DIV-401 Lessons

The students arrive for their lesson to a most peculiar sight.  Along the walls around the room are a number of posters and illustrations of hands.  Some hands were bigger than other hands. Some hands were lighter than other hands. Lines, marks, and notations accompanied each diagram and Professor Cattercorn could be seen standing in the center of the room, one hand clasped in the others, as she waited for everyone to settle in.

Introduction
Hello and welcome back class! I hope that you had fun delving into the major lines of the palm last lesson. Today, we will continue our study of the palm and introduce a new concept called “the mounts,” as well as several other aspects of palm reading that I was unable to cram into one lesson. If you are unsure of what “the mounts” are in the palm, they are the raised portions, hills, or well… mounds that are on your palm. If you turn your hand over and take a quick glance, I am sure that you will see what I am referring to. Firstly, though, let us get into a few more lines of the palm before I turn our discussion over to these various squiggles.

As you all know, there are three major lines, the heart, head, and life lines which we discussed last week, along with two lesser lines: the health and fate lines. However, these are not the only ones!

More Lines!
Though the three main lines are the ones that practitioners often gravitate towards first when doing an initial or quick reading of the past, present, or future of an individual, they are not the only ones on the hand that can be interpreted. There are many others! I’d like to introduce you to four more lines.

Relationship Line
While not the easiest line to interpret, it is certainly worth looking at on an individual's palm. This line, by itself, could take an entire lesson to explain. In consideration of time, I will provide a summary of this line and its interpretations for you.  Pictured to the right is the location of the line.

This line has many factors to consider when reading. First, it may not even be a single line. There can be, and often are, multiple, though three is usually the max. The orientation of the line can be straight or slanted and it can branch out and cross other lines. As with all lines on the hand, its deepness can vary. 

It is important to realize that just because someone has a relationship line does not necessarily guarantee that the person will ever be married. Nor does it signify how many marriages they will have. The relationship line is simply a line that represents the number or quality of relationships.

A longer and more defined line can be indicative of a person's willingness or capability of making long-term partnerships. The opposite can be said for shorter lines, as a shorter line can indicate a person who may have been in and out of relationships their whole life. If the line has a fork at the end, this can indicate a divorce or general end of a relationship. The picture to the left shows an example of a hand with multiple lines.

Ahem, pardon me. I did go into a bit of detail there, didn’t I? My sincerest apologies, I will attempt to quickly go through the last of the specific lines we will look at today: the intuition line, the simian line, and the girdle of Venus.

Intuition Line
Oftentimes those who possess the second sight will have this line. It is, of course, indicative of those who have the gift of sight. That is to say, they can see with gifts that they were born with, without being taught. It’s important to note that just because you don’t possess this line does not mean that you are not a seer and can’t develop these abilities. These individuals typically avoid large crowds of people as their psychic abilities may trigger too many emotions all at once. If the line is broken it indicates someone who is very energetic and needs to be wary of their own health for fear of running themselves into the ground. Typically, the darker the line, the stronger the ability.

Simian Line
As an extremely rare line, the simian line is only possessed by those whose head and heart line join, making a straight line across the palm. This line indicates a person who is stubborn and views the world as black and white with no gray areas in between. It is also thought that this line can bring great success to those who possess it. 

Girdle of Venus
Once again, though an interesting line, the girdle of Venus is not a feature possessed by all. It denotes a person who has a nervous, shy, and jittery personality. Manic individuals often have this line, as the possessor can feel extreme highs and lows at any given time. If the line is broken, it can mean that the person may have problems controlling their anger or are overly sensitive. 

You Should’ve Put a Ring on It
Lines are not the only things that have an impact on an individual’s past, present or future! Indeed, three of the fingers on the hand also have their own “ring” at the bottom where the finger joins with the palm. 

The first of these is the ring of Solomon. As you can see from the diagram, this ring stretches across the bottom of the index finger. This line is the one that I like to call the “king’s ring” due to Solomon’s place in the bible and Christian mythology as a king of Israel. If someone possesses this particular line, it is indicative of that person’s ability to be a leader. Usually, you will find this line on people in high power who have the potential to be presidents, prime ministers, managers, CEOs, or other authoritative figures. They are usually very tolerant, patient,highly respected in their communities, and very intelligent. 

Next, we have a ring that spans the width of the middle finger, the ring of Saturn. Its presence is quite rare and not found on most individuals. Which is a good thing too, as this ring indicates a person who has a rather negative outlook on life. It can denote someone who doesn’t like to be in large crowds and mostly keeps to themselves. This person is often consumed by pessimism and is unable to live life to its fullest because of their fear for what bad things can happen to them. This is not present in a person who suffers from depression, however, as this chemical condition is significantly different from a generally pessimistic outlook.

