Earlier, we had fun with the idea of examining hands without someone realizing that we are doing so. To some extent, we can also do this with the fingers, although, obviously, we cannot see everything on them from a distance.
Fingers come in all shapes and sizes, with a large variety of tips and fingernails. They can curve in different directions and their relative length can be deceptive.
It is actually worth using a ruler when assessing the true length of one finger against another as the way that they are set onto the palm can vary. Some are set in a straight line at the base, while others curve down from the index to the little finger, and yet others are set in an arc.
When fingers are in line, the top of the palm is obviously also straight at the top, suggesting practicality.
A creative or sensitive person has fingers arrayed in an arc. This also indicates mental dexterity. Musical and artistic people sometimes have fingers set on a slope running downward from the index finger to the little finger.
Fingers can be long, short, fat, thin, smooth or knotty. Short fingers denote physical energy while longer ones suggest a dreamy personality. Knotty knuckles belong to a deep thinker who does everything at his own pace and who hates to be rushed, while smooth fingers signify less thought but more speed and action.
The outlines around the prints in this illustration are a dramatic demonstration of the way that the fingers bend toward or away from each other.
A Jupiter finger that pulls away and bends outward belongs to someone who likes to think and act independently. If this feature is strong, it signifies a truly awkward personality who will not listen to others.
If the Jupiter finger inclines toward the Saturn finger, other people have too much influence over the subject. He listens to them because he is unsure of himself and he needs their support and encouragement. This may make it easy for people who have stronger characters to dominate him or push him into doing the things they want rather than what is best for him.
A V-shaped gap between the Saturn and Apollo fingers belongs to an independent person who might be a rebel. He has strong opinions and a critical tongue.
If the Saturn and Apollo fingers cling together, the individual needs a job that gives him fulfillment and happiness. He needs to work (Saturn) at something that he enjoys and that has a creative slant (Apollo). He tries to maintain a balance between family life, career and his belief system, and often feels guilty when he fails.
When the Mercury finger pulls away from the Apollo finger, the individual doesn't rush into commitment in relationships and partnerships but he is also slow to leave them. Bends and kinks in this finger denote obstinacy.
When someone is relaxed and content with life, his fingers relax, but when he is uptight, they curl into a fist. When he is frightened, he tucks his thumb into his fist.
Fingers are hard to assess when looked at singly. Try looking at the back of the hand as this makes it easier.
A long Jupiter finger (longer than the Apollo finger) signifies self-belief, a strong ego, and self-motivation. It also shows independence, leadership and enough courage to give speeches or fight for a cause. This subject will not compromise or bend to the will of others and he may be argumentative. He works with others but he may end up leading them. If the finger is fat, he might be a bully.
When this finger is short, others can persuade or coerce him. He will try to fit in with the views of those around him. Alternatively, he may quietly go his own way, working alone and achieving success without controlling or organizing others. When the Mercury finger bends toward the Saturn one, the person can be a good sales person but he needs to handle a product that he can believe in.
If the Saturn finger is long, the individual may work in a highly technical field where he can put his intellect to good use. He does not spend money freely, especially if he has square fingertips and nails. He may be serious, dour or tight-fisted. Though he may not be a hard worker, he will have a fine mind. He will spend a good deal of time studying or thinking and he could be a good teacher. If the Jupiter finger is also long, he will have strong religious or philosophical views.
When the Saturn finger is short, the subject has a talent for acting or for other types of entertainment and performing. He may be gambler, a con artist, a waster or someone who simply uses his acting talents as an honest and successful salesperson.
A long Apollo finger adds sensitivity and feelings. The person may also be sexy and loving, as his needs and emotions are close to the surface. He is creative, artistic and musical and he may be a good dancer. Love, family life, and a peaceful, happy home are important to him. A short Apollo finger suggests that these finer and more enjoyable aspects of life are less important than other matters.
It is hard to measure the Mercury finger correctly, as it is often low-set. Try using a piece of string to check its length against that of the Jupiter finger. If the Mercury finger is the same length as the Jupiter finger, it is average or long.
A long Mercury finger belongs to a good communicator. This subject makes friends easily. He will find and keep lovers due to his ability to talk, listen, and sympathize. This person can cope with machines, equipment, and logical thinking. A short Mercury finger means that the subject finds it hard to express himself. This may cause problems when he tries to communicate clearly with others and also in matters of love and sex. Mentally handicapped people tend to have short and oddly shaped Mercury fingers.
