit.Thiswas
the
systemthatIwastaughtoriginally,andIstilloccasionallymentallyclassify
peopleintooneofthesecategories.However,thefourelementclassification
systemistheonethatIusemostofthetime.

14. Figure5:ElementaryHand
ElementaryHand
Theelementaryhandissomewhatclumsyinappearance(figure5).Thepalmis
squareinshapeandthefingersareshort,stubby,andrelativelyshapeless.Theskin
iscoarseandthebackofthehandisfrequentlyhairy.Thepalmcontainsfewlines,
sometimesasfewastwoorthree.Thesepeoplearestubbornandfindithardto
expressthemselvesinwords.Theytakelifeprettymuchascomes,livingfor
today,andmakingfewplansforthefuture.Thesepeoplearegoodwiththeir
hands,andcansometimesbeextremelycreative.
Thishandwasfoundfrequentlyatthetimethatd’Arpentignydevelopedhis
system.Hefoundmanypeasantfarmerswithelementaryhands.However,this
typeofhandhasbecomeincreasinglyuncommon,and,inpractice,youwillonly
occasionallyfindatrueelementaryhand.

15. Figure6:PracticalHand
PracticalHand
Thepracticalhandalsohasasquare-shapedpalm,butthefingersarelonger,and
bettershapedthanthosebelongingtotheelementaryhand(figure6).
D’Arpentignycalledthepracticalhand“squareoruseful.”Theskinisnotas
coarseonthepracticalhandasitisontheearthhand,andtherearemorelineson
thepalm.Peoplewithpracticalhandscanturntheirhandstoanything,whichis
whythisshapeiscalled“practical.”Theyrespectauthorityandareconservativein
outlook.Theyaredisciplined,predictableconformistswhokeeptheirfeetfirmly
ontheground.Theyarecautious,reliable,andorderly.

16. Figure7:SpatulateHand
SpatulateHand
Thishandissimilartothepracticalhand,butthefinger-tipsresembleaspatula
andflareattheends(figure7).D’Arpentignycalledthese“spatulateoractive”
hands.Peoplewithspatulatehandsareenergetic,persistent,andindependent.
Theyarepreparedtoworkhard,justaslongastheireffortsarerewarded.They
overindulgeattimes,andgenerallypreferquantitytoqualityinallthings.

17. Figure8:ConicHand
ConicHand
Theconichandisgraceful,curved,andattractiveinappearance(figure8).The
palmisslightlyoblong,andthefingersarelongwithroundedtips.Thepalmis
inclinedtofeelfleshy.Peoplewithconichandsarecreative,aesthetic,anddesirea
perfectworld.Theydislikecoarsenessofanysort.Theyhaveadesiretosucceed,
butgenerallyprefertodaydreamaboutsuccessratherthanundertakethehard
workthatisnecessaryforanyachievement.

18. Figure9:PsychicHand
PsychicHand
Thepsychichandislong,slender,andgraceful(figure9).Itisextremely
attractive,butisessentiallyimpractical,sincethesepeoplespendmuchoftheir
timeinafantasyworld,escapingtherealitiesoflife.Thesepeopleareidealistic
andhighlyintuitive.Theyarealsosensitive,loving,andeasilyhurt.Thepsychic
handisanextremeformofthewaterhand.

19. Figure10:PhilosophicalHand
PhilosophicalHand
Thephilosophicalhandissquarishinshape,andhaslongfingerswithobvious
joints(figure10).Becauseofthis,philosophicalhandsareoftencalled“knotty
hands.”Thesepeopleliketoanalyzeeverythingcarefullybeforeacting.Inmy
classesIusedtotellmystudentstoimaginethoughtscominginthroughthetipsof
thefingers,reachingthefirstjointandgoingroundandaroundbeforemovingon
tothesecondjointwheretheprocessisrepeated.Consequently,bythetimethe
thoughtreachesthepalmithasbeenthoroughlyanalyzed.Thisiswhypeoplewith
philosophicalhandswanttoknowthereasonsbehindeverythingandprefertofind
thingsoutforthemselves.Peoplewithphilosophicalhandsgotheirownwayand
donotcarewhatotherpeoplethinkaboutthem.Consequently,theyareusually
unorthodoxandofteneccentric.

20. Figure11:MixedHand
MixedHand
Theproblemwithd’Arpentigny’ssystemisthatnoteveryoneslotsneatlyintoany
ofhisclassifications.Consequently,hehadamixedhand,whichwasusedfor
anyonewhohadhandsthatwerenotelementary,practical,conic,psychic,or
philosophical(figure11).
Manyhandsareamixtureoftwo,three,orevenfourofd’Arpentigny’stypes.
Thepalmmightbepractical,buthavepsychicfingerswithprominent
(philosophical)joints.
Inpractice,theonlytruetypesyouarelikelytofindusingd’Arpentigny’ssystem
ofclassificationarepeoplewithconicorphilosophicalhands.
Therearemanyothersystemsofhandclassification.Desbarrolles,forinstance,
dividedhandsintothreegroups,basedlargelyontheshapesofthefingertips.No
onesystemisperfect.Asyouhavejustseen,d’Arpentignyhadtointroducea
“mixed”handtoclassifyeveryshapethatdidnotfitneatlyintotheothertypes.In
the1950s,GeorgeMucharydevisedasystemthatdividedpeopleintoeight
groups.
1
Itisinterestingtoexperimentwiththedifferentsystems,butthefirstone
thatwediscussed(earth,air,fire,andwater)istheonethatIhavefoundmost

21. usefulandeasiesttouse.
Figure12:TheFourQuadrants
TheFourQuadrants
Thehandcanbedividedintofoursectionsbytwoimaginarylines(figure12).The
firstrunsdownthemiddleofthesecondfingerandcontinuesontothewrist.This
dividesthehandintotwohalves.Thehalfthatcontainsthethumbistheouter
directedpartofthehandandrelatestowhatwedointheworld.Theotherhalfis
inner-directedandrelatestoourthoughts.
Thesecondimaginarylinebeginsunderthethumb,halfwaybetweenthebaseof
thefingersandthewrist.Itisahorizontallinethatrunsacrossthepalm,bisecting
thefirstimaginaryline.Thehalfofthehandthatincludesthefingersrelatesto
activity,whiletheotherhalfismorereceptiveandpassive.
Thesetwolinescreatefourquadrants:theactive-outer,active-inner,passive
outer,andpassive-inner.Often,whenyoulookatapalm,youwillnoticethatone
ofthesefourquadrantsismoreprominentthantheothers.Thismaysimplybea
feeling,whileatothertimes,itisobviouslymoredevelopedthantheother
quadrants.Ifallthequadrantsappeartobeequal,thepersonhasmanagedto
effectivelybalancethedifferentareasofhisorherlife.
Active-OuterQuadrant

22. Theactive-outerquadrantincludesthetoppartofthethumb,andthefirstfinger
andhalfofthesecondfinger.Thisarearelatestotheperson’sgoalsand
aspirations.Ifthisquadrantisprominent,thepersonwillputagreatdealof
thoughtandhardworkintoachievinghisorhergoals.Heorshewillbe
enthusiastic,energetic,persistent,andimpatient.
Passive-OuterQuadrant
Thepassive-outerquadrantincludesthebottompartofthethumbandthemound
immediatelybelowit(mountofVenus).Thisquadrantisconcernedwithphysical
staminaandsexuality.Whenthisareaiswelldevelopedthepersonwillhavea
greatdealofenergyandstamina,aswellasastrongsexualappetite.Conversely,if
thisareaislessdevelopedthantheotherquadrants,thepersonwillhavelittle
interestinphysicalactivities,andwillgenerallylackenthusiasmandenergy.
Active-InnerQuadrant
Theactive-innerquadrantincludestheringandlittlefingers,plushalfofthe
secondfinger.Whenthisquadrantisemphasized,thepersonwillbeinterestedin
learningandthearts,andwillhavelittleinterestinworldlysuccess.
Passive-InnerQuadrant
Thepassive-innerquadrantoccupiestheareaknownasthemountofLuna,andis
thequarterofthepalmthatisdirectlyoppositethethumb.Thisareaisrelatedto
thecreativesubconscious.Whenthisareaiswelldevelopedthepersonwillbe
imaginative,intuitive,sensitive,andempathetic.Heorsheislikelytobeinvolved
insomeformofcreativity.
FleshyPalms
Whenyoustartlookingatpeople’shandsyouwillquicklynoticethatsomeappear
tobefleshierormuchmorepaddedthanothers.Insomecasesthepalmwillfeel
almostspongytothetouch.Peoplewithfleshy,well-paddedpalmsenjoythe
luxuriesoflife,andwilloverindulgeonoccasion.Peoplewithpalmsthatfeelhard
tothetoucharelessinterestedinindulgingthemselvesinthisway,andcanstay
awayfromdifferentpleasuresifotherthingsseemmoreimportantatthetime.
Peoplewithpalmsthatarefirmtothetouchcanbetterwithstandtheupsand
downsoflifethanpeoplewithfleshypalms.
CoarseandRefinedHands
Callusescausedbyhardphysicalworkdonotcreatecoarsehands.Coarsehands
areonesthathavehighlyobviousporesintheskin.Theseareoftenmorevisible
onthebackofthehandthantheyareonthepalm.Peoplewithcoarsehandshave
animalinstinctsandareperfectlyhappyaslongastheirbasicneedsarebeingmet.
Theyarealsoextremely“thick-skinned.”
Peoplewithrefinedhandsaremoreculturedandaesthetic.Theyappreciatenice
things,andwanttheirhomeandworkenvironmentstobeaspleasantandas
attractiveaspossible.

