The Girdle of Venus           Navigation Back Palmistry Home Home Page

Course
Rises between the fingers of Jupiter and Saturn and runs across the Mounts of Saturn and Apollo, ending between the fingers of Apollo and Mercury (523).
The Girdle of Venus does not always run exactly over this path, but sometimes rises on the Mount of Jupiter and runs over onto the Mount of Mercury, sometimes ending on the percussion.

It is, in part, as sister line to the Heart line, and in some hands, when the Heart line is absent, takes the place of that line. Older palmists conceived the idea that when they saw this line in a land which had also a strong Heart line, that being virtually a sister line to the Heart line, it indicated a double supply of heart qualities. This was not meant in a physical sense, but as regard the affections, and for this reason the line was named by them the Girdle of Venus, meaning the Girdle of Love. As this reading of the line was first made in thee days when love meant license, the interpretation was attached to it that anyone with such a abundant supply of affections would seek occasion to lavish them, and the Girdle of Venus became the synonym of license, profligacy, debauchery, and was considered the mark of unchastity and abandonment. Through all the writings on Palmistry this interpretation has been largely adhered to, often with evident misgivings on the part of some writiers, who have frankly stated that they were at a loss for an explanation of this line. Some few have doubted its accuracy, and many practitioners have abandoned its use entirely, because they could not reconcile its accepted interpretation to the lives of the subjects they encountered, and many embarrassing errors were occasioned by the use of the line. To arrive at a correct solution of this much vexed question, we have only to apply our general hypothesis, and to adapt the line to the subject, not the subject to the line. Also to remember that this is the twentieth century, instead of 400 B.C., when the original reading was given, and that conditions today are different from those prevailing at that time.

From an exhaustive study of the Girdle of Venus, I have found that it does not as a rule indicate debauchery and license, but that it nearly always does indicate an intense state of nervousness, and in a large majority of cases great liability to hysteria. In a large percentage of hands in which this Girdle of Venus is found, the palm will be crossed by innumerable lines running in every direction. This by itself is sufficient ground for pronouncing the subject intensely nervous, but with the addition of a Girdle of Venus there is an increased degree of nervous excitability.
In seeking the rational of the line remember that the Vital Current enters through the finger of Jupiter, runs down the Life line, goes to the brain, and, returning, transfers itself to the lines of Saturn, Apollo, and Mercury, which are its natural channels of egress from the body. When this course is pursued without interruption, the action of the fluid is normal. But the Girdle of Venus being an abnormal line, by virtue of its location, deflects part of the current form its usual course immediately upon its entrance into us, and the balance of the Current seeking egress form the body through the lines of Saturn, Apollo, and Mercury on its return from the brain flows against the barrier formed by the Girdle of Venus, and cannot easily flow out though the finger ends, but, being obstructed by the Girdle, overflows into the palm of the hand. As the entire Current is seeking egress though the fingers of Saturn, Apollo and Mercury the entire current is thus obstructed or deflected by the girdle and overflows, cutting new channels for itself, in may directions, and thus producing the multiplicity of lines that we see. The large amount of vital Current thus turned loose to zigzag its way out of the hand, as best it can acts upon every nerve, electrifies it, intensifies its action, and from this excitation of the nerves we have the production of a highly nervous person. Thus as a first result of a Girdle of Venus we often have intense nervous activity.

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Having this much information to begin with, we have reached the point where we must apply the line to the subject. In the greater number of instances the Girdle of Venus is found in the hands of women. If the subject be naturally a delicate, nervous, finely constituted person, the nervousness produces by the Firdle will be greater than if they be phlematic and heavy in construction.
In the first case the nervous force will electrify their organization to a great degree. Such a person will suffer from any slight or inattention, will be easily depressed, even when people have the best intentions. They will soon come to think that he has no place in the world, and that no one cares for them. This brooding once begun, grows instead of decreases, until every act of even his best friends is distorted, every grief is magnified, pain is imagined where there is none, and we have a fully developed case of hysteria.
On a hand with few lines and a phlegmatic temperament, the Girdle of Venus is never of so great importance as an indication of hysteria and great nervousness as in the highly strung subject, but it may turn to the other horn of the de lemma, and if the hand be coarse or sensual, have a swollen Mount of Venus, and be red and animal in its general make-up there will likely be present the lasciviousness (expressing lust) which has always been the accepted reading of the line.
It is from the type and Chirognomic make-up of a subject that you must determine which interpretation should be given. In every case the Girdle will indicate some degree of nervousness and some degree of ardor(emotional warmth), but to reach a correct estimate of the extent of either, your subject must first be correctly estimated, and then the line applied to him.
- If the Mount of Venus be flat and flabby, the Life line running close to the thumb, the color white, the third phalanges of the fingers waist-like, and the Heart line thin, a Girdle of Venus will not indicate lasciviousness, for the physical make-up and conditions of the subject preclude the possibility of such a thing. This subject will, however, undoubtedly be a prey to intense nervousness and dejection, and hysteria has a fertile soil in which to develop.
On the other hand, if with a Girdle of Venus the Mount of Venus be large, swollen, and grilled, the third phalanges of the fingers thick, the first phalanges, short, the Life line running wide into the palm, Heart line deep and red, the Mounts of Mars full, and the color of the hand red, with black or any approach to auburn or red hair on the hands, it should never be read as indicating nervousness and hysteria, but as the greatest lusciousness possible, added to a taste for drink and general debauchery. A girdle of Venus on such a hand must be given the full strength of its old traditional interpretation. All of the nervousness in such a subject will become nervous energy which will be expended in gratifying animal appetites.

