INDIVIDUAL MARKINGS
Transverse Markings
A transverse marking is an evil sign that serves to drain the positive
qualities of any mount it is found upon. Though a person may have the
markings of a heroic mount, these qualities can be reduced to depravity if
bespoiled with a score of transverse lines. An example of such a misfortune
are transverse lines across the Mount of Mercury, which indicate that the
bearer will use their talents of diplomacy and tact for deceit and guile for
ill gains.
Vertical
Markings
Vertical markings are not to be confused with
sister lines, which accompany a major line on the palm.
They are, however, still a beneficent sign. If found on the mount, they
heighten its positive qualities and assist in annulling any poor signs also
located on the mount. They are the antithesis of the aforementioned transverse
markings. To use the case of the Mount of Mercury as expressed above, vertical
markings upon this mount will bring a great deal of tact and loquaciousness to
serve for pleasant communication and camaraderie. It will emphasize science
and business skills. In fact, two vertical lines on the Mount of Mercury are
often the symbol of a doctor or biologist.
The Grille
The grille is a point at which the energies of the hand dissipate.
If grilles enmesh the entirety of the hand, the power of its bearer is
constantly drained by vexations and imagined slights. If a grille appears on
the mount, it saps or thwarts the qualities of the mount, e.g. such a
mar on the Mount of Apollo will forever dash the attainment of any true
success in life.
The
Cross
Crosses denote
troubles, disappointment, danger, and when found on lines, the harm to the
bearer may be aggravated. Occasionally it can refer to a dramatic change in
one's life due to a crisis or hardship. They should always be considered an
ill omen save for two cases :
when found on the Mount of Jupiter and when located
between the head and
heart lines, known as the "Croix
Mystique". The bearer of such a symbol is purported to possess a greater
degree of mysticism, occultism, and superstition. The length of the head
line in conjunction with the Croix Mystique is quite important; should the
bearer demonstrate a short (hence, unimaginative and uncreative) Line of
Head, they will tend to be quite superstitious, bordering on paranoia. One
with a longer Line will have a greater affinity and comfort with
the occult.
The position of the "Croix Mystique" is also quite important. If located high
up, near the Mount of Jupiter, the bearer will exhibit belief in mysticism
only for their own gain. When their future is divined, they care not for
the means and the circumstance of their oracular prediction, but only for how
it will relate to their life. Those with crosses further from the
Mount of Jupiter will care more for the principles and methods by which the
mystical experience was expressed rather than its immediate application to
themselves.
If it be at the other extreme, near or on the Mount of Luna,
the bearer ascribes great feeling to mystical experiences, and possesses
a flair or affinity for sensationalism and miracles.
(69)
The Star
The star is a symbol of great and sudden brilliance in a
person's life. This brilliance is often arbitrary and unexpected, and is
always an event that the individual can exercise little control over.
(147) A
line that ends in a star signifies the greatest accomplishments possible;
however, the star often carries with it an unpleasant price. For example,
put it the case that the Line of Apollo ends in a star : this denotes great
fame, but this often results in the
bearer suffering the loss of their private sphere to their successful public
sphere. Though the bearer is now extremely famous (or perhaps infamous),
they may find their accomplishments to announce a hollow victory.
A star on the
mounts will naturally denote great proficiency with the mount's
corresponding traits, yet these traits may consume some of the other
bearer's qualities. It is no enigma that the star on the Line of Head may at
times be the harbinger of blindness or damage to the eyes, for its brilliance
is so great as to tumble the most virtuous of individuals. The star is
certainly a sign to be viewed with great
caution. Seek temperance and balance when marked with such a capricious
blessing.
The Island
The Island is always a negative sign, save for some systems in determining
an individual's fecundity. It is often a sign of some hereditary evil, such
as a heart condition or intemperance with spirits, but it may just as easily
represent non-congenital emotional stress or a dire pecuniary situation.
Unlike the star or the cross, the island is a gradual and prolonged, and oft
times subtle period of strife in an individual's life. It could represent
mounting stress on the line of the head, and manifest itself as headaches.
Because of the gradual nature of this malady, the bearer may not have even
noticed that they are in a darker period of their life. On the Line of Fate,
It could be a period in which the individual finds themselves surrounded with
mounting debts that peak at the widest point of the island.
