Nail Reading: Why Does My Middle Nail Always Break?

Middle Finger Nails 101

Continuing the theme of the last post‘s broken left middle nail, I thought it’d be good to dive into the meaning of a broken right middle nail.

The left hand generally has to do with internal experiences such as feelings and memories, while the right hand has to do with external expression such as your relationships and actions. The middle nails correspond to Saturn, the god of contraction, restriction, control, authority, and the unavoidable drudgeries of life like death and taxes.

So on the left hand, the middle nail reflects internal experiences of Saturn such as personal discipline, scarcity mentality, daddy issues and your relationship to authority in general, both abstractly in other people and with your own personal sense of authority.

In the right hand, the middle nail has to do with the external expression of Saturn such as your relationship with money and career, which are the most common issues that I see coming up in nail readings.

So what does it mean when the right middle nail breaks?

Whenever I’m assessing a nail break, I consider not just the finger involved, but also where on the nail bed the break occurs, how long the nail was before breaking, the shape and quality of the break, and whether or not the break hurt. And of course how the person connected to the nail feels about it breaking. Are you very attached to your nails looking a certain way? Or do you not care one way or another?

In this case we’ll also take a look at the finger tattoos.

We’ve already discussed the significance of the middle nail, so let’s take a deeper look at each one of these issues, starting with the different parts of the nail bed.

Nail Chakras

Where on the nail bed does the break occur?

In my book The Ancient Art of Onychomancy, I discuss my system of reading nail chakras, in which the nail bed reflects the 7 main chakras of the body. The root chakra corresponds to the matrix or cuticle of the nail, the sacral corresponds to the lunula, and so on (see below diagram).

In the case of this nail reading, the break occurred right above the quick, which as we see in the diagram below corresponds to the throat chakra of the nail bed:

Assuming that this middle nail was the same length as the other nails before breaking, the nail went from being just barely as long as the 3rd eye zone, which has to do with intuition, to the throat chakra zone.

As I’ve stated in my Onychomancy 101 post, “The longer the nail, the closer to goddess,” by which I mean longer nails increase one’s yin energy or receptivity, heightening intuitive abilities via the 3rd eye and connection to the divine via the crown chakra.

So when nails are shorter, they are more grounded and help you “tune out” external energies and get into your body. The message of a nail breaking from 3rd eye length to throat chakra length would be to focus less on what you’re “seeing” around you and more on speaking your truth.

In the context of the right Saturn finger, this nail break might signify, for example, reading between the lines of some manipulative behavior your boss is displaying but then hold yourself back from setting a boundary with them because you’re worried about losing your job.

The Shape, Texture and Sensation of a Nail Break

When your nail breaks very cleanly off, that indicates that you’re ready for whatever change needs to occur. When the nail break is messy and jagged, that indicates resistance.

Same for the sensation. If the nail break hurts, there is resistance to the lesson. It’s also a sign to stop and slow down, which the pain and sensitivity actually supports by preventing you from “doing too much.” When the break is painless, there is acceptance and readiness to do whatever work needs to get done.

And a repeated break to the same nail means you haven’t got the memo yet!

Interpreting Finger Tattoos

I thought it’d be good to touch on tattoos in this reading, since this person has tattoos on both Saturn fingers, and they said their right Saturn nail is the one that tends to break. I have a whole section in my nail reading book about analyzing symbols and patterns in nail art, and I apply the same logic to how I interpret tattoos.

In this case, they have 3 vertical dots on the left Saturn finger, and 4 horizontal lines on the right Saturn finger. Let’s break it down:

In numerology, 3 represents creativity, joy, communication, groups, and fun. Vertical lines are yang and support growth, action, and outward motion. Dots are also yang and represent clarity (we discuss the symbolism of dots and circles in this nail reading).

The number 4 represents foundations, pragmatism, and material reality, which happen to all be very Saturnian themes (Saturn rules foundations, bones, the skeletal system). Horizontal lines are yin and support connection and rest.

So we have this very yang, exuberant tattoo to balance the very yin energy of the left hand and a very yin, stabilizing tattoo to balance the yang energy of the right hand. It’s an interesting combination that brings out the best of Saturnian energy while the 3 dots provides a lighthearted counterpoint to Saturn’s tendency to be all work and no play. No dull boys here!

If you liked this nail reading, check out these related posts:

And if you’re ready to go deeper into your onychomancy studies, check out my e-book, The Ancient Art of Onychomancy In the Modern World: Complete Guide to Divination of Nails & Manicures!

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