... And what is fate?
A perfect law that shapes all things for good;
And thus, that men may have a just reward
For doing what is right, not caring should
No earthly crown be theirs, but in accord
With what is true, and high, and great.
And in the end—the part as to the whole—
So shall all be; in the success of all
So shall all share; for the All-conscious Soul
Notes e’en the sparrow’s feeble fall.
... And such is fate.
Cheiro.
The line of fate (Plate XIII.), otherwise called the line of destiny, or the Saturnian, is the center upright line on the palm of the hand.
In the consideration of this line the type of hand plays an important part; for instance, the line of fate, even in the most successful hands, is less marked on the elementary, the square, and the spatulate, than on the philosophic, the conic, or the psychic. These upright lines are more in keeping with the latter hands, and are therefore less important on them; consequently if one sees, as one often will, an apparently very strong line of fate on a conic hand, one must remember that it has not half the importance of a similiar line on a square type as far as worldly success is concerned. This point, I am sorry to say, has been completely overlooked by other writers, though it is one of the most significant in this study. It is useless to simply give a map of the hand without clearly explaining this point. The bewildered student sees this long line of fate marked as a sign of great fortune and success, and naturally concludes that a small line on the square hand means nothing, and that a long one on the conic or psychic means success, fame, and fortune, whereas it has not one quarter the importance of the small line shown on the p. 103 square. I wish to emphasize this as so many students throw up palmistry in despair through not having this point explained at the start.
The strange and mysterious thing to note is that the possessors of the philosophic, conic, and psychic hands which bear these heavily marked lines are more or less believers in fate, whereas the possessors of the square and spatulate rarely if ever believe in fate at all.
Before the student goes farther I would recommend him, once and for all, to settle this doctrine of fate, either for or against.
The line of fate, properly speaking, relates to all worldly affairs, to our success or failure, to the people who influence our career, whether such influences be beneficial or otherwise, to the barriers and obstacles in our way, and to the ultimate result of our career.
The line of fate may rise from the line of life, the wrist, the Mount of Luna, the line of head, or even the line of heart.
If the fate-line rise from the line of life and from that point on is strong, success and riches will be won by personal merit; but if the line be marked low down near the wrist and tied down, as it were, by the side of the life-line, it tells that the early portion of the subject’s life will be sacrificed to the wishes of parents or relatives (g-g, Plate XX.).
When the line of fate rises from the wrist and proceeds straight up the hand to its destination on the Mount of Saturn, it is a sign of extreme good fortune and success.
Rising from the Mount of Luna, fate and success will be more or less dependent on the fancy and caprice of other people. This is very often found in the case of public favorites.
If the line of fate be straight and a branch run in and join it from the Mount of Luna, it is somewhat similar in its meaning—it signifies that the strong influence of some other person out of fancy or caprice will assist the subject in his or her career. On a woman’s hand, if this ray-line from Luna travel on afterward by the side of the line of fate, it denotes a wealthy marriage or influence which accompanies and assists her (h-h, Plate XX.).
If the line of fate in its course to the Mount of Saturn send offshoots to any other mount, it denotes that the qualities of that particular mount will dominate the life.
If the line of fate itself should go to any mount or portion of the hand other than the Mount of Saturn, it foretells great success in that particular direction, according to the characteristics of the mount.
If the line of fate ascend to the center of the Mount of Jupiter, unusual distinction and power will come into the subject’s life. It also relates to character. Such people are born to climb up higher than their fellows through their enormous energy, ambition, and determination.
If the line of fate should at any point throw a branch in that direction, namely, toward Jupiter, it shows more than usual success at that particular stage of life.
If the line of fate terminate by crossing its own mount and reaching Jupiter, success will be so great in the end that it will go far toward satisfying even the ambition of such a subject.
When the line runs beyond the palm, cutting into the finger of Saturn, it is not a good sign, as everything will go too far. For instance, if such an individual be a leader, his subjects will some day go beyond his wishes and power, and will most probably turn and attack their commander.
When the line of fate is abruptly stopped by the line of heart, success will be ruined through the affections; when, however, it joins the line of heart and they together ascend Jupiter, the subject will have his or her highest ambition gratified through the affections (h-h, Plate XIX.).
When stopped by the line of head, it foretells that success will be thwarted by some stupidity or blunder of the head.
If the line of fate does not rise until late in the Plain of Mars, it denotes a very difficult, hard, and troubled life; but if it goes on well up the hand, all difficulties will be surmounted, and once over the first half of the life all the rest will be smooth. Such success comes from the subject’s own energy, perseverance, and determination.
If the line of fate rise from the line of head, and that line be well marked, then success will be won late in life, after a hard struggle and through the subject’s talents.
When it rises from the line of heart extremely late in life, after a difficult struggle success will be won.
When the line rises with one branch from the base of Luna, the other p. 105 from Venus, the subject’s destiny will sway between imagination on the one hand and love and passion on the other (m-m, Plate XXI.).
When broken and irregular, the career will be uncertain; the ups and downs of success and failure full of light and shadow.
When there is a break in the line, it is a sure sign of misfortune and loss; but if the second portion of the line begin before the other leaves off, it denotes a complete change in life, and if very decided it will mean a change more in accordance with the subject’s own wishes in the way of position and success (a-a, Plate XXI.).
A double or sister fate-line is an excellent sign. It denotes two distinct careers which the subject will follow. This is much more important if they go to different mounts.
A square on the line of fate protects the subject from loss through money, business, or financial matters. A square touching the line in the Plain of Mars (b, Plate XXI.) foretells danger from accident in relation to home life if on the side of the fate-line next the line of life; from accident in travel if on the side of the fate-line next the Mount of Luna.
A cross is a sign of trouble and follows the same rules as the square, but an island in the line of fate is a mark of misfortune, loss, and adversity (d, Plate XXI.). It is sometimes marked with the line of influence from Luna, and in such a case means loss and misfortune caused by the influence, be it marriage or otherwise, which affects the life at that date (c, Plate XXI.).
People without any sign of a line of fate are often very successful, but they lead more a vegetable kind of existence. They eat, drink, and sleep, but I do not think we can really call them happy, for they cannot feel acutely, and to feel happiness we must also feel the reverse. Sunshine and shadow, smiles and tears comprise the sum total of our lives.