The Splits of the Line of Life

Splits on the Life line (243) divert a portion of the Current from the main channel.

Sometimes they only divide it, and the line continues a double line with the splits running close together (244).

This reduces the strength of the constitution during the period of the split, and while it may not result in positive delicacy, it will diminish the vitality.

Sometimes such a split will extend for only a short space. Often it will go the entire length of the line.

In any case, the divided strength operates during the continuance of the split.

Sometimes, the splits are fine and hair-like (245), and do not diminish the size of the Main line.

These are generally seen accompanying a deep line, and show the excess of strength of the line.

There is, as it were, a running over of vitality, and these fine, hair-like splits must be read as confirming the strength of a deep, strong line.

When fine, hair-like lines are seen rising from the line (246), it generally occurs in the early part of the line. This shows the upward course of the subject’s life. He is filled with ambition, pride, and a desire to achieve success. The fine rising lines show that the Current which overflows from the line is drawn upward by the force of attraction of the Mounts under the fingers.

The exit of the Current, you remember, is through the fingers of Saturn, Apollo, Mercury, and these rising hair-like lines from the Life line show that the Current is being impelled in its proper direction, with a force strong enough to pull these fine lines upward. The period covered by these rising lines on the Life line is that of the years of greatest power in the life of the subject.

He will have his greatest earning capacity and command of his best brain power and strength. During this time he should accomplish the most important part of his life’s work.

A time will come when the little lines do not rise from the Life line, but fall downward (247). At this time there is no such strength as during the period covered by the rising lines.

The Current is not forced upward by the great power of enthusiasm and vital energy, and the life forces, ambition, and the capacity to do, begin to wane from the time of life when these hair lines begin to fall downward.

Tuning point in life

The turning-point in the life of the subject is where the rising lines cease to rise and the drooping lines begin (248). This point marks the pinnacle of his capabilities.

• He will never be able to do afterwards what is possible before this point is reached.

This turning-point in the life was placed before us for our guidance.

I have studied this a lot. I have verified it in the lives of hundreds of people.

From it, you can tell your client when he must have his house in order and be ready to begin the descent of the hill of life.

In some hands, it is seen early in life. In others later.

When seen early in life, it is sometimes formed around an island (249). It shows that a delicacy occurring at that time will dissipate the powers so that they will never fully recover.

When the turning-point shows at near 50, it is the natural decline of physical power coming on with age.

When rising lines or a single line from the Life line rises to Jupiter (250), it shows the great ambition which leads its possessor constantly to struggle to win. You can tell in which world by the phalanx of the finger which rules.

If a rising line runs to Saturn (251), it will indicate a great desire of the subject to succeed along Saturnian lines. In which world will be indicated by the phalanx of the finger which rules. If a line rises to Apollo (252), the subject will have great desires in Apollonian directions, the particular world being read from the phalanx of the finger. If a line rises to Mercury (253), the subject will have great desire to succeed in some Mercurian direction, indicated in more detail by the ruling phalanx of finger. This line must not be confused with the line of Mercury.

If a line runs from the Life line to Upper Mars (254), the subject will be strongly ambitious in Martian directions ; and Lunar qualities will strongly influence the life if a split line is seen running to the Moon (255). All of these lines must be fine lines rising off of the Life line, and not chance lines crossing or cutting the line.

In an estimate of the Life line the termination is most important, for it shows how the life ends. In all of the changes on the line we find that they have shown the strength of the constitution during life, various states of health, strength, delicacy, and numerous diseases. When we come to the termination of the line, we learn the outcome of these various conditions.

The Life line will be found ending in different hands at all periods of life. It will be found ending in different manners, and that is what we consider under the general heading of “Termination of the line.” If a line is deep and strong it may end as strong as is its course through the hand. This line simply stops short, ending in no sign or special marking (256).

This indicates that the subject will remain strong till the end of life, will die of no lingering or wasting disease. With such a termination examine the Head line, the Heart line, and study the type of the subject carefully. If a Jupiterian or Martian, it will make his quick ending more certain. While no sign is seen on the Life line, a deep cut or cross, a dot or a star, may be discerned on the Head line corresponding to the age at which the Life line ends, and this will be the sign of the demise (257).

In this case the abrupt termination of the Life line will give the clue to a quick end, and the sign on the Head line will tell that some affection of the head will be the cause. In the same manner an impairment of the Heart line by some individual sign, such as a cut, a cross, dot, or star, will show that heart failure will be the end (258). With sudden terminations of the Life line you should not look for chronic diseases but for acute attacks, and these are indicated by individual signs like the dot, cross, cross-bar, and star.