- If the subject with animal hands this arises from the heat of his passionate nature, which finds its outlet in this way. They quickly obtain relations with the opposite sex. In the very nervous hand puberty brings a sense of desire, but in such weak physical nature this is largely a mental condition. There is no real heat or warmth of physical passion, but the mind becomes inflamed and has lascivious dreams. Such subjects are full of imagination but weak in physical heat. It gives them greater delight to think of intercourse than the actual experience would bring them.
- If the lower third of the Mount of Moon be largely developed, with a thin, bony hand, flat Mount of Venus, Girdle of Venus, wasted third phalanges of the fingers, deficient Mounts of Mars, and thin Heart line, the subject will because of his imaginings. They are shy, diffident, and retiring by nature, and neither court nor love the society of people in general, or of the opposite sex in particular. Many such subjects are found in the Saturnian type.

Number of lines
The Girdle of Venus is usually a single deep line. This is most often seen on the least nervous hands, and is for this reason not so frequently an indication of hysteria as of increase of animal appetites. Often the Girdle is composed of broken fragments (526). This will increase the nervousness, the danger of hysteria, and also the retiring disposition.

- If the girdle of Venus be composed of double or triple lines, which is often the case (526), it will make its indication, whether of health or temperament, doubly strong.
- If the girdle be composed of a number of broken lines (527) and the rest of the hand be a nervous one, the danger from hysteria is great and all nervous symptoms will be intensified.
- If with such a marking there are indications of female trouble (528) the subject will be a geat sufferer, and nervous depression, ill-health, and constant discontent and unhappiness will surround her. There subjects should be taken to a specialist, who may relieve them, but often the real trouble is not known. With such a marking you will frequently find very defective Life and Head lines.

- If the Head line in this case should have islands, dots, crosses, or a star on it, there will be grave danger of insanity (529). The ultranervous condition shown by a bad Girdle of Venus will have its effect upon every phase of life. Defects in the Saturn or Apollo lines may be accounted for by a bad Girdle of Venus. They may come from either lasciviousness or ill-health; which one may be indicated by a Chironomic examination and by the Main lines. With the Girdle of Venus, a factor which may be so potent in its operation, there will be many combinations in which it will play an important part. It the Head line slopes low into the Mount of Moon, and on it or near its termination a star, dot, cross, or island be seen, with a broken Girdle of Venus, and many lines in the hand (530), the subject is in grave danger of insanity, as a result of intense nervousness and excessive imagination. This subject will be erratic, cranky and hard to get along with. It a cross be seen on the Mount of Saturn, a broken Girdle of Venus, dots or islands in the head line under Saturn, a grille on the Mount of the Moon, with brittle or fluted nails, the subject will be in grave danger from paralysis (531). If the hand be thick at the base, fingers thick, color red, lines deep and red, with a deep Girdle of Venus, and the lines of Life and Head short and ending in defects, the subject will be likely to die very suddenly at the age at which the Life line end, as a result of dissipation and excess (532).

- If their hand be sensual in formation, with a Girdle of Venus which cuts a troubled Saturn line deeply, and a dot be seen on the Mount of Apollo, or on the Apollo line near the termination, the excesses of the subject will ruin his career and end in the entire loss of his reputation (533). It will be noted in the foregoing illustrations that the Chirognomic type of the hand is taken into account, and that a broken Girdle of Venus indicates the nervous condition and a deep Girdle indicates its excessive side. If a deep Girdle of Venus cuts a line of Affection, the Heart line has drooping lines from it, the head line becomes defective toward the end and terminates in a star, and the Saturn line is cut by a bar which stops it, the excesses of the subject will ruin his married life and cause great sorrow, finally ending in an impairment of the mental faculties. insanity, and the ruining of his career (534).

You will meet the Girdle of Venus in all kinds of hands. Some of the best men and women have had it, and their career have never suffered. It has been argued that the added warmth imparted by the Girdle of Venus gives a greater richness to the character that can hold it within bounds. From this standpoint it would be considered as an absolute blessing. But its presence may procure unpleasant results and in many ways. The difficulty of telling which meaning to give the Girdle is made easy when you fit the line to the type of hand which has it, and do not try to fit lasciviousness to every person on whom the Girdle is seen. A poor, trembling, nervous, cold-handed subject with a Girdle of Venus should not be told that he indulges in great excesses, for to such a person an extra cup of coffee or tea would mean great dissipation, and yet it is on such subjects that you will find a large percentage of Girdles.
Good judgment and a clean way of looking at things must be displayed in handling the Girdle of Venus, which, used with discrimination, willl produce only good results for the practitioner. There are those who seek unpleasant sides to every character, and for such the Girdle has peculiar charms, but in the largest number of cases, pity and tenderness should be the feeling it inspires.