Can a palm and face reader tell you have a terrible personality just from looking at you?

Palmistry dates back thousands of years but for Chang Ling Lin, the practice is a craft focused on logic that helps her clients in Singapore. To her, “the present moment is key to you building a good future” and her readings are a guide to revealing one’s self. We sat down with the palm and face reader to understand how she got into this field and how, at the end of the day, she is not there to help others but to empower them to help themselves.

How would you describe what it is that you do as a palm and face reader?

I run a full-time spirituality business and I focus mainly on palm reading or palmistry. I also do face reading and tarot reading. I do it in a way that fuses philosophy and psychology.

What is a common misconception people have about what you do?

People think I have weird magic powers or assume I can leave my body, but I can’t do anything like that. I’m only human. I just have more indicators of what might potentially happen in the future. 

Palmistry is ancient statistics and metaphysics dating 3,000 years ago. If you want to do it professionally, you can actually learn it. There are many different forms of palmistry: Egyptian, Chinese, Indian. It is up to a person’s intuition. If it’s meant to be, you will know how to pick out which ones are the more accurate ones and fuse them into your own understanding.

What led you to this industry and what keeps you interested today?

My whole family can read palms even though it’s not an actual business. For me, I could do so from a very young age. When I was in polytechnic, I would read my friend’s lines for fun. I did not turn this into a full-time business until last year. The bulk of my career for the past 10 years was as a fashion merchandiser for a brand. I was working nine-to-five in fashion and on the side, I was doing palm reading. 

During the pandemic, many people wanted more reassurance and direction. That’s when the business grew like wildfire. Simultaneously, I was at a point where I was not really enjoying whatever I was doing. I was working seven days a week while also being a full-time student at the London College of Fashion. This took a huge toll on my mental health.

During this time, I dived even deeper into philosophy and spirituality and relied heavily on them to make me understand that many things in life are not as linear or as superficial when you think deeply about them. I relied on this to give me a sense of direction and to help me understand what all the difficulties that I was going through were trying to teach me.

What are the demographics of your customers in Singapore and what are some of their main queries about palm reading? 

Recently, I have had a lot of businessmen and female entrepreneurs coming to me. A lot of times, my clients want to find out about love and career.

I have quite a few international clients from North America and Europe, so I have to do virtual sessions. However, I prefer face-to-face interactions because that gives me a clearer idea of what I can say to my clients and connect with them. When I do palm reading or face reading, it’s tapping into the person’s energy and intuition. The things that I see on your handlines allow me to give better advice.

Why do you think there is a growing interest in this area?

What separates me from practices like numerology in Chinese and other practitioners is that palm reading is not as commercialised. Many people also think that there are spirits involved. Instead, I infuse philosophy, psychology, logic, as well as the practice of self-love into my readings. 

Ultimately, you shape your own life and everything arises from your mindset. When you switch your perspectives, you switch your life. From palm lines, I can see your past traumas, your blockages and things like that. From there, I will know what to say to transform your perspective and mindset on things that are wired deep into your subconscious mind. My session also includes realistic and psychological advice. I wish to give my clients practical and realistic steps to achieve the actualisation of their highest potential. At the end of my sessions, I remind my clients that I am not responsible for fixing their lives and no one can fix their lives except for you.

While many of my clients like my style and come back to me, I tell them that they don’t have to do so. After all, even though it’s a business, I want my clients to be able to benefit from it. If you can help yourself, please don’t come back. But if you feel there’s a need to, you can.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Photographed by Lawrence Teo
Styled by Gracia Phang
Hair & Makeup: Sha
Content Producer: Brandon Chia
Stylist’s Assistant: Zoe Tauro

This article was originally published in Harper's Bazaar Singapore.