The Big Hand Speaks

During the Wish tour in 1992, I was 23 years old. I lived in a big old house with many roommates in the heart of Salt Lake City, and made the princely sum of $4.50 per hour while working as a signmaker's apprentice, which was slightly less than full time work. I owned a beat-up blue Dodge Colt hatchback from 1985 named Zippy, and spent much of that summer fixing it in my driveway. Still, it was a fun summer and when the Cure landed in Salt Lake City it was a dream come true, as I had only seen them once before. I bought a ticket for the show and went with my then-boyfriend where we perched on the very top level of the newly-built Delta Center arena. At that time, since money was in short supply in my life, I opted to buy the tour book instead of the teeshirt at the merchandise booth after the show. Since I did this for most of the shows that I attended back in those days (tour book vs. teeshirt) it has only been in the past ten years or so that I've actually been able to buy all of those teeshirts that I missed out on due to being broke, via Ebay of course.

So when I saw this original tour teeshirt go on sale on Ebay recently, I added it to my collection. In the case of this particular shirt, I have seen it before, but it wasn't until I had it in my own hands that I happened to notice just HOW detailed the hand print is on the back. And as I was noticing this, I automatically began to think to myself "hmm, heart line is chained, head line..." etc. and then it hit me. - OMG! I can read Robert's palm!

So, all of the folks that just rolled their eyes should probably just stop reading right here. I do believe in palmistry (and also astrology, tarot cards and other things that are deemed to be "unscientific". ) I also adore science and physics and technology, but I don't believe that either of the two sides has all the answers for anything in life. And no, I'm not going to waste my time or yours arguing about the validity of my beliefs vs. your beliefs. So, like I said, if you don't want to read about my palm reading here, it's probably best to close that browser window and move on.

Still with me? Ok! Let's go. You may first want to open the large size of this photo so that you can follow along with the reading. I've indicated the various lines and features in red as a guide so that you can look at the correct line in the larger photo. You should also keep in mind that there are many different ways to read a palm, with some people placing emphasis on different lines or mounts than others may, so please be aware that for the purpose of this article I will only read the "basic" lines and mounts of the palm without paying much attention to the secondary or more esoteric lines, mounts, rings or markings.

Robert's Hand

Obviously, my first assumption was that this was a print of Robert's hand, however, I wanted to make certain of this before I continued. You may be asking yourself "How are you going to figure that out?" and indeed, it took a while before I hit upon the evidence I needed. I looked at tons of photos and videos, and then finally I remembered another occasion where Robert put his hand print on something - the Rockwalk event! A short flickr search later and I turned up this great high-resolution photo of the Cure's hand prints set in concrete in 2004.

Photo by 2harborview

Overlaid with teeshirt photo - Click to view larger

If you open the larger size of the overlaid photo, you can see how well the teeshirt matches the concrete print. That being said, I'm very certain now that this is indeed Robert's hand print on the teeshirt. So essentially, I have a great big detailed and enlarged copy of his hand print to work from to do the reading. Some readers have a preference as to which hand they like to read, but as both the teeshirt print and the concrete hand print are both of his right hand, that's what we have to work with here so we'll go with it.

The photo of the concrete handprint also gives me a good sense of the three dimensional nature of his hand as well, giving me some much needed clues as to the depth or height of the various mounts. (What are "mounts"? Mounts are the raised areas on the palm, such as the bulge near the base of the thumb.) I also used several photographs of Robert's hand such as this one below for reference to the height of the mounts.

Hand Type

One of the first things that palm readers look for is the shape of the hand and fingers themselves. Robert's hand type is known as a Square, Practical or Ordinary hand. The palm is square and the fingers are even widths and neither too long or too short as compared to the palm size, nor are the fingers tapering, knobby or spatulate. This type of hand shows a person who seems to be very down to earth and likes most of all to be practical about everything. They are very grounded and can be stubborn at times. This person's driving force is to understand completely what is real, what is seen and what can be experienced. If they cannot see it, touch it, smell it or hold it, then it may as well not exist. These people are the ultimate pragmatists. Many people with this hand type make a living by doing something with their hands such as carpentry, plumbing or pottery, so it is not too much of a stretch to say that Robert makes a living with his hands as well!

The Lines

Heart Line

The heart line begins on the outside of the palm near the top and runs inward almost to the mount of Jupiter located under the index finger, and is read to gain insight into the emotional makeup of an individual. A strong upward curve away from the center of the palm in this handprint indicates that Robert is very interested in "affairs of the heart" and is also very romantic, driven by passion and lust in those aforementioned matters of the heart. The chain pattern within the heart line can be seen as a series of heartbreaks or emotional disturbances throughout his life. I find it extremely interesting that in the teeshirt graphic, the symbol of the moon, traditionally associated with emotions and "mood swings" is placed squarely on the Heart line.

