Palm reading is not for the faint of heart. It's an art, and, with a little information, you can discover for yourself how to interpret the major lines, mounts and special markings.

"When I read palms, it's what stands out to me, the energy from the lines," explained Judy Abbott, a Psychic living in London. "When I do a palm analysis, I focus more on absolutely everything: the coarseness of the skin, the size of the fi ngers, how they are placed on the hand."

"The left palm is your past experiences in your lifetime, and the right hand is where you are in your life right now and the future," she continued. "It also indicates future lives that I pick up. Things that won't happen in this lifetime, but you are preparing yourself for knowledge to come back and implement in a future life."

Let's start with the three major lines: the heart line, the head line and the life line.

The Heart Line
Heart lines often end between the index finger and middle finger, which usually means the person is extremely practical when it comes to relationships. They may keep some things to themselves and bottle up their emotions, but they usually make wonderful partners and kindred spirits.

Some heart lines may not end between the index finger and middle finger. If you have a line that reaches right up through the mount of Jupiter (the mount under the index finger) and touches the base of the index finger, it shows that you have high expectations and even higher standards.

The heart line may also end in a fork (or trident) just at the mount of Jupiter, which shows the person has a kind, sympathetic, understanding nature. If your partner has this, you are very lucky as he or she is a deeply loving person and the two of you are likely to have a happy life together.

Also, when all three lines on your palm are deep and if the heart line wraps itself around the mount of Mercury under the pinkie fi nger, it shows a person who lives life fully, with purpose, passion and determination. These people have fun and work hard but also take time to smell the roses.

Most of us have a heart line that is separate from our life line, but there are a few who have the Simian line, a straight line that runs across the palm and joins the life line. People with a Simian line are often described as intense and put forth an equal amount of passion and diligence into their work and life. Thom Yorke (lead singer of Radiohead), Gavin Rossdale (lead singer of Bush) and Robert DeNiro (Actor) are three celebrities who exhibit this rare line. Hillary Clinton is one of the few women who do.

"(Women with a Simian line) tend to have masculine qualities about them and defi nitely dominating female strengths," said Abbott. "They tend to be leaders and they are people who could be in positions of authority. People think of them as being hard-headed and not easily understood, but that's the way some people have to be, depending on what they do for a living,"

The Head Line
If you start from the base of the fi ngers and work your way down, the head line is the second horizontal line. It can be straight and level or curved steeply towards the wrist. The head line is read from the beginning of the thumb side to its end on the opposite side of the palm.

A straight head line denotes a practical, logical and materialistic person. These people tend to think in straight lines, have a good amount of common sense and be down to earth in the way they think. Depending on how academic they are, their interests could include business, fi nance, math, science and technology.

A curved head line denotes a creative mind. Careers that deal with languages, the media and working with people would suit this person. They would also enjoy any subjects that come under the heading of arts: anything creative or artistic in nature.

People whose head line slopes very steeply down towards the opposite bottom corner of their palms tend to be over-imaginative. They may need to take a firm control of their imagination before it runs away. A steeply sloping head line is excellent for those who do outstanding artistic work, like painting or fi ctional writing, but mood swings should be watched.

The Life Line
Many people believe your life line depicts how long you will live, but it doesn't. A short life line may suggest a turning point or a new beginning. On the other hand, a long life line does not guarantee a long life: what's important is the quality of the line, which refl ects the quality of the life that is led. Deep lines tell a story of a person who is fully engaged and wishes to live life fully.

A life line's arc can tell about the quality of a person's life. If it's formed into a good, wide arc, reaching towards the centre of the palm, it shows a healthy life and a wellbalanced attitude towards life. These people are strong, robust and sexually virile, with a happy-go-lucky spirit. A life line can be attached to the head line, which indicates an introverted person, whereas a gap between the head line and heart line shows an extroverted person.

"Even if you have a certain line or certain mark on your palm, it doesn't mean you have to be that way," said Abbott. "I read for a lot of people that have the 'mark of a teacher' (three or four lines coming down from fork on the mount of Mercury, below the pinkie finger) in their palm, but they're not teachers, but in some way, the work they do, relates to teaching." Abbott also stressed that the lines on your palm can change. "One of the reasons why I like to read palms is that the lines can change. So something that can be destined can be changed with our actions. If we don't like something that's about to come up in our life in the future, we can change it before it takes place by that knowledge ... So word to the wise: be proactive with your life and will yourself to make wise choices and decisions that you will be proud of and you will live with fewer regrets!"

For more information about Abbott, visit her website judyabbott.ca. If you have questions about having your palm read, contact Abbott at judy@judyabbott.ca or 519-642-0103.