Palmistry 101: What Do Your Rings Say About You?

For beginners to the art and craft of palmistry, I always give out a few simple pointers to get people going; hand shape, skin texture, and the wearing of rings.

Since reading hands, I have noticed that characters in films who wear rings, tend to do so accurately. Now either there is a palmist in the costume / make up team, or the actors are well and truly in character and therefore inspired to wear rings according to their role. Whether it be a cygnet ring on the little finger, a ring on the index finger, or a preponderance of rings on all fingers. What does wearing rings say about you?

Before we get into rings, we first need to realise that the wearing of a ring on a particular digit is an attempt to bolster the particular quality of that digit. We must therefore understand what individual digits, from the thumb to the little finger, represent in isolation.

Thumb

The thumb is our prehensile digit, which allows man to hold an object with one hand, while monkeys (which lack opposing thumbs) require two. The thumb is what separates man from the ape. It represents not just our ability to grasp things in life - a long thumb denoting a good grip on life - but it also measures individual will power, ability to assert oneself on one’s environment and forge a life of one’s own choosing.

The particular quality of the thumb provides more refinement to the argument: a broad, blunt thumb demotes a similar blunt approach to getting one’s way, where a more refined, pointed thumb perhaps with a waisted (narrowed) middle section is borne by those with a tactful, wily approach to negotiating. On encountering bearers of the two previous thumbs mentioned, with the first, you would be under no illusions that you had been told the way things are; steamrollered into submission. Whereas your interaction with the holder of a pointed, waisted thumb (which is more typically found on a feminine hand), would have seen you agreeing to their demands without any sense that you were doing so. Naturally, different types of thumb will work better on different types of audience; the first might work better on a construction site or in the medical profession, while the latter would be more prevalent in law, consultancy and advertising.

A weak thumb is going to indicate a lack of individual willpower to assert one’s self in life, and depending on the relative strengths and weaknesses of other qualities of the hand, would be found on those who follow others rather than lead. Shorter thumbs are less likely to find success than longer ones, due to a relative lack of willpower to see things as they want them to be. It;s not that it can’t be done, it’s just much less likely to happen.

Index finger

The index digit represents the individual, the ego, me, I, mine. Think of the way we use it to point, to choose, to identify ourselves (by putting our index fingers in the air). It is the guide of the pen or pencil when we write. A long index finger (in comparison to the ring finger) is someone comfortable in their skin. They have a well developed sense of self, a sense of being adequate as they are, and hold a good self-image. Bearers of long index fingers make good leaders, tending to be understandably ‘bossy’, tend not to feel the need to impress others, whether with lots of extravagant clothing, make-up, or to behave in ways which garner the adoration of the crowd, to act the fool.

Conversely a short index finger (compared with the ring finger) tends to have the opposite effect, someone who is more externally focussed, who doesn’t feel that comfortable in their skin, is somewhat insecure, cautious and may seek external elements to bolster their sense of self. Think of a pop performer like Robbie Williams, who seeks the adulation of the screaming fans, because deep down he feels inadequate as he is. “If I could just get them all to see how wonderful I am, then I will feel better.” Of course it never works out like that, and eventually he had to face up to himself and his poor self image which caused his desire for fame in the first place.

Middle Finger

The middle finger represent the rules of life, the law, following instructions, doing what is right, being conservative and following the established marriage mortgage money path. We tend to show the middle finger to others when we want to demonstrate our lack of interest in following the rules.

A short middle finger can be found on people who feel that they don’t fit in (among other markings on the hand such as more than four whorl fingerprints), they don’t feel like they want to follow established routes, tending to choose their own paths, and can be found on the hands of those who transgress, such as criminals, and would be criminals who don’t fit in to the established legal system.

Ring Finger

The ring finger is the finger that most of us are most familiar with. It is normally viewed in association with the index finger, for the comparison of length, to see whether an individual is self-reflexive, or extroverted. The ring finger is the showy finger, and the longer it is relative to the index finger, the more of a strutting peacock an individual is.