Sometimes breaks indicate the same thing. With the sudden ending to the Life line, and a dot, cross, cross-bar on a wavy line of Mercury, a sudden attack of bilious fever will be the trouble, the wavy line of Mercury showing a chronic tendency, the individual sign indicating the acute attack (259). If a line should run from the end of the Life line to these signs it will make the reading more certain.

In the same manner a dot on any Mount and the sudden termination of the Life line will show the end to be from an acute attack (shown by dot) of the health defect of the Mount. If a line runs from the end of Life line to the dot, it will make the indication unmistakable.

Thus while the termination of the life may not always be read from the Life line, it is read from the other lines and Mounts. If the Life line end suddenly and a dot is seen on Jupiter (260), apoplexy will be the trouble ; if a dot is seen on Saturn, paralysis, and if in this case a star, cross, or dot is seen on the Head line under Saturn, the reading is absolute (261).

All of the other Mounts must be handled in the same way when searching for a sudden termination to life. With each Mount disease the one which would kill quickly is the probable one, and a chronic trouble will not be the cause. When a deep Life line ends abruptly there is always a chance that it may continue. Even though the line be short, it is not as serious as if it ended in a cross, star, tassel.

Life lines which are deep and strong but short, and sometimes even short thin ones, often cut their way through the hand, forming new channels; for a strong will and determination to live, often prolong the life of many persons with such markings. When the line ends clear, without a defect or tassel, it shows that there is no great impediment at the time, and that care and determination can keep the life going.

If a line which begins deep and strong begins to taper as it cuts through the hand, gradually growing thinner as the line advances until it fades away and disappears in the capillary lines (262), it shows that the vitality grows less powerful as age comes on until it almost disappears, leaving the subject weak, nerveless, and feeble.

These subjects will not die from sudden diseases, but death will come from exhaustion. They are liable to develop some chronic ailment as the line decreases, and any defect of their type will be almost certain to develop.

By making a thorough examination, you can discover the difficulty. This fading Life line does not stand so good a chance to continue the life past the age indicated by its length. If it be a short line, the subject will begin to decline early and will not live past the end of the line, as he has not enough vitality to create great determination to live.

A good Head line is a fine possession with such a disappearing line. If the Life line forks at the termination (263), it shows that the Current separates, and, going in two directions, there is only one half as much chance that the life may be continued past the end of the line as with a single line. If both branches are deep, strong lines, it is more of an indication that life may be prolonged than if the forks are thin lines. This is a case where the vitality wanes, and as division is weaker than union, this forked termination of the Life line shows the rapidly dissipating vitality.

If the line is short, small encouragement of long life can be given a subject with such a termination.

If these forks are close together (264), it is a better indication than if they diverge widely (265).

If the line ends in three prongs (266), the dissipation of the vitality is more complete, and this is more certain if all three of the forks be thin.

In this case the vitality will be dissipated when this point is reached. If the middle fork is strong and deep (267), it may be a new lease of life beginning to manifest itself, and hope may be given that the subject will live past the end of the line.

If the line ends in a tassel (268), it shows entire dissipation of the vitality and end of the life. Such tassels are frequently seen from sixty to sixty-five years of age.

In those cases it is the natural end of the life.

If the tassel appears early in the line, it shows premature dissipation of vitality, and death of the subject at the age at which the tassel is seen.

In many works on Palmistry, this tassel means “Poverty in old age.” This is incorrect.

I have seen it in the hands of old men who were rich. The vitality was fast diminishing, however, as the age neared the point of the tassel.

Sometimes, the Life line runs to a certain age and then crosses the hand to a Mount.

If there is no health defect on the Mount it will show that the quality of the Mount largely influences the life course of the subject. If a grille, cross, dot, cross-bars, or any defect on the Mount is present, the indications are that the disease peculiar to that Mount took hold of the subject at the age the line deflected from its regular course.

For instance, if at 30 the line is so deflected and runs to the middle of Mount of Moon to a grille, gout or rheumatism will be the disease which afflicted the subject.

Whenever the line runs to a defect, the disease peculiar to the point where it stops is the one to look for. This marking running to Lower Moon is most frequent in the hands of women, and indicates female weakness.

If the line ends in a cross (270), the life will terminate at that age, and the disease can be determined by the usual search through the hand. This is a sudden ending of life, and there will be no lingering illness.

The more perfectly the cross be marked, and the deeper its lines, the more certain is the indication. If a cross-bar cuts the end of the Life line (271), it is the sudden ending of the life.

In all these cases the usual methods of examination will disclose the cause. It is absolutely necessary with every termination of the Life line to examine both hands.