23. Hair
Asmallamountofhairisdesirableonthebackofaman’shandanddenotes
masculinity.Alargeamountofhairrevealssomeonewithstrongphysical
appetitesthathavetobemetforthepersontobehappy.
Size
Thesizeofthehandsdenoteswhatthepersonwantstodowiththem.Strangely
enough,peoplewithlargehandsenjoyworkingwithsmall,intricate,detailed
things.ThelargesthandsIhaveeverseenbelongedtoamanwhoenjoyeda
worldwidereputationasawatchmaker.Peoplewithsmallhandsliketodothings
onabigscaleandwanttoundertakebigprojects.
HowtheHandIsHeld
Interestingly,youcantellagreatdealjustfromthewayinwhichsomeoneoffers
hisorherhandstoyou.Ifthehandisshownwithallthefingerstouching,the
personwillbewary,cautious,andprobablylackinginconfidence.Ifthehandis
displayedwiththefingerswidelyspread,thepersonislikelytobeoutgoing,
enthusiastic,andhavenothingtohide.Thispersonwillbemuchmoreconfident
andself-assuredthansomeonewhoholdstheirhandsoutwiththefingers
touching.
Often,peoplewillshowtheirhandstoyouwiththefingerswellspread,butas
youstartreadingtheirpalms,thefingerswillgraduallyclose.Thisshowsthatthey
areconcernedthatyouwilllearntoomuchaboutthembylookingattheirpalms.
Mostpeoplethinkthatpalmistryisconcernedsolelywiththelinesonthehand.
Asyoucansee,thisisnotthecase,andyoucantellagreatdealfromthesizeand
shapeofthehands.Inthenextchapterwewillstartlookingatthelinesonthe
palm.
[contents]
2
TheMajorLines
Therearefourmajorlinesonthehand:theheart,head,life,anddestinylines.Together,theygiveavividpictureofthequalityoftheperson’slife.Theheartline
givesaclearpictureoftheperson’semotionalandlovelife.Itrevealsemotional
energy.
Theheadlinerevealshowthepersonthinks.Itrevealsmentalenergy.Thelife
lineshowshowmuchthepersonenjoyslifeandhowpassionateheorsheisabout

24. life.Itrevealsphysicalenergy.
Thedestinylinegivesasenseofpurposetotheperson’slife.Itshowsthatheor
shehassomethingtolivefor,andprovidesthenecessarymotivationanddirection
tobecomesuccessful.
Theinterplayofthesefourlinesshowsexactlyhowthepersonisusinghisorher
emotional,mental,andphysicalsenses.Ideally,allfourlinesshouldbeclear,well
marked,anddeep.Unfortunately,thisistheexception,ratherthantherule.
Manyyearsago,inIndia,Isawthepalmsofamanwhohadbeenunconscious
formorethanayear.Allofthelineshaddisappeared,andthehandlooked
strangelyempty.Inpractice,everynowandagain,youwillfindpeoplewithonly
threelinesontheirhands(heart,head,andlifelines).Peoplewithonlytwolines
willhavetheheartandheadlinesinterconnected.Thisisknownasasimian
crease,andwewilldiscussthatlater.
Speakinggenerally,thefewerlinesthepersonhasonhisorherhand,theeasier
thatperson’slifewillbe.Thisisbecausemostlinesarecausedbynervoustension
andworry.However,someonewithjusttwoorthreelinesonhisorherpalmswill
leadadullanduneventfullife.Inpalmistrywearealwayslookingforabalance.
Threelinesarefartoofew,andhundredsoffinelinesofnervousenergyarefar
toomany.
Ifinditbesttolookatthelinesinaspecificorder.Istartwiththeheartline,
followedbytheheadline,lifeline,anddestinyline.Thisisbecausetheheartline
givesmeinformationabouttheperson’semotionallife.Afterdeterminingthat,I
turntotheheadlinewhichtellsmeabouttheperson’sintellect.Afterthis,Ilook
atthelifeline,whichisactuallythemostimportantlineonthehand.Ittellsme
abouttheperson’sstaminaandenergy.Finallythedestinylinetellsmeabouttheir
paththroughlife.IgraduallybuildupapictureofthewholepersonasImakemy
wayalongtheselines.
HeartLine
Theheartlineisthemajorlinethatrunsacrossthepalmclosesttothefingers.It
startsatthesideofthepalmbelowthelittlefinger,proceedsacrossthehand,and
finishesintheareaofthefirstorsecondfingers.
Theheartlinecaneithercurveorremainreasonablystraightattheend.Aheart
linethatcurvesattheendisknownasaphysicalheartline(figure13).Thisline
willendeitherclosetothebaseofthefirsttwofingers,ormostcommonly,
somewhereinbetweenthem.

25. Figure13:PhysicalHeartLine
Peoplewithaphysicalheartlinefinditcomparativelyeasytoexpresstheir
innermostneedsandfeelings.Theyexpressthemselvesinaconfidentand
assertivemanner.Whenthingsgowrong,theypickthemselvesupquicklyand
carryonwiththeirlives.
Theothertypeofheartlineiscalledamentalheartline.Thisrunsstraightacross
thepalmanddoesnotcurvetowardthefingersattheend(figure14).Peoplewith
thistypeofheartlinefindithardertoexpresstheirinnermostfeelings,andneedto
betoldfrequentlythattheyarelovedanddesired.Theyaresensitiveandeasily
hurt.Theyareinclinedtobottleuptheirfeelingsandwillsufferinsilencerather
thanmakeascene.

26. Figure14:MentalHeartLine
Inasense,thephysicalheartlineisproactive,whilethementalheartlineis
reactive.
Manyyearsagosomeonetoldmethatpeoplewithmentalheartlinesneedsoft
music,candlelight,andwine,whilethebackseatofanoldcarisallthat’srequired
bypeoplewithaphysicalheartline.Thisisanexaggeration,ofcourse,butitgives
someideaofthedifferencebetweenthesetwotypesofheartline.Obviously,from
acompatibilitypointofview,itiseasierifthetwopartnershavesimilarheart
linesthatendinthesameplace.
Theheartlineisrelatedtotheperson’sheart,andhasabearingontheperson’s
physicalwell-being.Obviously,emotionalupsanddownscanaffecttheperson’s
physicalbody.Theheartlineisalsocloselyrelatedtothesoul,sincetheabilityto
loveandbelovedisconnectedtothedivine.

27. Figure15:HeartLineEndingBelowFirstFinger
Theendingpositionofthislineisimportant.Iftheheartlineendsbelowthefirst
finger(figure15),thepersonisoverlyidealistic,andislikelytofeelletdownand
disappointedattimesbytheactionsofothers.Whentheheartlineendsunderthe
secondfinger(figure16),thepersonwillbeconcernedonlywithhisorherown
needs,andwillnothavemuchinterestintheneedsofothers.Thispersonwill
havealackofemotionalinvolvement.

28. Figure16:HeartLineEndingBelowSecondFinger
Theeasiestpositionfortheheartlinetoendinisbetweenthefirstandsecond
fingers(figure17).Thisgivesabalancebetweenextremeidealismand
selfishness.Thispersonwillbeconcernedwithbothhisorherownneeds,butwill
alsobeinterestedintheneedsofothers.Heorshewillalsoberealisticandkeep
bothfeetfirmlyontheground.

29. Figure17:HeartLineEndingBetweenFirstandSecondFingers
Somepeoplehaveaheartlinethatsplitsintwoneartheend.Thismeansthatthe
personhassomeofthequalitiesofboththephysicalandmentalheartlines.
Consequently,heorshewillhaveacomplexemotionalnature.Peoplewithafork
attheendoftheheartlineareabletoseeopposingpointsofview.
Occasionally,youwillfindaheartlinethathassplitintothreelinesattheend.
Thisisknownasa“trident.”Ithasnospecificmeaning,butgenerallydenotesa
fortunatelife.However,Ihavenoticedthatthisisonlythecasewhenthepersonis
insideastrong,close,andstablerelationship.
Theheartlineshouldbesmoothandwellmarkedforitsentirelength.
Unfortunately,thisisextremelyuncommon.Theheartlinereflectsouremotional
lives,andweallhaveupsanddownsattimes.Thesearerevealedontheheartline
as“islands,”orsmallovalsthatlooklikebraiding.Theyaresometimesreferredto
as“chains.”Theyindicatethetimesofemotionaltensionintheperson’slife,when
nothingwasgoingsmoothly.Theseareusuallyrelationshipproblems.
Consequently,itiseasytoseeifsomeonehadabadrelationshipfollowedbya
goodone.Theheartlinewillbefullofislandsatthetimeofthedifficult
relationship,butwillthenbecomeclearoncethepersonhasenteredinto
thehappyrelationship.
Asingleislandontheheartlineisasignofdepressionatthetimeindicated.
Crossesandbreaksonthelineindicateatimeofemotionalloss.Thisusually

30. markstheendofarelationship,whichcouldmeanaseparation,orthedeathofthe
partner.
Aheartlinethatisstrong,wellmarked,deep,andreasonablyclearshowsthat
thepersonwillbebasicallyhappy,andwillenjoyafruitfulandstableemotional
life.
Frequently,youwillfindashortfinelinethatrunsparalleltotheheartlineatthe
veryend.Thisisanextremelyfortunatesign,showingthatthepersonwillenjoya
strong,long-lastingrelationshipthatisstillthereinhisorheroldage.Asmany
peopleareconcernedaboutbeinglonelyintheiroldage,Ialwayspointthisout
wheneverIseeitinapalm.
HeadLine
Theheadlinerevealstheintellectandhowthepersonuseshisorherbrain.It
startsonthesideofthehand,betweenthebaseofthethumbandthefirstfinger,
andcrossesthepalmtowardsthelittlefingerside.Iteithergoesacrossina
reasonablystraightline,oralternativelycurvestowardsthewrist.Again,thisline
shouldbeclearandwellmarked.Anybreaksorislandsonthislineindicate
periodswhentheperson’sbrainwasnotbeingutilizedproperly.Afaintheadline
showsthatthepersonhasmentalabilitythatisnotbeingused.Thislinecanbe
longorshort.Thelongerthelineis,themoreinvolvedanddetailedtheperson’s
thinkingprocesseswillbe.Peoplewithshortheadlinesareshrewdandthink
quickly.However,theyskimoverthesurfaceandarenotasinterestedinthe
detailsaspeoplewithlongheadlines.Atonetimeitwasbelievedthatthelonger
theheadlinewas,themoreintelligentthepersonwouldbe.Thisiscertainlynot
thecase,sincethepresenceofalongheadlineisnoguaranteethatthepersonwill
usethisability.Infact,weallhaveanunlimitedcapacitytolearn,andpeoplewith
shortheadlinesarecertainlynotdisadvantagedinanyway.Iftheheadlinecrosses
thepalminareasonablystraightlineanddoesnotcurvetowardsthewrist,the
personislogical,practical,down-to-earth,andunimaginative(figure18).

31. Figure18:UnimaginativeHeadLine

32. Figure19:Imaginative,CreativeHeadLine
Whentheheadlinecurvestowardsthewrist,insidetheareaknownasthe
passive-innerquadrant,thepersonwillbeimaginativeandcreative(figure19).
Thegreaterthecurveis,themoreimaginativethepersonwillbe.Thiscancome
outinavarietyofways.Itmaysimplyindicatesomeonewhotellslies,evenwhen
itisnotnecessary.Itcouldindicateapoet,anactor,amusician,orevena
daydreamer.Wehavetolookatotheraspectsofthehandtodeterminehow,andif,
thiscreativepotentialisbeingused.

33. Figure20:Writer’sFork
Manypeoplehaveaforkontheendoftheheadline.Thisisknownasthe
“writer’sfork”andshowsthatthepersoncancomeupwithgoodideasandmake
thempractical(figure20).Writersdothis,ofcourse,butsodomanyotherpeople.
Itgivesaninventiveslanttothebrain,andhasbeenasavinggracetomanypeople
withimaginativeheadlines.Notonlydotheycomeupwithwonderfulideas,but
theythengetbusyandmakethemhappen.