In accordance with the interpretation above, it should come as no surprise
that these misfortunes will last to the extent that the island is long.
The
Square
The square is almost always a beneficent symbol. It denotes an
especial significance when covering an area that is experiencing turmoil,
such as chained, broken, or dotted lines. In this instance, difficulties
will arise (whose nature are to be discerned from the line), but the bearer
will persevere and the crisis will be averted. Damage may be reduced or
prevented all together. A square after perturbations in a line signifies
repair.
The one instance in which the square denotes negative influences is when it
is found on the upper portion of the Mount of
Venus near the life line, where it portends detention or
incarceration.(148)
The Circle
The circle is a very rare marking in cheiromancy, and little is said about it.
It is an evil mark unless it be on a mount, in which case it usually augments
the powers and promise of a mount.(143)
If it touch any line, it brings inescapable misfortune importuning to the line
it touches. "...In other words, he will, as it were, go round and round in a
circle without being able to break through and get free.
(130)
The
Triangle
The triangle is nearly always a positive sign, though strong
significance should be ascribed to it only when it stands as an independent
mark, not composed of intersecting lines. It denotes mental flourish and
success corresponding
to the location of the mark, i.e., if it were to be found upon the mount of
Apollo, it would denote an artistic
success, such as music or acting. If found alongside a line, it will
naturally take on significance dependent upon the line, marking a point at
which satisfaction and accomplishment is achieved through the exercise of
mental powers. The triangle will
never reach the great heights of success that its cousin, the star, but it
possesses balance and will not carry with it the backlash
that so often accompanies the star.
The Spot
The spot is a sign of a distinct event or malady, though it often comes in
groups that betoken a chronic disorder. If found on a line, it typically
signifies a temporary illness corresponding to the demense of the line,
e.g., a spot on the Line of Head portends some violence to the head or brain
fever.
If located on one of the mounts, it is the bearer of unique and possibly
lasting meaning. Cf. the
individual mounts for their specific meaning.
The Trident
The trident is a most propitious marking wherever it may lay. If it rise from
a line, it will expound the qualities of that line and draw additional power
from the mounts or lines that the branches on either side head towards.
If found on a mount, the trident carries with it great flourish of the
properties of that mount in conjunction with its neighboring mounts.
The trident is such a powerful symbol that it eclipses the star in beneficence.
(161)
The Tassel
The tassel one may liken to a frayed rope, whose tightly-coiled energy and
structure has dissipated in the wake of stress, age, or a sudden calamity.
A tasseled line can oft be found at the end of the lifeline; as the individual
weakens and deteriorates with age, so too does the line. Such is the case
with the Line of Head, where it denotes a weakening of mental clarity and
approaching senility; the Line of Heart with a deteriorating heart condition
or emotional trauma that has left the individual enfeebled and unstable,
et cetera.
Drooping
Offshoots
Lines that droop from any larger line each indicate a disappointment in life.
Along the Line of Heart, it denotes disappointment in love or an unfortunate
event in which the individual became too emotionally involved.
Along the Line of Head, it may signify the thwarting of one's ideals or
disillusionment.
Rising
Offshoots
Rising offshoots are the inverse of drooping offshoots. They represent
periods of sudden inspiration, fruition, and happiness. When determining
the nature of the offshoot's properties, it is essential to observe in
which direction the offshoot is headed. It will draw upon the qualities of
the mount that it is directed to. For example, an offshoot springing from
the Line of Head and nearing the Mount of Mercury is a sign of scientific
prowess--perhaps an invention, or a discovery, or a synthesis of concepts
that have long been drifting through the individual's mind, but had hitherto
been dissociated.
Sister Lines
Sister lines bolster the line along which they follow. Some sister lines
are quite common, such as the Line of Mars, which accompanies and strengthens
the constitution denoted by the Line of Life; some cheiromancers feel that the
Line of Apollo is a sister line for the Line of Fate, as it serves a similar
function and accentuates the fulfillment one feels in the course of their
career.(124)(41)
In a more generalized sense, however, sister lines protect and heal lines
that are broken, crooked, frayed, or side-by-side. Lest a line exist with
several negative markings, sister lines will be the guiding hand that shall
shield the bearer from the brunt of life's assaults.