Middle Finger

dominant middle fingerMiddle fingers are considered balance wheels of the hand. Notice how a strong middle finger in this photo appears to magnetically draw other fingers toward it. Less inclined to marry than other types, this individual needs a lot of personal space. He’s dependable, organized, efficient, patient, and a very loyal friend. With a satirical sense of humor, he sometimes disguises his very serious nature. His greatest challenges result from obsessing on feelings of responsibility, obligation, and guilt. Being overly responsible and self-critical is a sure path to frustration, fear, and depression for individuals with strong middle fingers.

Donald RumsfeldDominant middle-fingered people are frequently tall, slender, and angular in appearance. Pure types have dark hair, large bones, stern features, and bland complexions. Their prevailing physical sense is smell. Many love string instruments and prefer classical music with a tinge of sadness. They may eventually have problems with teeth, knees, ligaments, rheumatism, hardening of the arteries, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and deafness in the left ear. If the middle finger leans toward the ring finger, you have an individual with a strong need for privacy. The moment he feels confined, controlled, or restricted, he gets cranky and irritable. Notice the curved middle finger on Donald Rumsfeld’s left hand. Abraham Lincoln and Clint Eastwood are quintessential dominant middle-fingered types. Many conservative business people, technical individuals, craftsmen, writers, therapists, night watchmen, master criminals, morticians, undertakers, and derelicts have dominant middle fingers. Individuals with dominant first phalanges on the middle finger lead the way in research, science, mathematics, and humor.

Have a dominant middle-fingered boss? You’d better do your homework with a very sharp pencil. Precision and realism are required, don’t be late and don’t make excuses. Assume responsibility. If you’re pragmatic, reliable, and dependable, you’ll avoid criticism.

The middle finger is always the longest finger. Sometimes, however, it appears short relative to the index and ring fingers, which reveals a need for more structure, discipline, and focus. Harnessing these qualities is especially hard for these people. Healthy use of will power is essential.

The middle finger is the finger of fate. It’s where illusion (or delusion) and reality meet. No matter what else is going on in your hands, the middle finger forces you to face the facts and do whatever needs to be done. It always requires work on your part. There’s a remedy for most maladies and the middle finger is the first place to look for solutions to challenges. If you don’t do the work, it will show up in other ways in your hands. A grill (which I call schmutz), for example, is a bunch of lines crisscrossing in every direction under the middle finger. This is a sure sign of frustration resulting from not doing what needs to be done. People with schmutz below their middle finger are their own worst critics. They need to lighten up, buckle down, and bite the proverbial bullet. Accomplishing one little step at a time is the best remedy for being frustrated and overwhelmed, which will gradually reduce and eventually erase the grill. A truly healthy person will have a strong healthy middle finger.

This entry was posted in character, fingers, Hand Analysis, Hand Reading, health, marriage, Metaphysics, Mythology, Palmistry, Philosophy, Psychology, Self-help, will power and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , by markseltman. Bookmark the permalink.

About markseltman

Over the past thirty-five years, I've read tens of thousands of hands of people of every age, gender, race, color, size, shape, career, and socio-economic diversity. I've examined the hands of celebrities, billionaires, corporate executives, and the people who work for them. I've been in charge of the psychics at special events like the massive Bloomberg Company picnic on Randall’s Island and have worked at the Mayor’s country home and at Gracie Mansion. I've been a hand reader at PR events and family gatherings for the King of PR, Howard Rubenstein. I was the hand reader at Harvey Weinstein’s spectacular wedding. I've also read the hands of Martha Stewart, Katie Couric, Star Jones, Kevin Kline, Kyra Sedgwick, Barbara Corcoran, Dave Brubeck, and Maurice Sendak, along with numerous other celebrities and their families. I've also examined hundreds of criminally insane people’s hands at a forensic psychiatric hospital in New York City over a two-year period. I've appeared on ABC The View, CBS Martha Stewart Living, CBS Evening News, FOX Good Day NY, Lifetime TV, Queens, NPR and WNYC. I've been featured in the NY Times, NY Newsday, The Daily News, The Village Voice, New York Magazine, INSTYLE Magazine, Family Circle, Modern Bride, Manhattan User’s Guide, and other periodicals. Because of my credentials in design and technology as well as my extensive experience with public appearances on television, radio, and in the print media, I'm uniquely qualified to promote palmistry. I offer five-minute reflections at special events, counsel countless couples, raise funds for diverse causes such as AIDS, Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis, Schizophrenia, Arts Education, and the Environment. I taught Metaphysics 101 at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in NYC for five years and have also spoken, offered workshops, and taught classes at the New York Open Center, Learning Annex, Source of Life Center, Hunter College, Pace University, Fashion Institute of Technology, Marymount Manhattan College, Theosophical Society, East West Bookstore, Lower East Side Tenement Museum, and The National Design Museum in NYC. I also have a private practice with over 1,000 clients.