34. Figure21:HeadLinewithDistinctBendattheEnd(MaterialNeeds)
Iftheheadlinehasadistinctbendattheveryend,thepersonwillhavestrong
materialneedsandwilldowhateverisrequiredtosatisfythosedesires(figure21).

35. Figure22:HeadLineJoinedtoLifeLine(Cautious)
Thestartingpositionisalsoimportant.Iftheheadlinetouchesthelifelineatthe
start,itdenotesacautiouspersonwhowillthinkbeforeacting(figure22).When
thereisagapbetweenthestartoftheheadlineandthelifeline,thepersonwillbe
independentandimpulsive(figure23).Thelargerthegapbetweenthesetwolines,
themoreoutspoken,impulsive,andindependentthepersonwillbe.

36. Figure23:GapBetweentheHeadandLifeLinesattheStart
(Independence)
LifeLine
Thelifelineprovidesinformationontheperson’sphysicalwell-being,health,and
stamina.Italsoshowshowenthusiasticthepersonisabouthisorherlife.There
aremoremisconceptionsaboutthislinethanaboutanyotheraspectofpalmistry.I
couldnotbegintoestimatethenumberoftimespeoplehaveaskedmewhether
theirson’sordaughter’sshortlifelinemeantthattheyweregoingtodieyoung.In
fact,thelifelinehaslittleornobearingonlengthoflife,andshortlifelines
usuallylengthenasthepersonages.
Thelifelineshowsthedegreeofvitalityandenergythepersonhasatanytime
inhisorherlife.Italsoshowshowenthusiasticandpassionatethepersonis.
Consequently,itisstronglyrelatedtothedegreeofpleasurethepersongetsoutof
life.
AlthoughIdonotreadthislinefirst,itisbyfarthemostimportantlineonthe
hand,sinceitclearlyshowstheamountoflifeandenergythepersonhasatevery
stageofhisorherlife.
ThelifelinestartsonthesideofthehandbetweentheJupiter(first)fingerand
thumb.Itthensweepsinasemi-circlearoundthethumb,endingclosetothebase
ofthepalm,nearthewrist.

37. Figure24:LifeLineComingWellAcrossthePalm(Energy)
Theamountofareaitencirclesisimportant.Alifelinethatcomeswellacross
thepalmrevealssomeonewithagreatdealofstaminaandenergy(figure24).This
personwillbeadventurous,takechances,andmakethemostofeveryopportunity.
Alifelinethatcloselyhugsthethumbbelongstosomeonewhoishalfalive,
listless,andlackinginenergyandenthusiasm(figure25).

38. Figure25:LifeLineThatHugstheThumb(LackinginEnergy)
TheraisedmoundencircledbythelifelineisknownasthemountofVenus,and
determineshowpassionatethepersonis.Themoundshouldberaisedandfeel
slightlyfirmtothetouch.Thehigheritis,themorepassionatethepersonwillbe.
Ifitisspongytothetouch,thepersonwillbeinterestedinsensualpleasuresand
willoverindulgewhenevertheopportunityarises.

39. Figure27:WorryLines
IhaveseenmountsofVenusthatareinverted.Peoplewiththisformationhave
nointerestinsexandusuallydislikepeopleoftheoppositesex.Theyareinclined
tobecoldandunfeeling.
Thestartingpositionofthelifelineisimportant.Withmostpeopleitstarts
approximatelyhalfwaybetweenthebaseofthefirstfingerandthethumb.(This,
incidentally,istheperfectpositionforittostart,sinceinpalmistrywearealways
lookingforbalance.)Ifthelifelinestartsclosertothefirstfingerthanthis,the
personwillbeambitiousanddeterminedtoachievehisorhergoals.Thistrait
becomesmorepronouncedtheclosertothefirstfingerthelifelinebegins.
Conversely,ifthelifelinestartsclosetothethumb,thepersonwillbelackingin
ambitionandtakelifeexactlyasitcomes.
Thelifelineitselfshouldbedeep,clear,andwellmarked.Someonewithaline
likethiswillenjoygoodhealthandbepassionateaboutlife.Mostlifelinesarea
mixture.Thelinemightbewellmarkedforpartofitslengthandthenbecome
fainterforawhilebeforebecomingstrongagain.Thefaintperiodmarksatime
whentheperson’senergylevelswerelowerthanusual.Thisislikelytohavebeen
aperiodofillhealth.
Islandsonthelifelinerevealdepressionatthetimeindicated.Theycanalso
indicateaperiodofhospitalization.Achainedlifelineisanindicationof
numeroushealthproblems,usuallyofanemotionalnature.

40. Breaksonthelifelinearecommonandareusuallyperiodswhentheperson
changeshisorheroutlookonlife.Sometimes,though,thesebreakscanbe
dramatic,andareusuallycausedbyarelationshipbreakdownorahealthproblem.
Usually,anybreakwillbecoveredbyanoverlapoftheline,whichprovidesa
formofprotectionatthetimeindicated.Theoverlapbecomesasmall“sisterline.”
SisterLine
Asisterlineisafinelineonthethumbsideofthelifeline(figure26).Itiscalleda
sisterlinesinceitparallelsthelifeline,becomingineffecta“sister”toit.Itisalso
knownasthelineofMars.Somepeoplehaveasisterlinethatcoverstheentire
lengthofthelifeline.Usuallythough,itisfoundatthestartofthelifeline,
coveringthegrowingupyears.Thesisterlineisratherlikehavingtwolifelines
andprovidesadditionalprotectionforthepersonatthetimesindicated.If
someonehasasisterlineneartheendofhisorherlifeline,forinstance,this
personwillbeprotectedinlaterlifeandwillnotendupbedriddenor
incapacitated.Asisterlineisalwaysafortunatelinetoseeonahand.
Figure26:SisterLine(AlsoKnownastheLineofMars)
WorryLines
Manypeoplehaveaseriesoffinelinesthatradiateoutfromthebaseofthethumb
towardsthelifeline,sometimesevencrossingit(figure27).Theseareknownas
worrylines.Somepeoplehaveveryfewofthese,whileotherpeoplehave

41. hundreds.Mostpeopleworryaboutthingsthatneverhappen,andthepersonwith
hundredsofworrylineswillworryincessantlyaboutvirtuallyeverything.
Interestingly,itiscommonforsuchapersontobemarriedtoapartnerwhohas
veryfewoftheselines.Obviously,heorshedoesnotneedtoworryatall,since
thepartnerisdoingenoughworryingforbothofthem!
Mostworrylinesarenotofgreatimportance,butworrylinesthatcrossthelife
linehavethepotentialtoaffecttheperson’shealth.Obviously,youcannotgive
adviceiftheselinesareintheperson’spast,butiftheyareinthefuture,Ialways
mentionthemandsuggestthatthepersonlearnmeditationorself-hypnosisto
enablethemtoworryless.
Squares
Asquareonthelifelinecanbepositiveornegative.Ifitstraddlesthelifelineand
coversabreakintheline,itissaidtobea“protectivesquare”(figure28).Asthe
nameindicates,thisprovidesstrength,support,andprotectionatatimewhenthe
personneedsit.Itshowsthatthepersonwillhaveenoughenergytosuccessfully
handlethesituation.
Figure28:ProtectiveSquare
Asquarethatstraddlesthelifelinebutisnotcoveringabreakindicatesaperiod
ofconfinement.Thiscouldmeanaperiodoftimespentinaclosedsociety,suchas

42. amonastery.However,itusuallymeansaperiodoftimeinprison.Imayormay
notmentionthisifIseeitintheperson’spast.Itdependspurelyonthe
circumstancesandthereasonswhyIamgivingthereading.Oftenasquaresuchas
thisisaresultofayouthfulindiscretionandnothingisservedbymentioningit.
However,Ialmostalwaysmentionit,ifitisinthefuture.Ialsotellthepersonthat
heorshehasthepowertochangehisorherdestiny,andthatthesquarecan
disappearfromthepalmbeforethepersonreachesit.Thehandisamapof
potentialsandisalwayschanging.
DestinyLine
Thedestinylineprovidesthevehiclethroughwhichtheheart,head,andlifelines
expressthemselves.
Everyonehasaheart,head,andlifeline.Noteveryonehasadestinyline.The
destinylineisroughlyinthemiddleofthepalm,startingnearthewristand
runningtowardsthefingers(figure29).Itiscomplicatedbythefactthatitcan
startanywherenearthebaseofthehand,andfinishclosetoanyofthefingers.
However,mostdestinylinesstartcloseto,oreventouching,thelifelineandhead
towardsthesecondfinger.
Figure29:DestinyLine
Itiscomplicatedfurtherbythefactthatsomepeople’sdestinylinesdonotstart

43. untiltheyareintheirtwentiesorthirties.Asthedestinylinecrossestheheadline
attheageofthirty-five,somepeople’sdestinylinesstartneartheheadline.When
thissituationoccurs,itshowsthatthepersondidnotknowwhattodowithhisor
herlifeuntilreachingtheagewherethedestinylinebegan.
JustrecentlyInoticedthatoneofmyson’shistorylecturersatcollegehada
destinylinethatstartedclosetohiswrist.Bothofhisparentswereteachers,and
hegrewupwantingtofollowintheirfootsteps.Itisunusualtofindadestinyline
thatisuniformlyclearandwellmarkedthroughoutitslength.
Otherpeoplehavedestinylinesthatarestrongforawhile,butthenfadeoreven
disappearforatimebeforereturning.Thisshowsthatthepersonknewwhatheor
shewasdoingforaperiodoftime,butthenwentthroughastagewhereheorshe
wasdriftingaimlessly,withoutasenseofdirection.
Thedestinylinegivesasenseofpurposetotheperson’slife.Themostfortunate
peoplearethosewhodecideatanearlyagewhattheywanttodowiththeirlives,
andthengooutandmakeithappen.Thesepeoplewillalwayshaveastrong,clear,
well-markedlifeline.
Mostpeoplehavenorealideaofwhattheywanttodowiththeirlives.
Consequently,theperiodsintheirliveswhentheirdestinylineisstrongandwell
markedindicatethetimeswhentheyknewwheretheyweregoing,andwere
workinghardtoachievewhatevertheirgoalordreamwas.
Allgoodathleteshavestrongdestinylines.Obviously,tosucceedinanyhighly
competitivefield,youhavetobemotivated,determined,andfocused.Astrong
destinylineprovidesallofthesequalities.
Thepresenceofadestinylinemeansthat,generallyspeaking,thepersonis
protectedandwillusuallymanagetomaketherightdecisionordotherightthing.
Inthepast,palmistsbelievedthatthepresenceofalongdestinylineguaranteed
success.However,peoplealsoneedtobemotivatedtobecomesuccessful.Alazy
personwithalongdestinylinewillachieveonlyafractionofwhatheorsheis
capableof,becausethereisnodeepdesiretobesuccessful.Ihaveseenmany
beggarsinIndiawithlong,well-markeddestinylines.Thisdoesnotmeansuccess.
Itsimplymeansthattheyhavefollowedthesamecareerrightthroughlife.Itused
tosurprisemewheneverIreadthepalmsofasuccessfulpersonwhodidnothave
adestinyline.Peoplewithoutadestinylineoftenleadinterestingandvariedlives.
Theydriftfromonethingtoanother,takinglifeprettymuchasitcomes.Ihave
readthepalmsofmanymisfits,criminals,andpeoplewhosufferfromaddictions
ofallsortswhodonothaveadestinyline.
Consequently,itiscomparativelyunusualtomeetahighlysuccessfulperson
withoutadestinyline.Often,astheybecomesuccessful,alinewillformtoshow
thatthepersonhasfinallyworkedoutthefuturedirectionofhisorherlife.
AtonestageinmylifeIwasapitchmandemonstratingproductsatfairsand
shows.IenjoyedthefactthatIwouldworkincrediblyhardforthetimetheshow
wason,andthenhaveaweekortwooffbeforestartingagain.Ifoundit
fascinatingthatmostofmyfellowpitchmenlackedadestinyline.Theyenjoyed
thelifestyleandthefactthattheycouldsellacertainproductforaslongasthey
wishedandthenswitchtosellingsomethingelse.Theymightsellsaucepansfor
sixmonths,andthenswitchtoknivesorballpointpens.Thelackofadestinyline