When this finger bends outward, the subject is charming. An inward bend denotes an argumentative or difficult personality. Both bends can suggest obstinacy. If the Mercury finger hooks—rather like the “polite” way of holding a teacup—the person may be absolutely bloody-minded.
If the two upper phalanges are narrower than the base phalange, the person needs affection, cuddles and sex as a component part of his life.
As with everything else in palmistry, square shapes indicate practicality, persistence and a tough-minded attitude. When the fingers are thin, the individual has an aptitude for figure work. If you are looking for a good bookkeeper, check the base of the Mercury finger. Little creases at the base of this finger suggest an aptitude for statistical analysis and mathematics.
Look at the fingernails and check whether the tips or bases of them are also square as this brings a tendency to see everything in terms of black and white. If there is a discrepancy between the nail and fingertip, two different characteristics are present.
Rounded fingertips represent sociability and a need for variety. This subject gets on well with people and can be amusing company. He is generous and kind but also a little lazy—or perhaps just laid back. The best description for this person is normal!
Pointed fingertips denote sensitivity and artistic talent, but this person sometimes finds life hard to cope with, especially if the pads of the fingers are also rather flat. He has strong beliefs and he can be hard to influence. He is moral and idealistic.
The person is original, artistic, and musical. He believes in himself and he may be quite religious or spiritual. However, he is self-centered and possibly also argumentative. Both the pointed finger and spatulate finger types can be extremely successful in a creative or artistic endeavor or a bit too dreamy to achieve much in life.
Thicker, heavier fingers imply less brain-power and more energy. These people are practical and they can translate ideas into action. Thinner fingers imply intellectual energy but less physical stamina and they may not be able to translate their ideas into reality.
Droplets or bulgy ends belong to people who have a good eye for design and a strong sense of touch. These people will run their hands over everything because they can almost “see” with the pads on their fingertips.
The following rules for finger nails are similar to those for finger tips:
Square nails indicate practicality while those that are rounded, especially at the base, denote sociability, generosity and friendliness. Narrow nails that show flesh on either side of the hand suggest sensitivity, vulnerability and a certain amount of caution. Wide nails can talk of a harsh or bullying nature. Fan shaped nails suggest ambition and a lack of concern for the feelings of others.
Interestingly, the police use the same terminology for the fingerprints as hand readers do. I sometimes wonder whether any of the fingerprint experts also take an interest in palmistry. The most common patterns are loop and the whorl, with loop being the most common print feature. It is not unusual for a person to have loops on all the fingers and both thumbs. A full set of whorls is less common, while it is rare but not impossible for a person to have a hand full of arches. However, a mixture of marks is more usual.
The arch, or a row of straight lines across a fingertip, rarely shows up on all the fingers. The arch suggests that the person is rather ordinary and that he will work hard throughout life. This also shows that the subject lacks confidence, especially when this is on the Jupiter finger or the thumb.
The tented suggests an obsessive, possessive or fanatical nature and the finger on which it appears will show where this lies. Tented arches appear on the hands of those who fall in love and then hang on with all their might, even when the relationship ends. This is especially so when the tented arch is on Apollo or Mercury. Arches imply some area of self-induced emotional suffering, which can make the person tiresome and self-pitying.
The loop is the most common fingerprint. Loops belong to a normal person who likes variety in life and enjoys the company of others. These are either called “ulna loops” when they enter the finger from the outer side of the hand or “radial loops” when they enter from the thumb side. Ulna loops are common, while radial loops usually occur only on Jupiter and occasionally on Saturn. A radial loop on Jupiter suggests leadership qualities and bossiness. When on the Saturn finger, the subject is clever with his hands.
Whorls are the second most common fingerprint. A whorl represents independence, determination, a go-getting attitude and selfishness in the area of life defined by the finger in question. However, a whorl on one or two fingers suggests talent in the area related to that finger. Whorls on all ten fingers also signify either a really enterprising and hard working person or one who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
This usually signifies talent. It usually turns up on the Apollo finger, suggesting artistic or musical talent, but possibly also an aptitude for home-making, craft-work or gardening. If on Mercury, it means a gift for acting, public speaking or writing. This person may be an excellent counselor, nurse or care assistant. A peacock's eye on the Saturn finger shows talent in a practical field like technical drawing, carpentry, engineering, building or civil engineering.
A composite fingerprint refers to a double loop or double whorl. This person has difficulty in making decisions because both logic and intuition operate at the same time, and can sometimes confuse the issue.
The bones between the finger joints are called phalanges. There are 14 phalanges on each hand: three on each finger and two on the thumb.
