Defects of the Head Line

The Mount of Moon is the seat of imagination.

• It is the attracting power which causes the Head line to start downward.

A downward deflection of the Head line can reveal when a person will be impressed with psychic phenomena and spiritism.

• If the deflection is short, the subject is for a time pulled in that direction
• But the line coming back to the straight course again shows that the ideas have been drawn back into the practical line again.
• If the deflection covers the whole line (105), there has been conflict between practical ideas and a desire to indulge in imaginative things, but as the line at the end gets back to the straight position, the inference is that practical ideas have conquered.

When the line is deflected downward under a Mount (as in 104) the qualities of that Mount have impelled the subject to such thoughts as are indicated by the downward deflection.

The 3 worlds will tell which side of the type qualities, mental, money-making, or baser, have caused the mental change.

With all deflections, note the character of the line before, during, and after a deflection. This will show the outcome.

If a line is found deep and well cut before, thin during, and chained after (106), it will show that a vigorous mind (before) became less vigorous (during) and was impaired (after), the ages to be read from the line.

If the line is thin at the start, chained during deflection, and ends in a star (107), the subject has a weak mind to start with, which was impaired by whatever caused the deflection, and ends in an explosion, as shown by the star.

This will show either insanity or death. Look to Life line, nails, color, type, etc., to determine which.

These illustrations are only 2 out of the infinite number of combinations which may be found, and are given simply in order to show the method of reasoning.

The source of the line shows the starting of the mental activity, the course through the hand indicates the changes which have affected it, and the termination shows the ultimate outcome.

If the line is short, either the mentality is not great, or the termination of it comes early in life, by death or loss of mind.

This matter has been treated under the head of “Length of the Line”.

When the line is very short and turns upward toward Saturn (108) the mental attitude of the subject will be Saturnian, and a health defect of Saturn will cause early death. As we are considering the Head line, this health defect must apply to something affecting the head, which is manifestly the brain.

Paralysis is a prominent defect of the Saturnian will be the cause to which you may ascribe the end. Nails fluted, turning back, or brittle, yellow color, and many chance lines in the hand, a thin Life line, chained, islanded, broken, or otherwise defective, will enable you to confirm the indication. Older palmists gave to this line the reading " sudden death," the reason for this must be apparent.

If this line runs up on to the Mount of Saturn (109), the indication is doubly sure. If it ends in a star, a cross, or a dot (110), the sudden termination of the mentality and the life is assured.

If the line ends in a tassel (111), paralysis followed by paresis is indicated, as the tassel shows the gradual dissipation and diffusion of the mental powers and not the sudden shock and catastrophe which the cross, the dot, or the star portend.

The older palmists ascribed grave results to all indications in which Saturn was concerned. This was because of the serious disorders peculiar to the Saturnian.

When the line of Head turns up toward Apollo (112) it shows that the subject is strong in Apollonian ideas. The world which rules in each case will determine to which side of the type the ideas lean. In all of these cases where the Head line turns up toward a Mount it is an indication that the mental stamina is not especially strong.

If it were, the subject might belong to a type, might be strong in his love of all things peculiar to the type, and yet would not lose self-control, or allow the typical Mount qualities to entirely dominate him, as must be the case when the line of Head is pulled out of its course and toward a Mount. When the line is drawn upward, but is not long enough to reach the Mount, heart or sentiment are stronger than head, and the subject has allowed a mere love of the things peculiar to some particular type to dominate him instead of reason. In other words, his head has been overcome by his feelings.

When the Head line rises and is merged in the Heart line (113) it shows that the subject allows his feelings to overcome his judgment. This has been used by some palmists as indicating criminality.

It is not per se an indication of such tendencies. It does show that when the emotions, the sentiments, the feelings, the desires, or whatever it may be are aroused, that the subject will lose self-control and often commit crime in response to the appeal of his passions. He is not necessarily criminal, though he may be weak.

