Palmistry

Palmistry, also called chiromancy or chirosophy, reading of character and divination of the future by interpretation of lines and undulations on the palm of the hand. The origins of palmistry are uncertain. It may have begun in ancient India and spread from there. It was probably from their original Indian home that the traditional fortune-telling of the Roma (Gypsies) was derived. The chiromantic art has been known in China, Tibet, Persia, Mesopotamia, and Egypt, and it underwent significant development in ancient Greece. Medieval palmistry was pressed into service by the witch-hunters, who interpreted pigmentation spots as signs of a pact with the Devil. After a period of disrepute, palmistry flourished again in the Renaissance. In the 17th century, attempts were made to develop empirical and rational foundations for its basic principles. After a second ebb, during the Enlightenment, it underwent a popular revival in the 19th century with the work of Casimir d’Arpentigny, Louis Hamon (byname Cheiro), and William Benham. In the 20th century, palmistry received renewed attention and interpretation by, among others, followers of Carl Jung.

The pattern of the future in the human hand, from Jean Belot's Oeuvres, 1649

Although there is no scientific support for the contention that the physical features observed in palmistry have psychic or occult predictive meaning, the human hand does show evidence of the person’s health, cleanliness, and occupational and nervous habits (e.g., as evidenced by calluses or nail-biting). Hands are routinely examined in medical diagnosis and provide clues with which the palmist may often astound the unsophisticated.

Interested in brushing up on the divination practice of palm reading, or palmistry? Learning how to read palms takes practice, but our palm reading guide from palmistry expert Kay Packard makes the art of chiromancy look easy.

First things first. Pick a hand—but not just any hand. For insight into your work life and how you present yourself to the world, focus on your dominant hand. To examine personal relationships, dreams, and emotional struggles, look at the other hand. Having trouble making out the lines? Cup your hand slightly under a bright lamp. Keep in mind: According to hand analysts and palm readers, a less prominent line reflects an area of life that may need work, while a deeper one signals that the characteristic related to that line is strong and developed. For even more hints, see this guide to finger reading.

The palmistry minor lines, or secondary lines, can reveal an individual’s talents, interests, strengths and weaknesses. Their meanings can vary, depending on the hand shape, markings, mounts and the other lines nearby or crossing over them. Minor lines can be very faint or may not even be apparent, which is fairly common. If they do appear on the palm, they will give the palm reader a lot more insight into the subject. Listed below are nine of the more common minor lines and their general meanings; fate line, apollo (sun) line, bracelet (rascette) lines, relationship (marriage) lines, health line, girdle of venus and intuition line.

Click on the pictures below to learn the various traits of the palmistry minor lines.APOLLO (SUN) LINE