Head Line Palmistry: What Your Head Line Reveals About How You Think

The head line is the middle horizontal crease on the palm, revealing your intellectual style and decision-making approach. A curved head line indicates creative, intuitive thinking while a straight line shows analytical processing. Learn to interpret length, branches, islands, and the writer's fork using insights from Cheiro, Chinese palmistry, and modern hand analysis.

Where Is the Head Line and What Does It Represent?

The head line is the second major horizontal crease, running from between the thumb and index finger across the palm toward the outer edge. It sits below the heart line and above the life line, representing your intellectual style: how you process information, make decisions, solve problems, and communicate thoughts. The head line reveals whether you think primarily through logic or intuition, prefer quick decisions or lengthy deliberation, and handle mental stress. It does not measure intelligence in the IQ sense. A person with a short faint head line can be brilliant, and someone with a long deep head line can make poor decisions. What the line describes is the mental machinery you habitually engage, not the power behind it.

In Chinese palmistry, the head line is the human line (ren wen), mediating between heaven (heart) and earth (life). Cheiro assigned it to Mercury's influence, connecting it to communication and intellectual agility. The Vedic tradition calls it Mastishka Rekha (brain line) and associates it with buddhi (discerning wisdom), placing particular importance on consistent depth throughout its length. The vocabulary English-language readers use today descends from the nineteenth-century French revival, where Adolphe Desbarrolles set out his system in Les Mystères de la Main (Paris, Dentu, 1859). Claims that classical Greek philosophers wrote about this particular crease do not hold up.

How is the head line different from the heart line?

The heart line sits above (closer to fingers) governing emotions and relationships. The head line sits below governing intellect and decision-making. The heart line asks how you feel; the head line asks how you think. When making decisions, the relative strength of these two lines indicates whether you lead with emotion (stronger heart line) or logic (stronger head line).

What if the head line is the strongest line on the palm?

When the head line is deeper and more prominent than heart and life lines, intellectual activity dominates. This person processes everything through thinking rather than feeling or instinct. Common among academics, researchers, and strategists. The risk is overthinking and analysis paralysis; the remedy is consciously developing emotional and physical awareness.

Can the head line merge with the heart line?

Yes. When head and heart lines merge into a single crease, this is called a simian line, combining intellectual and emotional processing into one intensely focused channel. This is a distinct palm feature with its own interpretation rather than simply a missing head line. Anatomically the same feature is called a single transverse palmar crease. It appears in roughly 45 percent of Down syndrome cases and in about 1 to 4 percent of the general population, so most people who have one have nothing else going on. It is a soft marker only, never diagnostic by itself.

Does the head line change over time?

The main course of the line is fixed early, since palmar flexion creases form during fetal development and their basic pattern persists for life. What does shift is secondary detail: depth, clarity, the appearance and fading of islands, and the growth of small branches. Traditional practice agrees in its own language: the shape is read once and treated as settled, while the markings are checked afresh at every reading because they are expected to come and go with periods of mental strain.

What Does a Curved Head Line Reveal About Creative Thinking?

A head line curving downward toward the Mount of Luna reveals a mind oriented toward creativity, imagination, and intuitive processing. Tradition scales the reading to the depth of the curve. A slight slope integrates creative elements into otherwise practical thinking. A moderate curve indicates strong creative processing through imagery, metaphor, and emotional resonance. A dramatic plunge toward Luna indicates exceptional imagination that may struggle with mundane practicality. Curved-head-line people think in pictures rather than words, absorb information through narrative rather than raw data, and solve problems through lateral thinking and unexpected connections. They excel in fields that require imagining what does not yet exist. The curved head line reaching into the subconscious territory Luna governs draws on dreams and symbols.

Manuals in the Cheiro tradition report curved head lines as common among artists and musicians, an impression drawn from consulting-room experience rather than a counted sample. Vedic palmistry associates a curve toward Chandra (Moon) mount with strong manasa shakti (mental imagination power) and aptitude for creative arts, divination, and spiritual practice. Chinese palmistry interprets the curved human line as water-influenced thinking: fluid and adaptive. Modern writers reach for psychological analogies here, likening the curved head line to Howard Gardner's spatial intelligence or to Carl Jung's intuitive type, the person who perceives through possibilities rather than concrete sensory data. Those are illustrations rather than findings, since neither has been tested against hands.

