Palmistry is the process of fore telling one’s future by the lines on the palm. It is an ancient art that interprets the general characteristics of one’s hands, through the study of the lines, their patterns and other formations, which appear on the palms and fingers.
Although the general nature of one’s hands does not change, the lines, patterns and formations often do. Palmistry reveals physical, emotional, and mental health conditions, behavior and modes of interaction with others
Palmistry or hand-reading does not tell the exact future as the signs and lines on our palms change as we change. This is in fact one of the best aspects of palmistry because it proves that you are the master of your destiny. As you change, your lines change and so does the future. This busts a major myth of hand-reading – that palmistry foretells a fixed destiny. The shapes of our fingers can also change over the years.
Look at your palms. Your palm is your personality although very few people realize that they are carrying around a full map of their character and potential. Besides being fascinating to study, palmistry can help in vocational guidance, health and psychological diagnosis, partnership compatibility, etc. By analyzing the astrological indications found in the hands and understanding the mythologies of the gods and planets associated with each, it is possible to understand yourself and others by making simple observations about thumb size, finger length, lines and skin color.
Understanding palmistry
In palmistry, the hand as a whole is divided into three different sections. The fingers represent the mind and the higher self. The middle of the palm represents day-to-day life and the conscious mind. The lower half of the hand represents primal instincts, health and basic drives of the subconscious. Palmistry is all about proportion, symmetry and distortions of what would be considered to be a perfectly formed hand. It is important to look at both hands during a reading.
One of the common questions people ask about palmistry is the difference between reading the right hand and the left hand. Palmists will mostly examine your most active hand – usually the one you write with. It is this hand that shows your current and future trends. The passive hand in palmistry tends to show your childhood, so the main difference is that the left hand shows what a person was born with, whereas, the right one shows what kind of a person he has become in the present time. The opposite is true for left handed people.
Size of the hand
The size of the hand can be important in helping to judge your character and personality.
Small hands
People with small hands have a strong desire to achieve, setting long-range goals in their life. They sometimes have an inflated ego and have trouble relaxing. They like to plan and often aim to manage more than they can execute. They have a lot of energy, and have the ability to command respect as they possess executive power.
Medium-sized hands
People with medium hands are well balanced and have a good sense of judgement. They have common sense and tend to be practical. If the fingers are as long as the palm, it indicates that the person is, or would be, a successful businessman. If the fingers are longer than the palm, then the person has the ability to grasp things quickly and make big plans; though he has a dislike for details. If the fingers are shorter than the size of the palm, it indicates a person who is not good in planning, but can ‘finish’ everything he is asked to do. He will not neglect even the minutest detail, denoting that he is slow but sure of completion of a project.
Large hands
People with large hands and small fingers are capable in many respects. They can have many goals, all at the same time. They are friendly and very sociable. People with large hands and long fingers are fond of details. They are irritable by temperament. Those with large and narrow hands are more imaginative and idealistic than practical. If their hands are long and thin, selfishness is denoted.
Broad hands
People with broad hands (square type) show common sense and broad mindedness, exhibit a lot of energy, and have a practical and business-like attitude.
Flexibility of the hand
The degree of flexibility in your hand indicates your emotional and mental health. In short, a flexible hand suggests a flexible mind; a stiff hand shows a stiff mind. Emotionally, people with flexible hands adjust well to their environment. Stiff hands indicate those who have a rigid outlook on life. A flexible hand that can bend backwards in a graceful arch indicates a mind that can respond quickly. These people can act, think and feel all at once.
A moderately flexible hand is the most common. People with this type of hand tend to be balanced and in control of themselves.
An extremely flexible hand indicates a person who is impressionable and easily led by others.
A firm type of hand indicates a strong type of person. These people are conservative with their money and feelings too.
Joints and knuckles
People with smooth knuckles are found to be very meticulous about their appearance and their surroundings.
If the skin covering the joints is very wrinkled, this indicates a smart, logical person who is very organized. This person looks ahead and does not do anything before having ascertained that the result will be positive.
If no wrinkles are visible, this indicates people who do not make decisions with their minds, but rather with their hearts. They are very flexible, good-natured, and friendly, but they give up easily.
Shape of the hand
The type and shape of hand is very important to understand palmistry. Several types of hands have been classified and are discussed below.
The elementary hand
Persons with an elementary hand display a lack of enthusiasm and imagination. They show a general indifference to life, and are concerned only with their daily mundane existence. They can get violent when provoked.
The square or useful hand
People with a square hand have a square palm, a square wrist, square at the base of the fingers, and the fingers and nails are also square. This hand is characterized by a large thumb.
People with square hands are very logical and practical. They are orderly, very punctual, and precise in manner. They are honest and reliable, and like to lead disciplined lives, but have little imagination. They respect law and order and authority and they love discipline. They are not quarrelsome, but are determined in opposition. They prefer reason to instinct, peace to war, and are methodical in work and habit.
Such people are mainly businessmen, executives, lawyers, doctors, scientists and engineers.
The Spatulate or the nervous active type hand
People with the fingers of their hand flattened like a spatula have a rather strange characteristic feature: a large thumb. It is extremely broad near the base and tapers towards the fingers, usually found to be irregular.
The most striking characteristic here is the singular independence of spirit. It is this spirit that makes most people with spatulate hands explorers and discoverers. This is probably why they love to depart from the known rules of engineering and machines to seek the unknown, and thus become famous for their inventions. They have a quest for knowledge, and a restless and excitable nature. They are energetic and dexterous, daring to take risks.
