Tarot Cards vs. Palm reading: What’s the difference?

For thousands of years’, pseudoscience methods have been popular tools for spiritual guidance. Two of the most popular ways of doing so is by tarot card readings and palm readings. While they both tell you about yourself, they are quite different.

What are differences in tarot card readings and palm reading?

Tarot Card Readings	Palm Readings
Based on meaning of 78 cards	Based on lines of your hand
Uses intuition to understand meaning	Lines change with attitude and thinking
Utilizes symbols, stories and images	Tell you about your life and your future
There are multiple spreads for readings	There are major and minor lines
Tells the past, present, and future	Your hand belongs to an element
Can be done in person or remotely	Can be difficult to understand
Related to astrology	Associated with astrology

Tarot cards and palm reading are both forms of divination. Knowing the differences between the two arts can help you determine which is right for you. Let’s go into more detail!

Table of Contents

What are the Main Differences Between Tarot Cards and Palm Reading?

The simple answer is that there are differences between palm reading and tarot cards. Depending on the experience you’re looking for as well as the information you’re trying to get from them, we’re going to discuss which one is best suited to what you are looking for.

The basic methods are different. Tarot cards involve a deck of 78 cards which have symbols, images, and stories that represent different events in our lives. Tarot readings also have two main readings where you can get the information for a specific question or a general readings.

These are done with different spreads that have multiple meanings from success, to love and even health. Tarot cards have similarities to astrology, but they are not directly connected.

Palm reading involves reading the unique palm lines that each of us have. These lines can reflect our personality traits, our past, and even the potential we have in our lives. As we age, palm lines will change over time too!

Each of our hands represent different aspects of our life with your dominant hand representing your future and your passive hand representing your past. The palms contain major and minor lines which can tell you more about your life and your future.

Palm reading can be associated with astrology since it is actually possible to gather your horoscope from your palm.

While they are different, both of these methods fall under the category of pseudoscience. Let’s talk about what pseudoscience actually is!

First off, what is Pseudoscience?

Both of these techniques are part of a larger of an art called pseudoscience. These can be categorized as methods that don’t have a basis in scientific truth. Although this doesn’t matter to people who are part of the art, each method has come under scrutiny for the validity of it to someone’s decision-making process.

What are Tarot Cards?

A tarot deck consist of 78 cards. Each card represents an image, symbol, or story. Within the deck there are 22 Major Arcana cards that can identify spiritual lessons, and

There are 56 Minor Arcana cards that show trials we go through every day.

The Minor Arcana deck can be broken down further as well. There are 16 tarot court cards that contain personality traits. There are also 40 cards that are numbered into 4 different suits that show what happens to us day-to-day.

The Cards are Broken Up into the Following Suits

Wands: Spiritual
Swords: Negative issues and loss
Cups: Emotional
Circles (Pentacles): Success

How Do Tarot Cards Work?

Tarot cards are a great tool for learning more about your future, as well as your intuition. Since the cards represent imagery, symbols, and potential stories, the cards pulled during your reading will have a direct representation of your life.

Tarot card readings can work in two different ways.

Open Readings: These are more general readings about where you’re at in life. These readings are great for general knowledge about love, life, career, or health.

Question Readings: If you’re looking for information on a more specific question, then you may want to try one of these. Read about how to ask Yes or No questions here.

Tarot cards can be interpreted in multiple ways. You can take the literal meaning of each card that is represented in the book that is designated for your card deck. You can also interpret them. However, it comes to you when you receive a reading.

This method of reading tarot cards tends to involve more divination tools.

Although there are locations online that offer tarot card readings, many people do not recommend using them.

Since you are typically seeing information about your own life, or answers to questions you have, it’s better to go visit someone who knows what to do or even to buy your own deck and start trying it out for yourself.

With that being said, if you’re just curious about what happens in a reading, then feel free to see what an online reading has to offer, but don’t get your hopes up too much!