Can a curved head line indicate a career path?

A curved head line suggests aptitude for writing, visual arts, music, acting, design, counseling, and fields requiring empathy and imagination. The deeper the curve, the stronger the pull toward purely creative work. A mild curve supports creative skills within structured fields like marketing, architecture, or teaching. Career satisfaction depends on having creative outlets regardless of specific profession.

What if the curve reaches all the way to the wrist?

A head line plunging deeply toward the wrist indicates an exceptionally powerful imagination that may border on fantasy-prone personality. This person lives vividly in their inner world and may struggle with boundaries between imagination and reality. While this appears in gifted artists and visionaries, it can indicate susceptibility to escapism and difficulty managing practical daily life.

Does a curved head line mean you are bad at math?

No. The curve indicates processing preference, not capability limitations. Many mathematicians have curved head lines because higher mathematics requires creative thinking and abstract visualization. The curve shows how you approach problems, not which problems you can solve. Creative problem-solving applies to every domain including science and mathematics.

What does a head line that slopes upward mean?

An upward-tending head line, rising slightly toward the little finger side instead of dropping toward Luna, is uncommon and reads in tradition as a mind tuned to material outcomes. Such a person prices things quickly and has usually spotted the practical angle before anyone else raises it. Tradition treats a strong upward pull as shrewdness that can shade into calculation when the heart line is thin. Wealth indicators proper belong to a separate reading; see Money Line Palm for that territory.

How do you judge the degree of curve accurately?

Imagine a straight line from the head line's origin to the point directly beneath the ring finger, then see how far the actual crease falls below it. A drop of roughly a finger's width reads as a moderate creative slope, and a drop carrying the line into the lower half of the palm reads as a deep one. Where the slope begins matters as much as its size: a line running level before dipping late reads as imagination arriving once the practical work is done, unlike one leaning downward from the outset, which reads as a mind that starts with the image.

What Does a Straight Head Line Say About Analytical Thinking?

A straight head line running horizontally without significant curvature indicates a mind that processes through logic and systematic evaluation. These natural problem-solvers break complex situations into components, evaluate evidence objectively, and reach conclusions through reason rather than intuition. They prefer clear data over ambiguous impressions and value consistency. The straight head line does not mean creativity is absent. Creative expression tends toward structured innovation: finding elegant solutions within parameters, optimizing systems, building processes, creating order from chaos. Innovation comes through refinement rather than radical reimagining. In communication, straight-head-line individuals prefer precision and clarity, say what they mean, expect the same from others, and may be frustrated by indirect emotionally coded communication.

Cheiro associated the straight head line with Mercurial analytical influence, noting its prevalence among financiers, lawyers, scientists, and strategists. Popular manuals like to attach the straight deep head line to famous commanders and statesmen, but those attributions trace back to anecdote rather than to any hand print anyone can examine, and they carry no evidential weight. Indian palmistry considers a straight Mastishka Rekha auspicious for commercial success and administration, indicating viveka (clarity of discernment). Chinese palmistry associates the straight human line with metal element thinking: decisive, cutting through confusion to essential truth. Modern writers often liken the straight line to Daniel Kahneman's System 2 thinking, the deliberate effortful mode, borrowing the analogy rather than testing it.

Does a straight head line mean emotional detachment?

Not detached but intellectually oriented. People with straight head lines feel emotions deeply but process them through rational analysis rather than spontaneous expression. They may need to think about how they feel before articulating emotions. This cognitive approach to feeling can be mistaken for coldness but represents thoughtful integration of feeling and reason.

What careers suit a straight head line?

Engineering, accounting, law, medicine, scientific research, data analysis, project management, military strategy, and financial planning suit this mental style. However, the strongest career indicator combines head line shape with other palm features, particularly the dominant mount and fate line direction. No single feature determines career aptitude.

Can thinking style change even if the head line stays straight?

Yes. Personal development can expand cognitive flexibility beyond what the head line's basic shape suggests. A straight-head-line person who cultivates creative practices may develop their imaginative capacity significantly without the line dramatically changing shape. The head line shows natural tendency, not fixed limitation. Conscious effort always expands beyond innate disposition.

What does a straight head line with a downward branch mean?

