Extra Horizontal Lines on Fingers

I've been getting a lot of questions lately about the meaning of extra horizontal lines on the fingers, especially on the baby finger.

The easiest way to understand these lines is to think of each horizontal line as a 'challenge' or 'block' to be overcome, and each vertical line as a 'breakthrough' or 'advancement'. The baby finger represents all forms of communication with others, so the extra line is an added communication challenge the person faces.

You'll need to look at the bone length of each phalanx. The base segment (proximal phalanx) shows basic forms of communications, things like psychic/intuition and 'body language'. The middle segment shows languages, including mathematics and music. The tip segment shows the communications initiated by the individual (they thought about it, put it into language, and then took action). When bending the finger you will see which segments are long or short. The longer the segment, the more active that aspect of communication is for the individual and more natural talent to develop.

By bending the finger you can also see exactly where the horizontal lines are in relation to the joints. Normal position for the lines is exactly opposite each joint (except for the base knuckle).

Once you compare the joints and horizontal lines, you can see which one segment has the extra line crossing it. That form of communication skill is where the added personal challenge is. (Low on the segment is early life, high up is late in life.)

When vertical lines cut through the horizontal ones, it shows that challenge has been successfully overcome.

How Many Fingers and Knuckles on the Human Hand?

A couple of common questions I get are "Do we have ten fingers or eight fingers and two thumbs?" and "Does a hand have 4 knuckles or 14 knuckles?"

In each case, both answers are considered correct.

Technically it is a bit more accurate to say that there are 8 fingers and 2 thumbs.

The word "knuckle" uses the same distinction in its definition, so each hand has EITHER:
4 fingers and 4 knuckles, OR
5 fingers and 14 knuckles.

A Phone in the Palm of Your Hand

Check out this awesome new telephone design by Sunman Kwon. A wrist strap turns your hand and fingers into the input buttons.


More...

USA and the Middle Finger

This one is a couple of years old, but perhaps even more true today. It's Indra Nooyi's remarks that caused a bit of a stir in 2005.

BusinessWeek:
"As I grew up and started to study geography, I remember being told that the five fingers can be thought of as the five major continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America.

• Think of the little finger as Africa. Africa is the little finger not because of Africa's size, but because of its place on the world's stage. From an economic standpoint, Africa has yet to catch up with her sister continents. And yet, when our little finger hurts, it affects the whole hand.
• Our thumb is Asia: strong, powerful, and ready to assert herself as a major player on the world's economic stage.
• Our index, or pointer finger, is Europe. Europe is the cradle of democracy and pointed the way for western civilization and the laws we use in conducting global business.
• The ring finger is South America, including Latin America. The ring finger symbolizes love and commitment to another person.
• The long middle finger for North America and the United States. As the longest of the fingers, it really stands out. The middle finger anchors every function that the hand performs and is the key to all of the fingers working together efficiently and effectively.

However, if used inappropriately -- just like the U.S. itself -- the middle finger can convey a negative message and get us in trouble. You know what I'm talking about.

Unfortunately, I think this is how the rest of the world looks at the U.S. right now. Not as part of the hand -- giving strength and purpose to the rest of the fingers -- but, instead, scratching our nose and sending a far different signal."

Not really correct as far as hand analysis interpretations, but I think I'd agree with the bit about the middle finger's signal right now...