DIV-401 Lessons

Professor Cattercorn is waiting for the students inside the Divination lounge when they arrive.  It doesn't take long for the line to get backed up and for students further down the line to wonder what is taking so long.  As each student passes into the room, Professor Ornitier takes her wand hand and gives it a look over. After nodding to some and tsking to others, she high fives the student and lets them go to their seat.  It is with great strength and a strong chess playing face, that he is able to restrain from laughing. By the time each student was seated, the class was thoroughly confused and their expressions were quite plain.  ProfessorCattercorn walks along the tables, pausing to collect his thoughts before she begins.   

Introduction
Welcome back class! I hope that the assignment last week wasn’t too challenging. This week we get right into our subject of the year: divination of the body.

As discussed, palmistry -- also known as chiromancy or palm reading -- is the art of reading one’s character or past, present, or future through the lines in their palm. No two persons’ palms  are exactly the same, everyone is unique in their own way. Some people, you will find, possess deeper and darker lines, whilst some possess shallower, lighter lines. In today’s lesson we will go over each of the lines, what they mean, and how to tell someone's future through their palm.

Palmistry, a Brief History
No one is one hundred percent sure when or where the art of palmistry originated. What is certain is that many different cultures practiced palm reading and have their own variations. The cultures that practiced chiromancy in ancient times include, but  are not limited to: Tibet, India, Persia, China, ancient Israel, ancient Sumeria, and Babylonia. To give just one example, thousands of years ago there lived a Hindu sage by the name of Valmiki. Legend has it that he wrote a book that was composed of 567 stanzas of teachings on exactly how to go about reading the palms of others and divining their future therein. Was this the first literary evidence of the practice? Some argue that it had to have been written down and taught beforehand, but no one knows for sure.

During the Middle Ages, like most things with our community, palmistry was demonized by the Catholic Church. Those who practiced it were burnt at the stake, drowned, or subjected to other forms of medieval execution. In modern times, palmistry has made a comeback in an increasing number of cultures. It is interesting to note that even Muggles are known to practice the art from time to time. Of course, you get a more accurate reading from an actual witch or wizard. That is, as long as they have the second sight.

Now, I know what you must be thinking. If Muggles can do this, why are we learning it? What makes it so magical? The answer is simple. It is still a form of divination, with or without Muggle involvement. It belongs to our community, particularly those who wish to become successful seers. Whether or not Muggles can do it properly or not is irrelevant.

While we could go into more detail, I will leave the more extensive history aside, as this course is meant to be a little more hands-on. My horrible puns aside, let us take a look at how to read palms.

Major Players
There are three major lines in palmistry: head, heart, and life. There are other important lines, such as the fate line, but in many cases not everyone has these extra lines and therefore they are not as crucial to beginners.  Below, you will see charts and corresponding explanations. As always, give your entire attention and put forth your best effort at memorizing the lines and their meanings.

Now, let’s take a look at the lines one-by-one, and the different characteristics they might have, starting with the head line. Refer to the diagram above if you cannot remember where the head line is and use your own hand to follow along as an example.

Head Line
This line indicates a person's intellect. In this line you can find details on an individual's “smarts” or when to expect them to become forgetful in old age. It can also give hints to a person's emotional state now and in the future. Pay close attention to any emotions that you may be feeling as you touch this line. You may be able to sense what they are going through emotionally and give a more accurate reading for an outcome.

Should a person’s head line be short and end near the center of their palm, this indicates they are a quick thinker, though this can also mean they make split-second judgFments. A long head line, particularly one that is quite straight, means that the owner dwells on problems and questions and can take a longer time to reach conclusions.  A long line (but curved rather than straight), particularly if the line is pointed towards the bottom of the hand,  indicates a creative person as well as a person who can come up with multiple solutions to a problem.For reference, a line is considered “long” if it extends almost out to the little finger.  Lastly, should the line split in two, the owner is very empathetic; their thoughts and opinions can be swayed by what others have to say.

Heart Line
Next, we look at the heart line. It is said that this line in particular can be read for those who are concerned about their health and the effects of their actions on other people. The line represents not only the strength of your heart, but may also indicate what kind of a love life you may have. I will not be focusing on the latter, as I do not want to know any details of your love lives!

A long, straight line or one that ends roughly below the index finger, indicates a rational person, who analyzes the situation as well as others’ feelings. A short, straight line or one that ends between the middle and index fingers, indicates a person who needs freedom. Additionally, they tend to show their love and other emotions through actions rather than words. A long, curved line ending roughly at the middle finger indicates passion and desire as the forces that drive the owner of this kind of a heart line. They do not care who knows of their passions or what they think of them. A short curved line, or one that arches up, but still does not reach the middle finger (about a half and inch between base of finger and line) typically indicates an introvert. This reserved, quiet person prefers small groups to big social events. They open up to others in a one-on-one type setting. As before, there is also an importance to the line splitting in two parts. Should this happen, it shows that they often put their own feelings and emotions aside to help others with their problems. Lastly, should there ever be an “x” along this line, each “x” indicates a deep personal betrayal that you went through.