Head Line

The Head line is read to gain insight into the intellect and thinking patterns of an individual. The most notable thing about the Head line here is it's separation from the Life line just below it. The head line is deep and well defined, indicating an intellectual deep thinker, which of course we know from Robert's lyrics and music already! However one thing that is very interesting about the separation of the Head line from the Life line, is that it can indicate someone who can be moody, distant and even dreamy. The feeling of disconnection of the intellect (Head) from the body (Life) is something that many people with this rarer formation often mention. People with this line formation will often neglect or abuse their bodies or fail to take care of their physical needs in favor of their intellectual desires. This characteristic also produces people who are fiercely independent and can be impulsive, particularly when it comes to ideas. This is a person who can get carried away with an idea without thinking through all the ramifications, despite the innate practicality of the Square hand shape. The curve downward in the Head line also indicates a very creative and artistic person (of course, we knew that too). Finally, although it can be very indicative of someone who is a daydreamer, the space between the Head and Life lines is also seen by many palm readers as a sign of someone who is extremely lucky in their life and pursuits.

Life Line

This line represents the physical life and well being of any individual. The Life line can be read as a literal interpretation of the progression of a person's life, with health, illness, vitality, longevity and life force all on display in the palm. The line is read from where it starts at the thumb side of the palm as representing birth, then on through childhood and young adulthood and down to old age toward the wrist. The great news for Cure fans is that Robert's Life line is extremely strong, defined and deep, without any sign of serious health issues at all. However, I must note that the lines representing the later years of his life (I would say past 60-70 on this life line) are obscured by the cut-out C on the teeshirt design. However, you can see the ending of the Life line just under the bottom of the C, which means that it reaches or nearly reaches the edge of the wrist. That's a good sign. :D Without being able to see the bottom part of the Life line, it is only a guess, but barring any extreme breaks in this area of the Life line, I would venture to say that Robert will be in good health for most of his life and will have a long and vigorous old age. Whether that will translate into another ten or so albums or tours is a little murkier, unfortunately! The prominent lines which rise upward from the Life line speak to moments of great inspiration and clarity which have occurred throughout his life.

Fate Line

Ironically, one of the only lines in the palm that you don't necessarily want to have a thick and distinct line is the Fate line. This is because the stronger the line, the more controlled by Fate your life will seem to be. The more indistinct the line, the more you will be in control of your own destiny. However, there is a fine balance between those energies, because a missing Fate line indicates that your life will be full of Chaos and you will feel almost tossed by the wind and the Furies. In this case, a light touch of Fate goes a long ways, and almost everyone needs a little of that energy in their lives. The Fate line is also read as a timeline in a similar fashion as the Life line, and one of the most intriguing things on Robert's palm is the fork that the Fate line takes as it reaches up toward the Head line. Reading from the bottom, this line seems to come some time between the ages of 50-60, and seems to display a moment of destiny that will come to Robert during this time span. This is a moment where he will have to choose one circumstance over another, and the outcome is by no means clear, as both options are viable. This is the reason that the Fate line disappears into nothingness after this choice, as the final outcome is highly dependent on this choice that he will have to make. Another palmistry resource has this to say about a fork which radiates toward the Mount of Venus (toward the thumb) as this one does: "A fork pointing towards the Mount of Venus is indicative of a person with very strong musical and literary pursuits. These people will almost always achieve celebrity status." Indeed. Robert's Fate line is pretty well defined, which indicates to me that he has had a lot of lucky coincidences and synchronistic occurrences in his life which have added to his success. The intervention of Fate in his life has brought him a few more opportunities than an average person, while still allowing him the free will to accept or reject them as he saw fit.

Although there are many other lines that one can explore in a reading, for the sake of brevity I will conclude the "lines" portion here and move on to the Mounts.

Mount of Jupiter

Going on both the evidence from the print and the concrete casting, the area just under the index finger is raised considerably higher and is more pronounced than the other mounts on the hand. A strong Mount of Jupiter says that he is a natural leader, not afraid to take charge of things and be the boss, even if the decisions he makes are not always popular or understood. The self confidence indicated by a strong Mount of Jupiter makes him his own best adviser, and he is not easily swayed by others' opinions. From the strong impression on the teeshirt as well as the depth of this area on the concrete casting, it is apparent that the Mount of Jupiter is one of the most prominent features of Robert's handprint, and as such, one of the most important. The height of the topography here makes it clear that Robert is fulfilling his destiny as a vital figure in history, and some palm readers even believe that a very prominent Mount of Jupiter indicates an almost godlike being. The legions of Cure fans worldwide may attest to the accuracy of this interpretation.

