Heart line (popularly the love line; Ayu or Jeevith Rekha in Indian palmistry): the uppermost of the three main lines, crossing the palm just below the fingers. Western palmistry reads it for emotional temperament and affection.
Where is the heart line?
Hold your palm up with your fingers together. The heart line is the first major line below the fingers. It lies between the outer edge of the hand, under the little finger, and the index or middle finger. In most hands it is the line closest to the fingers, above the head line.
If you see only one line crossing the whole palm where the heart and head lines would be, the two have merged into a single line (popularly called a simian line). It is read as unusual tenacity and fixity of purpose, with a strongly inward-looking nature that does well to let reason steer its wants.
What does the shape of the heart line mean?
Western palmists look at the line's curve, depth, length and position, then at where it ends.
| What you see | Western reading |
|---|---|
| Strongly curved | Warm, physical expression of feeling; affection shown openly |
| Straight across the palm | The idealist in matters of the heart |
| Strong and clearly drawn | Sensitivity and an idealistic, thoughtful nature; a good sense for moods and people |
| Set high, close to the fingers | Warmth shown sparingly, though a strong line set high is read as especially intuitive |
| Set lower in the palm | A liberal, tolerant nature with depth of feeling |
| Unusually short | Great reserve in matters of the heart; feelings revealed slowly |
What does it mean where the heart line ends?
The index-finger end of the line is one of its most discussed features. Each finger has a mount named after a planet, and the mount the line reaches colours its reading.
- Under the index finger (Jupiter): idealistic and loyal, especially when the line runs straight and clean. When the head and heart lines both start together from Jupiter, it is read as steadfast devotion to one love.
- Between the index and middle fingers: the physical side of love comes forward; affection shown through touch and closeness.
- Under the middle finger (Saturn): a sharp intellect at work in your feelings; you tend to think your emotions through.
What do breaks, branches and islands mean?
A heart line broken in several places is read as a misanthropic streak: a general wariness of people. The Indian texts read branches on this line: those rising toward the fingers as a charitable, giving nature, and those turning toward the thumb as prosperity.
How do Indian and Western palmistry read the heart line differently?
Western palmistry treats the heart line mainly as emotional style: how you love and what you need. Indian palmistry names the same line the Ayu or Jeevith Rekha and gives it more weight than any other: the Indian texts say that unless this line is well formed, the rest of the hand need not be read. Traditional texts also made forecasts from this line; Rekha leaves those out.
Western palmists also read the heart line alongside the head line. A wide space between them is read as tolerance, broad-mindedness and an outgoing nature; a narrow one as a more private, inward-looking temperament that sees things in personal terms.
Should I read the heart line on my left or right hand?
The two traditions answer differently. The Indian system reads a man's right hand and a woman's left. Western palmists read the right hand, with an exception for left-handers, and treat the other, passive hand as your inherited nature and the active hand as how you have developed. A sign that shows on both hands is given its full weight; on one hand only, half. Read more about left and right hands.
Questions about the heart line
Can the heart line change over time?
Palmists hold that some lines change as the years pass and that small lines can appear and fade. Western palmists compare both hands: the passive one for what you started with, the active one for how you have grown.
What if I have no heart line?
A missing heart line is read as a nature in which intuition plays little part.
Does the heart line predict marriage?
Traditional texts did make forecasts about love and marriage from the hand; Rekha leaves those out. Rekha reads the heart line only as how you tend to love, which is something you can reflect on and grow.
See your own heart line, read two ways
Rekha reads your heart line from a photo of your palm, names exactly what it saw, and shows the Indian and Western readings side by side. The heart line reading is free.
Palmistry is a tradition, not a science. These readings are for reflection and entertainment.