44. revealedtheirinterestingandunorthodoxpaththroughlife.Highlysuccessfulsales
peopleusuallyhavestrong,well-markeddestinylines.However,theyfocusona
specificcareerandfollowitthrough.Mypitchmenfriendsonlyworkedashardas
theyneededtotomakeendsmeet.
Someauthoritiesrefertothedestinylineasthe“fateline.”Idonotlikethis
nameasitappearstoindicatethatourlivesarepreordained,andwearesimply
puppetsdancingwhilefatepullsthestrings.Ibelievethatwehavethepowerto
changeourlives.Indeed,Ihaveseenthismanytimesonpeople’shands.In
RevealingHandsItoldthestoryofamanwhosehandsshowedthathewasgoing
tospendmostofhislifeinprison.However,hechangedhiswayofthinking,
turnedhislifearound,andisnowleadingahappyandsuccessfullife.
1
StartingPositions
Thedestinylineusuallystartscloseto,orjoinedto,thelifeline.Thisusually
meansthatthepersonwasbroughtupinaclosefamilyenvironment.Heorshe
wouldhavebeentaughtrightfromwrong,andwouldhavehadsomeonetoturnto
whenthingswerenotgoingwell.
Ifthedestinylinestartsawayfromthelifeline,approximatelyhalfwayacross
thepalm,thepersonwouldhavehadamoreindependentstartinlife(figure30).
Thiscouldbecausedbyanumberoffactors.Maybetheperson’sfamilymembers
werenotclose,andthechildhadtolearntostandonhisorherowntwofeetatan
earlyage.Perhapsthechildwasanorphan,orwassentawaytoboardingschool.

45. Figure30:DestinyLineStartingWellAwayfromtheLifeLine
(IndependentOutlook)
Ifthedestinylinestartsmorethanhalfwayacrossthepalm,wehaveaperson
whohasalwaysbeenstronglyindependent,andhasneverlikedbeingtoldwhatto
do.
Ifthedestinylinestartswellinsidethepassive-innerquadrantitisanindication
thatthepersonwantstoachievepublicrecognitionforhisorher
accomplishments.Peoplewiththistypeofdestinylinehaveaneedtobelikedand
appreciatedbyothers.
EndingPositions
Theendingpositionofthedestinylineisextremelyusefulbecauseitgivesan
indicationofwhatthepersonenjoysdoing.Mostpeople’sdestinylinesendonor
slightlybeyondtheheartline.Thedestinylinecrossestheheartlineattheageof
forty-nine.Ifitstopsontheheartlinethepersonwillbecomemiddle-agedandset
inhisorherways.Ifthedestinylinecarriesonbeyondtheheartline,theperson
willremainyoungatheartandwilltacklenewanddifferentthingsalltheway
throughlife.
Mostpeople’sdestinylinesendunderthesecondfinger,orbetweenthesecond
andthirdfingers.Peoplewiththisendingpositionarelikelytofollownormal,

46. orthodoxcareers.Theymightbecomebankers,teachers,orownasmallbusiness.
Itisunusualforthedestinylinetoendunderthefirstfinger.Peoplewiththis
endingarelikelytochoosepolitics,philosophy,religion,orlawasacareer.This
endingpositionisrelatedtoprideandambition.
Peoplewhohaveadestinylinethatendsunderthethirdfingerarehappiestina
creativefield.Thiscouldbeart,literature,music,interiordecorating,andany
othercareerthatutilizedthisinterest.Theladywhoownsafloristshopnearmy
homehasadestinylinethatalmosttouchesherthirdfinger.Sheworkedasa
secretaryuntilshewasinhermid-thirties,andthensuddenlydiscoveredwhatshe
wasmeanttobedoing.
Occasionally,youwillfindadestinylinethatcrossesthepalmdiagonallyand
finishesbelowthelittlefinger.Someonewiththisformationneedstousehisor
hervoicetocommunicate.Entertainersandsalespeoplearegoodexamples.I
oncereadthepalmofawell-knownstageactresswhohadadestinylinelikethis.
Shecouldexpressherselfunbelievablywellonstage,butwaspainfullyshyand
reservedwhenshewasnotperforming.Shetoldmethatshelivedonlyforthe
timeswhenshewasonstage,infrontofanaudience.
DoubleDestinyLine
Sometimesyouwillfindpeoplewhohavewhatappeartobetwodestinylinesthat
runparalleltoeachotherforpartoftheirlength.Theextralineisonthethumb
sideofthepalm.Thisdenotessomeonewhoiscapableofdoinganumberoftasks
atthesametime.Thispersonmightbejustasinvolvedinahobbyassheorheis
inacareer,orperhapsthecareerandhomelifeareofequalimportance.Itis
alwaysasignofversatility.
OtherFactors
Youwillsometimesfindadestinylinethathasadistinctbreakinit.Iftheline
stopsandthenstartsagaintoonesideoftheoriginalline,itisasignofachange
ofdirection.Often,thesesignsareseenonlywhilethepersoniscontemplatingor
doingthechange.Oncethechangehasbeenmade,thetwolinesfrequentlyjoin
againtoformasingledestinyline.
ForsomeyearsIsoldprintingmachines.Iwastotallyunsuitedforthis
occupation,andstayedinitforaslongasIdidonlybecauseitwasextremely
lucrative.Duringthattimemydestinylinehadadistinctbreakinit.WhenIgave
upthejobandbecameafull-timepsychicandteacher,mydestinylineslowly
turnedintoonedistinctlineagain.
Occasionally,youwillfindadestinylinethatveersawayfromitsnormalpath
andtouchesthelifelinebeforecarryingon.Thisisasignthatfamilyobligations
tookprecedenceovertheindividual’sdesires,andthepersonwasnotableto
followhisorherdreamsbecauseoftheneedsofsomeoneclose.Squaresonthe
destinylineareagoodsignandprovideprotectionthatshieldsthepersonfrom
difficulties.
Nowthatweknowsomethingaboutthemainlines,wewillmoveonto
determiningtiminginthehand,beforecoveringtheminorlines.

47. [contents]
3
TimingontheHand
Forthousandsofyearspalmistshavearguedabouthowtotimeeventsonthehand.IrememberaheateddiscussionIhadwithseveralpalmistsinNewDelhi
thirtyyearsago,duringwhichonegaveanotherablackeyeastheyarguedabout
howtotimeevents.Therestofusagreedtodiffer,sinceweallhaddifferentideas
onthesubject.Infact,thereareanumberoffundamentaldifferencesbetween
EasternandWesternpalmistry,andtheywerejustassurprisedtolearnhowI
timedeventsonahandasIwastolearntheirmethods.
Inpractice,youhavetolookatbothhandstodeterminethetimingofimportant
events.Itisbestifyoucanlocateanimportanteventthathappenedtotheperson
inthepast,andthenmeasurebackwardsandforwardsfromthatdate.
Unfortunately,thereisnoautomaticmethodthatworkseverytime.Inthecourse
ofmypractice,Ihaveexperimentedwithallofthemethodsthataredescribed
here.
However,Ialsousemyintuition.Ibelieveitispossibletobecomeacapable
palmreaderwithoutusinganyintuitionatall.Ifyouwanttobecomean
outstandingpalmist,though,youmusttrustandactonyourintuition.
Ihaveagoodexampleofthis.Manyyearsago,shortlyafterIbecamea
professionalpalmist,Iwasinvitedtoreadthepalmsofalltheguestsataprivate
party.Ithoroughlyenjoybookingsofthissort.Theatmosphereisfriendlyand
relaxed,andIhavetheopportunitytoexaminemanyhandsinthecourseofthe
evening.
Unfortunately,thisnightIwasnotfeelingwell,andarrivedatthepartywitha
badheadache.Iwasplacedinadarkcornertodothereadings.Ihavelearnedto
bepreparedforanyeventuality,andhadaflashlightandmagnifyingglasswith
me.
However,whenIbeganthefirstreading,Ifoundthattheconcentrationrequired
mademyheadacheworse.IthoughtthatIwouldnevergetthroughtheevening,
but,farmorequicklythanIhadexpected,Ihadreadeveryone’spalms,andwas
backhomeagain.Imanagedtogetridoftheheadacheinmysleep.
Thenextmorning,theladywhohadhostedthepartyphonedme.Shewas
ecstaticaboutthereadingsIhadgiven.Apparently,Ihadbeenincrediblyspecific
andaccurateabouteventsthathadhappenedinthepast,andeveryonehadbeen
extremelyimpressed.Iwasamazed.Thewholeeveninghadbeenatotalblurfor
me.Iwasunabletofocusandconcentrate,andhaddoneallthereadingsbysaying
thefirstthingthatpoppedintomyhead.

