The head line is the crease running across the middle of the palm, from under the index finger towards the outer edge of the hand. Samudrika tradition reads in it the way you think: focus, how you decide, the balance of logic and imagination. It is a traditional reading, not a measure of intelligence or a verdict on your future.
Where the head line runs
Look at the highlighted line in the diagram above. A palm has three large creases: the heart line across the top, the life line curving around the thumb, and between them the head line, splitting the palm roughly in two. In Hindi it is mastishk rekha, also shiro rekha or buddhi rekha.
- Start: under the index finger, on the thumb side. Often it is joined to the life line at first; sometimes it starts a little above it, separately.
- Course: across the middle of the palm, either straight or sloping gently downwards.
- End: it may stop under the ring finger, reach the outer edge, or dip down towards the mount of the Moon (chandra parvat) at the lower outer palm.
An easy way to find it: bend your fingers slightly. The crease that folds most clearly across the centre is, on most hands, the head line.
What samudrika tradition reads in it
Tradition holds that the head line shows how you take things in and weigh them. It is read less as "good" or "bad" and more as "what kind". Most attention goes to its direction, its length and where it starts.
| What you see | Traditional reading |
|---|---|
| Long, crossing the palm | A thorough mind that weighs every angle |
| Short, stopping under the ring finger | Quick, direct, practical decisions |
| Straight | Logic, numbers, trust in concrete facts |
| Sloping towards the mount of the Moon | Imagination, art, love of stories and colour |
| Very steep slope | Vivid imagination; moods that swing easily |
| Joined to the life line at the start | Careful, takes advice before stepping out |
| Clearly separate from the life line | Independent thinking, willing to take risks |
| Forked at the end (the "writer's fork") | Able to see a matter from two sides |
| Deep and clear | Concentration, staying with one task |
| Chains or islands | A period of scattered attention or confusion |
| A break | A major shift in thinking or direction |
The simian line
On some hands the head and heart lines are not separate but form one deep crease across the palm. Tradition links this with a person whose thinking and feeling move together, who does whatever they do wholeheartedly. Plenty of ordinary, healthy people have it. Do not treat it as a sign of any problem on its own; if a doctor has mentioned it for some reason, that is a medical matter, separate from palmistry.
Differences between the hands
If the line is straight on the working hand and sloping on the other, tradition says an imaginative nature has learned to be practical. The other way round, a calculating nature has made room for imagination.
What the head line cannot tell you
- Intelligence: a short or faint line does not mean less understanding. It does not show IQ or exam marks.
- Mental illness or head injury: no line diagnoses any condition. If you are worried about your mind or health, talk to a doctor or counsellor.
- Which career you will have: tradition speaks of leanings, not jobs.
- Dates: measuring ages along the line to say "a change comes this year" is imprecise, and practitioners do not agree on it.
Indian and Western readings
Western palmistry, especially after Cheiro, puts great weight on the slope: straight for practical, sloping for imaginative. Indian folk reading often looks at the head line together with the life line: how long the two run together at the start is read as how long one leaned on family before standing alone. Some Indian books treat the line as rising from the mount of Jupiter (guru parvat, under the index finger), so how close its start sits to that mount is read too.
How to look at your own head line
- Which hand: the common teaching is that the working hand shows karma and the other your inborn nature. Look at both and note the difference.
- Light: window light from one side shows the depth and slope clearly.
- Bend the fingers a little: the central crease deepens and the course of the line becomes easy to follow.
- Photo: palm fully open, camera straight above, no flash. Do not tilt the hand, or the slope will look wrong.
Read next
The head line is best read with its neighbours: the life line and the heart line. For every line, mount and sign, see the palm lines guide, and our long article on the main lines for more depth. If you would like your own palm read from a photo, there is an online palm reading.