Our major lines—life line, head line, heart line, and fate line—are the riverbeds, the conduits of our energy out into the world. We want to see them stronger and deeper than all the other lines, or our efforts may feel swamped and overridden. If life, head, and heart lines are equally strong and deep, that indicates a comfortable balance between body, mind, and heart.
The Life Line
Our energy meter
Most people rush to the life line first to see how long they will live. Too bad it doesn’t tell us that. Many variables outside of the control of our life and habits contribute to our longevity or our quick demise. But the life line does tell us about the nature of our energy, and offers suggestions to balance and therefore sustain and increase our vitality. It also maps times of stress and times of success, loneliness, and support.
The arc of the life line defines the root of the thumb, which is the mount of the Sun, the reservoir of our vitality. The larger the arc, the stronger that person’s natural physical reserves—the tanks are full, and the owner has a deep well of energy, stamina, and enthusiasm to share with the world.
The depth of the life line describes the quality of our physical vitality, the conduit of our energy out into the world. A deep life line indicates that the owner has a powerful ability to express her energy, and every opportunity to live a long and successful life. She may be impatient with lesser mortals who tire more easily, and be inclined to pour all that energy into her temperament or temper. To balance: Some of this vitality can be worked out physically, and it would be a good idea to cultivate patience, as well as empathy with those gifted with subtler energy.
A short life line suggests that there’s not much energy for the life scheduled so far. This does not necessarily mean a short life, but a life with problems to overcome…
The Head Line
Our mind’s altimeter
The head line describes the nature and direction of our thinking process. It begins where the story of our psyche begins, connected to our childhood at the root of our life line, and is found between thumb and forefinger. The length of the head line does not show how intelligent we are but the breadth of our interests. Its arc and depth describe the power and attitude of the mind.
A deep, strong, clear head line shows a very strong-minded person who can stay on track no matter the obstacles, concentrate for long periods, and see a project through to completion. Often, a head line deepens and strengthens as time goes by and the person develops her individuality and finds a sense of purpose.
A straight and level head line shows a level headed person, who is keen on common sense and logical evidence, and less interested in theory or exploring alternatives. This person will be interested in science, a structured and practical profession, or one that follows a time-honoured tradition.
The shorter the head line, the more focused and narrow the interest. The longer the head line, the broader the person’s interests.
The Heart Line
Emotional capacity and stories that build the heart
Our emotional lives are complex, and not defined by one line. We can’t look at a hand and tell from the lines if its owner will be happily married to a black-haired stranger by the age of 36. But reading the hand can help you to know what to do with your one wild and precious heart, and maximize the potential for comfortable and easy relationships.
To get a picture of a person’s complicated emotional life through a combination of components in the hand, concentrate first on the overall texture of the hand as a clue to sensuality, comfort, and willingness to make an effort. Then check out the heart line for emotional history and capacity. Fine-tune this impression by looking for a girdle of Venus for emotional excitability, and lines of affection on the side of the hand for interest in forming long-term bonds (see the next section on minor lines for more information on the girdle of Venus and lines of affection).
The heart line starts underneath the little finger, on the intimate side of the hand, arcs across the hand, and usually ends somewhere between the mount of Saturn and the mount of Jupiter or dives back into the life line. It describes how comfortable we are meeting new people and making new friends, our sensitivities, our romantic history, and what stirs our heart. The heart line maps how we relate to people, life experience, and our soul’s passions, and so describes how we extend ourselves in relationships as well as in business and finance.
The Fate Line
Energy, ambition, focus
The fate line runs from the wrist toward the fingers, but not everybody has one. Let’s define fate. We are not talking about our wyrd—a concept of irresistible, inevitable, personal destiny. Instead, the fate line describes how much energy we put into working our fate, how much ambition, willfulness, determination, and focus we bring to improving our lot in life.
A person can strive to improve by studying, and working hard, but still not be successful as far as the world is concerned. He will have a strong fate line. Another person can be very successful in the family business just by putting in the expected good day’s work but not be ambitious for more. He will have no particular fate line.
A person can strive to improve by studying, and working hard, but still not be successful as far as the world is concerned. He will have a strong fate line. Another person can be very successful in the family business just by putting in the expected good day’s work but not be ambitious for more. He will have no particular fate line.
The person described as a self-made millionaire, politician, or somebody who finds his way in the world, beating new paths, will always have a strong fate line, because he has made the effort to push forward.
To find out more about the four major lines, and carry on exploring palmistry, check out Be Your Own Palm Reader by Heather Roan Robbins. To get more great blog posts like this one - direct to your inbox – be sure to sign up to our mailing list here.