74 thoughts on “Middle Finger

  1. Very interesting. Which hand should I choose in deciding whether I am health or not. I have no “schmutz” at the bottom of either. But my left middle finger pulls to the index finger and my right, pulls to the ring finger. Is one side predominant over the other?

    • The hand you write with is your dominant hand. No schmutz is good. Depending on the lengths of the index finger, your left hand would show great ambition on a subconscious level and the right would show a highly developed sense of responsibility and obligation on a conscious level. There are more should’s and supposed to’s in a person’s life when the middle finger leans towards the ring finger. Hopefully, you’ll find a happy balance.

  2. how about three straight lines arising from head line to middle finger? Love your site.

    • Depending on where the head line is set, You’re about 35 years old where the fate line crosses it (heading from the wrist towards the fingers). That means that at about 35 years old, there was probably a career change. maybe you started doing three different things, id est., teaching, choreographing, dancing. The more lines, the more distractions and the harder it becomes to keep your priorities clear.

  3. Hey Mark, My middle finger and ring finger are a bit leaned to each other forming a “()” like structure(not that much gap,very little gap). How do you interpret that?
    Also, how do you classify that a middle finger is strong as most of the people have middle finger as their longest finger only. Is length the criteria of that? If yes, then what about people with short fingers?

  4. my middle fing. Is so long as compare to othr n it somewhat bent toward ring fingure, lyk this() . What it signifies?

    • without seeing the whole hand, any response is limited. In general, you’re probably a serious person, possibly a perfectionist, and you may get cranky and irritable when you’re feeling confined, restricted, or not getting enough private time for yourself.

    • Without seeing the whole hands, it’s nearly impossible to interpret a single detail. Lots of people have lines on their fingers. Which phalange is it on? Are the lines vertical or horizontal? Is the finger long or short? Lines on fingers often indicate stress in the area represented by the particular phalange. On the middle finger, the top phalange represents thinking and planning, the middle phalange is practical considerations, and the bottom phalange are material matters. Perhaps there’s a need to focus more on restructuring or rethinking the way you deal with your work life or finances.

    • I have five horizontal lines on the middle finger of my left hand can you please tell what does dat mean

  5. I have only had two serious accidents and they both affected my middle fingers. At 27 years old, I cut off the side of the last segment of my right middle finger in an accident. The last segment has been about 3/4 the width it was originally since then (missing space on index finger side) and the nail grows at an angle toward the index finger rather than straight. This year, at 57 years old, I had a knife accident on my left middle finger at the last joint, also on the index finger side. The surgery left me worse than the original injury and now that nail is growing 3/4 as long as it used to be and the last segment is bent slightly toward the ring finger whereas it used to be straight. Any ideas what this means?

    • Ouch! Without seeing the whole hands and all other details, it’s hard to do anything but offer conjecture. The middle finger has a lot to do with structure, discipline, and focus, so it’s possible that at the time of the accidents, you were unstructured, undisciplined, or unfocused. Handling sharp instruments would certainly not be the time to not focus. Your scars may be there to remind you to be more disciplined. The nail being shorter may have to do with your having a need to become more critical in your judgement. The nail leaning toward the index finger may symbolize a need to be more ambitious. It’s impossible to know without seeing the whole.

      • Thanks, Mark. That’s a great answer. Its true that I am not very ambitious, but also that I don’t want to be, although the way I was raised encouraged and rewarded ambition.