If the hand is brutal, Mount of Venus large, full, and red, with Heart line deep and red, nails short, Mounts of Mars large, you will have one, who to satisfy his desires would become criminal and even commit murder.

His head will not be strong enough to control the passions which rage within him. If the line cut clear up into Apollo (114), the cutting of the Heart line under Apollo by the Head line, will indicate a complication of the heart difficulty of the Apollonian, and some disorder in the mental health, most probably apoplexy. Note the Mount of Jupiter, color of hands, lines, nails, and all other-indications which may throw light on the subject.

If at the point where the 2 lines cross they are deep cut and red, the danger will be serious. If at this point there is a star (115) the danger is very grave, for the explosion is most likely.

If this marking is followed by an island (116), the shock will permanently weaken the mind, and at the least brain fever is indicated. If the line of Head turns toward Mercury (117), it will show how strongly the Mercurian qualities attract the subject. No matter what side of the Mercurian is developed, there will be a love of and talent for money-making.

So strong is this desire for money that the subject will ruin his health or make any sacrifice to obtain it. As employers these people are tyrannical and exacting, they desire to make “every edge cut” and will work employees just as long as they can, and give them the least possible material with which to do the work. They love bargains, and will go miles to save a few pennies.

Everything is measured by its money value.

When this line is seen, note carefully the type of the subject. If he be a bad or mean Saturnian, the combination of this type with the Head line rising to Mercury is distressing. If he be a crooked Mercurian you know that honestly or dishonestly, as may be necessary, he will have money. The crooked and twisted finger, with short nails should cause you to make your estimate strong, and if no Heart line is seen you know that the subject will stop at nothing. If you find this line on a good hand read it merely as the love of money. If with it the Medical Stigmata is present (118), which indicates the especial aptitude for medicine, you will have the money-making physician, if with this line the third phalanx of the finger is longest the money-making business man.

No matter what the combination, the money side is strong. If the line goes clear up into the Mount (119), it will be in addition a health warning. The bilious tendency, the stomach disorder, and the nervousness, always present, will affect the head and produce vertigo, though serious results are not often encountered from the indication per se. The time period of the line when it has reached this point is about seventy and at that time the end is naturally not far distant.

If the line should end in a star (120), sudden death is indicated. When the line runs into the upper Mount of Mars (121) it shows that practical common-sense ideas prevail. It is the medium position and the mental qualities are not pulled out of their balance.

If upper Mars be well developed, it will give its qualities to the subject, who will defend himself when attacked, will be cool, calm, brave, and warlike in spirit. If the Mount be deficient, the mentality will partake of these deficiencies in Martian qualities and the subject will be easily discouraged, unable to resist strong attacks, and lacking in confidence.

Whatever would be attributed to the Mount, attribute to the line. But whatever these attributes may be, the line ending here always gives practical ideas about everything.

In very many bands the Head line slopes more or less toward the Mount of the Moon (122). This sloping of the line shows that the subject is somewhat influenced by imagination and is not practical to the exclusion of everything else.

There is a great misconception prevalent concerning this sloping Head line, which has been used as indicating danger of insanity. Nothing can be farther from the truth, for such a Head line is found on the hands of most sensible, self-contained, practical persons.

Because one has the ability to imagine does not mean that he is insane or likely to be, neither does it follow that he is unpractical, so, if the line of Head be good, deep, well cut, and clear, little concern need be felt because it inclines toward the Mount of Moon. With this indication, as with all others, excess may make it bad.'

Other combinations with the line, or the character of the line itself, may spoil it, but the general proposition is, the line running toward the Moon shows that the subject is not entirely material in his ideas, but has the power of imagination.

This is an essential qualification for writers, speakers, and linguists, and in the most successful men of these professions I find all degrees of droop to the Head line, some going far down into the Mount, and these persons have ability as writers of fiction and poetry (123). A line to reach the Moon must be a long one, so there is in these cases no lack of mentality.