A single fine branch dropping from an otherwise straight line is read as an imaginative faculty that operates as a side channel rather than the main current. Where the branch leaves the line matters: an early drop suggests a creative interest formed in youth and kept as a private pursuit, while a late drop suggests imagination arriving as a second-half-of-life development. This is distinct from a terminal fork, which splits the line's ending rather than shedding a branch from its middle.

What does a very deep straight head line indicate?

Depth is read as concentration and mental stamina rather than intelligence, so a deep straight line indicates someone who can hold a single problem in mind for long stretches without losing the thread. The traditional caution is rigidity: a very deep line with no branches at all was read as a mind that commits early to a position and rarely revisits it. Judge depth against the other lines on the same hand, since some palms are deeply etched throughout.

How Do Length, Depth, and the Writer's Fork Affect Interpretation?

Head line length indicates intellectual breadth. A long line extending across most of the palm belongs to someone who considers many angles and may overthink. A short line ending beneath the middle finger indicates focused decisive thinking. Neither is superior; they are different cognitive strategies. Depth reveals intensity: deep means powerful concentration and stamina; shallow suggests lighter engagement. The writer's fork at the line's terminus splits into two branches, one continuing straight (logic) and one curving toward Luna (imagination). Cheiro considered this a sign of literary or legal talent requiring logical argument construction alongside imaginative engagement. Upward branches indicate intellectual achievements, while downward branches suggest fatigue or discouragement. The small marks that sit on the crease are treated in their own section below, since they describe episodes rather than the skeleton of the line.

In Vedic palmistry, branches rising from the head line toward different mounts carry specific meanings. A branch toward Jupiter indicates intellectual ambition and thought leadership. Toward Saturn suggests deep philosophical or scientific study. Toward Apollo indicates creative achievement gaining public recognition. These branch interpretations add specificity to the general reading. The writer's fork requires substantial branch size to qualify, not just a frayed ending. A true writer's fork shows two distinct thinking modes operating simultaneously, which is why it correlates with professions requiring both analytical rigor and persuasive imagination.

What does the writer's fork look like?

The writer's fork appears where the head line splits into two distinct branches at its end, one continuing the existing direction and another branching toward Luna mount. It creates a Y or V shape at the terminus. Not all forked endings qualify; branches need substance representing two distinct thinking modes rather than just line fraying. Magnification helps identification.

What does a chained head line indicate?

A chained head line of linked loops rather than a clean crease indicates chronic difficulty maintaining focus, manifesting as scattered attention, difficulty completing tasks, or persistent anxiety fragmenting concentration. Chaining at the beginning often reflects childhood learning difficulties that resolve with maturity. Chaining throughout suggests ongoing need for attention management strategies.

What does a break in the head line mean?

A break indicates a significant shift in thinking style, worldview, or intellectual direction. This could be a career change requiring different mental skills, a paradigm-shifting experience, or a period of mental health challenge followed by recovery and new perspective. Overlaps suggest gradual transition; clean gaps indicate abrupt cognitive change.

What does it mean if the head line changes depth along its course?

A line cut deep at the start that thins as it travels is read as mental force present early and dispersing later, while one beginning faint and strengthening is read as a thinker who came into their powers well after youth. The direction of the change carries more than the average depth does, because it puts the reading in time rather than leaving it a static description. Read it as a trend, not a measurement: only a shift visible across a substantial stretch of the crease is worth interpreting.

What is the difference between a writer's fork and a trident?

A writer's fork has two prongs. A trident has three: one holding the original direction, one rising, and one dropping toward Luna. Classical readings treat the three-pronged ending as an unusually well-balanced mind: one that can argue a case and imagine the alternative to it without losing sight of where the argument leads. Tridents are rarer than two-pronged forks, and what looks like a third prong is often a separate minor crease that merely touches the head line's ending.

What Does the Head Line's Starting Point Reveal About How You Think?

The head line begins on the radial edge of the palm, between the thumb and index finger, and its exact origin is read as the formative condition of your thinking. Three configurations are standard. Sharing a starting point with the life line and staying joined for some distance is read as a cautious mind trained early to check its ideas against family expectation. Touching briefly and separating is read as balance: enough grounding to think before acting, enough independence to act. Beginning clearly apart from the life line is read as self-directed thinking present from youth, and a wide separation as impulsiveness, a mind that decides before it consults. A fourth and less common origin starts inside the life line, closer to the thumb on the inner Mars area; tradition reads this as sensitivity to criticism and a quick temper attached to intellectual pride. The life line's own interpretation belongs elsewhere; see Life Line Palm Reading for that.

