Palm reading (palmistry; in India, part of Samudrika Shastra): the tradition of reading character and temperament from the shape, lines and marks of the hand. It is a tradition, not a science. Traditional texts also made forecasts from the hand; Rekha leaves those out and offers its readings for reflection.
Which hand should you read?
The traditions differ. Indian texts read a man's right hand and a woman's left hand first. Western palmists read the right hand for everyone, with an exception for left-handers. In Western palmistry the passive hand shows the nature you inherited and the active hand shows how you have developed it. Palmists read a sign found on both hands at full strength, and one found on a single hand at half, so it is worth looking at both. Read more about left and right hands.
In what order do you read a palm?
The Indian texts describe three stages: Darsana, seeing the hand; Sparsana, touching it; and Rekha Vimarsana, reading its lines. Among the lines they put the heart line first, and say that a hand whose heart line is unsatisfactory need not be read any further. Rekha works through the hand from the broadest view to the smallest mark, so each detail is seen in context.
- First impression: the feel of the hand as a whole, its size, firmness and texture.
- Hand shape: the palm and the fingers measured against each other.
- Fingers and phalanges: length, tips, joints, and the three sections of each finger.
- Mounts: the raised pads under the fingers and thumb.
- Major lines: heart, head, life and fate.
- Minor lines: such as the Sun line, the Mercury line and the Girdle of Venus.
- Signs: stars, crosses, squares, triangles and islands, and where they sit.
What does the shape of your hand mean?
Start by comparing the palm with the fingers. In palmistry the palm stands for the practical, material side of life and the fingers for imagination and the inner life. When the two are well matched, that is read as the most favourable proportion: feet on the ground without losing the inner vision. The classic Western system then names seven hand types.
| Hand type | What it looks like | How it is read |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary | Broad, heavy palm, short thick fingers | Instinct, direct experience, hands-on work |
| Square | Square palm and fingertips | Method, order, steady persistence |
| Spatulate | Fingertips that widen at the ends | Restless energy, invention, original ideas |
| Philosophic | Long hand with knotty finger joints | Reflection, looking beneath the surface |
| Conic | Fingers tapering to rounded tips | Artistic, impressionable, moved by beauty |
| Psychic | Slender, narrow, finely pointed | Idealism and a gentle spirit |
| Mixed | Features of two or more types | Versatility and range |
What do the fingers and phalanges show?
Each finger is named after a planet. The index finger is Jupiter, linked with authority and the wish to lead. The middle finger is Saturn, the serious side of the mind: reasoning, study and spiritual questions. The ring finger is Apollo, or the Sun, for the arts, company and good humour. The little finger is Mercury, for writing, speaking and business. The thumb stands apart: a well-made one is read as firm resolve and sound reasoning.
Each finger has three phalanges, or sections. The base section is read as the physical, instinctive side, the middle as the business and practical side, and the top as the mental side. On the thumb, the top section is read as will and the second as logic.
What are the mounts of the palm?
The mounts are the fleshy pads under each finger, at the base of the thumb and along the outer edge of the palm. Western palmistry names them after planets. Indian palmistry gives each a Sthana, or place, name: Jupiter is Pithru Sthana, the place of the father; Saturn is Mathru Sthana, the place of the mother; Apollo is Vidya Sthana, the place of learning; Mercury is Jaya Sthana, the place of success. A well-developed mount is read as that planet's qualities being strong in you, and each mount is read together with the finger above it. See all the mounts.
What are the main lines?
- Heart line (Ayu or Jeevith Rekha): the top line, read in Western palmistry for your emotional life. Indian texts rank it first among the three main lines. They also made forecasts from it; Rekha leaves those out.
- Head line (Mathru or Dhan Rekha): the middle line, read as how you think. Indian texts read it for wealth, and its sprouts toward the thumb for a feel for money.
- Life line (Pithru or Gotra Rekha): the curve around the thumb. Indian texts read it as the line of the family tree, and its branches toward the thumb as friends and well-wishers. Traditional texts also made forecasts from this line; Rekha leaves those out.
Next comes the fate line, the vertical line up the centre toward the middle finger, read as the course of your life and work. It is the first of the Oordhva Rekhas, the rising lines, rather than one of the three main lines.
Look for the letter shape these lines can make together, too. Read about the M on your palm.
What makes the Indian approach different?
Less than you might expect. The two systems read the same lines and mounts and differ mostly in names and emphasis. The Indian Sthana names tie each mount to a part of life, such as father, mother, learning or siblings. The Indian texts also group the upright lines as the Oordhva Rekhas, read for your standing among other people, and add a horary count that moves through the finger sections with the tithi, the lunar day. Learn more about Samudrika Shastra.
Palmistry glossary
- Samudrika Shastra
- The classical Indian study of the body's marks, including the hand.
- Active hand
- The hand you write with. Western palmistry reads it as how your nature has developed.
- Heart line
- The top of the three main lines, beneath the fingers. Read as your emotional life.
- Head line
- The middle line, from between the thumb and index finger. Read as how you think.
- Life line
- The curve around the base of the thumb. In Indian texts, the line of the family tree.
- Fate line
- The vertical line toward the middle finger. Read as the course of your life and work.
- Pithru Rekha
- Indian name for the life line, also called the Gotra Rekha: the line of the family tree.
- Jeevith Rekha
- Indian name for the heart line, also called the Ayu Rekha.
- Dhan Rekha
- Indian name for the head line, also called the Mathru Rekha.
- Oordhva Rekha
- Any upright line that climbs toward the fingers, including the fate line.
- Mount
- A raised pad of the palm, called a Sthana in India.
- Phalange
- One section of a finger. Each finger has three. The thumb shows two, but the Indian tithi count takes the edge of the thumb ball as its first section, giving it three.
- Simian line
- Popular name for a single line crossing the palm in place of separate heart and head lines. Read as great fixity of purpose.
- Tithi
- The lunar day, used in an old Indian count that moves through the fingers.
Questions about palm reading
Can palm reading predict the future?
Traditional texts did make forecasts from the hand, including from the main lines. Rekha leaves those out. Palmistry is a tradition, not a science, and Rekha presents its readings as a mirror for reflection about temperament and choices.
What if I cannot find one of the lines?
Not every hand has every line. A hand with no fate line, for example, is read as someone who takes life as it comes rather than following a set plan.
Where should a beginner start?
Start with the whole hand: its shape, and the length of the fingers against the palm. Then turn to the heart line, which the Indian texts treat as the first of the major lines.
Read your own palm, two ways
Rekha reads a photo of both your palms in order, from the whole hand to the smallest sign, names exactly what it saw, and shows the Indian and Western readings side by side.
Palmistry is a tradition, not a science. These readings are for reflection and entertainment.