Palmistry originated in India over 3,000 years ago. Palmistry is not fortune telling. Rather it was originally meant for personality assessment and counselling. Conscious awareness and subconscious fears, emotional or psychological blockages can be examined and understood in great detail through this in-depth system which analyses the hand and its associated markings.

You cannot make predictions with palmistry. But if you can get better insight into your habits and thinking, then you can begin to isolate negative behaviour and can replace it with a positive one. Palmistry can help you see these behaviour patterns. With this knowledge, you can shape own destiny.

The lines of the hand are not carved in stone. Since the lines of the hand are thought to reflect our thinking, as our attitudes and behaviour alters, the lines reflect these changes.

Both hands should be examined during a reading. The active hand (usually the hand you write with) together with the inactive hand, shows where you have been (passive) and where you are likely to go (active) in this life.

There are three main branches of Palmistry:

Chiromancy: A study of the lines within the palms. Up until the 19th century this was basically the only aspect of palmistry which existed and is the one most people associate with palmistry. The lines and creases in the palms are formed in the womb approximately six months prior to birth.

Chirognomy: A study of hand shape, finger shape, finger nails, texture, consistency etc. Used by many hand analysts to gain insight into aspects of the innermost workings of the personality.

Dermatoglyphics: A study of the skin ridge patterns and formations found on the fingertips and within the palms themselves, in other words... what we call fingerprints. The study of fingerprints was really started by Francis Galton who researched fingertip skin ridge patterns, eventually leading to the introduction of fingerprinting criminals.

After years of studying thousands of hands, palmists discovered that the lines are continually changing and rarely constant, with the exception of the fingerprints themselves, whose ridge formation remains unaltered throughout life (other than through physical trauma).

Palmists believe that the lines are a map of a person's life. Past, present and future. They believe that this life plan is there to be acknowledged and understood, and then for the individual to make a free will choice to either follow this plan or adopt different behaviour patterns thus meaning that future possibilities and trends will be altered with the result that the lines in the palms will change to reflect this.

Whether you choose to consider just one of the branches of palmistry (most people look at chiromancy) or all of them is entirely a matter for you to decide.