Traditions in several regions assign the starting point to inherited disposition and the later stretch of the line to whatever a person builds on top of it. They arrived at that division long before anyone knew how palmar creases actually form, so treat it as a convention of the craft rather than a conclusion drawn from anatomy. What the convention gives you is an order of operations: read the origin first and let it set the frame, then read the course of the line as a departure from that frame or a confirmation of it. A joined start followed by a bold straight line tells a different story from one followed by a thin wavering course, and the sequence carries the reading.

How wide does the gap have to count as a separated head line?

Any clear space with no connecting crease counts as separation. Readers reserve the term wide for a gap roughly the width of your own little fingernail or greater, which is where the interpretation shifts from healthy independence to impulsiveness. A single fine connecting hair-line changes the reading entirely, so a gap only counts as a gap once you are satisfied that nothing bridges it.

What does a head line starting high on the Mount of Jupiter mean?

An origin set high, up under the index finger rather than down in the thumb gap, is read as ambition coloring the intellect: this person has worked out where an idea will take them almost before they have finished having it. The classical caution is that judgment bends toward what advancement requires. The mounts themselves are covered in Palm Mounts Meaning.

Where Does the Head Line End and What Does the Ending Tell You?

Length is covered earlier; this section is about the manner of the stop, which tradition reads as the final settled character of your thinking. A clean blunt terminus is read as decisiveness, a mind that reaches a position and closes the question behind it. A gradual taper, where the crease thins away over a centimeter or more instead of ending at a point, is read as a thinker who softens conclusions and leaves the door open deliberately. A tassel of fine lines spraying outward is read as mental energy dividing across too many concerns at once. Vertical position then refines all three: an ending level with the line's origin is read as thinking that keeps its practical footing to the last, while one that has dropped onto Luna is not. The two judgments combine rather than compete, and a blunt stop low on Luna describes a different person from the one whose line tapers away in the same place.

The ending is also where readings go wrong most often, because the last portion of any crease is the faintest and the posture of the hand changes how much of it shows. That is a general difficulty of observation rather than a head line difficulty, and How to Read Palms covers the handling that keeps it under control. What is specific here is how much rides on the mistake: the terminus carries the entire late-life reading. Traditional timing places the ending in the later decades, so a marking there is conventionally read as a late-life feature. Treat that gently. A tassel or a shallow fading at the outer end is extremely common in older hands and reflects thinning skin as readily as anything mental, which is why the Victorian habit of reading it as failing memory does not survive scrutiny. The safer reading is comparative: a tassel on a hand whose other creases are still crisp says something, while a tassel on a hand where every crease has gone soft says only that the skin has aged.

What does it mean if the head line ends by running into the heart line?

A terminus that rises at the outer side of the palm and meets the heart line is read as judgment handing over to feeling in the closing stretch: the person who reasons carefully through most of a decision and then settles it on how they feel. This is not a simian line, which is one crease present from the outset rather than two lines converging late. Satisfy yourself that the lines genuinely join rather than crossing at a shallow angle, since a crossing carries none of this meaning and is common where the Quadrangle is naturally narrow.

Can the ending differ between your two hands?

Frequently, and the difference is one of the more useful comparisons available. A short ending on the non-dominant hand with a longer one on the dominant hand is read as intellectual range built through education and work rather than inherited. The dominant and non-dominant distinction is treated in full in Left Hand vs Right Hand Palm Reading.

What Do Dots, Crosses, Squares, and Stars on the Head Line Mean?

Beyond islands and chains, palmistry recognizes a set of small marks that sit on or across the head line. A dot or pit, a small depression in the crease, is traditionally read as an acute event that interrupted thinking, whether a physical blow to the head or a shock severe enough to stop someone reasoning for a period, with a dark dot read as more severe than a shallow one. A cross lying on the line reads as an obstacle to a plan or a forced decision, and a cross at the very end as a decision that closes a chapter. A star, several fine lines meeting at a point, carries a double meaning, read either as a flash of insight or as a mental shock, with the surrounding line quality deciding which. A square is the one traditionally protective mark, read as containment and repair, and it has its own question below. A triangle on the line reads as aptitude, particularly for study, and a grille of criss-crossed fine lines reads as diffuse mental agitation rather than a single event.