These people are highly individualistic, like to break precedents, and have an original way of looking at things.
People with this hand are mainly artisans, inventors, explorers, navigators, astronauts, and engineers.
The conical or artistic hand
People with a conical hand are impulsive and have strong instincts. They have an artistic, impulsive nature. They may be clever and quick in thought and ideas, yet they are so utterly short of patience and tire so easily, that they rarely carry out their intentions.
People with this hand are usually connoisseurs of the arts with superb communication skills, living life on a purely sensual level. They judge everything by impulse and instinct. They are also easily swayed by people with whom they come into contact and are influenced by their surroundings. They carry their likes and dislikes to extremes. They are usually short-tempered, but soon cool down. They are generous and sympathetic, but equally selfish where their own personal comfort is concerned.
People with this hand are mainly in the creative field, and could be painters, sculptors, musicians and poets.
The philosophical or intellectual hand
People with such hands are likely to be research students of a particular subject. They are philosophers and could be religious by nature. Their passion is to study mankind. They like to be distinct from others, and for this they will go through all kinds of privations. They love mystery in all things.
People with such hands are generally egotistical, which is in keeping with the life they lead. Joints in the hand that are developed are a characteristic of thoughtful people, while the smooth, pointed fingers are opposite to that. It is the combination of these almost opposite characteristics that brings about the distinct ideas that such men and women possess.
People with this hand mainly belong to the profession of teachers, thinkers and world leaders.
The psychic or idealistic hand
A person with a small and slender hand, characterized by smooth fingers is known to be psychic and idealistic. The palm is medium in size, and the nails are long and tapering, while the thumb is small and elegant.
This is a most beautiful but rare hand. People with this hand have a visionary and idealistic nature.
The fineness and beauty of this hand indicate little energy and strength in its owner, who struggles to hold his own in the battle of life. People with this hand normally remain very confused; characterized by a lack of discipline in their lives.
They are gentle in manner, quiet in temper, confiding, and being naïve and trusting, they automatically trust somebody who is kind to them. They are very religious by nature.
Such people mainly belong to the professions of magicians and clairvoyants.
The mixed hand
The mixed hand is most difficult to describe, for it is a combination of various hands. It is so called because the hand cannot possibly be classified into a single type.
The fingers also belong to different types – often one pointed, one square, one spatulate, one philosophical and so on. This is the hand of ideas, of versatility, and generally of changeability of purpose. A person with such a hand is adaptable to both people and circumstances, clever, but erratic in application of his talents.
What the fingers tell us
- People with long fingers care more about spiritual matters than material things. They take into account details, they are very neat, and are very interested in everything that is happening.
- People with fingers that are bent slightly inward (regardless of whether the fingers are long or short) think clearly and carefully, and look ahead.
- People with fingers that are bent slightly inward (regardless of whether the fingers are long or short) think clearly and carefully, and look ahead.
- People with fingers that are bent slightly outward have a friendly and warm personality and are very curious, but also diplomatic.
Hands and the elements
There are four basic hand types. These are closely connected with the four elements of the world: Earth, Fire, Water and Air. These are also linked with corresponding character traits.
Practical – Earth Signs: Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn.
This hand comprises a square palm with short fingers. Hard working, honest and down-to-earth.
Intuitive – Fire Signs: Leo, Aries and Sagittarius.
This hand has a long palm with short fingers. If you have a fire hand, you tend to be energetic and restless.
Sensitive – Water Signs: Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.
This palm is long with long fingers. Key words include imaginative, emotional and sensitive.
Intellectual – Air Signs: Gemini, Libra and Aquarius.
Air signs are clever, forward thinking and have square palms with very long fingers.
The air hand
The air hand has a square palm with long fingers. The lines on the palm tend to be thin and the prints are usually loops.
People with an air hand are good at making conversation and at writing. They have a cheerful and happy disposition. They often end up working in the communication industry.
They need constant intellectual stimulation and have a low boredom threshold. People with air hands are good communicators, popular and often work in the media industry.
The water hand
People with a water hand have a palm that is rectangular with long fingers. There are a large amount of fine lines on the palm.
The prints are also usually loops. Many people with this hand make good poets and musicians. They also do well in the fashion and beauty industry.
People with this hand focus more on emotions than reason or logic.
The earth hand
People with an earth hand have square palms with short fingers. Their palms have usually few lines and there are often arches on the fingertips.
People with this hand like stability and become stressed in times of change. They tend to be slow; and have a strong affinity for nature and greenery. They are emotionally stable and make the best workers. It is an interesting fact that people with earth hands are often successful artists and photographers.
Most people with trade jobs, such as carpenters, have earth hands. These people like stability and are prone to stress when situations change.
The fire hand
The fire hand has a long palm and short fingers. People with this hand tend to be energetic, outgoing, and extroverted.
They are excitable and emotional. They like to be at the helm of affairs and control other people.
People with this type of a hand have a large number of lines.
People with a fire hand tend to have a lot of injuries and accidents.
Luminary in many fields, Gopal Sharma, is a world renowned astrologer and Vaastu/Feng Shui expert. He is also an eminent consultant to a number of large industrial/business houses across the globe. His illustrious students and clientele include Hellmann Germany, Birlas, Thapars, Jindals, Suryas, Choice Group USA, Piramal Group, Marriott Hotel USA, Ansal Group of Companies, Patanjali Yogpeeth along with many leading banks. Moreover, he has to his credit 42 books including many bestsellers in Hindi, English and Greek.