Chiromancy or cheiromancy,(Greek cheir, “hand”; manteia, “divination”), art of characterization and foretelling the future through the study of the palm also known as palmistry or palm-reading consists of the practice (or pseudoscience) of evaluating a person's character or future life by "reading" the palm of that person's hand. (The Greek components of the word "cheiromancy" carry implications of "hand-divination".) Various "lines" ("life line", "heart line", etc) and "mounts" (bumps) purportedly suggest interpretations by their relative sizes and intersections.

In palmistry, the reader usually begins by reading the person's dominant hand. (the hand he or she writes with or uses the most.) There are three main lines: The life line, the head line, and the heart line. The heart line is the top line. It is usually deep and extends from one side of the hand and stops near the middle or index finger. This line represents what the person believes about love, their past love experiences, and what fears if any the person has about love. The next line down is the head line. This line starts at one end of the palm and ends about at the ring finger on most people. This line represents the person's mind, and whether or not he or she values intelligence and knowledge. Finally, the life line, which extends from one end of the palm to the wrist. This line represents the person's vitality and vigor.

Cheirognomy is the study of mounts. Each mount correlates to a planetary influence. The thumb, Rhea, is above the mount of Venus. The index finger, ruled by Jupiter, is above the mount of Jupiter. The middle finger, ruled by Saturn, is above the mount of Saturn. The ring finger, ruled by Apollo/the Sun God, is above the mount of Apollo. The pinky finger, ruled by Mercury, is above the mount of Mercury. Upper Mars mount is located beneath the mount of Jupiter, the plain of Mars is located in the center of the palm (beneath the mount of Saturn), and lower Mars mount is located beneath the mounts of Apollo and Mercury. Earth mount is located on the fleshy mount created on the back side of the hand when the thumb and index finger are pushed against each other. The mount of Luna is located on the lower part of the palm directly below the lower plain of Mars.