        Does “be more critical in your judgement” mean “have better judgement” rather than “be more critical”?

        Is there a way that you could see the whole hand, like sending photos or something?

        • yes, have better judgement, and yes, you can attach hi-res digital photos of your whole hands held open naturally. I’ll take a look at them.

          • Mark,

            Thank you so much for your kind offer. I couldn’t find your emal address to send you the hi-res photos, so I posted them on flickr.

            http://www.flickr.com/photos/75103855@N00/

            let me know if I did it corectly. I can redo it if you need me to.

            If it seems that the lines are faint in the photos, well they are in real life too. I have very smooth palms.

          • I’m not going to go into detail, but it looks like you’ve done a lot of good work on yourself. I think your injuries might be there to remind you to lighten up and not take things so personally and seriously. Take your personal space as you need time to yourself to sort stuff out. The pinkie finger on the dominant hand is straighter, so it appears that you’re learning that you don’t have to please everyone or fix everything at your own expense. Keep up the good work!

  6. I dislocated the first joint on my saturn finger, it is now swollen (with little to no hope of returning to normal) and bent inwards – towards my palm – at the joint. I used to have a long saturn finger but now it looks as if its decreased in size.
    is this significant of anything?
    thank you 🙂

    • Everything means something. The first joint of your middle finger represents your ability to think critically. You may have been thinking too much or too little and this inward crook is there to remind you to do what you weren’t doing enough of. You may also need much more structure, discipline, and focus in your life. Without seeing both entire hands, it’s hard to know what else that might mean.

    • I try not to read too much into spots, although everything has meaning if you can figure it out. It’s first important to know what else is going on in the hands. Are you an Intuitive, Thinking, Feeling, or Practical type. Are you Cardinal, Fixed, or Mutable? What rule does the middle finger play in your script? Which phalange is dominant and what’s the shape of the tip of the finger? The third phalange deals with the material aspect of the essence of the finger. What is the size, color, and exact location of the spot? If you’re a practical type it may symbolize a need to focus on the structure of your finances – should you be planning for the future better? Perhaps there’s some activity like having a garden and growing your own herbs and vegetables that might be an important theme for you. I’m grabbing at straws because the question is too vague.

  7. I have a 14 year old son who is 6’1, . He is a very muscular boy. But, I noticed that on both his hands, and his feet. His middle fingers both curve to the right of his ring finger, and same for his toes. Should I be concerned?

    • I’d have to see a photo of his hands. I can’t speak for feet, although there are foot analysts. If the middle finger curves toward the index finger, that increases ambition and pushes the person to do whatever they must do to achieve their goals. It’s important to know if the index finger is long of short or whether it has a curve of it’s own. If the middle finger curves away from the index finger, the person needs more time to themselves and may get cranky when they’re feeling confined or restricted. It also can also symbolize perfectionism and being one’s own worst critic.

  8. My Middle finger of Saturn is WAY TOOOO MUCH inclined towards my ring finger of Sun.. but my ring finger is straight.. And all other fingers i.e. the index and little finger are inclined towards this middle finger.. But middle finger is really tooo much inclined towards the ring finger.. I’m really curious to know what it means.. Please help.. 🙂 Thankyou

    • I’d have to see the way the middle finger is inclined. It could mean you’re a wonderful craftsman or an exacting perfectionist. It could also symbolize that you’re pretty moody and cranky – especially when you’re feeling controlled, confined, or restricted. There can be a lot of frustration connected to a middle finger that is very crooked towards the ring finger. The best solution is to bite the bullet and be very structured, disciplined, and focused. At least you’ll get a lot accomplished and done well.

  9. Hi! I’m very curious and a little concerned about a difference between my left and right middle fingers. On my right hand, all the fingers are pretty much straight, but on my left the middle finger bends away from the ring finger from the second phalanx. In fact, when I bend my fingers from the nuckles app. 90 degrees, I can’t collect those two fingers from the middle joint – which feels very awkward. I’m a very creative person – have been all my life, so it’s somewhat strange to me that “the teacher”-finger turns away from the creative one, since I’m disciplined in the arts.. Hope you might have an idea what this can mean. Best wishes! -M

    • Hi Marian,

      I assume that your right hand is the dominant hand, so your question is dealing with a subconscious issue. It may have to do with a need to be more ambitious about your creativity and artwork. Perhaps you’re producing wonderful art, but not putting it out in the world enough. As you know, it’s very difficult to judge details without seeing the whole picture.