48. Obviously,Iwastuningintomyintuition,andbydoingsohadgivenbetter
readingsthanusual,evenwithabadheadache.Eversincethen,Ihavealwayssaid
whateverpopsintomymind,eventhoughitmaynotmakeanysensetome.Imay
telltheclientthatitisanintuitiveflash,andnotsomethingthatIseeinhisorher
palms.However,asIamholdingandexaminingtheirhands,itisquitepossible
thatIamobtainingtheinformationthroughsomeformofpsychometry.
Ittakesagreatdealofpracticetobecomegoodattimingeventsonahand.Be
patient.Tryallthemethodsdescribedhere.Askquestionsofyourclientsto
determinehowaccurateyouare.Gradually,youwillfindthatyouarebecoming
betterandbetterattimingeventsinyourclients’hands.
Becautiousofanyonewhoclaimstobeabletodeterminetheactualmonthand
dayofacertainevent.Itishardenoughtodeterminetheyearaccurately,anditis
impossibletodeterminethedayandmonthwithoutusingintuition.WilliamG.
Benhamwrote:“Therearesomewhocantellofaneventandfixthetimewithina
year,butthosewhohavereachedsuchskillarefew.Othersaresuccessfulwithin
two,three,orfiveyears.Noonecandomorethanfixtheyearinwhichsuchan
eventoccurs,ifhereliesentirelyupontherulesofPalmistry.”
1
DestinyLine
Byfartheeasiestwaytodeterminetimingistousethedestinyline(figure31).It
takesthefirstthirty-fiveyearsoftheperson’slifeforthedestinylinetoreachthe
headline.Ittakesthenextfourteenyearstoreachtheheartline(atagefortynine),
andtherestofthelifeistakenupwithwhateverpartofthedestinylineremains.
Consequently,thefirstpartofthedestinyline,uptowhereitmeetstheheadline,
canbedividedintothree,givingtheapproximateagesoftwelveandtwenty-four.
Likewise,thesectionbetweentheheadandheartlinescanbedividedinhalf,to
givetheageofforty-two.

49. Figure31:TimingUsingtheDestinyLine
Itmayseemstrangethatthefirstthirty-fiveyearsoflifetakeupthebulkofthe
destinyline.Thisisbecauseitisthetimewhenwearegrowingupandworking
outwhatwewanttodowithourlives.Bytheageofthirty-five,mostpeoplehave
areasonablyclearideaofwhattheywanttodo.However,Ihaveafriendof
eighty-threewhoisstilltryingtoworkoutwhathewantstodowithhislife!
Betweentheagesofthirty-fiveandforty-ninethepersonisusuallyfollowinga
stablepath.Heorsheislikelytobeinapermanentrelationshipandprogressingin
acareer.Obviously,ifthisisthenotthecase,therewillbechangesinthedestiny
linebetweentheheadandheartlines.
Itmayseemstrangethatmostpeople’sdestinylinesstopataroundtheageof
forty-nine.Itcertainlydoesnotmeanthattheyhavenodestinyafterthatage.Allit
meansisthatmostpeoplearesetintheirwaysbythattime,and,consequently,
therearenogreatchangesofdirectionintheirfifties,sixties,orseventies.
Peoplewithadestinylinethatcarriesonwellbeyondtheheartlinewill
experiencenewanddifferentactivitiesinlaterlife.Thiscouldbeasignofalate
starter,inmanycases.Itisoftenanindicationoflongevity.
HeadLine
Theheadlineusuallyshowsaboutseventyyearsoflife(figure32).Naturally,if
thepersongetsbeyondthatage,theheadlinewillgrowtoreflectthat.However,if

50. youarereadingthepalmsofsomeonewhoislessthan,say,sixtyyearsold,you
candividetheheadinlifeinhalf,togivetheageofthirty-five.Naturally,each
halfcanbedividedagainandagain,tomakethemeasurementsaspreciseasyou
wish.
Figure32:TimingUsingtheHeadLine
LifeLine
Themostaccuratetimingcanbedoneusingthelifeline.Thesimplestmethodis
todividethelifelineintwo,byimaginingalinerunningdownthemiddleofthe
secondfingeranddownthepalmuntilittouchesthelifeline.Thisis
approximatelytheageofthirty-five.Infact,thissystemcanalsoprovidetwoother
ages.Animaginarylinerunningdownthemiddleofthefirstfingerandontothe
palmreachesthelifelineattheageoften.Asimilarlinebeginningfrombetween
thefirstandsecondfingersreachesthelifelineattheageoftwenty
(figure33).

51. Figure33:TimingUsingtheLifeLine
Youcanusethesebasicdivisionsformoreprecisetiming.Forinstance,theage
ofseventyiswherethelifelinecurvesbackaroundthethumbatthebaseofthe
hand.Thedistancebetweentheimaginarylinemarkingtheageofthirty-fiveand
thepositionwherethelifelinestartstogobackaroundthethumbisaperiodof
thirty-fiveyears.Ifyoudividethispartofthelifelineintwo,youwillbeatthe
ageoffifty-twoandahalf.Dividingitinthreegivesyoutheagesofalmostforty
sevenandfifty-nine.Youcankeepondividingindefinitelytogetmoreandmore
precisewithyourtiming.Inpractice,ifIwantedtobeabsolutelyspecific,Iwould
takeapalmprintofthehandandthenusemathematicaldividersfortotal
accuracy.
Inthepast,peoplediedmuchyoungerthanwedotoday.Thebiblicalageof
“threescoreandten”isnotconsideredtobeoldnowadays.Consequently,thishas
tobetakenintoaccountwithanymethodofdeterminingtimefromthelifeline.
Desbarrolles’Method
Usingmathematicaldividersissimilartotheancientmethoddescribedby
AdolpheDesbarrolles(1801–86)inhisinfluentialbookLesMystèresdelamain.
2
Hesuggestedplacingonepointofacompassinthecenterofthebaseofthe
Jupiterfinger,andtheotheratthecenterofthebaseoftheApollofinger.Describe
acircleuntilthecompasspointreachesthelifeline.Thismarksaperiodoften

52. years.NowplacethecompasspointthatwasonApollobetweentheApolloand
Mercuryfingersanddescribeanothercircle.Thisonemarksouttwentyyears.
AfterthisextendthecompassouttotheoutermostpartofthebaseoftheMercury
fingerandmakeanothercircle.Thisonemarksfortyyears.Nextthefreepointof
thecompassisplacedontheheartlineatthepointitreachesthetopofthepalm.
Thecirclecreatedmarksfiftyyears.Ihavefoundthatthissystemworksonlywith
peoplewhohaveaveragelifelines.Ifthelifelineeitherhugsthethumborcomes
wellacrossthepalm,thissystemisworthless.Thismethodalsodevotesfartoo
muchspaceforthefirsttenyearsoflife.
DesbarrolleslearnedthismethodfromtheGypsiesanduseditforsomeforty
years,beforedecidingthatitwasnotaccurateenough.Inhismonumentalbook,
Révélationscomplètes,
3
hewasbraveenoughtoadmitthatthisancientmethoddid
notwork.Itisinterestingtoreflectthatperhapsthissystemdidworkthousandsof
yearsago,buttheshapesofourhandshavealteredsomuchsincethenthatthis
methodisnolongervalid.
LifeLineTwo
Anothermethodoftimingistomeasurethelengthofthelifelinefromwhereit
beginstowhereitstartstoturnbackaroundthethumb.Theageatthispointis
aboutseventy.Oncewehavethislength,wecandetermineanyagewewant.For
instance,halfofthatlengthwillbethirty-five.
Somepeoplehavelifelinesthatgorightaroundthethumbandfinishonly
becausetheskinpatternsend.Thisisgenerallyconsideredtoindicateonehundred
yearsoflife.However,youmustrememberthatbydoingthisweareonly
measuringperiodsoftime.Alonglifelineisnoguaranteethatthepersonwilllive
toaripeoldage.
Athirdmethodistomentallydividethelifelineintothreeequalsectionsfrom
whereitbeginstoabouttheageofseventy.Eachsectionmarksouttwentyto
twenty-fiveyears.
Anothermethodistodetermineanimportanteventontheperson’slifeline.A
seriousevent,suchasanillnessoraccident,isusuallyshownclearlyonthelife
line.Byaskingwhenthatoccurred,youwillbeabletodatepastandfutureevents
usingitasaguide.
Somepalmistsfeelthattheyshould“seeall,knowall,”andconsequentlydonot
askquestions.However,ifbyaskingaquestionIcanbemoreaccurateand
precise,Iwillcertainlydoso.
Occasionally,peoplecomeforareadingdeterminednottosayaword,because
theydonotwanttogivethepalmistanyclues.Ifindthisattituderatherstrange,
sinceweallrevealvolumesaboutourselveseverywherewegojustthroughbody
language,andthepalmitselfinvariablygivesmealltheinformationIneed.Iam
happytogivereadingstopeoplewhoremainabsolutelysilent,butittakeslonger
todoareadingthisway,andmaynotalwayscoverthesubjectstheyareespecially
interestediningreatdepth.Byaskingafewquestions,Icanbothsavetimeandbe
morehelpful.
InIndia,itiscommontouseapieceofthreadtodeterminetiming.Some
palmistsinIndiaprefertouseahairfromanelephant’stail—butthesearenot

53. easytofindintheWest!Thethreadisusedtomeasurethedistancefromwhere
thelifelinebeginsonthesideofthepalmtowhereitcrossesontothepalmar
surface.Thisrepresentssevenyears.Thethreadcanthenbeusedtomeasureseven
yearcyclesallthewayupthelifeline.ThisissimilartoamethodusedbyCheiro,
whoalsodividedthelifelineintosevenyearperiods.
TheHenriManginMethod
HenriManginwasafamousFrenchpalmist,whopublishedanumberofbooksin
the1930sand1940s.Inhismostfamousbook,LaMain,miroirdudestin,
4
he
explainedhissystemfordeterminingtime.
AnimaginarylineisdrawnfromthemiddleofthebaseoftheJupiterfinger
verticallytothelifeline.Thisindicatestheageoften.Anotherline,drawnfrom
themiddleoftheSaturnfingerreachesthelifelineattheageofforty.Hissystem
thenbecomesextremelycomplicatedsinceitinvolvesanimaginarylinedrawn
fromthestartoftheheartandlifelines,andotherlinesgoingoffthisatanangleof
forty-fivedegrees.Isometimesusehissystemfordeterminingtheagestenand
forty,buthavehadnosuccessatusingittodetermineotherages.However,Henri
Manginuseditsuccessfully,ashaveseveralgenerationsofFrenchpalmists.
JuliusSpier
InGermany,manypalmistsdateeventsfromthewristendofthelifeline.Thisis
duetotheinfluenceofJuliusSpier,themanwhowasresponsibleforCarlJung’s
interestinpalmistry.JuliusSpierhadaninterestingmethodofdeterminingtime.
Hedividedthelifelineintotwo.Thefirsthalf(nearestthewristinhissystem)
representedthefirsttwentyyearsoflife.Theotherhalfwasdividedintotwo
again,andthefirsthalfofthisrepresentedtheagestwentythroughtothirty.The
remaininghalfisagaindividedintotwotoprovideuptotheageofforty,andthe
restofthelifelineshowstheremainderoftheperson’slife.Unfortunately,Julius
Spierdiedwithoutexplainingwhyhechosetodateeventsfromthewristendof
thelifeline.
IhavehadnosuccessatallwithJuliusSpier’smethod,butincludeitfor
completeness.
Asyoucansee,noonemethodis100percentaccurate.However,eventhough
thesedifferentmethodssometimesseemtocontradicteachother,theyhaveall
workedfordifferentpeople.Consequently,youshouldexperimentwiththese
differentmethodswithanopenmind.Askquestionsandevaluatetheresults.You
mayfindthatoneofthesemethodsworksperfectlyforyou,oryoumayfind
yourselfusingportionsofanumberofsystems.Itdoesnotmatter.Experiment,
findthemethodthatworksbestforyou,andthenpracticeuntilyoubecomean
expert.
Inpractice,Ibeginbydividingthelifelineinhalf(usingtheimaginaryline
runningdownthesecondfinger).Ithenlookforanyimportanteventsthatare
shownonthelifelinetohelpmedatethingsmoreaccurately.Finally,Iusethe
seven-yearmeasurementsthatareusedinIndia.Iseldomusethread,butusemy
thumbandfirstfingertogaugethedistanceapproximately.IfIneedevengreater

