Cross on the palm: what an X means in palmistry

What is a mystic cross?

A mystic cross is a small X in the space between the heart line and the head line, usually under the middle finger. Cheiro calls it “La Croix Mystique”. The space it sits in is the quadrangle, which Heron-Allen (1885) describes as the square space between the lines of heart and head. The mystic cross may stand on its own, or be formed where the fate line meets a short line running from the head line to the heart line.

Cheiro reads it as a natural gift for, and interest in, mysticism and the spiritual. Heron-Allen reads mysticism, superstition and, on a very good hand, religion. So the traditions agree on the subject and differ on the tone: we read it as an interest, not a power.

The PalmSays scanner traces the four major lines, not small marks, so the photo at the top shows none. Every cross on this page is a drawing, in gold, of where the books place it.

Where does your mystic cross sit?

• Mystic cross in the centre, under the middle finger

  An interest in the spiritual, followed for its own sake.

  Do you have this? Is there a small X midway between your heart and head lines, under your middle finger?

  What the books say

  Cheiro reads the centre as the strongest place for it: an interest in the mystical followed for its own worth, one that can colour a whole working life when the cross touches the fate line. His guesses about the careers and books that follow are left out.

  Source: Cheiro (1916, 1900); Edward Heron-Allen (1885)

• Mystic cross near the index finger

  An interest in the mystical mainly for your own life and plans.

  Do you have this? Is the X nearer your index finger, towards the end of the heart line?

  What the books say

  Nearer the mount of Jupiter, Cheiro reads a belief in the mystical as it touches your own life: curiosity about how your own plans will turn out, more than a deep study of the subject.

  Source: Cheiro (1916, 1900)

• Mystic cross low, near the mount of the Moon

  An interest shaped more by imagination and superstition.

  Do you have this? Is the X lower down, towards the outer edge of your palm?

  What the books say

  Lower down, nearer the mount of the Moon, Cheiro reads an interest in the mystical that comes more from superstition and imagination, and says it often finds its way into poetry.

  Source: Cheiro (1916)

A mystic cross is read as an interest, not a power, and no cross on a palm can foresee an event.

Is an X on the palm the same thing?

Not quite. When people search for an “X on the palm”, they often mean a large X made where the main lines cross, sometimes on both hands, or an X together with an M. The classical books we use don’t describe a large X sign or give it any meaning. They read only small, clearly formed crosses, like the mystic cross above. Online claims that a large X is rare, lucky or a sign of spiritual strength have no source in these books, so read them as belief, not tradition.

Long lines cross on every palm. The letter M is formed by the major lines too: the M on the palm guide explains it, and the lines on your palm guide shows how they run.

What does a cross on a mount mean?

The mounts are the pads of the palm, each named after a planet. Cheiro reads a cross on them as the opposite of a star: almost always a sign of trouble to come, with one exception. Those readings are forecasts of events, which no mark can make, so for each mount we say where it is and what the books claim, and set the forecast aside. The palm mounts guide explains what each mount itself is read for.

Cross on the mount of Jupiter

Under the index finger. This is the one cross Cheiro calls good: he reads it as a great affection coming into the life, and even places its timing by where it sits. Markun reports it as a happy marriage, and plainly doubts it. No mark can tell whether or when someone will come into your life; at most, read it as an openness to deep attachment.

Cross on the mount of Saturn

Under the middle finger. Cheiro gives a cross here his gravest reading, about harm. No mark on a palm can foresee an accident or harm, so we don’t repeat it.

Cross on the mount of the Sun

Under the ring finger. Cheiro reads disappointment in the pursuit of fame, art or money: a forecast of an outcome, which we leave out.

Cross on the mount of Mercury

Under the little finger. Cheiro reads a dishonest nature here. A mark on the skin says nothing about anyone’s honesty.

Cross on the mounts of Mars

On the two Mars mounts, near the thumb and on the outer edge, Cheiro reads opposition and quarrels. Those are forecasts about other people, not readings of you.

Cross on the mount of the Moon

On the outer edge above the wrist. Cheiro reads an imagination strong enough to mislead its owner, and goes much further when the cross sits low. That further reading is a forecast, which we leave out.

Cross on the mount of Venus

On the ball of the thumb. Cheiro reads a trial of the affections, and a small cross close to the life line as quarrels with near relatives. Both are forecasts, so we leave them out.

Crosses on the lines

A cross touching one of the main lines is read by the old books as a setback at that point: to the head, the heart, money or position. Heron-Allen reads a cross low in the palm, near the life line, as a struggle that ends in a change of position. These are all readings of events, and no mark can make one. Many “crosses” on lines are also just short lines that cross a main line.

The sun line guide covers the marks on that line, and the palmistry terms glossary explains each sign and space of the palm in a sentence.

Can a phone photo show a cross?

Usually not. Crosses, stars, squares and triangles are only a few pixels wide in most phone photos, too small to see reliably. The PalmSays app observes marks like these but leaves them out of the reading for that reason. To look for one, use bright, even daylight and your own eyes, and check that the X stands on its own and isn’t just a crease or two lines crossing.

Crosses in the left and right hand

A cross is read the same way on either hand, for women and men alike. Tradition reads your writing hand as the life you are making and the other as what you started with, so for a right-handed person a cross on the right hand is the one read for the life you are making. Heron-Allen reads a mystic cross clearly marked on both hands as that interest taken too far. Which hand to read explains the traditions.

Check yourself: palm crosses quiz

Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if you are right. New to palmistry? Start with how to read palm lines.

Myths about crosses on the palm

MythA cross on your palm is a bad omen.

Reality

Most small crossing lines are ordinary creases. The old books’ dark readings of crosses are forecasts, and no mark on the skin can make one.

MythA mystic cross means you have psychic powers.

Reality

Cheiro reads an interest in, and a feel for, the mystical. That is a leaning, not a power.

MythAn X on both hands is very rare and very lucky.

Reality

No classical book we use counts how rare it is or calls it lucky. Treat those claims as belief.