Thinking is one of four basic human functions. The other three functions are Feeling, Intuitive, and Sensation. One function (or combination of functions) is dominant in each of us. You can quickly see which of four functions rule you by observing the shape and proportions of your hands. Thinking types have square palms and long fingers, often widely spread. They’re communicators who love the idea stage of development, before projects materialize. Acquaintances often  accuse them of being impractical dreamers, but without them, not much new would happen. When they detach themselves from mundane reality, they can gain objectivity and perspective on almost anything. On the downside, they tend to overvalue the intellect and downplay emotion. As the most social of all types, they’ll acknowledge your point of view, even if they don’t agree with you. Although they’re capable of dealing with plenty of analysis, detail, and information, they’d much rather be unencumbered and free from mundane realities. Easily distracted, they become scattered and resist being focused, disciplined, and structured. Less cultivated thinking types are notorious for being nervous, restless, superficial, and unreliable.

A majority of palmists look at the headline first to interpret how a person thinks. The direction and quality of a person’s headline determines the direction and quality of their thinking. A headline can be short (serious) or long (analytical). It begins where the thumb meets the hand and may be connected (inertia) or separated (initiative) from the life line at it’s beginning. It can run straight across the hand (objective), turn up towards the pinky finger (acquisitive), or dip deep into the heel of the hand (imaginative). The quality of a line is crucial to its interpretation. Dr. William Benham, the father of modern western palmistry, had his electric current theory. He believed that lines conducted a person’s thought currents, just as electrical lines conduct electricity. If something impedes the current, it interferes with the function that the line represents at that particular time of a person’s life. There are many possible obstacles on a head line: islands, chains, breaks, dots, frays, chains, crosses, stars, etc., each with it’s own set of challenges.

When I first began studying palmistry over thirty-five years ago, much of the writing on the subject was didactic and fatalistic. I had a huge island in the middle of my headline (picture not me) extending over a four to five-year period. Older palmistry writings described a state of insanity, possible institutionalization, or at best, a state of utter confusion for that period. Needless to say, I was worried. I called my brother, Gary, who was in the process of becoming a psychiatrist at the time. I explained my situation and expressed my fears. Gary asked me what the quality of the line was like after the island. I told him that it was strong and clear. He replied, “Don’t worry about it. You’ll figure out what it is when you get there and deal with it as you go through it.” He was right. I did get there and understand it, although I still had to go through it. Knowing it would end made it a lot easier to cope. That’s one of the advantages of being able to see what challenges lay ahead in your hands.

By looking at our little finger, we begin to learn more about our thinking and communication skills. Our pinky is the shortest finger. When the tip is longer than the crease between the first and second phalange of the ring finger, it’s considered long (more communicative.) When it’s shorter, it’s considered short (less communicative.) An inwardly curving pinky indicates issues with truthfulness. We can see technical, language, family, and sexual issues in our little finger. Early family dynamic may be observed in the way the pinky is set on the hands. If it is very short or low set, trust is a major issue. Many women who have very low set pinkies have told me that they have trouble having orgasms. Their real challenge is in allowing themselves to have intimacy.

Fingertips also provide information about our thinking function. Each finger has three sections, divided by two joints, each of which may or may not have a developed knot (knots indicate a need for order.) The top phalanx represents our thinking. When it is dominant (longer than the other two phalanges), the thinking function dominates that aspect of our character represented by the particular finger. A rounded fingertip or loop fingerprint symbolizes enhancement of the social aspect of the thinking function. A spatulate fingertip or whorl fingerprint accentuates unconventional and original thinking. A  square fingertip or arch fingerprint increases the practical quality of a person’s thinking. I’ll get much more specific in future blog entries when I write about the twelve character types. I’ll also include case histories of family, friends, clients, and celebrities.