Palmistry: Lines & Mounts

The three lines found on almost all hands, and generally given most weight by palmists:

• 
  The heart line is the first of the major lines examined by a reader and represents love and attraction.[9] It is found towards the top of the palm, under the fingers. In some traditions, the line is read as starting from the edge of the palm under the little finger and flowing across the palm towards the thumb; in others, it is seen as starting under the fingers and flowing toward the outside edge of the palm. Palmists interpret this line to represent matters of the heart, that is, more literally, our emotional living; it is therefore believed to be an insight into how the emotional sides of our mindframes will act out and be acted upon during our lifetimes, and often said, to what extent we possess emotional reservoirs within us, for example, a chained or gridded heart line( or emotional line) is often seen in people who are highly strung, nervous and draw upon emotional strength and insight to attain their ambitions,i.e. they wear their 'emotions' on their sleeves,often to draw strength. Such chaining or gridding on the heart line (emotional line) is often seen in intensely creative artists such as musicians and writers, as well as deeply driven scientists. Dealing with emotions, the line is also claimed to indicate romantic perspectives and intimate relationships, again, a chained or gridded heart line is said to point to a flirtatious attitude to love, and one which can be prone to fall in love easily. On a physical level, the heart line is indirectly associated with heart health, moreso through the effects that emotions can have on the body such as with blood pressure. A chained heart line is often associated with high blood pressure, but also of an 'adrenaline junkie' attitude in life.

• The next line identified by palmists is the head line. This line starts at the edge of the palm under the index finger and flows across the palm towards the outside edge. Often, the head line is joined with the life line (see below) at inception. Palmists generally interpret this line to represent the person's mind and the way it works, including learning style, communication style, intellectualism, and thirst for knowledge. It is also believed to indicate a preference for creative or analytical approaches to information (i.e., right brain or left brain).

• The life line is perhaps the most controversial line on the hand.[citation needed] This line extends from the edge of the palm above the thumb and travels in an arc towards the wrist. This line is believed to represent the person's vitality and vigor, physical health and general well being. The life line is also believed to reflect major life changes, including cataclysmic events, physical injuries, and relocations. Contrary to popular belief, modern palmists generally do not believe that the length of a person's life line is tied to the length of a person's life.

• The combined length of these three main lines (heart, head, life) can also be used. If this combined length is longer than a persons foot they may be over bearing. However, if it is shorter they may give in too easily to other people. A similar length suggests a well balanced individual.
  
  Additional major lines or variations include:
  A simian crease, or fusing of the heart and head lines, has special significance in that both emotional as well as reasoning nature have to be studied from this line alone. The peculiar line is thought to be a combination of the head and heart lines on such hands that are separately marked on the rest of the hands.
  
  According to Cheiro, this line is thought to endow a person with an intensity of purpose or single-mindedness, the nature of which is decided upon by exact position of this line on the hand and the direction of any branches shooting from it, which is normally the case. In hands where such a line exists without any branches as a singular mark, it indicates an extremely intense nature and special care is needed for such persons. The normal position for the line is starting below the index finger and ending where normally the heart line terminates at the edge of the hand below the little finger, indicating average interests for the person and the intense side of the nature is decided purely by the direction of any branches shooting from it. The upper half of the palm lying immediately below the fingers is considered to represent the higher or intellectual nature and the lower half of the palm to represent the materialistic side of the nature. If one of these halves is larger than the other as decided by the central placement of the head line or in this case the single transverse palmar crease it shows greater development of that aspect of the nature. Based on this general principle, if this line is placed below its normal position it indicates an intensely intellectual nature; if it is placed above its normal position it indicates an intensely materialistic nature and interests. The direction in which any branches may be found shooting from this line have a significant impact on the nature of this line resulting in suitable modifications from the above defined results depending on the nature of the mounts on the hand. For instance, if a branch from this line shoots to the mount of Moon lying on the lower edge of the hand exactly opposite the thumb, it indicates an intensely vacillating nature and emotional temperament.

• The fate line runs from the bottom of the palm near the wrist, up through the center of the palm towards the middle finger. This line is believed to be tied to the person's life path, including school and career choices, successes and obstacles. Sometimes this line is thought to reflect circumstances beyond the individual's control, or alternately the person's choices and their consequences

Other minor lines:

• Sun line - parallel to the Fate Line, under the ring finger; believed to indicate fame or scandal

• Girdle of Venus - starts between the little and ring fingers, runs in a rough arc under the ring and middle fingers to end between the middle and pointer fingers; thought to relate to emotional intelligence and the ability to manipulate

• Union lines - short horizontal lines found on the percussive edge of the palm between the Heart Line and the bottom of the little finger; believed to indicate close relationships, sometimes - but not always - romantic.

