For those with only a superficial understanding of palmistry, the term “life line” can evoke misconceptions, leading to absurd conclusions. Some individuals, upon observing a lengthy life line on someone’s palm, might hastily proclaim, “Your longevity is assured!” Conversely, if they encounter a short life line, they might lament, “Oh dear, your life line is dreadfully short; your days must be numbered!” Such irresponsible and flippant assessments of one’s lifespan constitute a grave transgression. In the realm of ethics, even when a physician diagnoses a patient with an incurable ailment, foretelling a shortened lifespan, they refrain from callously declaring, “Your illness is terminal; you have but three months left to live!” Such conduct not only violates medical ethics but also serves no benefit to the patient. Yet, regrettably, there exist individuals with a cursory grasp of palmistry who engage in similar behavior, recklessly pontificating on the brevity of others’ lives!
The International Palmistry Association, in its research findings of 1979, posited that the life line on one’s palm symbolizes five distinct aspects:
1. The life line reflects an individual’s vitality and the tempo of their character.
2. It signifies whether one may encounter unforeseen events, major illnesses, or grave dangers. 3. The lifeline delineates the inclination towards surgical interventions and the timing thereof.
4. The lifeline mirrors the lifelong state of health for an individual.
5. Should an individual lack a distinct lifeline, the fate line assumes its role.
As for determining longevity, it is imperative to consider the Venus mount at the inner terminus of the lifeline, along with the health line projecting diagonally from its base. Contemporary Japanese palmist Yukiyuki Yamada contends, “If longevity could be discerned at a glance, life would lose its significance. How could one lead a contented life or plan for the future if aware of a short lifespan? Frankly, many with short lifelines enjoy ripe old age!”
Now, let us explore two perspectives concerning the lifeline.
The first delineates symbols indicative of peril or illness along the lifeline. Originating from the thumb-index finger junction, regarded as age one, each centimeter represents seven years. Thus, the first centimeter spans ages one to seven, the second centimeter ages seven to fourteen, and so forth, culminating near the wrist line at age ninety-nine. Should interruptions, breaks, triangles, or chaotic divergent lines manifest at a specific age, they portend significant risks or ailments during that period.
The second perspective concerns symbols denoting danger or illness along the lifeline. If a good sign appears over a bad sign, it indicates that the individual will pass through great danger or serious illness unharmed. The notion of interpreting the length of one’s lifeline as a metaphor for the length of one’s life was debunked as early as 1952.
In mid-July 1952, the International Novice Palmist Conference convened its inaugural assembly in Canberra, Australia, inviting 1,104 settlers from various nations residing in Australia to participate in an experiment. Regarding the correlation between the length of the lifeline and the length of life, the following experimental findings emerged:
1. Individuals with very short lifelines, less than an inch long: Among them, 257 individuals reached the age of 65, 182 individuals reached 75, and 87 individuals reached 85 or older.
2. Lifelines with a central break or multiple fragmented sections: 146 individuals experienced a major illness or accident, nearly leading to death; 42 individuals exhibited multiple breaks and fractures in their lifelines, signifying numerous major illnesses or accidents. Interestingly, despite these conditions, they did not encounter accidents or major illnesses (which will be discussed later).
3. Lifelines featuring a continuous chain of islands, forming a small chain: 317 individuals indicated long-standing poor health (for at least 10 years) and were prone to accidents. Among them, 144 individuals experienced minor ailments but no accidents, while 173 individuals were susceptible to accidents despite relatively good health. From the aforementioned experimental findings, we can reasonably affirm that the length of the lifeline does not necessarily correlate with the length of one’s lifespan. In other words, individuals with a long lifeline may not necessarily enjoy a lengthy life, and those with a short lifeline may not necessarily face a brief existence. Therefore, individuals with relatively brief lifelines should not harbor undue anxiety about their lifespan. Moreover, it is crucial not to heed the irresponsible utterances of certain fortune-tellers, who may frighten individuals half to death with baseless claims. Handreading, or chiromancy, is a discipline grounded in observation, experimentation, and statistics, rather than an immutable impartation from celestial beings.
The term “observation” refers to a cognitive activity undertaken by those who possess knowledge in palmistry. It encompasses the following five elements:
A. The object of observation, namely the palm shapes, mounts, phalanges, palm lines, and palm colors of individuals.
B. The subject of observation, namely the observer who has acquired knowledge in palmistry. Why do I not include fortune-tellers who make a living by reading palms? The reason is that these fortune-tellers read palms for monetary gain, not for the purpose of studying palmistry.
C. The environmental conditions for observation. Those studying palmistry must have a well-lit, well-ventilated, and serene environment to simultaneously conduct research and document their findings.
D. The tools of observation, i.e., the senses and instruments. Palmistry primarily relies on visual and tactile senses, with minimal dependence on instruments. Even when applied to instrumentation, one merely requires a sophisticated magnifying glass, inks and chemicals for imprinting palm prints and fingerprints, an angular measuring device for determining age, a petite calculator, and a camera designed for capturing palm images. That would suffice!
Moreover, in terms of knowledge, it holds significant weight. A practitioner of chiromancy not only necessitates profound palmistry knowledge but must also possess insights into physiology, psychology, sociology, cultural anthropology, and particularly, personality psychology. Without such a multifaceted understanding, even among close family members—parents and children, siblings—the variations are vast. Hence, meticulous observation is imperative, enabling one to discern similarities within the apparent differences and vice versa.
If you harbor an inclination to scrutinize palmistry, consider employing this methodology for observation. With diligence, substantial revelations are certain to unfold.
