Also called: Signs on the phalanges · How to read finger marks
Where on the hand: On the skin of any phalange of any finger or the thumb.
What it looks like: Fine lines running along the finger's length (vertical) or across it (horizontal), plus crosses, stars, triangles, squares, circles, grilles, dots, tridents and barley-grain shapes.
One rule governs everything: vertical is flow, horizontal is obstruction. A mark's meaning is then adjusted by the finger it sits on and the phalange within that finger.
The basic marks
- **Vertical lines** (running along the finger's length) — **positive**: flowing energy, vitality, active engagement in that finger's field.
- **Horizontal lines / bars** (crossing the finger) — **negative**: obstruction, blockage, frustration, nervous tension in that finger's field. Bars are the classic obstruction mark throughout palmistry.
- **Cross** — usually adverse: imbalance, loss, conflict — except where explicitly noted otherwise.
- **Star** — a burst of energy: usually a single dramatic, fortunate event; occasionally a shock.
- **Triangle** — intellectual or scientific aptitude; a gift, an applied skill.
- **Square** — protection, preservation, endurance; the "mark of the teacher"; contains and limits damage.
- **Grille / net (जाल)** — dissipation, confusion, obstruction, wasted energy; the most negative common mark.
- **Circle (वृत्त)** — on the fingers, generally auspicious, unlike on the lines where a circle is usually bad.
- **Dot / spot** — a sudden interruption or shock.
- **Trident / Trishul** — uniformly auspicious; read separately.
- **Mole (तिल)** — read separately; almost always adverse on the fingers.
- **Yava** — the barley-grain figure; read separately.
The overriding caution
- **Read within the hand type** — Indian sources repeat that these markings must be interpreted within the framework of the overall hand type (square, psychic, philosophic and so on); the same mark reads differently on a coarse hand and on a refined one.
Palmistry is a traditional interpretive art, not a science. Offered for reflection and self-understanding — not medical, legal or financial advice.