• Mercury line - runs from the bottom of the palm near the wrist, up through the palm towards the little finger; purported to be an indicator of persistent health issues, business acumen, or skill in communication.

• Travel lines - these are horizontal lines found on the percussive edge of the palm between the wrist and the heart line; each line is said to represent a trip taken by the subject - the longer the line, the more important the trip is to the subject.

• Other markings - these include stars, crosses, triangles, squares, tridents, and rings under each of the fingers; their supposed impact and meaning varies by location on the palm and freedom from other interfering lines.

• "Apollo line" - the Apollo line means to have a fortunate life; it travels from the Mount of the Moon at the wrist to beneath the Apollo finger.

• "Ominous line" - crosses life line and forms 'x' shape; very bad sign to find; palm readers will often not mention this line because of the worry it causes to the person being read. Common indicators of ominous line include 'M' being formed by other lines. 

Mounts

In order to be able to interpret the lines—and their effects on our relationships—it is essential to have an understanding of the underlying mounts.[citation needed]

The hand is divided into seven segments called mounts. Each mount relates to a corresponding planet with a specific portfolio. The mounts of the hand provide a tangible record of how we deal with each of these planetary influences, and what our challenges are.

The mounts also represent the colors in the spectrum of the rainbow. The more each mount begins to reflect the characteristics of its own specific light frequency, the more representative it becomes of the superconscious soul or light within.

The mounts are Luna, Venus, Mars (formed by its negative and positive poles), Jupiter, Saturn, Sun, Mercury and Rahu and Ketu.

Following is a brief description of the mounts and the specific characteristics that they reflect.

• The mount of Luna (or Moon - represents the first stage of our evolutionary process. Luna stands for the original plan of creation, as in the Bible quotation, “in the beginning was the Word...” As such, it relates to the collective unconscious as well as to each person’s individual receptivity to tune into that creative source. Luna pertains to the qualities of perception, creativity, imagination and sensory awareness.

• Venus - next in the sequence of mounts, represents the actual physical manifestation of the “concept” which was initiated in Luna. (“... and the Word was made flesh....”*). Venus represents the actual cellular makeup—or energy—that manifests itself in physical form. It shows the condition of the body and how at home we feel in our physical form. The mount of Venus reflects the presence or absence of qualities such as harmony, kindness, grace, charm and love. It reflects our degree of physical and sexual health, sensuality and beauty.

• Mars negative - is the next focus of attention for the unfolding human soul. Symbolically, it relates to the mobilization of the spark of incarnate energy originally conceived and then brought into being through Luna and then Venus. Mars negative stands for our energy, which, when not properly harnessed and channeled, can lead to exhaustion, or possibly to anger and aggression.

• Jupiter - represents the awakening of the conscious mind. In India, it is referred to as the guru or dispeller of darkness. It speaks of our sense of purpose—what role we want to play in life. Jupiter stands for ambition, confidence, leadership and justice.

• Saturn - indicates the necessity to search within. It represents the alchemist who is able to synthesize the experiences of Jupiter in order to extract a deeper meaning of life. Saturn stands for wisdom, co-ordination and discernment.

• The Sun - in our hand indicates our desire to share all that has been learned from the profound nature of Saturn. It is referred to as atma and represents our soul. The Sun shows that aspect within us which can transcend any limitations. Success, charisma and integrity are all characteristic of the Sun.

• Mercury - In India, stands for the Buddha and reflects an “enlightened” consciousness. It relates to our involvement in the world, and also our ability to be detached from the fruits of our actions. Mercury denotes intuition, spontaneity and the ability to communicate effortlessly.

• Mars - Next lies the mount of Mars positive (which, with Mars negative—located on the opposite side of the palm—forms the Mars galaxy). Whereas Mars negative relates to our physical energy, Mars positive deals with our mental strength. Positive characteristics include endurance, persistence, and a calm mental state.

• Rahu and Ketu - are inextricably intertwined. Ketu represents the kinds of circumstances we attracted in the past and our attitudes towards them, whereas Rahu relates to our immediate environment. A famous Sanskrit verse tells us that “our present is the result of all our yesterdays, and the future depends on how well we live today.” This sums up the relationship between Rahu and Ketu.

Ketu is our karmic account book, whose balance sheet portrays the entire record of our thoughts, attitudes, and behavior of the past. Rahu reflects the kind of environment we are likely to attract in the present, and how receptive we are to either making the most of it, or limiting its potentials by resisting opportunities that come our way.

From a metaphysical viewpoint, as the mounts begin to express the ideal characteristics for which they stand—for example, the objective perception of Luna, the unconditional love of Venus, the calmly active energy of Mars—they consequently begin to radiate at their specific light frequencies in the color spectrum. The result is pure radiant light.