Palm reading is a medium of foretelling the future through the study of the palm. This is done by charting the lines and ridges on ones hand and extrapolating future events based on the depth and strengths of the lines and other attributes. 

For example if ones life line is long and deep, the life lived is said to be; long and meaningful. Of course this example is an extreme over simplification to the practiced Chirographer. 

Since each hand is different the extreme variations are uncharitable in an anatomical sense. This is because there is no clear meaning of the ridges or lines in combination with other lines and ridges and the way in which they are configured or aligned.

Much like the human body it is difficult to predict good or bad health based on the fact that we all have livers, kidneys and lungs. Medicine is constantly perplexed by the inconsistencies of healthfulness because of the millions of other factors that influence good or bad health.

Therefore it is the experienced palm readers that are the most successful. Usually employing their own individual interpretations of the meanings and outcomes. It is said that most palm readers supplement their craft with psychic abilities and use visions and revelations to assist in readings.

The phenomena and practice of chirology is found on every continent with no direct genealogy or more to the point, many cultures claim that the origins Palmistry’s begin with them.

History does record that hand reading was part of Greek, Roman, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Indian cultures.