Hand Reading Techniques

The history of palmistry has its roots in ancient India, China, Greece and Rome. Some of the parts of the hand are named after planetary gods and goddesses like Luna, Apollo, Venus and Saturn. The ring finger, for example, is named after the Sun god Apollo and interprets a person's interest in the arts, music, fame and harmony. Head lines pointing down toward the lunar mount near the wrist clue a reader in that the client is prone to dreaming and imagination. Modern hand reading techniques take into account the entire hand, not just a few lines.

Reading by hand shape is one technique to use. Hand shapes can be divided into four types, which are Fire/Artistic, Water/Psychic, Earth/Practical and Air/Philosophical. A Fire hand, where the hand is rectangular or square with smooth skin and fingers that are shorter than the length of the hand, exhibits high energy, creativity, short temper and ambition. Broad, square palms and fingers with coarse skin and fingers equal to the length of the palm could be an Earth hand, which signifies someone who is practical, calm, steady, reliable, productive and stubborn. Air/Philosophical hands have long fingers, knobby knuckles, low-set thumbs and dry skin; this person is creative, practical, intuitive, communicative and pensive. Water/Psychic hands are short, often oval-shaped with long, flexible fingers and smooth skin; these people are sensitive, idealistic, emotional and loving.

In addition to the heart, head and life lines that everyone knows, hand reading is also comprised of some finer lines, just as the soul is comprised of finer nuances. For instance, the Line of Intuition runs along the Mount of the Moon, which is parallel to the Health Line, and indicates psychic ability. Travel lines -- the short horizontal creases between the wrist and the heart line -- represent trips taken, with deeper lines signifying more important trips. Union lines between the heart line and the bottom of the pinky finger indicate close relationships. The Girdle of Venus running under the ring and middle fingers to end between the middle and pointer finger shows an ability to manipulate.

The mounds beneath the fingers are also important in hand reading. These mounts include Venus (below the thumb, relating to passion), Jupiter (below the index finger, relating to wealth), Saturn (below the middle finger, relating to duty), Sun (below the ring finger, relating to artistry) and Mercury (below the little finger, relating to communication). The Mount of the Moon, the fleshy part below the pinky and ring finger, tell about all things emotional. The Mount of Venus near the thumb and index finger is related to love. To read the mounts, one should look for moderately raised, well-formed mounts that show a balance of qualities. Low mounts indicate that trait is lacking. Over-developed mounts show an over-expression of that quality. Special lines and marks on the mounts may add another level of meaning as well.