Life line
The life line is the curved line that sweeps around the base of the thumb. Palmists read it for vitality, energy and the major changes of life. Despite the myth, its length is not read as the length of your life.
Also known as: jeevan rekha, line of life
Starting at the edge of the palm between thumb and index finger, the life line, jeevan rekha in Hindi, curves down around the Mount of Venus towards the wrist. It is read for your reserves of energy, your enthusiasm for life and the shape of its big transitions.
A deep, clear line is linked with steady energy; a wide arc that sweeps well into the palm with warmth and an appetite for experience; a line that hugs the thumb with a more measured, conserving style. Breaks and branches are read as changes, such as a move, a new career or a new chapter.
Older books dated events along the line, and some palmists still estimate timing from it, loosely. It is always read alongside the head and heart lines, and the other hand, before any conclusion is drawn.
The best-known myth is that a short life line means a short life. Modern palmists are clear that it does not. A short or faint line is read as a style of energy and change, never as a measure of years.