      • Dear Mark,

        Thank you very much for your answer! Yes, my right hand is the dominant one, but I am practicing left hand writing and drawing, which is how I noticed the irritating difference. I do have a question that might seem obvious, but I’d rather ask than assume: Do you mean that subconsciously I am too ambitious with my own skills (super-ego-critical) to put out my work), or not enough so?

        I have taken pictures of my hands and would appreciate if you’d have a look on the bigger picture.. If you need a fee for that, I’m still interested.

        Thanks again and best wishes!
        Marian

        Photos: (on the first picture I am bending my nuckles, shich is when the two fingers part)

        http://s124.photobucket.com/user/pludremus/media/hands-of-mine-June5th-2014_zps55c9cf8b.jpg.html

          • I just zoomed in and realized that although you are a wonderful communicator, your head tends to rule your heart. It’s pretty hard to be intimate with you as you don’t trust easily. It might be a good idea to try not to analyze, rationalize, and compartmentalize your feelings so much and learn to trust your gut. Smell the roses and enjoy your process of becoming you. I don’t think your middle finger is a huge problem. A bit of perfectionism can be a good thing.

        • Hi Marian,

          On the whole, you have strong healthy talented hands. I think your biggest challenge is finding a balance between your need for freedom and your desire to be responsible. You need to be independent and access your inspiration and passion. At the same time, there appears to be a very practical, responsible, reliable and dependable side of you that makes it hard to be free. I don’t think you’d ever be happy doing anything for the money, so your motivation and intent need to be crystal clear so that you can overcome whatever obstacles stand in your way.

          • Hi Mark,

            Thank you so much for your answers, it is marvelous the way a few words can shake a ground and put things in motion, quite literally. I thank you for that! Is there any chance you would consider doing a session with me regarding a specific area in my life at the moment?
            I understand you introduce hand reading as a science – I’d call it an art – so my expectations are realistic and based on some previous experience with studying some astrology and chiromancy my self. I’m not after the future, nor my past, no marriage, none of that, but to make clear and prioritize according to what I need to learn next and continue growing. I really want to enquire into some topics that are somewhat urgent, so as eager I am to learn these arts my self, it takes time – as you well know..

            I’d like to ask you for advice.. As you by now know, I don’t let people get close which makes honest enquiry, reflection and guidance from another person very difficult indeed. I hope you will think about and let me know whether it would be possible.

            Wish you a beautiful summer!
            Marian

            PS. I am active on the e-mail account listed.

          • Marian,

            Give me your mailing address. I want to send you a review copy of my ‘Hand Book’. I think you’ll get a lot out of it. If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that I prefer to work with clients face to face. I’m not comfortable with distance readings. If you make it to NYC, I’ll be happy to get together with you.

          • Hi Mark,

            As I live in Denmark and have no plans nor means for traveling to USA anytime soon, that won’t be possible for me. I respect your choice!

            Marianna

  10. Hya mark both my middle fingers have an extra line Inbetween the first and second joint a palmistry told me she has never seen it before and I’ve looked at all my friends hands and no one has this what does it mean xx

    • I’d have to see it. Some people have 4 phalanges on a particular finger. I haven’t seen that on the middle finger. I suspect that you have an especially long middle phalange which would increase the practicality of the meaning of the finger. Perhaps the extra line means you’re divided between two major responsibilities. It’s pretty much conjecture without seeing the whole picture.

  11. Hi mark,
    I have 4 horizontal dark lines on my left hand middle finger & right handmiddle finger have only 3 darkhorizontal lines.every one ask me how is it possible ..we never seen this to any body & I,have looked at all my frnds hand no one has this…plz tell me what it mean.. it signs good or bad?..

    • Hi Priyanka, I wouldn’t ever try to diagnose anything from a written description. I also don’t ever see any isolated sign in the hand as good or bad. Everything has some reason for being there and needs to be examined with a constructive attitude.

