1 - Palmistry & health consultation

Since the early history of medical science the condition of the fingernails has been used as 'a window to our health'. Skin characteristics (colour, structure & tone) are known for serving the same purpose. Even the fingerprints, dermatoglyphics & palmar lines can sometimes be used for that purpose. In more rare cases finger length can be used for this aim - in the 21th century the issue of the '2D:4D finger ratio' has become an issue that has surged the interest of academic researchers & scientists.

In certain specific examples hand analysis (palmistry) can be used as a reliable diagnostic tool for establishing a medical diagnosis. The significance of the hand in Down syndrome (e.g. simian crease) is the most well-known example. But one better should not expect anything from a free palmistry reading.

Typical elements in a palmistry map included in hand readings are the classic lines of palmistry: the life line (line of life), the head line, and the heart line. Palm reading maps / charts are also frequently featured with other palmistry lines such as: the saturn line (fate line), sun line (apollo line), mercurius line (heatlh line), mars line, girdle of venus, ring of saturnus, marriage line (relationship lines), ring of solomon, and people are often interested to hear about their children lines (sibling lines).

People interested in palm reading for beginners usually love to hear about: the meaning of the right hand and the left hand, and how to recognize a good palmistry book & where to find the best palm reading books.

2 - Palmistry & character interpretation

In the 20th century the aspect of 'character interpretation' became probably the most important application of palmistry in the Western countries (including the US). While in East countries (including India) the aspect of 'divination' continued to be the most common application uptill the start of the 21 century. In the palmistry literature e.g. hand shape, palmar mounts, finger length & hand lines are usually all associated with certain tendencies of human psychology & personality. How about a free palmistry reading?

An interesting branch of this aspect concerns Psychodiagnostic Chirology - a hand reading system designed by chirologist Arnold Holtzman (Israel) for applications in the fields of therapy & psychology.

Can one learn to read your own palm? Before you take action to learn how to read palms yourself with an palm reading guide, you should be aware of a few things. There is no direct connection between palmistry & astrology. But nevertheless in a palmistry chart the names of the palm reading mounts and fingers show associations with the astrological elements: thumbs => element ether; index fingers => element water, jupiter finger; middle fingers => element earth, saturn finger; ring fingers = element fire, sun finger (apollo); pinky fingers => elment air, mercurius finger.

Learn how to read your own palm! Next to the major lines, minor lines, and accessory lines - are the fingerprints & dermatoglyphics also often included in palm reading diagram.

3 - Palmistry & life purpose orientation

The roots of the aspect of 'life purpose identification' can be found in the spiritual aspects of the two classic Vedic palmistry systems from India: Hast Samudrika Shastra, and Sariraka Shastra. In those systems interpretations were usually based on signs & marks (usually formed by small hand lines). These elements are often seen in free palm reading online opportunities.

The work of Ghanshyam Singh Birla (born in India) - who was selected in 1970 by the Indian government from a pool of 500 applicants to come to Montreal (Canada) and practice palmistry - is a modern example of the Indian approach towards spirituality. A typical Western application of this aspect concern the work of Richard Unger (US), who developed a new approach for life purpose identification - based on the ten fingerprints.

The simian line concerns a rather exceptional palmistry line variation: simian lines are fusion lines of headline & heartline. Do you want to read your own palm?

People typically want to know about: future predictions about their love life, and they want to hear if they have marriage lines in palmistry (how many long lasting relationships?), children lines (how many kids?) and/or a luck line. But of course, there is no guarantee at all that any prediction of a palmist / palm reader will come true. So, for example: the length of your lifeline is not a reliable indicator for how long your life span will become!

Therefore many palmists & palm readers today do not like to focuss their readings on the future.

4 - Palmistry & divination

Up till the 19th century 'divination' had been the most influential aspect in the history of palmistry. And despite the other applications, many people associate palmistry merely with future predictions and reading fortunes.

This one-sided notorious image of palmistry in Western culture can be traced back to the early years of the 16th century. In those days gypsies from Egypt arrived in Europe where they used palmistry (and other techniques) for less divine purposes - resulting in the 1530 English statute of Henry VIII (cap.10), which described palmistry as “...and crafty means to deceive the people, bearing them in hand that they by Palmystire could tell men and women's fortunes, and so many times by craft and subtlety have deceived the people from their money...”.

But today the situation is quite different in the UK - where even palmists who focuss on divination activities can use an 'entertainment-only' disclaimer which follows: “The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations” (2008).

Some websites offer online palm reading free. But one should not associate any free palm reading on line with this field of expertise.

And finally, always try to check the credibility of a palm reader / palmist before putting your hands ahead. So you better avoid to pay for any on line palmistry reading. Never trust palm reading guides who ask you to pay for every single answer answer: this is likely one of the methods used by frauds. Asking just a few general questions about hands can work out as a good reality check: an easy method to discriminate an expert from a fraud!