Lastly, we have the ring of Apollo, which is the ring that encircles the ring finger. This line can come and go depending on your creative mind. It is thought that the ring of Apollo only appears if one is experiencing a current lull in their creativity. It  can also diminish or grow in clarity, with time, if one focuses more on their hobbies and gets those creative juices flowing.

Before moving on, it is important to note that not everyone possesses all or any of these lines. Some may only have one noticeable line under one finger while others may have all three.

Hills and Valleys
Let us move on to our third portion of the lesson today on the topic of “mounts.” A mount is just a raised portion of the palm,
each of which is named after a celestial body. The chart to the side will show you the exact locations of each of the mounts. Please do not panic as they are not as difficult as they look and I promise you I will simplify the explanation as much as I can.

Mount of Mercury
First off, we have the mount of Mercury. This is the mount of success. It can denote all of the following traits: shrewdness, sharpness, the ability to adapt easily, financial success, and a good mind for business. Should this mount be nearly flat, this typically indicates a very reserved person who may be quiet and shy. Unfortunately, it also indicates that the person will not likely have huge financial success in life. A well-defined mount in this area indicates someone who possesses good business skills, very good social skills, and is a very intuitive individual. If this mount is over inflated, the person may have a very greedy disposition and be overly concerned with material wealth.

Mount of Apollo
Also called the mount of the Sun, this particular mount plays to the ego. It is all about self-assuredness, tolerance, and stateliness. If it is nearly flat, this person struggles to make decisions or adapt to change. The possessor of this type of mount is often dull and uncreative. A well-defined mount shows a very outgoing person, who is able to make drastic changes in their life successfully. Lastly, an overly large mount here speaks to a temper, a person who doesn’t handle things well if they don’t get their own way, and oftentimes are very envious of others.

Mount of Saturn
This mount is an indicator of a person's patience, modesty, and responsibility. A flat mount can represent an unorganized person who is superficial or someone who doesn’t  evaluate themselves. A well-defined mount reveals a well-rounded person who believes that events occur as they should in life. They tend to be friendly and don’t rely on others a whole lot. On the other end of the spectrum we have an over-large mount, which is the mount of an isolationist; this kind of person prefers to do everything for themselves, at the risk of alienating all others. A person with a mount like this is often very stubborn and likes things their way. They are very distrusting of others and this inability to have faith in others often leads to depression .

Mount of Jupiter
This mount is all about power and ambition. It can also refer to how you are perceived by others and how you perceive others. A person with a nearly flat mount has a lack of ambition and self confidence, while a well-defined one indicates a person who is helpful to others and not wrapped up in themselves. However, an overly inflated one depicts a person who often wants to dominate others and is very egotistical with a lack of compassion for anyone else.

Mount of Moon
This mount represents a person's intuitive nature and creativity. A nearly flat one is the mount of an introvert or loner. A person who has this may have great creativity but prefer to keep to themselves rather than put their creativity on display. Someone with a well-defined mount has a lot of compassion for others, is very intuitive and oftentimes empathetic. They can feel what others may be feeling, helping those in need with their intuitiveness, and have great creative prowess. And on the other end of the spectrum we find the overly large mount, which represents a person who is often drawn into their own fantasies, escaping to a fantasy world as a way to cloud their sense of reality.

Mount of Venus
Last but not least, we have the mount of Venus. As you may have guessed, the mount of Venus is representative of a person's love life, physical appearance, passion, romance, and even the lovers he or she may choose. Those with a flat mount of Venus may suffer from hardships in life, often find themselves in trouble, suffer from illnesses, and may not be very connected to their family. Usually a well-defined mount means the person is influential, well respected, most likely attractive, and enjoys the finer things in life. Someone who is over-indulgent or often promiscuous is most frequently found in a person who has an over inflated mount of Venus.

A final note before we move on from mounts or mounds and end the lesson. In the last few sections, we have discussed differences in meanings when the mount is undefined, normal or over defined (or over inflated). For a brief moment, I would like to explain what those terms mean when you look at a hand. Firstly, spread your palm out as flat as possible. It may also be helpful to keep your fingers closed and close together. You will then be able to very easily identify each individual mount. If you can see no noticeable difference from the rest of the palm when compared to these mount areas, this mount can be considered “flat”. Should there be a mild bump there -- just a small rise to differentiate it from the rest of the palm -- this is a “well-defined” mount. Lastly, if the area is particularly wide, large or protruding (or sometimes a combination), this is classified as an over inflated mount. With practice, it will become easier to see at a glance.

The End of the Line
Finally, I have here a diagram that was given to me by the previous and Alchemy professor and Headmaster, August Rubedo. It now hangs in my office and I would like to share it with all of you. You may wish to study it in your free time immediately before and after class. That’s it for today, ladies and gents! I hope that you had fun learning about some of the other lines of the palm and the mounds. I know it was a longer lesson, but palmistry could not and should not be done in one go. I have assigned a short quiz for you to finish before next class. Enjoy, and until next time, fair fortune!

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