Mount of Saturn

Although the Mount of Saturn (the next mount over from Jupiter, underneath the second finger) is obscured on the print with the red and black symbol, you can see from the concrete casting that this mount is also fairly well developed and prominent. The height of this mount can be read as someone who is very single-minded and driven to a sole purpose in life. People with this formation very often throw themselves into their work with sometimes fanatical purpose. The Mount of Saturn also indicates the amount of wisdom with which the individual approaches their life, which is supported by the other signs in the hand of the pragmatic, practical and down to earth energies which are present in Robert's life.

Mount of Apollo

The Mount of Apollo (or the Mount of the Sun) in Robert's hand is less-developed than the other mounts, and also contains one of the most prominent palmistry markings on his hand. Finding a grid pattern on any hand is generally seen as draining the energy of the hand, and depending on where it is placed, can indicate through which avenue that energy is being drained. So the interesting dilemma of Robert's palm is that although he is a very successful person, the grid on his Mount of Apollo, which is the mount of success in life, means that his success is actually the biggest drain of his energy. This reflects the uneasy relationship that he has with his own success, and the way in which he is most likely left exhausted and drained by the weight of his own achievements. The Mount of Apollo also represents our "sunny" side, or the amount of optimism that is present in our worldview. From this configuration, I have to conclude that optimism when it is present in Robert's life is most likely short-lived, through the action of the grid pattern, with positive cheerfulness quickly drained and replaced with more pessimistic thoughts. This is not to say that he cannot be cheerful, optimistic or sunny, but that when he does have these moods, they can be a bit more fleeting than with other people.

Mount of Venus

The Mount of Venus is located at the base of the thumb, near the bottom of the palm. A well-rounded and developed Mount of Venus such as this means that Robert is a person who is constantly aware of and appreciative of the beauty around him. This area speaks of someone who is deeply interested in the sensual side of life, in all it's aspects, from food to art to the luxury of pleasurable physical sensation and sexuality. Persons with a prominent Mount of Venus are the people who revel in the physical side of life and love to explore new tastes, new feelings and new experiences. They enjoy physical sensations such as massage, swimming, sauna, and other things which allow them to feel with their largest sense organ, their skin. They also enjoy comfortable clothing and nice-feeling fabrics next to their skin, and will usually immediately remove any clothing they put on which feels uncomfortable, confining or harsh. The way things feel is very important to someone with a well developed Mount of Venus.

Mount of Luna (Mount of the Moon)

The Mount of Luna is the area that is examined for clues to the person's emotional, imaginative and creative energies. Someone who is lacking in creativity or emotionality will have a Mount of Luna which is almost or entirely flat. Obviously, in Robert's palm we have the exact opposite. A full, rounded Mount of Luna shows us that he is someone who despite his rationality, logic and practicality is bursting with emotion, imagination and creativity. The Mount of Luna shows us that he has a rich inner life where he can escape to when the world gets too harsh. Indeed the Mount of Luna being very developed as it is here shows us that Robert is someone who is extremely sensitive to the emotions of others, and probably has little to no interest in fighting, arguing or violence and does everything he can to avoid it in his life. One drawback to having a large Mount of Luna is that he can get caught up too much in his own dream world or fantasies, and may have a hard time returning to the real world of bills, decisions and difficulty. Occasionally this can lead to many projects begun but not finished, and goals dreamed of but never attained.

Final Analysis

Looking at all of the evidence gathered, it is clear that here is a person who can almost work at cross purposes to himself in many ways. Although much of his hand shows someone who is very grounded, practical, deeply intellectual and logical, he can also succumb to the dreamy, fantastical world of his own imagination and creativity. He seems to be someone who appreciates a concise and methodical way of living in the world, but at the same time, enjoys the occasional foray into numinous unreality. Most of all, this palm print reveals someone who is complex and may often find his thoughts and dreams at odds with his desires and his actions. He may experience many times where he is pulled in two directions at once, for instance, he may wish to live somewhat austerely, which may appeal to his logical, grounded self, but at the same time, desire to have somewhat luxurious surroundings which appeal to his sensual, imaginative side.

Ultimately, the fact that these inner struggles have produced some of the most amazing music and lyrics are to the benefit of all of us fans worldwide, and hopefully will continue to do so for many years to come!