Hand Analysts Explain What Your Palms Can Reveal About Your Future—And Your Present
From texting to washing dishes to holding, grasping, and feeling nearly everything under the sun, your hands do a lot for you. But did you know that your hands can also reveal a thing or two about your past, future, and present and what makes you… well, you?
This is called palmistry, which is the practice of interpreting one’s character or even predicting their future by examining the lines and other notable features of their hand. “Your palms are like the universe’s roadmap,” says Ellen Goldberg, author of The Art and Science of Hand Reading: Classical Methods for Self-Discovery through Palmistry. “Amazingly, the hand communicates, or mirrors back, important information about ourselves to enable us to live our best lives and find our purpose and happiness.”
Though its exact origins remain unclear, palmistry is believed to date back thousands of years, says Goldberg. In fact, many palmistry experts and historians speculate that the practice began in ancient India and eventually spread to other countries, including China, Tibet, Persia, Egypt, Rome, and Greece, to name a few.
It’s also important to note that different hand analysts have different perspectives on palmistry, too—for example, some palm readers will place an emphasis on what the shape of your hand means (more on that later), while others may not. In general, there isn’t one single right way to read your palms. At the end of the day, palmistry is just about self-reflection, says Helene Saucedo, hand analyst and author of the forthcoming Handful of Stars Palmistry Guidebook and Hand-Printing Kit.
Meet the experts: Ellen Goldberg is the author of The Art and Science of Hand Reading: Classical Methods for Self-Discovery through Palmistry. Helene Saucedo is a hand analyst and author of the forthcoming Handful of Stars Palmistry Guidebook and Hand-Printing Kit.
Want to give palm reading a try? Ahead, experts share the 101 on palmistry, including the meaning of every hand shape, the lines you should really read, and what, exactly, palmistry can reveal about your life.
Choosing Which Hand To Read
When it comes down to it, both of your hands can tell you a little something about yourself. Your dominant hand “represents you in the present moment,” says Saucedo. This is because the lines of your dominant hand are constantly changing as you grow and evolve, adds Goldberg. This change can be gradual, or can even happen as quickly as over the course of a few weeks or months.
Want to better understand who you are inherently, your past, and what could be in store for you in the future? Look at your recessive (or non-dominant) hand, which analysts say speak more to the “fixed” components of your life. “The non-dominant hand knows how your story plays out,” says Saucedo. Together, both hands can paint a picture of who you are and where your talents lie, Goldberg explains.
Analyzing Your Hand Shape
Astrology lovers, listen up: Palmistry and astrology are deeply rooted together in practice. Aligning with astrology, there are four different hand shapes in palmistry (earth, fire, wind, and air), and according to Saucedo, the shape of your hand can sometimes even be linked to your astrological sign. For instance, if you’re a Cancer or Pisces, you might have what hand analysts call water hands—but this isn’t always a hard-and-fast rule. (So, if you’re a fiery Sagittarius, don’t be confused if you have air hands.)
But how do you figure out your hand shape? It’s all about comparing the length of your fingers to the length of your palm, explains Saucedo. Do you have slender fingers, or are they on the stubbier or shorter side? Is your palm wide or long? These are the types of things you’re looking for.
Read more below on what each hand shape means.
Earth Hands
“Earth hands are square and are typically proportionate to the length of the palm,” says Saucedo. Those with earth hands tend to be grounded, practical, and reliable—they’re also known for being workaholics or even the moms of their friend groups (if you have an Earth sign in your life, you know this adds up).
Fire Hands
Fire hands are actually the easiest for Saucedo to spot, particularly because they tend to be the rarest hand shape—so if you have fire hands, consider yourself one in a million. “Fire hands have short fingers and long palms,” says Saucedo. “Usually, people with fire hands are charismatic, feisty, restless, and sometimes possess an anxious energy.”
Air Hands
Air hands characteristically have square palms and really long, thin fingers. They tend to be curious, analytical, and highly communicative. (Fun fact: If you like to act, you might just have air hands—Saucedo has noticed that many famous actresses, including Nicole Kidman, have air hands.)
Water Hands
Lastly, water hands have both long fingers and long palms—although their fingers usually aren’t as long or as thin as air hands' fingers, Saucedo says. Individuals with water hands are often imaginative, creative, adaptive, and very in tune with their emotions.