Different Meanings of Tarot Cards Spread

Tarot cards have spreads, which are the way that you receive the reading. Each of these spreads has cards laid out in a specific way, and they can mean different things as well.

The True Love Spread: This consists of six cards laid out within three lines with two cards on top, three in the middle, and one in the bottom. This spread helps you to know more about your physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional connection with your significant other. Read more about the tarot spread for love, here.

The Success Spread: Made up of five different cards, this is the perfect spread to use when you’re facing a certain obstacle in your life. You can learn what skills you need in order to overcome what you’re facing.

The Celtic Cross Spread: One of the more complicated spreads, this is made up of ten cards. Including five placed into a diamond shape with one card across the middle, and four cards in a line on the side. It is one of the most popular spreads and can give quite a bit of information due to the complexity of the spread.

Here are 2 articles about the Celtic Cross Spread:

The Spiritual Guidance Spread: This is another spread similar to the success spread. It’s great if you’re facing a situation in which you might need some guidance. It’s meant to help you on your guide in terms of intuition and perspective. This spread contains eight cards with seven on top and one on the bottom.

The Career Path Spread: Looking for a new job? A career spread can help you know if you’re in the right place, or to help you overcome obstacles in your life related to work.

The Three-Card Spread: By far the easiest spread, this contains three simple cards. There is no specific purpose for this spread, but it is general, and it can help you find out more about a variety of situations. Read about this spread here.

Something to remember is that most tarot readings are not definitive answers to your questions. Your best bet is to use them as guidance while you are making decisions in your life. Tarot cards are great tools to tell you more about your future.

The best thing about tarot cards is that you don’t have to know exactly what each card means. You can always refer back to a book for reference. From there, you can identify what the cards are trying to say, and how it pertains to your life.

Are tarot cards and astrology related?

Although tarot cards can be related to astrology, they began as two different practices. Since our modern knowledge of plants was not actually around when it began, it is unlikely that the two were changed or altered to reflect each other.

I wrote a more details article about how Tarot and Astrology are related, read it here.

The main connection is seen in the wands, pentacles, swords, and cup suites. These are seen as fire, earth, air, and water. They also are assigned to specific zodiac signs but are more tools that work together instead of intertwined.

Each of the Tarot cards are associated with different zodiac signs. I’ve written a number of articles that discuss each zodiac sign and how they are related to tarot cards. Here are a couple to check out:

I’ve recently started working with an online psychic reading company and I’ve received some great feedback. I’d love it if you could try them out and let me know your experience. Receive a 5 Minute Tarot Reading For Free, click here!

What is Palm Reading?

Palm reading, also known as chiromancy or palmistry, is basically the reading of someone’s hands. It is believed to have begun in ancient India and eventually spread through China, Tibet, Persia, Egypt, and Greece.

You can find out more about that person’s personality traits, future, and potential fortune as well. Together, both palms can tell if someone is living up to their full potential in life. Palm readings can also consist of reading the arm, finger, and even the fingernail of someone as well.

The study of your palm and fingerprints is part of Dermatoglyphics, which is a medical study. Everyone has a palm print and fingerprint that is unique to them. These act as a “fossilized record” of your medical traits from an early age. With this being said, readings are going to be different for everyone.

Some of the common traits that you can tell from reading include:

Health
Wealth
Career
Relationships
Success
Fate

As you get older, your palm lines will actually change. Based on your thoughts and behavior, you can see a shift in various lines. Scientifically, these changes are most impacted by your injuries, work, and just age.

How Does Palm Reading Work?

Palm reading involves both palms. The hand that you write with typically is your dominant hand with your other being passive. It is said that your left-hand shows traits you possessed when you were born as well as what you have. Your right hand shows your traits as you age.

Your hand can also belong to one of the basic elements. These elements are reflected in the shape of the hand, as well as how the hand is formed. Earth, fire, air, and water all have significant shapes.

Earth hands have square palms with shorter fingers. They also tend to be more solid. These individuals are practical, logical, and grounded.