54. detail,Iwilluseapieceofthread.
Finally,ifIamtryingtodetermineaneventwithasmuchaccuracyaspossible,I
willtakeapalmprintofthehand,andmakeallmymeasurementsandcalculations
fromthat.
[contents]
4
MinorLines
Thereareanumberofminorlinesthatalsoneedtobelookedatwhenreadingapalm(figure34).Noonewillhavealloftheselines.Infact,asmentionedearlier,
somepeoplehaveonlythreelinesontheirpalms.
However,wedowantminorlinesonthehand.Peoplewhohaveonlytwo,three,
orfourlinesontheirpalmstakelifeexactlyasitcomesanddonotstoptopause,
think,orreflect.
Obviously,whenreadingapalm,wedonotlookateverysingleline.Mostofthe
smallerlinesarecausedbystressandtension.Thisiswhyanervous,high-strung
personwillhavemanymorelinesonhisorherhandsthansomeonewhoismore
relaxedandcasualaboutlife.

55. A.GirdleofVenusF.RascettesK.ChildrenLines
B.HepaticaG.ViaLascivaL.TravelLines
C.SunLineH.MedicalStigmataM.IntuitionLine
D.RingofSolomonI.FamilyChain
E.SympathyLineJ.RelationshipLines
Figure34:TheMinorLines
GirdleofVenus
ThegirdleofVenus(A)isafinelinethatliesbetweentheheartlineandthe
fingersandparallelstheheartlineforpartofitslength.Thepresenceofthisline
heightensthesensitivityandemotionsoftheperson.Thiscansometimescreatea
difficultlifebecauseeverythingthathappenswillaffectthispersonatan
emotionallevel.Peoplewiththislinebenefitiftheyhavesomesortofcreative
outlet,becausetheycanthenchanneltheiremotionsintotheircreativity.People
whodothisoftenproduceworksofanextremelyhighstandard.
Hepatica
Thehepatica(B)isoftenknownasthehealthline.Itisalsofrequentlyknownas
thelineofMercury.Thehepaticarunsdiagonallyacrossthepalmfrominsidethe
lifeline,closetothewrist,andcrossesthepalmtoendclosetothestartofthe
heartline.Itisnotasclearlymarkedasthefourmajorlines.
Interestingly,itisbetternottohavethisline.Peoplewithoutahepaticaenjoy

56. excellenthealth,andrecoverquicklyfromanyillness.
Ifthislineispresentitshouldbeclearandwellmarked.Thisisalsoasignof
goodhealthandshowsthatthepersonispayingattentiontohisorherphysical
body.
Thehepaticacanalsobeanindicationoflongevity.Whenitvirtuallycrossesthe
palmitisasignthatthepersonwillpayattentiontohealthmattersandwill
probablyoutlastmostofhisorhercontemporaries.
Mosthepaticasshowupsanddownsinquality,indicatingtimesofillhealth.
Thisneednotnecessarilybeadisease.Thepersonmaysimplybesufferingfroma
lossofenergyoraprolongedperiodofindifferenthealth.
Islandsonthehealthlineusuallyrelatetodigestiveproblems.Ihaveseena
simplechangeindietdowonderstothequalityofpeople’shealthlines.Breaksin
thehepaticamarkperiodsofillhealth.Thiscanusuallybedatedbylookingfor
periodsofweaknessinthelifeline.
Asquareisagoodsigntoseeonthehealthline.Itmeansthatthepersonisbeing
protectedduringtheperiodthatthelineiscovered,andwillenjoyacomplete
recoveryfromtheillnessordisease.
SunLine
TheSunline(C)isalinethatrunsparalleltothedestinylineforpartofitslength.
Itfinishescloseto,andunder,themountofApollo.Consequently,itisfrequently
knownasthelineofApollo.Ideally,itshouldbealmostaslongasthedestiny
line,butthisisextremelyrare.Itusuallystartsclosetotheheadlineandrunsup
towardsthethirdfinger.
PeopleblessedwithaSunlineareconfident,easytogetalongwith,andhavethe
potentialforgreatsuccess.Infact,muchofthetimethislineappearsonthehand
onlyafterthepersonhasdecidedwhatitisheorshewantstodoandisworking
hardtoachievethatgoal.
RingofSolomon
TheringofSolomon(D)isasemicircularlinethatsurroundsthemountofJupiter
(seechapter6)beneaththefirst(Jupiter)finger.Thislinegivesthepersonan
interestinpsychicsubjects.Italsogivethepersonanintuitiveawarenessofthe
needsofothersandadesiretoservehumanityinsomesortofway.Not
surprisingly,itusuallygivesastronginterestinpsychology.
SympathyLine
Asympathyline(E)isfoundinthesameplaceastheringofSolomon,
immediatelybelowthefirstfinger.However,itisastraightline.Peoplewiththis
haveasympathetic,understandingoutlookandapproachtolife.
RingofSaturn
TheringofSaturnisasemicircularlinethatsurroundsthemountofSaturn(see
chapter6)beneaththesecond(Saturn)finger.Itisanegativeindicationthatmakes
itvirtuallyimpossibleforthepersontoachievehisorhergoals.Thiscanbe

57. extremelyfrustrating,sincethepersonmaybeonthevergeofsuccessandthen
allowsomethinginsignificanttopreventitfromhappening.
TheRascettes
Therascettes(F),commonlyknownasthebracelets,arethelinesonthewrist
immediatelybelowthepalm.Gypsiesclaimthateachfullbraceletsignifiestwenty
fiveyearsoflife.However,youwillfindthatalmosteveryonehasthreebracelets.
Consequently,theyareignoredbymostmodern-daypalmists.Itissuperstitious
nonsensesuchasthisthatgavepalmistryabadnameinthefirstplace.
Althoughtherascettesarenottakenintoconsiderationfordetermininglengthof
life,itisworthmentioningthatforthousandsofyearspalmistshaveknownthat
whenthetoprascetteofawoman’shandarchesupwardsintothepalmshewill
havedifficultiesinchildbirth.TheancientGreeksknewthis,andwomenwiththis
formationontheirhandsbecamevestalvirginsatthetemplesandwerenot
allowedtomarry.
ViaLasciva
Thevialasciva(G)isastraightlinethatrunspartofthewayacrossthepalm,
startingtwo-thirdstothree-quartersofthewaydownthepalmfromthelittle
finger,andheadingacrossthepalmtowardsthethumb.Occasionallythislineis
curved.
Thislinehashadabadreputationinthepastandpeoplewhohaditwere
believedtobelasciviousandwillingtooverindulgeinvirtuallyanything.Infact,
onebookinmylibrarysaysthatpeoplewiththevialascivaintheirhandshavea
“passionatethirstformoney”andwillleada“lifeshortenedbyexcesses.”
1
Infact,thislinesimplymeansthatpeoplewhopossessithaveastrongneedfor
somethingexcitingtolookforwardto.Theyoftenhaveaddictivepersonalitiesand
needtokeepawayfromalcoholanddrugs.Itisprobablythistendencythatgave
thevialascivasuchabadnameinthefirstplace.
MedicalStigmata
Themedicalstigmata(H)isagroupofthreeorfourtinyverticallinesbelowthe
littlefinger.Theyareoftenfoundslightlyoffsettowardstheringfinger.People
withamedicalstigmatahaveanempathyforalllivingthings.Consequently,they
makegoodgardeners,farmers,veterinarians,naturopaths,
doctors,andnurses.Infact,theyarehappyinanycareerthatinvolveshelping
others.Naturally,someonewhowentintooneofthesecareerswiththemainaim
ofmakingmoneywouldnothaveamedicalstigmataonhisorherhand.Most
peoplewithitareeverydaypeoplewhohappentobetalentedgardeners,goodwith
animals,orhavesignificantpeopleskills.Theymight,forinstance,knowexactly
therightwordstosaytohelpsomeoneindistress.Whateverthesepeopledo,they
receiveimmensesatisfactionoutofhelpingalllivingthings.Thesefinelinesare
sometimescalled“Samaritanlines.”
FamilyChain

58. Thefamilychain(I)isachain-likelinethatisfoundwherethethumbjoinsthe
palm.(Inthenextchapteryouwillseethatthefamilychaindividesthesecond
andthirdphalangesofthethumb.)
Ifthislineisheavilychained,thepersonwillhavestrongemotionaltieswithhis
orherfamily.Conversely,ifthislineisthinandunchained,thepersonwillhavea
lackofemotionalinvolvementwithhisorherfamily.
Thefamilychainisreadfromthefirstfingersideofthethumb.Frequently,you
willfindalinethatisheavilychainedatthestartbutgraduallyturnsintoathin
line.Thisshowsthatthepersonhasgraduallybecomelessemotionallytiedtohis
orherfamily.
Sometimesyouwillseeabreakinthisline.Thisindicatesaperiodofseparation
fromthefamily.
RelationshipLines
Relationshiplines(J)arefinelinesthatcomeupthesideofthepalmbetweenthe
startoftheheartlineandtheMercuryfinger.
Relationshiplinesarefrequentlyknownas“marriagelines.”Thisisnotcorrect,
sincethepresenceofoneormorerelationshiplinesdoesnotguaranteeamarriage.
Infact,theselinessimplyindicateastrongrelationship,whichmay,ormaynot,
beasexualone.
Ihavemetanumberofmarriedmenwhohavenorelationshiplinesontheir
hands.Thismeansthatthemarriageisconvenientandcomfortable,butisnotof
greatimportancetothem.Ihavenevermetamarriedwomanwhodidnothavea
relationshiplineonherpalm.
Ideally,therelationshiplinesshouldbeclear,wellmarkedandcomeuptheside
ofthehandandontothepalmarsurface.Thisisanindicationofamajor
relationshipthatlastsforalongwhile.Astronglinethatdoesnotcomeoverthe
topisasignofanimportantrelationshipthatdoesnotlast.
Therelationshiplinesindicateapotential.Thepresenceofthreeorfourlines
doesnotnecessarilyindicatethatnumberofstrongrelationships.Ifthefirst
relationshipissuccessfulandlasts,theotherlineswillremaindormantandwill
notbeutilized.
Itispossiblefortheselinestodisappear.Ifyouhavebeeninastrong
relationshipthatendedbadly,yoursubconsciousmindcanerasethelinefromyour
hand.However,thetraumawillalwaysbevisibleonyourheartline.Whenyou
meetanotherperson,anewrelationshiplinewillform.
ChildrenLines
Thechildrenlines(K)arefineverticallinesimmediatelybelowtheMercury
finger.Theysometimesoverlaptherelationshiplines.
Onceyoustartreadingpalms,youwillberegularlyasked,“Howmanychildren
willIhave?”Onehundredyearsagoitwaspossibletoanswerthatquestion,butit
isnotaseasynowadays.
Thankstocontraceptivesweareabletochoosewhen,orif,wewillhave
children.Consequently,onawomen’shand,thechildrenlinesshowonlya