How To Read The Lines On Your Palm
Glance at your palm right now and you’ll see lots of little lines spanning and stretching across it—some may be long and deeply etched into your skin, while others may be light, almost like they’re penciled in.
Although you have dozens of tiny zig-zags chiseled into your palm, for the sake of the basics, there are four major lines you’ll want to pay special attention to: the heart line, the life line, the head line, and the fate line (or, as Saucedo likes to call it, “the line of stability”). When examining these lines, you want to look at the depth and length, as well as any noticeable curves, marks, or dots, adds Goldberg. These lines can also change over time, based on age and different things that happen in your life, both Goldberg and Saucedo say. Your hand is always changing, just like you.
Your Heart Line
Your heart line is at the very top of your hand and represents your emotional self. “If you have a really deep or dark heart line, you likely operate from a really emotional space and might be more sensitive and empathetic,” says Saucedo.
Whether your heart line is straight, arched, or somewhere in between can also tell you a lot about how you approach your love life and romantic relationships. For example, if your heart line is straight, you may tend to keep your guard up in your partnerships; on the other hand (pun intended), if you have an arched heart line, you might wear your heart a bit more on your sleeve.
Your Head Line
Always feeling like you’re in your head? You might have a dark head line. The head line stretches diagonally across the center of your palm, right below the heart line.
It’s arguably the most important line of your palm because it can tell you a lot about your thought process and mental state, explains Goldberg. “For example, if you spot little dots all over your head line, that might mean stress,” she says. Have a split or break in your head line? That could mean you changed your mind or perspective on something, Saucedo says.
Your Life Line
Situated underneath the head line and curved beneath the base of your thumb, your life line represents your vitality and energy and pertains to the quality of your life, explains Saucedo. A short life line means you may be running on low fuel, whether that means you’ve been working too hard and/or just feeling emotionally, physically, or mentally drained.
That said, a long life line means you perhaps have more energy. Once again, this line tends to change a lot over the span of your life.
Your Fate Line
Your fate line starts at the bottom of your palm and moves upwards vertically. While all the lines on your palm alter over time, the fate line quite possibly changes the fastest. While some palmistry experts may read the fate line as your actual destiny, or how your life will be impacted by things beyond your control, Saucedo likes to view it more in the sense of your career trajectory—but there’s no wrong way to look at it.
If you have a deep fate line, you might just have a strong work ethic and sense of what you want in terms of your career, says Saucedo. Have a faint fate line? You might just be more adaptable and even fluid in your career path (which isn’t a bad thing!).
How To Read The Mounts Of Your Palm
Run your fingers over your opposite palm and you’ll instantly notice that your palm is not totally flat or smooth, but rather has varying fleshy mounts and plains. In palmistry there are seven classic mounts that correlate with the seven planets within astrology, says Goldberg: Apollo (the sun), Luna (the moon), Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
Taller mounts reveal qualities that you have more of, while lowered, sunken mounts may point to your underdeveloped attributes. Don’t get discouraged, though: Once again, palmistry is all about self-reflection and self-work, so just think of these lagging characteristics as something you can work on!
Apollo
The mount under your ring finger symbolizes the planet of Apollo, which represents creativity, artsiness, and versatility. “This mount is typically the most prominent and easy to see,” says Saucedo.
Luna
Under your pinky finger and located toward the bottom of your palm lies the mount of Luna. According to Goldberg, Luna symbolizes imagination, intuition, and empathy.
Mercury
The mount of Mercury is right beneath the pinky finger. Those with a prominent mount here are usually very active and highly communicative, says Goldberg.
Venus
The ball of your thumb represents Venus. While the planet of Venus represents love and beauty, Saucedo likes to think of this mount a bit differently: “I often think of this mount as speaking to your sensuality in terms of wanting to experience pleasures in life, like food, culture, art, and traveling.”
Jupiter
This padding of your hand is right underneath your index finger. If this mount is tall, you’re likely independent, ambitious, and have incredible leadership skills, says Goldberg.
Saturn
Saturn correlates with the mount under your middle finger. Those with an exaggerated mount of Saturn tend to be serious, scholarly, and intelligent, says Goldberg. “This mount can also speak to your work ethic,” adds Saucedo.
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