Blasting Common Palmistry Myths & Misconceptions

Palmistry is a largely misunderstood art; it is an observation of the predictable lines and patterns on the hand that display characteristics of a person’s personality.

The Renaissance era imbued many of the topics related to the healing arts as heretical and established a culture of fear around any topics linked to psychic phenomena to promote the concept of a sole deity that held supreme power over lesser subjects, humans with a need for redemption. This mechanism of washing or erasing the actual truth from the culture created massive misconceptions about its purpose and the process by which someone reads a palm. Instead of being a help, someone who could read palms was deemed ‘evil’ or a threat to the power structure of the time.

Let’s debunk the most common myths about this simple and revealing practice so we can use it to be empowered instead of think of it as a bunch of bologna and miss out on potential insights into ourselves. Knowledge is power.

Myth #1: Only Your Dominant Hand Should Be Read

In the practice of palmistry, also known as chiromancy, one of the first questions that can come up is which hand to read because you will quickly notice that there are differences in the lines on each hand. With the conflicting information online about which hand to read, this can make one feel frustrated and perhaps give up on furthering their study.

There are two main myths about which hand to use:

• The first is that women’s left palm should be read while men’s left hand should be read. This is largely based on the idea that feminine energy is on the left side of the body and masculine energy is on the right which is true but that doesn’t affect which palm needs to be read.
• The second misconception is that the hand you write with should be read, which is just not true. According to Astrohub, the consensus among professionals is that the right-hand correlates to the logic side of the brain and so that hand reveals thought patterns which makes it a good hand to read.

Myth #2: Your Future is Predetermined

While some people think of palmistry as a way to predict the future, and this is where some of the biggest misconceptions arrive.

The hands reveal the tendencies of a person’s personality, not their predetermined fate. There is always a projection of the future that can be inferred based on patterns of behavior but if someone makes a prediction, it is still just an educated guess and there is always the opportunity to change behaviors to shift the projected outcome. A truly empowering palmist will help you avoid patterns that aren’t helping you and find your strengths so that you can improve the outcomes of your own future.

Myth #3: A Palmist Can Tell When & How You Die

Many people are afraid of palmistry because they think it reveals how or when they will die. But that information is just not something that palmistry can reveal. The life line is not about the length of your life, but about your energy.

• If you have a deep groove, it can mean you’re very passionate and have strong emotions while a very faint groove can mean that you are lethargic or more reserved in an emotional sense.
• A short line can mean you tend to start and stop things instead of sticking with them.

The placement of the line is also significant and helps reveal the way you interact with others but none of it says when you will kick the bucket folks so don’t fall into the trap of believing someone who says it does. When you really understand the

, it can reveal a lot about what roles you can excel in and which are just not naturally suited to your energy.

Myth #4: Palmists Have a Supernatural Gift

Have you ever felt in awe of someone who has a spiritual gift? What you don’t see are the hours and hours of studying and practicing which they have done.

Both clairvoyance and palmistry are skills you can learn and develop just as much as learning how to fix the plumbing in a house. While some pick it up easier than others, there is no magical gift to palmistry. It is based on observations of lines and the people that shared common traits based on common lines.

This is a well-documented and observed study that is much more scientific than magical. People who have an eye for details will do well in this practice because it requires a lot of patience to learn the many types of lines, line breaks, mounts, hand shapes, finger shapes, and other indicators of human behavior that have been linked to certain brain patterns.

Myth #5: Hand Lines Don’t Change

This is a point of contention for those new to palmistry as well. How can it be accurate if the lines change?

This comes back to the original purpose of palmistry, which is still grossly misunderstood. This is not an art of predicting future events, but a way of seeing patterns of behavior that can change over time. The lines change in response to the brain changing.

Someone who was high strung, for instance, may learn how to be a calm person over time and the lines in their hands may shift. However, the lines are still helpful in knowing the type of energy you’re working with and being able to use it or redirect it.

Myth #6: Hand Lines are the Only Thing a Palmist Reads

One more common misconception is that palmistry is only about the hand’s lines. The hands are observed in many ways actually. A true palmist will look at the shape, length, and thickness of the hand and fingers as well as other more subtle things such as the distances between fingers and the size of the mounts.

Palmistry is not something that can be learned overnight and people who think they have figured out palmistry based on limited information are no different than someone who throws out the idea of astrology based on one horoscope they read. In short, palmistry is much more in-depth than most people think. But it is human nature to make assumptions based on limited information which is a survival instinct.

Read this next: Palmistry: Hand & Finger Shapes

Closing Thoughts…

No doubt, palmistry is literally changing before our eyes.

Have you tried some of the palmistry apps out there right now? They are becoming more popular as scanning technology has advanced so much in the last few years. Much can be understood about the misconceptions of palmistry by studying history. Originating in India, it was tried by famous people when it first arrived in London. Oscar Wilde, Thomas Edison, and the Prince of Whales were among the rich and famous who sought the wisdom held with the palm. It is still a part of celebrity culture today and books on the topic are widely published and sold in metaphysical shops and online.

A fun way to see the accuracy of palmistry is to compare it with other systems that have been able to accurately reveal personality and talents such as numerology. The numbers don’t lie and they reveal accurate truths about our core personality just as the lines on our hands. Try learning about the important lines in palmistry and compare the results in numerology by using our free Life Path Number Calculator.

Related Article: Deeper Into Palmistry: All About The Mounts