59. potential.Shemaychoosetofulfillherpotential,butnowadaysmostpeoplehave
twoorthreechildren.Stronglinesusually—butnotalways—showthenumberof
childrenshehas.Thelongerlinesaresaidtoindicateboys,andshorterlinesgirls.
Youwillprobablyneedtouseamagnifyingglasstodeterminethatsortof
information.
Onaman’shandthechildrenlinesindicatechildrenheiscloseto.Consequently,
ifamanhasthreechildren,butisclosetoonlytwoofthem,hewillhavejusttwo
childrenlinesonhishand.Thisisfurthercomplicatedbythefactthatwecan
becomeclosetootherpeople’schildren.Consequently,amanwhohasneverhad
childrenmayhavechildrenlinesonhishands.Thesecouldbethechildrenofhis
partner,niecesornephews,oranyotherchildrenheisinvolvedwith.
TravelLines
Travellines(L)arethefinelinesthatcomeupthesideofthehandbetweenthe
wristandtheheartlineontheMercuryfingersideofthehand.Althoughtheyare
usuallycalled“travellines,”abetternameis“restlessnesslines,”sincetheygivea
degreeofrestlessnesstotheperson’snature.Naturally,thisinnerrestlessness
frequentlyleadstotravel,whichishowtheselinesderivedtheirname.
Peoplewithrestlessnesslinesontheirhandneedchangeandvariety.They
dislikeroutineandregularity.
Stronglinesrepresentimportanttravel.Usually,thefirstmajortripaperson
undertakesisconsideredthemostimportant,andismostclearlymarked.If
someonetravelsregularlyaspartofhisorherwork,eachindividualtripwouldnot
beshownonthehand.However,thispersonwouldhaveanumberofrestlessness
linestoindicatethedesirefortravel.
Naturally,animportanttripvariesfrompersontoperson.Forsomeonewho
livedinasmallvillage,milesfromanywhere,atwohundredmiletriptoalarge
citywouldbemoreimportantthanaroundtheworldtriptakenbyabusiness
executivewhofliessomewhereeverymonth.
IntuitionLine
Thelineofintuition(M)startsonthelittle(Mercury)fingersideofthehand,
closetothewristontheslightlyraisedmound(mountofLuna)atthebaseofthe
hand.Itheadsinanarctowardthecenterofthehand(plainofMars).Usually,this
lineisonlyhalfaninchoraninchlong.However,whendeveloped,itcanextend
downtojointheheadordestinylines.
Thepresenceofalineofintuitionindicatesthatthepersonreliesonhisorher
hunchesandfeelings.Awell-developedlineshowsthatthepersonhasstrong
intuitivecapabilities.Heorshemaybeanaturalclairvoyant,medium,orhealer.
Naturally,itispossibleforsomeonetobebothaclairvoyantandhealer.Usually,
though,thepersonwillbemoretalentedinonearea,thantheother.Ifthelineof
intuitionheadstowardstheheadline,thepersonwouldmakeanaturalhealer.Ifit
headstowardsthedestinyline,thepersonismorelikelytobeinterestedin
telepathy,clairvoyance,andprecognition.
SimianCrease

60. Thesimiancrease(sometimesknownasthe“simianline”)iscreatedwhenthe
heartlineandheadlinebecomeasinglelinethatrunsacrossthepalm(figure35).
Consequently,logic,andemotionbecomeentwinedinasingleline.Itisfound
frequentlyononehand,butisseldomseenonboth.
Figure35:SimianCrease(HeadandHeartLinesCombined)
Peoplewithasimianlinecanbeextremelyagreeableandeasytogetonwith,
butoncetheirmindsaremadeup,itisimpossibletochangethem.Theyare
inflexible,obstinate,andstubborn.Becausetheheartline(emotions)andheadline
(logic)areintertwined,thesepeoplefinditextremelyhardtoexpresstheirfeelings
andhavehighlyintenseandcomplexemotionallives.
Ifthesimiancreaseisfoundonlyontheminorhand(thelefthandiftheperson
isright-handed)thepersonwillhavehadashelteredupbringingandwilltryto
avoidresponsibility.
Whenfoundonthemajorhand,thepersonwillbeasingle-minded,hard
workingachiever.However,heorshewillalsofinditdifficulttorelaxandtake
timeoff.
Whenfoundonbothhands,thepersonwillbeunusuallystubbornandrigid.This
cancreatemajordifficulties,andpeoplewithitneedcarefuldirectionand
guidancefromtheirparentsfromanearlyage.Theenormoussingle-mindedness
thesepeoplepossesscanbeusefullyutilizedinsportingactivities,andinacareer
thatrequiresprecisionandlittleinputfromothers.
Peoplewithasimiancreaseonbothhandssometimesfindithardtodistinguish

61. rightfromwrong.Consequently,thepersoncouldbecomeamastercriminalor,
withaslightlydifferentupbringing,someonewhohelpshumanityinsomesortof
way.
ThesimiancreaseisusuallyfoundinthehandsofDown’ssyndromesufferers.
However,mostpeoplewithitareperfectlynormalandareusuallyhighly
intelligent.
[contents]
5
TheFingers
Manypeoplearesurprisedtofindthatthefingershavesuchanimportantparttoplayinpalmistry.Mostpeopletendtothinkthesubjectisconcernedonlywiththe
linesonthepalm,notrealizingthatyoucantellagreatdealfromasimpleglance
atthefingers.Forinstance,someonewhodisplayshisorherpalmswiththe
fingersheldapartwillbemoreopenandconfidentthansomeonewhoholdshisor
herfingerstogether.Itisasignofcautionandtimiditywhenthefingersareheld
together.Whenthefingersareheldslightlyapartitisanindicationthattheperson
isareasonablyindependentthinker.
IhavealreadymentionedhowIdecidewhichcashiertolineupbehindfromthe
lengthofthatperson’sfingers.
Youalreadyknowsomethingaboutthefingers.Iexplainedinchapter1how
longfingersdenotepatienceandattentiontodetails,whileshortfingersdenotea
faster,lessdetailed,andmoreimpulsiveapproach.
Consequently,peoplewithshortfingerstendtobecomeimpatientwiththeir
longer-fingeredcolleaguesbecausetheyliketojumpinandgetthejobdoneas
quicklyaspossible.Theyareenthusiasticandkeentostart,butarenotalwaysas
goodatfinishing.Thisisbecausetheirenthusiasmdoesnotalwayslast.Theyalso
frequentlytrytodotoomanytasksatthesametime.
Peoplewithlongfingersarevirtuallytheopposite.Theyarepatientandenjoy
spendingtimethinkingandplanningaboutataskbeforecommencing.Theyalso
liketotakeasmuchtimeasisnecessarytosuccessfullyfinishataskproperly.
Theyareconscientious,responsible,andmethodical.
Peoplewithmedium-lengthfingerscombinethetraitsofthetwoextremes.
Althoughtheyareusuallyresponsibleandconscientious,theymighttakeshortcuts
ifthetaskdoesnotappealtothem.Theyareusuallypatient,butmightsufferfrom
occasionaloutburstsofimpatience.
GapsBetweentheFingers
Howpeopleholdtheirhandsrevealsagreatdealaboutthem.Thegapsbetween

62. thefingersareanextensionofthis.Anoticeablegapbetweenthefirstandsecond
fingers,forinstance,revealssomeonewhoisconfidentandhasgoodself-esteem.
Thispersonwillstandupforwhatheorshebelievesin,andusuallydevelopsa
strongfaithorphilosophyoflife.
Anoticeablegapbetweenthesecondandthirdfingersisasignofsomeonewho
livesforthemoment,andhasnoconcernorworryaboutwhattomorrowwill
bring.Thisgapisextremelyrare.
Anoticeablegapbetweentheringandlittlefingerisfrequentlyfound.This
personisanindependentthinkerwholikestomakeuphisorherownmind.Itcan
alsoindicatesomeonewhohasproblemsincommunication.Thispersonmaybe
abletotalkconfidentlyandatgreatlengthaboutmattersthatarenotimportant,
butwillfindithardtoexpresshisorheremotions.
Whenthehandisheldwithallthefingerswidelyapart,thepersonis
independent,carefree,friendly,andoutgoing.Heorshehasnothingtohide.When
allthefingersareheldtogetherthepersoniscautious,reserved,andslowtomake
friends.Thispersonislikelytoconstantlyworryaboutwhatotherpeopleare
thinkingofhimorher.
Ideally,wewantabalancebetweenhavingallthefingersheldwideapart,and
havingthemheldtogether.Asmallspacebetweeneachofthefingersindicates
someonewhoisbasicallyfriendly,trusting,andindependentinoutlook.
TheFingertips
Fingertipshapesfitinwellwithd’Arpentigny’ssystemofhandclassification.
Theyaregenerallysquare,spatulate,orconic.Mostpeoplehaveamixtureof
theseontheirhands.Peoplelikethisareversatile,adaptable,andhaveawide
rangeofinterests.However,evenwhenpeoplecontainamixtureofdifferenttypes
offingertips,onetypewillpredominate.Theyarelikelytousethischaracteristic
intheircareers,andutilizetheothersinhobbiesandotherinterests.
Peoplewithsquarefingertipsaredown-to-earth,capable,practicalconformists.
Theyarecautious,conservative,andmethodical.Theyliketotaketimetomull
thingsoverbeforemakingdecisions.Theypreferthetriedandtrue,andtendto
dislikechange.
Peoplewithconicfingertipsareeasygoing,sensitive,quick-thinking,and
idealistic.Theyworkbestinpleasantsurroundingsandenjoybeautyinallits
forms.Theyenjoymentallystimulatingconversations,butusuallyactontheir
feelings,ratherthanlogic.
Everynowandagainyouwillcomeacrosssomeonewithpointedfingertips.
Thisisanextremeformoftheconic.Peoplewithpointedfingertipsareintuitive,
inspirational,high-strung,andimpressionable.Thesepeoplefindlifehardtodeal
with,andarehappiestinsideacloserelationship.However,theyareoverly
possessiveandfrequentlystifletheirpartnerswithaconstantneedforattention.
Peoplewithspatulatefingertips(tipsthatflareattheends)arepractical,
intelligent,unconventional,inventivepeoplewholovenewconceptsandideas.
Thesepeopleenjoychangeandbecomeextremelyenthusiasticaboutnewand
differentwaysofdoingthings.Theyneedchallengesandworkbestwhenself
employed.