  12. Hi Mark,
    On both of my hands, after the knuckle on the fingers, my middle fingers lean away from my thumbs. It is more noticeable on my left hand. Also with both my ring fingers (but more prominent on my left) they are close to the middle fingers and away from the pinkies. Also on both hands but more prominent on my left, my index fingers stand away from my middle fingers. A few years ago, I had an injury that tore all the ligaments in my right pinkie. After that, it hasn’t been able to straighten. And on my left hand, my pinkie greatly stands away from the rest of my fingers.

    I’m just wondering what this means.

    • Hi Meg,
      It’s really hard to tell from a written description without seeing and feeling the hands. For whatever reason, when the middle fingers lean away from the thumb, there’s usually a strong need for personal space and a perfectionism that makes it challenging to be satisfied with good enough. The pinkie standing away from the hand confirms the need for space and a need to not be confined or controlled. Not being able to straighten the pinkie (especially if it’s on the dominant hand) may mean that you must work harder to communicate and put yourself out in the world.

      • Hi Mark,
        Thanks so much for replying. Pretty much what you said was spot on. I wish there was more I could say, but that’s pretty much it.

        Thank you and I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to reply to me.

  13. Hi mark,

    I have a black spot on the second knot of my ring finger. Could you please tell me it’s significance? Thank you.

    I must admit that your website is very enlightening.

    • That’s a hard question. What archetypes dominate your psyche? What else is going on in your hands? How does the middle finger relate to the whole picture? What is the condition of the 2nd knot? How large and what shape is the black spot? Where is it exactly?

      It may have something to do with needing more structure, discipline, and focus. maybe you need to be more organized or strategic in your career. Whatever it is – your attention is being brought to the underlying issue of the spot on the knot and it’s your job to figure out what that is.

  14. I have one more line on top of the fingers including thumb, except of last finger, I never see this to otothers,so what it means to hv these lines?

  15. Hi Mark! The tip of my middle fingers are ever so slightly curved towards my pinkies. I was wondering if there is any significance to the degree, direction, or placement of the curve.

    • Any lean or curve or crook of the middle finger towards the pinky adds seriousness and / or perfectionism to the person. It can be good for a craftsman or frustrating for someone who desires freedom of expression. I recommend spending time alone in order to sort your thoughts and feelings out. As always, without seeing the whole hands, it’s hard to diagnose.

  16. This is awesome! I realized my middle finger was dominant, set slightly higher than index and ring fingers and both those fingers lean toward it. I googled, found this article and it describes me SO WELL that it blew me away! I’m very tall for a female (5’10”), slender, ash brown hair and although I don’t mean to, I have resting b***h face, which means my natural face looks pretty stern. I have huge problems with guilt, trusting others and my need for privacy is so severe people say I am socially inept. Lol. Thanks for helping me better understand myself. I will definitely work on these negative characteristics!!

    • Glad you connected with the info. You’re definitely Saturnian. That’s probably reflected in your astrology as well. Take good care of your teeth and pay attention to any discomfort in your knees and spine. The best thing you can do for yourself is work hard and be satisfied with good enough.

  17. I have 5 horizontal lines on my left hand middle finger i am curious about what it means plz tell me

  18. Hello,I recently hurt my left hand a couple of times today all within an hour,and that never happens so I ba came curious and wondered if this has any correlation to my life.(left middle knuckle I hit against something and it’s bruised) (my left ring finger I cut on the cuticle of my nail) (I hit my left ring finger against something) any meaning? Thank you!

    • Hi Ashly, Everything has meaning. It’s up to you to figure it out. It’s possible you weren’t focused enough on whatever you were doing. Perhaps you were more concerned about how you looked than what you were doing with your hands. Isolated details taken out of context of the rest of the hands are hard to judge. I have a permanent scar on the tip of my dominant pinkie from a woodworking accident that reminds me to think before I act.

  19. Hey mark, I noticed recently that I do have a strong middle finger but over the course of one weekend I cut my middle finger twice, and burnt it all on the tip of my finger. Any idea what this means?