The top phalanges (these include the fingertips) show how someone thinks. When these are long, the person has an active brain. A fat top phalange shows mental energy, which may be put to some useful purpose, but the energy can also be expended in arguments.
The middle phalanges show how the subject puts his thoughts into action. If these are long, he can act upon his ideas. If thin, he may think for a long time and then forget to take action. If thick, he will act without thinking.
The lower phalanges show the need for security and comfort. If they are long, the subject will strive to make his life comfortable. If they are fat, he needs both financial and emotional security. Very thick and short lower phalanges may signify a person who eats more than he needs, possibly due to some inborn fear of starvation.
Sometimes you will see little vertical creases on the fingers. Unlike fingerprints or skin ridge patterns, these come and go. These mean that the person is overtired and probably overdoing things. Horizontal lines indicate that he has more responsibilities than he can really cope with. When life improves, these lines disappear. Horizontal lines on the fingertips suggest a hormone imbalance or some temporary change in the level of hormones.
When the fingers are widely spaced at the base and splay out widely, the subject will not hang on to money.
People with fingertips that turn up tend to work with or for the benefit of the public. They like helping other people, so nurses, social workers, employment agents and others who help the public often have such fingers.
Fingers that are flexible at the base often indicate someone who likes vacations and a change of scene.
Many of the rules that apply to the fingers also apply to the thumb. For example, a square tip indicates practicality, a rounded one denotes sociability, a pointed one shows a delicate and idealistic nature and a spatulate one suggests independence.
A strong-looking thumb denotes determination, strength of purpose, inner toughness and competitiveness. The person may be a successful athlete, an entrepreneur, a pushy sales clerk or just a strong and powerful personality. A weak-looking thumb signifies a lack of stamina and no interest in competing with others.
If you are looking casually at thumbs while you are out socializing, talk to their owners and judge whether the impression that they give matches up to what you can see on the hand. You will soon notice that the strong thumbed person appears confident, while the weaker thumbed person does not. Unfortunately, the one who appears strong may be full of bluster and he may lack real inner strength, while the weaker looking thumb may belong to a quiet person who gets on with things and carries on regardless.
When the thumb is set low, it will open out widely and this shows an open nature. Conversely, a high-set thumb that opens to little more than a 45-degree angle suggests that the person is shy, introverted and perhaps also secretive.
A heavy knuckle joint at the base of the thumb shows the need for a physical outlet—sports, athletics, dancing, or working out in the gym. If the thumb is weaker but the base knuckle still prominent, the subject will be an observer rather than a participant.
A flexible thumb that moves easily at the base belongs to someone who is easily put upon or pushed around. Oddly enough, the muscles and ligaments around the base of the thumb become less flexible over time, suggesting that we are all less likely to put up with bad behavior from others in later life. A stiff thumb tells of someone who digs his heels in and who doesn't give way.
When the upper phalange dominates, the subject is strong-willed, energetic and determined. Even if the thumb is not large, a healthy looking ball joint indicates strength, will power and the determination to have one's own way.
When this phalange is rounded and medium sized, the person is cooperative and pleasant. When flat, the subject lacks physical strength, so he uses charm and adaptability to survive. He may bend over backward in his desire for approval.
If the nail side of this phalange is indented or spoon shaped, he chisels away until he gets what he wants.
Sometimes the upper part of the thumb curves back. This is the sign of the actor or someone who puts on an act as part of his job. He may be able to manipulate others into believing anything that he says or buying anything that he wants to sell. This subject can be lazy or easily bored but he is also impulsive. He goes into a shop to buy one thing and comes out with something completely different. If the second phalange is short, he may not think before acting. He can also be selfish and disloyal.
The prints on the thumb also follow the rules of palmistry: A whorl denotes will-power, determination and independence. A loop denotes a normal, sociable character who enjoys being part of a team. An arch belongs to a hard worker who fears poverty. A tented arch signifies a person who might become fanatical or obsessive. The peacock's eye is a rare formation on the thumb that indicates talent. The double loop or double whorl suggests a combination of intuition, logic and psychic ability—and indecisiveness.
The second phalange is the phalange of logic. When long (a), the subject thinks before acting and when it is short (c), he will act on instinct. A thin phalange with a “waist” or “cinch” (b) suggests a very logical mind and a person who thinks deeply—especially if this phalange is also long. The cinched phalange shows that this sensitive person wants others to like him.
Lines across this phalange suggest fatigue, an unstable home life or many moves of house or changes of location. If life settles down again, these lines may melt away.
