Hand is the starting point for a palmist. Correct examination and thorough insight into the nature of the hand are the two essential requirements for palm reading. The palmist has to view the shape, length, width, colour, curvatures, structures of the mounts and various other features of the hand.

Attention should be paid first to the shape of the hand. Hands are mainly of seven types (when mixed types are not considered), which reveal the disposition, attributes and the worth of a person. To ensure good prediction, thorough understand¬ing of the types of hands is necessary, as identical lines on two different types of hands may have altogether different effects as the habits, likings, environment and mental inclinations.

A hand consists of 4 fingers, index, middle, ring and little, a thumb and a palm. Shape, length, thickness and structure of these subparts decide the type of the hand. Broad, heavy, thick, beautiful, soft, flabby and well-shaped hands make a person fortunate, whereas thin, black, clumsy and uneven hands add to the misfortune of a person.

Thumb

It has great influence in deciding the value of the hand. A long, thin, well-shaped and beautiful thumb increases the value of the hand, while a thick, short and club shaped thumb has the opposite effect. Thumb is surrounded by the life line at its base. The mounts of Mars and Venus lie in the area surrounded by the life line. The mount of Mars which is just below the index finger is called the positive or first Mars.

First Finger

First finger also known as index finger, is called the Jupiter fin¬ger. Raised portion of the palm attached to this finger is called the mount of Jupiter, which lies between the mount of Mars and index finger.

Second Finger

This is called the Saturn finger and the mount of Saturn extending up to the heart line is attached to this finger.

Third Finger

This is the Sun finger and the area between this finger and the heart line is called the mount of Sun. It is also called ring finger.

Fourth Finger

This is the Mercury or little finger and the mount of Mercury lies between this finger and the heart line. Just below this finger lies the mount of the negative Mars, bounded by the brain and heart lines. Area below the brain line and the Mercury finger is called the mount of Moon (Luna). This mount extends up to the mount of Venus and the sunken area in the Middle of the palm is surrounded by these mounts.

Some mounts are not developed but the corresponding nodes might be pointed. Pointed node is considered most favourable where as a blunt but large node gives ordinary results. Hence nodes should also be examined carefully as a developed mount and pointed node gives the best results corresponding to the mount. Area joining the base of the Saturn finger and the wrist is called the Area of Saturn. The mounts of Rahu, the dragon head (above the brain line) and Ketu, the dragon tail (below the brain line) are inclu-ded in the area of the Saturn. Area joining the positive and the negative Mars is called the Area of Mars and is bounded by the brain and heart lines but should the brain and heart lines be combined together, this area lies between the brain line and the mounts at the bases of the fingers.

The Life Line

This line surrounds the thumb, starts below the Jupiter finger and touches the wrist at the end.

The Brain Line

This line, which is adjacent to the life line, divides the palm in two portions by emerging either from the Jupiter, the positive Mars or the area in between and ending on the area consisting of the negative Mars and the mount of Luna.

The Heart Line

Starting point of the heart line is the area consisting of the mounts of Mercury and the negative Mars and the ending point is near the index finger. It is to be remembered that all the lines gradually grow thin as they move towards the end point, hence the starting point of the heart line is under the Mercury and not the mount of Jupiter as misconceived by some people.

The Fate Line

Any line pointing towards or reaching the mount of Saturn is called the fate line or the line of Saturn,

The sun line

Any line going on the mount of Sun is called the Sun line. It is not found on all the hands.

The Health Line

This is an off shoot from the life line and goes towards the Mer¬cury. It comes out of the life line almost at its end. If this line reaches the brain line, it is called the intuition line but the line reaching the heart line is called the health line. If this goes further and reaches the mount of Mercury it is called the busi-ness line.

The Mars Line

This line runs parallel to and is surrounded by the life line lying almost 3/4 of an inch away from it towards the thumb.

The Luna Line

This line starts from the life line and bows towards the Moon. In some cases this line surrounds the Moon like a bow and has no connection with any other line.

The Line of Ambition

This line comes out of the life line and goes on the Jupiter.

The Rahu Rekha (The line of Dragon)

These lines, beginning from the positive Mars or the Venus, cross the life line and sometimes go even beyond the brain line.

There are some other minor lines also on the palm. Comparative study of the left and right hands is necessary for finding out subject's progress relative to the status of the family. For this purpose following points should be properly understood. Whenever hardships are faced by the persons having the Square hands, their friends, relatives and neighbours also undergo sufferings of some kind or the other during that period. When these persons prosper all their kith and kin also flourish. Maximum distance between the tip of the index finger and the tip of the thumb represents Will Power whereas the distance between, the tip of the little finger and the wrist is called the Power of Action. Persons having more Will power, are highly successful and make great strides but opposite is true in the other case as persons with less Will power do small jobs, change many occupations and are truants.

THE SQUARE HAND

The Square hand is the best type of hand and belongs to distinguished, glorified and revered persons of the society and the nation. In a square shaped hand, the palm, fingers and thumb are all square shaped. The fingers are fleshy near the base and are devoid of inter¬stices, which is a distinguishing characteristic of this beautifully-sha¬ped hand. The crescents found in the nails are big and triangular shaped and there is less flesh near the nails. These people even are rectangular-shaped with a square face, particularly the forehead.