Think of David Beckham with all of his tattoos and fashion statements, or the gentleman in the opening image. Look at women (and some men) who adorn themselves with makeup and jewellery and wear revealing clothes, and you may well find a long ring finger. That is not to say that someone with a long index finger wouldn’t do these things, but if they did their motives would be different; they would be pleasing themselves. Their dressing up would be tied into seriously presenting their true selves to the world, not because they were seeking approval from any other.

The ring finger is also associated with the arts and with sensuality and creativity. The longer the ring finger, the more artistic flair you might expect the bearer to possess. We often see this flamboyance in show-business, where long ring fingers abound, as the end result of significant creativity in music, theatre, film and TV.

A long ring finger (as compared with the index) is found on those who happily engage in love relationships; the longer the finger, the more sexual partners the person will tend to have in their life. Being more showy in nature, they will tend to choose partners who they can show off, the trophy wife, the toy boy boyfriend, the sugar daddy. Such people tend to find appearance very important, generally more so than the person behind. Chosen partners will usually be well-presented (to make the most of their natural beauty), have a good job, good social standing, big muscles, big boobs etc.

Those with long index fingers, by contrast, are not looking for anyone else to ‘make them whole’ as they feel complete as they are, they are looking for another who reflects back to them their qualities, someone who complements their character.

Little Finger

The little finger is the finger of communication, like an antenna; the longer it is the better the bearer is at picking up signals from others; idiosyncrasies, humour, language, and the more refined their ability to craft and present an argument. Found on writers and communicators in general, people with long little fingers have an in-built need to express themselves, they are opinionated, and rarely lost for words.

They can present an credible argument with the minimum amount of preparation. As such people tend to read widely in their quest to understand the world, they are true generalists, having fonts of knowledge and understand the associations between the elements of life, and they draw upon this information when making their pronouncements. The little finger also rules the realm of sexuality and sexual language (think of Little Finger in Game of Thrones) and body language. While those with long little fingers can read the signals effectively, they should be careful not to over-read a situation, using their confirmation bias to see signs where there are actually none. When someone is interested in you, and you have a long little finger, you will definitely know it.

Those with short or deformed little fingers will struggle relatively with communications (downs syndrome typically affects the little finger which is either bent, or has a missing middle phalange), they may miss the obvious, or lack the finesse in communication that longer little fingered people hold. The sexual side of language is also compromised, and sexual signs are easily missed. It is easy to confuse a short little finger with a low set little finger. The first phalange crease should be about half way up the ring finger’s base phalange. If it is lower than this, it is said to be low set.

Does is Ring True?

Wearing a ring on each of these fingers then seeks to bolster or boost the quality of the digit in question:

• A ring worn on the thumb indicates a desire for more willpower, is seen on those who wish to assert themselves, and on people who want to dominate, to put people under the thumb (See Megan Markle)
• A ring worn on the index finger is seen on hands of those who seek more power, who want to be the boss, to have more self confidence, and a greater self image; ambitious types who are heading for the top.
• A ring worn on the middle finger is quite common, and is found on hands of those with an interest in material things; such as family, money, status and social standing. You might find a woman who was keen to settle down, to be married and have children, stops wearing a ring on her middle finger, when she starts wearing a ring on her ring finger after marriage.
• A ring worn on the ring finger is a sign of success in the mating stakes, an attempt to choke and temper the rutting instinct which a long ring ringer holds. Just as the wedding vows state that one will be faithful, foresaking all others, the ring on the ring finger signifies this above all else. A ring worn on the right hand expresses a desire for success in mating, a desire to be married or in a relationship, or actually being in a relationship but not yet married.
• A ring worn on the little finger is prevalent on public speakers and communicators, and also on those who are actively ‘on the look out’ for sexual partners — it was commonly worn in the 1960’s and 70’s in the gay men’s scene in Britain. Along these lines, it can denote sexual hang ups, or unresolved sexual problems both mentally and physiologically.
• People who wear lots of rings on their fingers will tend to be insecure or lacking in self confidence. It’s as thought they are trying to bolster all of their fingers, as though their fingers aren’t long enough, that they are not managing to get the grasp on life that they really want. Think of Liberace, the musical genius and child prodigy, who was gay and lived much of his life in secret. It wasn’t a secret to the rest of us. At least those of us with long ring fingers.

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