Mount (Sthana, a place, in Indian palmistry): a raised pad of the palm linked with a planet. Palmists read how full or flat each mount is as how strongly its quality shows in your nature. Traditional texts also made forecasts from the marks on the mounts; Rekha leaves those out.
Where are the mounts on your hand?
Hold your palm up in good light and cup it slightly. Four mounts sit in a row below the fingers: Jupiter under the index finger, Saturn under the middle finger, Apollo under the ring finger and Mercury under the little finger. The Mount of Venus is the large, fleshy base of the thumb, wrapped by the life line. The Mount of Mars sits on the outer edge of the palm below Mercury, between the ends of the heart and head lines. The Mount of Luna, or Moon, sits below it on the same edge, just above the wrist. The flatter centre of the palm is the plain of Mars.
Some palmists describe two Mars mounts. The method Rekha follows uses one. Mounts are also often not exactly where a diagram puts them, so look for where each one actually rises.
What does each mount mean?
Each mount takes its reading from its planet, and is read together with the finger above it. Indian palmistry classes the mounts the same way and differs mainly in the names, so the table gives one reading per mount with its Indian name beside it.
| Mount and place | Reading of a well-formed mount | Indian name |
|---|---|---|
| Jupiter, under the index finger | Ambition, pride and authority; firm views on matters of faith; generous, with many friends | Pithru Sthana, the place of the father |
| Saturn, under the middle finger | Serious and prudent; fond of solitude, with few friends; drawn to philosophy, the occult and music | Mathru Sthana, the place of the mother |
| Apollo (Sun), under the ring finger | Learning that comes almost by intuition, above all in the arts and letters; a keen eye for beauty | Vidya Sthana, the place of learning |
| Mercury, under the little finger | A quick grasp and ready wit, never short of a reply | Jaya Sthana, the place of success |
| Venus, the base of the thumb | Warmth, vitality and great zest for life; often found on musicians | Brathru Sthana, the place of brothers and sisters |
| Luna (Moon), the outer edge above the wrist | Imagination and idealism | Dharma Sthana, the place of virtue |
| Mars, the outer edge below Mercury | Courage, generosity of spirit, energy and the capacity to resist | Sathru Sthana, the place of the adversary |
| Plain of Mars, the centre | Read through the signs found there, such as a cross for impulsiveness | No separate name |
What do the finger mounts say about you?
Jupiter is the mount of ambition. When it is well formed, it is read as an authoritative nature that holds firm views and gives freely. Saturn is the mount of seriousness. A good Saturn shows a prudent, careful person drawn to philosophy, who tends to keep a small circle of friends.
Apollo, the Sun, is the mount of learning and the arts. It is read as someone who picks things up without hard study and appreciates the beautiful; its Indian name, Vidya Sthana, also means the place of learning. Mercury is the mount of the quick mind. A strong one marks ready wit and a gift for repartee. The general success of a life is said to be judged by this mount, and its Indian name, Jaya Sthana, means the place of success.
What do the Venus, Luna and Mars mounts mean?
Venus is the largest mount and the seat of warmth. Full and firm, it is read as warmth, vitality and zest for life. Barely present, it is read as a cooler temperament with less feeling for beauty.
Luna is the mount of imagination. A shapely Luna gives imagination and idealism, and together with a strong Apollo it marks the true artist. Very prominent, it can mean a changeable mind. Its Indian name is Dharma Sthana, the place of virtue.
Mars is the mount of courage. A well-developed Mars is read as courage, energy and the capacity to resist, with great composure against heavy odds. Its Indian name is Sathru Sthana, the place of the adversary.
How are full and flat mounts read?
Palmists judge each mount by how far it rises compared with the rest of your palm. A mount should ideally be of normal size, neither too muscular nor flat, and feel semi-firm to the touch.
- Balanced: the mount's quality shows at its best. A good Jupiter with no lines on it is read as sound common sense.
- Full: the quality is strong and easy to see in you.
- Very pronounced: the same quality can tip into excess. A very strong Jupiter may drift toward haughtiness and overspending; a very strong Saturn toward thrift and gloom. Palmists offer this as a caution, not a verdict.
- Flat: the quality plays a quieter part.
A mount does not have to rise to count. Look at the fine ridge pattern of the palm where the mount should be: where the ridges converge in a small loop or triangle, the mount is present even if it is flat. A mount marked by lines or signs also counts as present. Palmists also look at which way a mount is drawn, since a mount pulled toward a neighbour takes on some of that neighbour's nature. To compare hands, the Indian rule reads a man's right hand and a woman's left, while Western writers read the active hand as how you have developed and the other as your inherited nature. Read more about left and right hands.
What do signs on the mounts mean?
Small marks change a mount's reading. Each sign is read together with the mount it sits on.
- Star: on Jupiter, honour; on Apollo, fame and a gift as a writer or speaker; on Mercury, literary success and a silver tongue.
- Triangle: on Jupiter, great tact; on Mercury, the politician; on Mars, leadership.
- Square: anywhere on the hand, read as protection from danger, as on Saturn. On Mars it is the exception, read as great anger.
Indian palmistry also names rare figures such as the fish, read as a sign of great success wherever it appears on the hand.
Questions about the mounts
Which mount is the most important?
No mount outranks the others in itself. Palmists look for the mount that stands out on your hand and read it as a quality that shows strongly, together with the finger above it, since the mounts are taken as continuations of the fingers.
What if all my mounts look flat?
A mount still counts when it carries lines or signs, or when the ridge pattern of the palm converges at its place, even if it does not rise. Look again in side light with the hand slightly cupped, and check the fine ridges where each mount should be.
See your own mounts, read two ways
Rekha reads the mounts from a photo of your palm, names exactly what it saw on which hand, and gives each mount's reading beside its Indian Sthana name.
Palmistry is a tradition, not a science. These readings are for reflection and entertainment.