Palmistry is the art of reading the past life or possible future of a person by the lines, marks, shape of the hands and fingers, along with other indicators. Palmistry is a very old art which dates back to the StoneAge where pictures of the hands have been found on cave walls. Palmistry cannot tell you how long you are going to live, or what your future will be. It can tell you what your attitude about certain things are and what possible obstacles you will need to face in you life.

Palmistry should be used as a tool, to help you understand yourself and make the best decision for yourself. Beware of anyone who says they can tell you your future! This goes against our free will to change things. The future is not set in stone!

There are many books on palmistry and most agree with the basic meaning of the lines and shapes of the hands and fingers. Palmistry works on the principle that everything you think and feel shows up in your body. Since your hands are what you use to work with and experience most things with, the brain imprints these with your inner thoughts and ambitions.

Generally your left hand shows your past experiences and attitudes, while your right hand shows the present and possible future, along with the obstacles you will be confronted with during your lifetime. If you are left handed, then the reverse is true. Your left hand will show the present and possible future while your right hand will show the past.

Since there is a lot to palmistry, I will just highlight the major shapes, lines and markings which will enable you to make a general reading of yours or anyone else's hands.

The first thing to consider in reading palms is the shape of the hand. Try and imagine the hand without the fingers to determine the shape.

The most common shapes are: square, oblong and round.

Square--A square palm indicates a down to earth person. Someone who needs to see proof before believing in something. This person tends to be hard working and conventional.

Oblong--An oblong palm indicates an imaginative person who lives to dream and may have trouble getting started on anything. This person is sensitive and remembers everything.

Round--A round palm indicates a very social person who loves to give parties and enjoys being around other people.

The next thing to consider in doing a reading is the major lines in the palm. They are: Life, Heart and Head lines. There are many other lines to consider, but these will help you get started.

Life line--This line cannot tell you how long you will live, but is a good indication of your health and vitality and the obstacles you may have to face in your life. When looking at your life line there are many things to consider. You must consider the length, depth and the ending (is it forked, chained or smooth), are there other markings on it? For instance, dots, crosses, bars, circles etc? A smooth, deep life line indicates a healthy person with lots of energy. If there are no lines or markings over it, then this person will lead a pretty much happy life with no major obstacles to contend with.

However, there are many other things to consider when making this assumption. The fingers, counts (the raised areas on your palms) and color of the hand must also be considered. A life line that has bars across it indicates an obstacle in that person's life. To find out when this obstacle occurs, you must know where along the line these markings are. I have included a picture with the time markings on it for you.

Head line--A deep line indicates good concentration while a light line indicates someone who tires easily and needs more sleep than the average person. This is the line of the mental being. Many crosses or bars along this line could indicate mental problems. Some mental problems may be no more than a lack of concentration while others could indicate more serious problems.

Heart line--This is the emotional line. This shows how you express your emotions. A deep heart line indicates deeply felt emotions while a light line indicates lightly felt emotions that are felt and then quickly forgotten. Crosses on this line indicate blocks to your emotions. Bars or breaks indicate deep emotional experiences such as losing a loved one, whether by death or other type of separation. This line cannot tell you if you will marry or how many kids you will have, however.

Other things to consider about the lines are: how long they are, where do they begin and end and what are the other markings across or near them such as dots, crosses, bars etc. Generally speaking, any bar or cross which crosses a line indicates an obstacle.

Squares indicate protection, while a break in the line indicates a change in plans or a new direction. I have drawn a picture of a hand and indicated the major lines for you.

I think as you practice palmistry, you will come to find that this way of discovering your inner being along with life and its obstacles is very accurate!