Palm reading, also known as palmistry or chiromancy, is an ancient practice that has captivated people for centuries. It involves analyzing the physical features of the hands to interpret personality traits and predict future events.

Palm reading, also known as palmistry, involves looking at the shapes of your hands and the lines on them to possibly tell you about your life and personality. While there is no clear evidence that your palm lines affect your life, it can still be a fun hobby to practice. When you want to begin interpreting your palm lines, look for the major lines in the center of your palm. As you examine your palm, start checking if you have any secondary or minor lines to see how they may affect your life. As you learn more, you’ll be able to check anyone’s palms and share your reading!

Palm Line Meanings at a Glance

  • Your life long arcs from your wrist to the base of your thumb and reveals your life experiences and how they’ve affected you.
  • The headline is a horizontal line right above your life line that represents how impulsive or methodical you are.
  • The heart line runs horizontally across your palm and reveals how secure you feel in your relationships.
  • The fate line runs vertically across your palm and indicates how other people and events influence your life.

Interpreting the Main Lines

Step 1 Choose your dominant, or active, hand to read palms.

Choose your dominant, or active, hand to read palms. When you start your reading, check the hand you use most often since it’s considered your active hand. Your non-dominant hand is your passive hand, and it is usually not examined since the lines may not be as prominent during the reading. Hold your hand out in front of you with your palm is face-up so you can easily read the lines.

  • Compare your active and passive hands to see if there are any differences. The lines on your passive hand are your inherited traits while the lines on your active hand indicate how hard you’ve worked to develop yourself.

Step 2 Read the life line to determine your well-being and passion for life.

Read the life line to determine your well-being and passion for life. The life line is the long curved line that runs from your wrist up around the base of your thumb. The life line might reveal experiences you’ve had and how they affect your outlook on life. The length of the line shows how others influence your life while the depth of the line displays the ease you’ll have for life moving forward.

  • If you have a short or shallow life line, it may mean that you may get sick or feel weak often. Deep and long life lines could signify that you’re in good health and rarely get sick.
  • Check if your life line has any other lines branching upward or downward. Upward branches toward your fingers mean positive changes are coming, and downward branches reveal negative events.
  • The life line doesn’t dictate when you’ll die, so don’t get worried if it is short.

Step 3 Look at the head line to find your learning style and desire for knowledge.

Look at the head line to find your learning style and desire for knowledge. Locate the headline directly above your life line extending horizontally across your palm. Longer head lines may represent that you think through situations methodically while shorter lines mean you’re more impulsive. Check the depth of the line, since deeper lines can mean you have a great memory and shallow lines could show you struggle to focus.

  • If your head line has breaks in it, then it could mean you will encounter mental strife or that you’ve had many breakthroughs or epiphanies about your life.
  • Look to see if your head line is straight or wavy. Wavy lines may signify you approach problems creatively while straight lines mean you solve problems traditionally.
  • If your head line connects to your life line, it may mean that you are introverted and thoughtful. The more the headline connects to the life line, the more worried and indecisive you may be.

Step 4 Interpret the heart line to find out your emotional stability.

Interpret the heart line to find out your emotional stability. The heart line, also known as the love line, is located above the head line and runs horizontally across your palm. If the heart line starts underneath your index finger, it may mean you are content with your relationships. However, a heart line that starts under your middle finger may represent you may be restless in relationships. Deeper heart lines could show that your interpersonal relationships are significant to your life.

  • The length of the heart line might indicate the length of your relationships, where breaks or forks can represent multiple relationships.
    If your heart line is curved, it may indicate that you’re good at communicating to partners. Straight lines can mean you’re stable and approachable, but you may be shy or passive in relationships.

Tip: If your heart line and head line overlap or connect, then you have a Simian line. If you have a Simian line, then you may have a hard time separating your actions from your emotions.

Step 5 Check the fate line to see how your life may be influenced by external circumstances.

Check the fate line to see how your life may be influenced by external circumstances. Your fate line is a vertical line that you may have running down the center of your palm. The fate line can represent how other people or events out of your control will affect your life. If you have a deep fate line, you may have a strong ability to start a career or run a business. A shallow line means you work hard, but your career may change multiple times.

  • Itchy hands may signal that changes might occur in your life soon.