Life Line
Finally, we have the life line. A common misconception with the life line is that it is representative of the length of a person's life. This is incorrect and even were it not, why would you want to tell someone when they are going to pass away? Instead, I suggest attempting to divine the quality of the individual's life; whether it will be hard or easy, full of joy or sorrow, so on and so forth. An interesting thing to note on the line itself is those who suffer from constant stress will show narrow or broken life lines. This can also be indicative of chronic health issues which already have or may soon develop.

Should it be long and have a curve, this person is a rock upon whom people depend on heavily, particularly in trying times. On the other side of the coin, a short line reveals that when hard times come, this person copes by staying busy in order to feel more safe and secure. Overloading themselves with work gives them little time to stress. Should the line be faint, particularly if also short, this is a sign that the person needs to relax. Also, any breaks in the line each represent a traumatic and often stressful event that has occurred in that person’s life

Reading Character and Personality Traits Within the Lines
Before we get into reading the lines themselves, a few general notes are warranted. Firstly, when reading a person, whichever hand you are reading is important. A person’s dominant hand will give you insight into a person’s present and past, whereas the nondominant hand will outline their future.

In addition, lighter lines, wherever they may be, indicate an area of your life that needs work while deeper lines indicate a part of your life that is fully developed, or an area of your life in which you are very self-aware.

With that in mind, the process of reading a palm follows a few simple steps:

1. Take the individual's palm in your hand.
2. Clear your mind from all distractions around you; you may close your eyes if you wish.
3. Gently run your index finger up and down the specified line. Your goal here is to divine the fate of the individual, and this helps you find your Inner Eye that with which you must connect, one that can be encouraged and pointed out, but not be taught.
4. First, feel the line's depth, try not to rely on your sense of sight but more of touch and emotions of the line. This is the reason it is better to have your eyes closed so as to cut off the sense of sight that oftentimes overpowers the other senses.
5. Do you get any “feelings” when you touch the line, any images flashing up in your mind? This is your Inner Eye divining the individual's future for you.  Pay close attention to details and symbols in your Inner Eye and set them aside to decipher once you have completed the process of touching the lines.
6. Repeat this process for all lines. If it helps, write all the of impressions that you receive from the line in a notebook, carefully keeping them separated, for example:

Life Line:
“Feels long”
“Feels prosperous”
“Feels like a life of wealth”
“I saw a flash of red” (indication of a long life of love?)

Get In Line
Of course, these three lines are not the only ones that are useful for divination, though you may already be thinking this is quite a complex science. In the interest of giving you a thorough background while still not overloading you, I will only be showing you two more lines today. Refer to the second chart below, as it will show you the added lines we will be covering, as well as their position to the original three.

Health Line
One of these two additional lines is termed the health line. Interestingly enough, this line does not always describe your physical health. This line has two meanings, and it is up to the seer to see which is true for the person. It can indicate personal illness, especially if the lines are broken, as well as indicate bad health of a partner or spouse.  Reading this line can also point towards your material wealth and status within your life. Will you become president someday? Will you have millions?  The general rule of thumb for this line is that the more pronounced it is, the more wealth the person in question has coming their way.

However, we must always remember that a person's wealth is not indicative of their happiness… The richest person in the world could find himself the loneliest and most miserable. Please note that these are typical results and it is best to rely on your Inner Eye to give you full clarity of the situation.

Fate Line
Also known as the line of destiny, the line of fate is only seen in some individuals. This seems to denote a set of events in one's life that leads them to a destiny that must be fulfilled before the death of the individual. It gives the seer clues on how the individual has been affected in society and how that will affect their direct destiny. Deeply etched fate lines indicate that the person has a set destiny or purpose awaiting them, whereas a fainter one shows a greater level of freedom in choosing one’s path. A broken line can speak to unexpected circumstances that have altered that person’s destiny, whether it be in the past or coming in the future.

It is thought that those without the fate line simply have a more flexible fate. This means that perhaps they do not have only one cut and dry destiny, allowing them to choose among many different paths in life. On the other hand, the fate line and the fortune(s) revealed within can give one a sense of purpose in life. If one can divine his or her own destiny, perhaps he or she will work harder to achieve said destiny and fulfill their life goals before the end. Whichever the case, remember that we are all different, and whether or not you possess the fate line does not guarantee that you will lead a successful life.

Closing
With that, today’s lesson comes to a close. I sincerely hope that you print the pages or have copied notes in order to go back to them several times and practice all that I have taught you. Just remember, when it comes to palms (and in fact, with any form of divination) go with your intuition! Whatever you feel when you touch the lines is most accurate to your readings. For assignments, I have a palm for you to decipher, and a general quiz. Fair fortune!

Original lesson written by Professor Otto Umbridge
Image credits here, here, and here