Two disciplines of judgment keep marking analysis from becoming fortune-telling by pattern-matching. The first is physical: much of what looks like a marking is not one, since scarring and the creases pressed in by manual work mimic dots and breaks closely enough to fool anyone reading in a hurry. The second is evidential: a marking earns weight when it is corroborated by the line around it. An island on an otherwise deep clean head line and an island on a chained, wavering one describe very different situations, the first a discrete episode and the second one more symptom of a mind under continuous load. Benham, writing in 1900, argued that hand reading should proceed by accumulating agreeing indications rather than by treating any single sign as decisive. That principle applies to the head line more than to any other crease, because so much of what appears on it is transient.

How do you time a marking along the head line?

Timing runs from the origin near the thumb outward toward the percussion. The usual Western convention puts the early twenties beneath the gap between index and middle fingers, the mid thirties beneath the middle finger, and the late forties onward beneath the ring finger. Traditions disagree about the exact spacing and none has been validated, so read any estimate as a decade rather than a year, and test it against events you can actually date.

Are squares on the head line good or bad?

Classical palmistry treats the square as the single reliably favorable marking on any line, read as protection and preservation rather than achievement. On the head line, a square enclosing a break is read as a disruption survived with the thinking intact, and a square over an island as a confused period that resolves without lasting damage. A square standing alone on a clean stretch is often just two minor creases intersecting.

What if the head line has many fine lines crossing it?

Fine cross-lines cutting the head line are read as interruptions arriving from outside, the competing demands and worries that circumstance generates rather than anything in the temperament itself. A few are normal on almost every hand. A dense field of them across one stretch is read as a period of sustained mental interference, and the reading is more convincing when that stretch also shows the line thinning or chaining.

Should a marking be read differently if it appears on both hands?

Yes, and this is the fastest way to separate signal from noise. A marking present in the same position on both hands is treated as constitutional and given real weight, while one appearing on a single hand is treated as circumstantial, developed, or simply physical damage. Since scars and work-related creases almost never appear symmetrically, symmetry is a practical filter as well as an interpretive rule.

What Common Misconception About the Head Line Needs Correcting?

The most damaging misconception is that longer and deeper equals smarter. Intelligence has many dimensions, and the head line reveals cognitive style, not raw capacity. A person with a short faint head line might possess extraordinary emotional intelligence, kinesthetic genius, or spiritual insight. Anecdotes attaching remarkable head lines to famous thinkers circulate freely, and not one of them rests on a hand print anyone can go and examine, so they belong in the category of story rather than evidence. The head line maps one dimension of intelligence, analytical processing and communication, while the heart line, the life line, and the mounts each carry others. Reducing intellectual worth to a single crease is like judging health by measuring blood pressure and nothing else.

Another misunderstanding involves the head line origin point. When it begins attached to the life line, pop sources call this weak or dependent intellect. In reality, it indicates cautious thorough thinking that considers consequences, often a sign of wisdom rather than weakness. The Indian concept of prajna (transcendent wisdom) is distinguished from chaturya (cleverness), and the head line measures something closer to chaturya. True wisdom integrates head, heart, and experience, which is why no reading of this line alone deserves the last word on anyone's mind.

Can head line readings guide education choices?

The head line indicates natural learning style and intellectual strengths that can inform educational decisions. Curved lines suggest subjects engaging imagination and creativity. Straight lines suit structured analytical disciplines. However, passion and dedication matter more than palm indicators in academic success. The head line should inform rather than dictate choices.

What does a wavy head line mean?

A wavy head line undulating between straight and curved indicates a versatile thinker shifting between analytical and creative modes situationally. This adaptability strengthens fields requiring both logic and imagination. Waviness may also indicate frequently changing intellectual interests, moving between fields and approaches throughout life rather than committing to a single cognitive style.

Is a faint head line a bad sign?

Faintness is read as lighter mental engagement, not as damage or limitation, and it is common on soft, fine-skinned hands where every line appears shallow. Compare it with the other creases on the same hand first; if all are faint, the finding is about skin, not thinking. A head line noticeably fainter than a strong heart and life line is the reading that carries meaning, and it points to someone who lives through feeling and action rather than analysis.

How Do You Read Your Own Head Line Step by Step?

