Divinity Atlas
Palmistry and the Planetary Mounts
Palmistry reads character and fortune from the hand: the major lines of heart, head and life, the mounts named for the planets, and the shape of the fingers and palm. This report item works from those planetary mounts and their dignities, giving each line and mount the meaning the chiromantic tradition attaches to it.
History
Reading character and fate from the hand is documented across several independent ancient traditions, with references appearing in Indian, Chinese and Greek sources; Aristotle is among the classical authors noted for taking the practice seriously enough to remark on it. The specific modern Western system this report item works from, naming the mounts of the palm for the seven classical planets and giving each major line a settled reading, took its present recognizable form substantially through the work of two nineteenth century French writers generally credited together, Casimir Stanislas D'Arpentigny and Adolphe Desbarrolles, whose written systems shaped the chiromancy still practiced and taught in the West today.
The Major Lines
Heart Line, Head Line and Life Line are the three principal lines every palmistry reading centers on; Fate Line, Sun Line, Mercury Line, Girdle of Venus and Marriage Line are further lines the tradition reads when present.
How A Reading Is Constructed
A reading works from the planetary mounts, the raised areas of the palm each named for one of the seven classical planets, and their dignity, whether a mount reads as full, flat or overdeveloped, giving each major line the meaning the D'Arpentigny and Desbarrolles era chiromantic tradition attaches to it.