The art of fortune-telling through reading one’s palm began some 2,500 years ago in India which gradually spread to other parts of the world. Palmistry is the science of palm-reading with the objective of studying one’s character and inherent nature, discovering his true potential and making future predictions about the person.
Some famous palmists like Cheiro have strengthened the credibility of palmistry through their successful predictions over a long period of time. In palm-reading a theoretical knowledge accompanied by good practice help to make accurate predictions. But a fundamental question often arises: which hand should be studied — the right or the left? According to Western palmists, the left is the hand we are born with and the right is the hand what we make of ourselves. But the Indian palmists opine that the left hand of the females and right hand of the males should be taken into consideration for palm-reading.
The palm has several lines and mounts as well as different markings on it. All these along with their shapes and sizes provide the clue for making predictions. Among the major lines of the hand, the most prominent are the Line of Life, Line of Heart, Line of Head and Line of Fate etc. There are seven mounts named after the gods of Greek mythology and they provide an insight into the inherent traits and qualities of a person. The different lines on the palm tell us about the person’s life situations at various stages of life as well as his characteristics. The different markings like a star, a grille, a square, an island etc. at different locations signify various positive and negative events in one’s life.
To be more specific, the Line of Life shows vitality and longevity, the Line of Heart indicates the physical condition of the heart as well as one’s emotional state, the Line of Head helps to judge the mental trails and capabilities and the Line of Fate indicates the wealth and fortune one has in store. Similarly different mounts stand for different characteristics, e.g. Mount of Jupiter stands for intellectualism, Mount of Mars stands for valour and courage, Mount of Venus shows love and affection, Mount of Luna indicates the psychological state etc. The various markings on the hand symbolize different things depending on their location on the palm. The fingers and the thumb also provide vital clues for making accurate predictions.
Though some palmists have tried to provide a scientific basis to palmistry by showing a correlation between the lines on the hand and the astronomical influence on human body at the time of birth yet it has not been accepted scientifically. Sometimes the palmists tell us about the condition of the heart by analyzing the shape and growth of nails which is also the procedure followed by the medical practitioners. But on the whole palmistry still continues to entertain people for the simple reason that it unfolds the mysterious future which attracts the popular attention.