63. Youwillsometimesfindpeoplewithdropletsonthetipsoftheirfingers.When
thepalmisheldfacingdownwards,dropletscanbeseenliketinydropsofwater
onthetipsofthefingers.Peoplewithdropletsontheirfingersareextremely
sensitiveandhighlyintuitive.Theyarecaring,supportivepeoplewithagreatlove
foralllivingthings.
ThePhalanges
Eachfingerisdividedintothreesections,knownasphalanges.Thefirst,ornail,
phalangerelatestospiritualityandintuition.Someonewithlongtipphalangeson
eachfingerwillbethoughtfulandinterestedinthespiritualsideoflife.
Themiddlephalangerelatestotheperson’sintellect.Peoplewithlongmiddle
phalangesaregenerallysuccessfulinbusinessmatters.
Thebasephalangerelatestothematerialaspectsoflife.Peoplewithlong,thick,
puffybasephalangesareself-indulgentandhaveastrongdesireforphysical
gratification.
Basephalangesthatareslightlyspongytothetouchindicatesomeonewholikes
foodandisusuallyagoodcook.
StrainandStressLines
Indicationsofstrainandprolongedstressshowupclearlyonthefingers(figure
36).Fine,verticallinesonthebasephalangeareindicationsofstrain.Theymean
thatthepersonhasbeenoverdoingthingsandwouldbenefitbyhavingoneortwo
daysoff.Evenagoodnight’ssleepcanaffecttheselines.

64. Figure36:StressandStrainLines
Muchmoreseriousthanthestrainlinesarethestresslines.Thesearefine,
horizontallinesonthefirst,ornail,phalangeofthefingers.Theyrevealthatthe
personhasbeensufferingstressandstrainoveralongperiodoftime.Theselines
taketimetoappear,anddisappearjustasslowly.WheneverIseetheselinesI
suggestthatthepersontakeavacation,orremovehimselforherselffrom
whateversituationiscausingthestress.Ofcourse,thismaynotbeeasy,
particularlyifthestressiscausedbyarelationshiporworkpressures.
Ifthestresscontinues,thestresslinesmovefurtherdownthefingersintothe
otherphalanges.Whenthisoccurs,itisasignthattheperson’shealthisindanger
ofbeingaffectedasaresultofthecontinuedstress.
StraightandCrookedFingers
Ideally,allofthefingersshouldbestraight.Whentheycurvetowardsthefingers
oneitherside,itmeansthatthepersonissubconsciouslyunderratinghimselfor
herselfintheareaindicatedbythecurvedfinger,andisgainingsupportfromthe
otherfingers.
Occasionally,youwillfindalittlefingerthatappearstobetwisted.Youneedto
becarefulwiththeinterpretationofthissinceitcanbeaninheritedtrait.However,
itcanalsobeasignofpotentialdishonesty.Becarefulwithanyfinancialdealings

65. youmayhavewiththesepeople.Ihavenoticedthisstrangeformationonthelittle
fingersofmanymoneychangersattherailwaystationsinIndia.
KnottyandSmoothFingers
Fingersareconsideredtobeeithersmoothorknotty.Knottyfingersarethose
wherethejointsareextremelyvisible.Peoplewithknottyjointsintheirfingers
liketoanalyzeeverything,takingverylittleontrustorfacevalue.Peoplewith
smoothfingersaremoretrustingandintuitive.
Inmyclasses,Iwouldhavemystudentsimagineideascomingintothebody
throughthefingertips.Everytimethesethoughtsreachedaknottyjoint,they
wouldgoroundandaroundinaprocessofexaminationandanalysisbefore
continuing.Consequently,ideasandthoughtsenterthepalmsofsmooth-fingered
peoplemuchmorequicklythantheydowithpeoplewithknottyjoints.Ifyou
knowsomeonewholikestoanalyzeanddiscussthesmallestdetailforhourson
end,youcanbesurethatthispersonwillhaveknottyfingers.
Notsurprisingly,knottyjointsarefoundfrequentlyonthefingersofpeoplewith
philosophicalhands.
Theknotsbetweenthefirstandsecondphalangesareknownasthe“knotsof
mentalorder.”Peoplewiththesearelogical,methodical,andmentallyalert.They
invariablyactonlogicratherthanintuition.
Theknotsbetweenthesecondandthirdphalangesarecalled“knotsofmaterial
order.”Thesepeopleoveranalyzeeverything,andthiscaninhibittheircreative
potential.Peoplewhohaveknotsofmaterialorderontheirfingersalmostalways
haveanabundanceofworrylinesontheirpalmsaswell.
SettingoftheFingers
Thefingerscanbesetonthehandinfourdifferentways.Themostusual
formationisthatofagentlycurvedarch,inwhichthefirstandfourthfingersare
setslightlybelowthesecondandthirdfingers(figure37).Thisdenotesawell
balancedpersonwhoisfair,easytogetalongwith,anddoesnotconsiderhimself
orherselfsuperiororinferiortoanyoneelse.

66. Figure37:FingersSetonaCurvedArch(Well-BalancedPerson)
Whenthefirstandfourthfingersaresetconsiderablylowerthanthesecondand
thirdfingerswehavewhatisknownasatentedarchformation.Peoplewiththis
particularsettingarelackinginconfidenceandhaveconsiderabledoubtsabout
theirabilities.Theylackself-esteemandfeelthattheyarenotincontroloftheir
ownlives.
Whenthefingersareallarrangedinastraightlinewehavesomeonewhois
confidentandproudofhisorhercapabilitiesandachievements.Ifthefirstand
secondfingersarealsoequalinlengththispersonwillbevain,ruthless,arrogant,
andcondescendingtoothers.
The“dropped”littlefingerisasettingthatisfrequentlyfoundtoday.Itoccurs
whenthefirstthreefingersaresetinagentlecurve,butthelittlefingerisset
considerablylowerthantheothers(figure38).Thisisanindicationthattheperson
willhavetolearnthehardway,usuallythroughdisappointmentsandsetbacks.
Everythingwillgowellforalongtimeandthen,usuallyquitesuddenly,this
personwillfindhimselforherselfinadifficultsituationthatwilltakeagreatdeal
oftimeandefforttoresolve.

67. Figure38:FingersSetonaTentedArch(LackofConfidence)
Flexibility
Ifthefingersaresupple,thepersonwillhaveaflexiblemind.Heorshewill
frequentlyactonintuitionandwillbeopentoallpointsofview.Inextremecases,
wherethefingersappeartobevirtuallydouble-jointed,thepersonwillbe
excitableandlovetalking(usuallyabouthimselforherself).
Conversely,ifthefingersappearhardandrigid,withnoflexibilitywhatsoever,
thepersonwillalsoberigidandfixedinhisorheroutlookandapproach.
Fingernails
Subliminally,weallnoticefingernailsandmakeassessmentsbasedontheir
condition.Weassumethatsomeonewithmanicuredfingernailswillberefinedand
cultured,justasweassumetheoppositeaboutsomeonewithdirty,broken,or
uncutfingernails.
OneofmyregularcustomersatabookstoreIownedmanyyearsagoalways
triedtoconcealherbittennailswhenpayingforherbooks.Shewasembarrassed
abouthernervoushabit.However,whatshefoundhardesttodealwithwasthe
factthatpeopleimmediatelyloweredtheirexpectationsofherassoonastheysaw
hernails.Iencouragedhertovisitahypnotherapisttocureherofthehabit.As
soonasherfingernailsgrew,herself-esteemandconfidenceincreased

68. dramatically.
Fingernailsvarygreatly.Ideally,theyshouldfollowtheshapeofthefinger.The
idealfingernailiswideandmediuminlength.Itshouldbeslightlylongerthanitis
wide.Peoplewithnailslikethisareenergetic,faithful,andhonest.Peoplewith
longfingernailsaresensitiveandemotional.Theyenjoycreativeactivities.
Ifthefingernailsarenarrow,aswellaslong,thepersonisinclinedtobeselfish
andalwayswantstogethisorherownway.Narrowfingernailsarealwaysasign
ofanarrow-mindedpersonwhoisfixedinhisorherways.
Peoplewithshortfingernailsarehardonthemselvesandsufferfromnervous
tension.Theyareimpatientandinclinedtobecritical.
Ifthenailisshortandnarrow,andlookssmallcomparedtothefingertip,the
personwillbefrugal,mean,andavoidspendingmoneyifitcanpossiblybe
avoided.Thispersontakesprideinbeingparsimonious.
Verticalridgesonthefingernailcanbecausedbyeitheradeficiencyinthediet
orextremenervousness.
Horizontalridgesarecausedbyillnessorstressatthetimethatthenailwasfirst
becomingvisible.
Whitedotsonthenailsarecausedbystressandanxiety.Theycanalsoindicatea
calciumdeficiency.
Thecolorofthenailscanalsogiveacluetothehealthoftheperson.Theideal
nailappearspinkishincolorandcontainsnoridgesorwhitespotsonit.Red
fingernailsbelongtopeoplewhobecomeoverexcitedoragitatedveryeasily.A
nailthatappearswhiteislikelytobelongtosomeonewhoisanemic.Liver
problemsareindicatedwhenthenailshaveayellowishtinge.Abluetingetothe
nailsrevealscirculationproblems.Ifthenailshavealwayshadabluishhue,the
personislikelytobecoldandunfriendly.
TheJupiterFinger
Keywords:ambition,independence,confidence,faith,andphilosophy
TheJupiterfingeristhefirstfingeranddenotespride,ambition,leadership,and
theego.Inpalmistrywearealwayslookingforbalance.Consequently,wewant
thisfingertobeapproximatelythesamelengthasthethirdfinger(figure39).Itis
usuallyeasiertodeterminetherelativelengthsofthefirstandthirdfingersby
lookingatthebackofthehand.