If the line and termination in the left hand be good and strong, and one of the defective terminations is seen in the right, it is certain that something has changed the natural life course. The subject may have acquired a vicious habit which will shorten his days, or may have developed some serious malady.

In such a case locate the trouble, and by telling him what the outcome will be, he may be induced to abandon the habit, if such it is, and avert the catastrophe. In every instance by remembering what the two hands stand for, you can accurately estimate the case. If the line ends in a dot (272), your subject will die of an acute attack, the nature of which can be determined in the usual manner.

If the line ends in a star (273), the subject will die suddenly ; the cause can be located from the rest of the hand. You will encounter many combinations of all these signs in the termination of Life lines. By this time you have doubtless learned how to use them in combination, and can properly estimate them.

Crosses will be found appearing in the Life line (274). These will be impediments to the life Current, and generally you will find on the Saturn line or the Apollo line some marking occurring at the same age.

This change is generally the result of illness or accident. Crosses quite frequently indicate accidents. Stars on the Life line are a menace to the life (275). They have been verified many times as indicating sudden death. The type of the subject will have much to do with these signs.

A fine line leaving the Life line and ending in a star near it (276) is also a dangerous sign, indicating sudden death. The star representing the explosion in the Life line, or at least an intense illumination, is not a safe indication to be found.

The color of the line will be useful as a further confirmation of the strength or weakness of the constitution. White color diminishes the power of a deep and well-cut line, and the subject will not have as much robustness and vitality as if the line were pink. A deep and well-cut line, pink in color, will be the best for a Life line.

Then neither deficiency nor excess of vitality is indicated, but a normal balance. Red color, with a deep line, is too intense, and the subject will be liable to febrile diseases, and also very ardent in everything, and will have strong appetites. If stars, crosses, dots, or cross-bars are seen on a line which is very red in color, the subject will have some violent attack at the age indicated by the sign. Such a combination is most dangerous to the life. All markings which indicate febrile troubles or inflammations will be made more serious by a very red Life line.

Yellow color in the Life line will indicate chronic biliousness, and all the defects of health and character which are induced by bile will be aggravated.

With such a subject the Mounts of Saturn and Mercury should be carefully studied, as well as all matters pertaining to those Mounts, for being of the bilious type, yellow color in the Life line will increase any health defect which these Mounts show.

A wavy line or a ladder-like line of Mercury will be sure to indicate severe bilious complications and indigestion. Dots, crosses, cross-bars, breaks, or islands in the Mercury line must be looked for, as these will point directly to severe liver trouble in the shape of acute attacks of bilious fever or jaundice. If yellow shows in the Life line the whole character will be influenced by the irritating bile.

The subject will be cross, nervous, liable to fits of blues, and if any of the bad side of his type be indicated he will be vicious, and even criminal. A bad development of Saturnian or Mercurian type with a yellow line shows a trickster and cheat, and if the type be very bad indicates a vicious wretch who will delight even in murder.

Blue color shows poor circulation and consequent heart weakness. This color present with a defective and badly colored Heart line and blue nails will indicate an advanced state of heart trouble. The bluer the Life line and the more indications of defective heart action, the more serious the estimate. With a blue Life line, stars on the line will be accurate as indication of sudden death by heart disease.

Crosses, dots, and cross-bars are bad indications with blue color, but the star is the worst. Stars which are not directly on the line but near it, will have almost as much force as if on the line. All of the above observations in regard to color apply to thin Life lines as well as to deep and well-cut lines.

A thin line which is exceedingly red is most dangerous, for the line is not strong enough to support the vitality shown by very red color. Yellow thin lines will make the subject small, petty, and mean. With chained lines or broad and shallow lines, white color makes them weaker. They have none of the strength which follows the presence of pink color. Subjects with thin lines are cold, sickly, complaining, and vacillating. They lack energy, and are not persons to be relied upon.

Pink color makes a broad and shallow or a chained line stronger. The subject will have more vitality, and will not be despondent as frequently as with white color. Red will add more strength, but this combination is rare. When found, however, it should be regarded as no menace to these lines, for they need all the strength which can be given them.

Yellow color with broad or chained lines is a distressing combination. It will show inertia, intense nervousness, and an ugly streak of meanness in the subject.

This combination produces a weak, sickly, nervous, petty person who will have a hard time to get along in the world. The line of Life is an intensely interesting study, and one which will amply repay any effort expended upon it. A mastery of the general principles which govern the various changes in the line, and its infinite combinations with other lines and Mounts, will enable you with practice to read it accurately.

At first, the combinations may come slowly, but this should be no cause for discouragement. Patience and labor will enable any student to master it.