Fire hands have a longer palms with short fingers. The palm lines and mounts tend to be more pronounced. They are passionate, confident, and industrious.

Air hands have square palms with longer fingers. Their hands are bony, and the individuals are curious and have natural communication skills.

Water hands have both a long palm and a long finger. These are thinner hands that tend to be clammy. These people are in tune with emotions and intuition.

Major and Minor Palm Lines

When it comes to reading palms, the main method involves reading a few of the big lines on your hand. These are natural creases and folds that we all have and are unique to us. The information gathered during palm readings is based on length, curve, and depth.

There are three main lines that are read in palm reading:

Life Line: Vitality and life energy. Can also show illness or poor health

Head Line: Wisdom, beliefs, thinking ability, creativity

Heart Line: Attitude to love, emotions, relationship quality

There are also some minor lines that are involved in palm reading, as well. These tend to show any talents, strengths, weaknesses, or interests that you may have.

The most popular minor lines include:

Marriage Line: Shows your attitude to love and marriage life.
Fate Line: Shows the fortune of your job and your workability.
Sun Line: Sometimes called the line of success. Popularity and talents.
Children Line: This can show the number of children as well as their life status.
Money Line: This line shows if you are good at investing or making money.
Health Line: Depending on the location, can it can tell if you have good or bad health.
Travel Line: Maybe you’ll live abroad or travel a lot! This line will tell you.
Line of Mars: Also known as the support lifeline.

Mounts and Plains

Lines are the main part of palm reading, but the mounts and plains on your hands also have something to do with your reading. Mounts on your hand are related to the seven classical planets.

The shape of you is mound can also have important meanings. Full or rounded mounds represent balance, and mounts that appear to be sunk in can actually show a lack of qualities or areas you’ve become blind to.

Mount of Jupiter: Confidence, Ambition, Leadership
Mount of Saturn: Wisdom, Responsibility, Fortitude
Mount of Apollo: Optimism, Vitality, Essence
Mount of Mercury: Wit, Adaptability, Social Skills
Mount of Luna: Empathy, Compassion, Imagination
Mount of Venus: Sexuality, Passion, Indulgence

Mars is quite popular in palmistry. Within your palm, there are three distinct regions. Inner Mars is for physical strength and tenacity. Outer Mars is for perseverance and emotional bravery. Finally, the Plain of Mars is the balance between the Inner and Outer.

Since palm readings are more general, they typically offer less information than you may be looking for. Palm reading can be more difficult to understand.

Unlike tarot cards, palm readings are more successful in person. Since they are more focused on your actual life and future instead of intuition, it’s best to leave it to professionals.

Is Palm Reading Associated with Astrology?

Astro Palmistry is a practice that connects the two together.

Our palms connect zodiac signs and have relations to planetary positions as well. You can actually draw a horoscope from this form of palmistry. Since our palm ridges and lines are formed at birth when you’re born has a lot to do with who you become.

If you’re interested in learning more about Astro palmistry, then this website gives a ton of information and some great graphics to help you understand it more!

Which Method is More Accurate?

While none of the methods are backed by science, different methods work for different people. Some people believe that palm reading is most closely connected to science; therefore, they tend to believe it more.

Palm readings are also typically performed by individuals who have experience with pseudoscience methods. Therefore they can get more information than the average person.

Others believe that tarot cards are drawn for you by a spirit guide. They can tell you about more than just your past and who you are. Most people who use tarot cards are looking to answer a specific question, or for specific guidance, which makes them seem to be a more effective tool for them.

So Which Is Right For You?

Deciding which of these methods is right for you all depends on what you’re looking to get out of the experience. Tarot cards and palm reading may seem like they tell you the same thing, but they are quite different.

Tarot cards are more about what your future might look like. While nothing is set in stone, you and your tarot card reader can use intuition to see how the reading might apply to your life.

Since palm reading uses your own hands, it is more about what you were born with and how you have changed throughout your life. You can receive different readings throughout your life since the lines in your hand will change.

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