Open your dominant hand under good light. Locate the head line between the heart line above and life line below. Determine its type: straight (analytical), curved downward (creative), or slight curve (balanced). Assess the starting point: joined to life line (cautious), touching it (balanced), or separated (independent). Take length and depth against the scales given earlier, and note the manner of the ending. Scan for forks, islands, chains, breaks, or branches. Compare the same features on your other hand; Left Hand vs Right Hand Palm Reading explains what a difference between them means. Finally assess the Quadrangle, the space between head and heart lines, which the first question below covers.

Advanced reading involves testing your interpretation against actual cognitive habits. If your head line reads as creative thinker but you work in pure data analysis, either the reading needs refinement or you have undeveloped creative potential your non-dominant hand reveals. The Quadrangle shape also matters: wider at one end and narrower at the other indicates changing open-mindedness across the lifespan. The relationship between head line and heart line spacing is as informative as the head line itself, revealing how well you integrate thinking and feeling.

What is the Quadrangle and why does it matter?

The Quadrangle is the space between head and heart lines. Wide and even indicates open-minded balance integrating thought and feeling. Narrow indicates intensity and single-mindedness compressing thought and emotion into focused determination. Uneven width reveals alternating periods of openness and rigidity across the lifespan.

What should beginners focus on first?

Shape, length, and starting point carry most of a basic reading between them. Get confident with those before attempting the minor markings, which are the part most often misread.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a curved head line mean?

A curved head line sloping toward the Mount of Luna indicates a creative, imaginative, intuitive thinker who processes information through feelings and images rather than pure logic. The deeper the curve, the more imagination dominates. Highly curved head lines are common among artists, writers, and musicians. The gift is vivid imagination; the challenge is staying grounded in practical reality when imagination runs unchecked.

What does a straight head line mean?

A straight head line running horizontally indicates a logical, analytical, practical thinker who processes information methodically, prefers facts over feelings, and excels at systematic problem-solving. Common among engineers, scientists, and business professionals. This is not a lack of creativity but a different creative mode rooted in structure and logic, expressing innovation through refinement and optimization.

Does head line length indicate intelligence?

Not exactly. Length indicates breadth of intellectual interests and depth of mental engagement rather than IQ. A long head line suggests someone who thinks broadly, considers many angles, and may overthink. A short head line indicates focused, practical intelligence making quick decisive judgments. Both can accompany high intelligence; they represent different processing styles, not different processing capacities.

What does a forked head line mean?

A fork at the end, called the writer's fork or lawyer's fork, indicates the ability to see issues from multiple perspectives. One branch pointing straight (logic) and one curving down (imagination) represents integrated analytical and creative thinking. This is highly favorable, common among writers, lawyers, diplomats, and anyone balancing factual analysis with creative problem-solving.

What if the head line and life line are joined?

When both lines share a starting point, it indicates a cautious, family-influenced personality shaped by childhood environment and parental expectations. The longer they remain joined, the later independent thinking developed. A very long connection past the early twenties timing suggests difficulty breaking from family expectations. Early separation indicates independence and boldness from youth.

What does an island on the head line mean?

An island indicates a period of mental confusion, divided attention, or intellectual crisis manifesting as difficulty concentrating, indecision, self-doubt, or anxiety affecting cognition. The location provides approximate timing. Islands are common and usually correspond to identifiable stress periods that resolve once the underlying situation improves. Multiple islands suggest recurring episodes of mental turbulence.

Can the head line predict mental health issues?

The head line can indicate periods of mental stress through islands, chains, and wavering depth, but palmistry is not a clinical diagnostic tool. Clinical dermatoglyphics does study crease and ridge patterns as soft markers for a small number of congenital conditions, the single transverse palmar crease being the familiar example, but that is a medical field distinct from traditional palmistry and it says nothing about thinking style. Use head line observations as prompts for self-care, never as diagnosis or substitute for professional mental health evaluation.

What does a doubled head line mean?

A doubled head line is a second, usually fainter crease running roughly parallel to the main one. Traditional readings treat it as a dual mentality: two distinct intellectual lives running alongside each other, such as a technical career alongside a serious artistic pursuit, or a public analytical persona alongside a private speculative one. The second line must hold its course for a meaningful distance rather than crossing at an angle; otherwise it is a stray minor crease. Tradition also reads it as a reserve of mental stamina, giving the person a second wind when the first line of thinking is exhausted.