Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission
The ethos of palm reading is that the secrets of our personality are right in front of us, at literal arm’s length. A similar ethos governs astrology (but less literally, unless, of course, your hand is on your phone, ready to open your Co-Star app). And while you might think that conceptual guiding premise is the extent of what these two disciplines have in common, get ready to be surprised. Palm reading in astrology is definitely a thing (you might even think of it as “hand astrology” or “handoscopes”). It’s reflected primarily through the language of astrological elements, with fire hands, air hands, water hands, and Earth hands.
As a refresher about the astrological elements or the triplicities, they determine someone’s basic temperament. The fire signs are Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius, and they’re adventurous and action-oriented. Air signs are Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius, and they’re highly intellectual with a brain that works a mile a minute. Water signs are Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces, and they’re intuitive and even psychic. And Earth signs are Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, and are, unsurprisingly, grounded.
“Our hands represent one of the four elements, just like astrology, Earth, air, fire, water,” says palm reader Helene Saucedo, author of Handful of Stars: A Palmistry Guidebook and Hand-Printing Kit. “And the way that you tell the elements of a hand is by the proportion of the palm to the fingers.”
“Our hands represent one of the four elements, just like astrology, Earth, air, fire, water. And the way that you tell the elements of a hand is by the proportion of the palm to the fingers.” —palm reader Helene Saucedo
According to Saucedo, a water hand has a rectangular palm and long fingers, fire hands have a rectangular palm with very short fingers, air has long fingers with more of a square palm, and Earth features a square palm with relatively proportional fingers. Now, I understand that not everyone’s like me and can simply look down to see clear and obvious Earth energy in their curiously compact baby -size paws. So if you’re feeling confused about how each part sizes up, there’s a little trick.
“A cheat way to tell the proportion of your fingers is to use your palm is to measure your middle finger with one hand and then pull that down to your palm and see if the palm is longer or shorter,” says Saucedo.
Once you’ve figured that out, the general energy should read as follows:
Fire hands: Warm, anxious, restless, and constantly in movement
Water hands: Emotional, empathetic, and intuitive
Air hands: Intellectual, adaptable, and curious
Earth hands: Practical, grounded, and realistic
Typically the element of your hands correlate with the element of your sun sign, which of course is your dominant personality, astrologically speaking. However, Saucedo tends to find that sometimes it’s your moon sign that might be be showcased in your hands. That’s why if you’re a Sagittarius sun with a Gemini moon, you might have air hands instead of fire hands.
Another way palm reading in astrology can work is by reading the lines in the hands that separate each finger. These lines also have a corresponding energy tied to each element:
Fire lines: Multiple dark, active lines. These are really flashy, and emblematic of movement.
Water lines: Many lines, but very light. Having more lines reflects the “kinds of sensitivities” or strength of empathy you might have, says Saucedo.
Air lines: Fewer lines than fire and water, and with medium lightness. Air doesn’t have a flair for the drama like fire and water.
Earth lines: Three lines, dark, precisely where the fingers are segmented. This makes sense, given how straightforward Earth signs are.
The way your finger lines may use palm reading in astrology is that they may represent other elements that pop up in your chart, bringing in your moon sign or a dominance of other elements. For instance, though I have Earth hands, I seem to have air lines that showcase the predominance of air signs elsewhere in my chart. Or, your lines could be reflective of your life’s purpose.
“North node is also very important when you’re looking at astrology, because that’s your life lesson and what you’re growing into over your lifetime,” says Saucedo. “My north node is Leo and I have very, very fiery lines in my hand. So that’s another way that you can see someone’s chart potentially reflected on their hand.”
You get the idea. Ultimately, palmistry is another canvas where we can see our characteristics, and marrying together palm reading in astrology gives us the extra depth of what elements make up our everyday life.
Get handy with your morning beverage and learn tasseography: we break down how to read tea leaves and how to read Greek coffee grounds.
Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter
Get all the latest in wellness, trends, food, fitness, beauty, and more delivered right to your inbox.
Got it, you've been added to our email list.