    • Accidents are often pinkie finger issues, although the tips of all fingers are about thinking. With Saturn accidents, perhaps you didn’t take the necessary precautions in terms of preparation, or you were not thorough or focused in the tasks that you were performing. Cuts and burns are there to temporarily remind you that you must be more structured and disciplined. If they form permanent scars, you’ll need to raise your consciousness so that you always remember to be diligent when you’re working with anything that’s potentially dangerous to your health.

  20. Hii mark,
    Both my middle finger and index finger are inclined towards each other, its like if you see my palm they would be nearly adjoined however the other fingers are away.
    Also there are three lines rising from my life line , one stops at the head line and the other two continue to the base of the middle finger .
    What does this signify ??

    • Hi Shivani, What you’re describing is potentially a sign of perfectionisim. It belongs to many craftsmen and people who are meticulous about their work. They tend to choose obligation and responsibility over recreation and need to remember that life is also about play. Lines rising from the life line are usually ambitious starts and efforts. I suspect that you’re not a person who gives up and will succeed in whatever you truly apply yourself to. The other fingers reaching away from the middle two fingers symbolize independence of thought and action. Of course, all that I’ve said is superficial without seeing the whole picture.

    • Yes, but I’m not making any promises. If you have a particular question and hi-res photos of both full hands, I may comment when I have time…

    • It may take a while, but the first thing to do is lighten up and smell the roses. Most people with grilles tend to be their own worst critics. Things don’t have to be better or different if you’ve done the best you can. That’s good enough. Embracing structure, discipline, and focus will help manifest your ideas and projects in the best possible ways. You’ll notice over time less lines and less deeply engraved lines in your grille.

  21. A line started from head joins another line at heart line and together they reach middle middle finger . My ring finger is bigger than index finger and middle finger is tilted towards finger what does this all indicates .
    Thank you

    • As always, the shape and proportions and other qualities of your hands are very important. It sounds like you may have a lot of natural ability to put creativity together with objectivity. The middle finger leaning towards the ring finger makes you very practical with a highly developed sense of responsibility, obligation, and a generous helping of guilt. It’s important to put your ‘shoulds and supposed to’s’ aside and get out with your friends and play sometimes. You haven’t told me how old you are or which hand is dominant, but it sounds like you may shift career direction in mid-life.

      • Thank you sir I m highly obliged. Thank you very much
        I am right handed and i m 11/01/1990 born. In my head line I have two branches with a certain distance in between at the end

  22. Hello Mark, I have 4 horizontal lines on my right middle finger which is my dominate hand. I have always had it and can remember comparing my hand with others my entire life, but could never find someone with these similarities. The extra line is located between the top line and middle line on my middle finger. Both my index and ring fingers are tilted toward It and It is tilted toward my ring finger. All of my fingers are really long and thin and my left middle finger is just as long and thin but does not have that extra line in the middle. My birth date is 12/11/1979. I am very interested in knowing what this line means and would love to hear back from you.
    Thank you

    • Hmmm. I assume having an extra line does not mean having an extra joint. Sounds like you have a highly developed sense of responsibility and obligation and possibly some guilt to go with that, but deep down, you’re a freedom lover. I think the line may represent your dividing the practical aspects of your life from the personal ones. It’s important for you to take a lot of personal space and structure freedom and adventure into your life to renew and refresh yourself. Of course, without seeing the entire picture in context of both full hands, I’m only guessing. If you want to respond and send hi-res photos of both full hands (perpendicular to camera lens so there’s no distortion in proportions) to markseltman1@gmail.com, I’ll comment.

  23. i have 4 phalanges in my right hand middle fingers..what is mean?..plz tell me

    • I would need to examine both whole hands before commenting. Does the finger contain three actual joints or is one of the phalanges divided by a very distinct horizontal line. It’s usually the middle phalanx if that’s the case. Depending on whether your right hand is dominant. It would have something to do with your need to divide your responsibilities between family and work or perhaps if the middle finger is crooked, you might feel obligated to be doing something you may not want to be doing. This is just conjecture without seeing the details. What’s the shape of the tip and the type of fingerprint? Are other fingers leaning toward or away from the middle finger? If you want to send hi-res pictures of both full hands (perpendicular to camera lens) to mark@markseltman.com, I’ll comment further.

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