It is only when the drooping line is seen on a poor type of subject or when it is thin or defective that it is unfavorable. As excess of imagination is one species of insanity; the drooping Head line with other unfavorable signs will clearly indicate mental derangement. If the line droops low on the Mount and ends in a star (124), it will indicate insanity. Drooping to the Moon and ending in a chain (125), it will tell of mental impairment.

If it droops to the Moon and ends in a cross (126), it will indicate a check to the mentality. If it droops and ends in an island (127) or a dot (128), there is danger of mental disturbance. In these cases the size of the island or dot will tell how serious. If on the Mount of Moon the line is broken (129) and intermittent, it is another indication of mental disturbance.

These markings of the line are more dangerous because the line droops to the Moon, the imaginative tendencies of the Mount making it a fertile place for such trouble. In every case the curve toward the Moon must be carefully considered.

If it begins to droop from the start of the line (130), the tendency of the ideas have always been in that direction. If the line runs straight during the first part of its course and then slopes downward (131), the practical plane at the beginning is changed to a tendency toward imaginative ideas later in life, the date to be read from the point where the droop begins.

Such violent changes or markings are not the best ones with this line; it is when the line forms a graceful curve, and gradually tends downward that no bad results follow. Sometimes the line forks at the end (132).

This will indicate versatility, a union of practical and imaginative ideas which make the subject see things from a double point of view. I have seen this marking on the hands of successful theatrical people, and those who successfully appeal to the public in other ways. If the fork be slight, it must be read simply as versatility.

If it be more marked, as in No. 133, it shows that the subject has a strong practical set of ideas and a strong set of imaginative ones. He can see things from both the practical and fanciful sides, and with this double point of view, he is less inclined to be narrow and one-sided. By noting which of the two forks is deeper and stronger, you can tell which side (practical or imaginative) will obtain the mastery.

This is a fine marking on a good hand. The double line, however, with its double point of view, often leads a subject into the habit of falsifying. He is not always an intentional liar; often he is not sure whether he is telling the literal story or the imaginative one. His imagination is vivid, and he sometimes makes himself think he is telling the truth when he is not. Prom the forking Head line is produced the liar, and when seen on an otherwise bad hand, it will make you sure of this interpretation. In habitual liars, I have found the forking Head line always present. Sometimes they lie from pride or vanity, for mercenary or vicious ends, and in each case the forking Head line will be seen.

This applies to habitual falsifiers, not mere occasional “story tellers.” If the line has a fork with one line running to upper Mars and one going low on to the Moon, with this fork again forking (134), it will show that the double-pointed imagination, shown by the forked fork on the Moon, will be so vivid that the subject will “stretch” everything and will lie when the truth is better. He possesses such an enlarged imagination that he magnifies everything to double the original size, and all descriptions show this distortion.

If the fork on the Moon ends in a star, a cross, or a dot (135), it will be practically certain that the enlarged imagination will produce insanity from, first, over-imagination; second, mental disease shown by the star, cross, or dot. In the two cases above mentioned, if the Mount of Moon be grilled and much rayed, it will add to the force of the indication all of the restlessness of the Lunarian. It will emphasize every bad indication found on a much drooped and forked line of Head.

By keeping constantly in mind what constitutes a clear line of Head and what makes it defective, you can distinguish between a good, healthy imagination and mental disorder, and you will never tell a fine writer that he is going crazy.

Sometimes a line of Head divides into three well-cut forks, one going toward Mercury, one toward Mars, and one toward the Moon (136). This is a splendid marking, showing great diversity of intellect, adaptability, and versatility. In this case the three terminations unite business (Mercury), resistance (upper Mars), and imagination (the Moon).

This combination generally produces a successful career, and unless laziness, lack of ambition, or some other defect is very strongly marked, a subject with this triple-forked termination will achieve much. In rare cases the Head line curves around and ends on the Mount of Venus (137). This will indicate that Venusian ideas of attraction are uppermost in the mind of the subject.

This line is long, so there is plenty of mentality, and if it be deep and clear it is not per se an indication of defective mental health, but it shows the drawing, attracting power of Venus.