SUBWAY
(Note: the letter m is considered one of the most important letters).
Imagine a diagram of the basic letter M, consisting of its three humps. The first hump represents the ego of the writer; the second hump represents your social status; the third hump represents other people. If a particular hump does not reflect the basic M, we look for variations, as we look for variations of the school model (Palmer Method) and analyze the deviations.
o Imagine the letter (‘m’) showing an arc that curves under the body of the letter. It illustrates the interpreter, the speaker; the bow looks like an arm that makes a kind of gesture to the audience.
o When only two “tops” (humps) are made, the first represents the ego and the second the other person. When the first part is higher than the second, we see that the ego of the writer is more important than that of the other person. He is probably proud and conceited.
o When the first part of the card is lower than the second part, even though the whole card is nearing the end, it shows ambition. The writer’s ego is lower than his image of the other person. This indicates an inferiority complex, which depends on the opinions of others.
o Imagine the letter (‘m’) rolled up and large; loops are an attention-grabbing device. Also, the enlarged size of this letter indicates vanity.
o Consider the capital letter (‘M’) which, although it has the ‘opportunity’ to show its ego by making itself bigger than the rest of the word, it does not. This indicates a modest, simple and withdrawn writer.
o Evidently a letter made in the form of a musical note, shows musical interest.
o When the initial stroke, instead of starting from the left, starts from the right, as if the writer needed a little more flourish to communicate his thoughts, we see here loquacity and a good sense of humor.
o Imagine the ugly-looking letter, where the middle line drops sharply, showing materialism. Its ugly shape indicates vulgarity.
o Imagine that the middle hump is lower than the other two. Since the second hump shows the social status of the writer, this form implies dissatisfaction with his social position or his job. People who feel this way tend to rely heavily on public opinion to decide a course of action.
o When the middle hump is the highest of the three, this writer relies more on his own opinion than that of others. Because the second hump is “climbing” above the first and third, we see an ambitious person who can step on others to achieve his goal.
o Consider the letter (‘m’) written wavy, without a distinct shape. This shows variability. A diplomat, who must often avoid sensitive situations, could write this way.
o Imagine the letter called “thread connection.” Doing the proper up and down movements was too much trouble for this writer. Take the easy way out and avoid them all. People who write like this often have difficulty making decisions and are prone to hysteria. Note: This filiform M should not be confused with the filiform death of a word, which implies unwillingness to compromise, a subtle difference. (See Chapter 11, note 5.)
o Imagine the letter written in the form of a garland, open at the top. The garland portends a kind, tolerant and kind individual, who does not hide how he feels. Its round shape shows warmth and softness.
o When the angle changes, we see a person who cannot decide if he wants to live in the past, present or future. When the writing shows only two angle changes, the indecision is not as severe as when the writing changes angle in three directions. However, the writer is divided.
o Consider the small and crowded “m”. Since the m represents so many social aspects of the individual, this letter indicates a narrow-minded person who chooses to huddle. He’s probably shy.
o The rounded letter (‘m’) shows someone with a heart of gold. Roundness implies smoothness, like a bouncing ball, while angularity implies hardness, sharpness, like the point of a knife.
o There are cases where it is a good idea to observe the writer as he writes. You can take your hand off the page and make an almost conscious decision about how the letter should be completed. If you go over the letter without lifting the writing tool, you have to use what are called masking strokes: the rising stroke and the descending stroke share the same line. Cover-up strokes indicate that the writer is hiding something. It usually involves cheating in one way or another and thus the writer tries to show as little of himself as possible, avoiding separate up and down hits as separate hits would show more of his true personality than that he wants to reveal.
o Image traces that are broken, although there is no doubt that the letter is an ‘m’. Writing like this is found among frugal people (as if they saved by not completing the entire letter) and among nervous people. The latter seems to need to lift his hand from the page, possibly because he is shaking.
o Imagine that the third hump is the highest of the three. Since the third hump describes the writer’s relationship with other people, this shows envy. He has placed others on a higher pedestal than himself and is now angry at the heights they have reached.
o Consider that the final stroke goes to the right and down. Since the normal, social thing would be to extend the end to the right; this blow portends a pessimistic attitude. This writer is in a bad mood and probably suffers from depression. Your writing is directed downward to reflect your feelings.
o Image of ‘tacky elaboration’. This reflects an exaggeration, by unnecessary blows and surely, a lack of taste.
o Imagine that the initial stroke is hooked. A hook can reveal selfishness, greed, and stubbornness. Here the hook represents the ego, and because it points inward toward the first hump of the M, it shows egoism.
o Consider the initial stroke which is both large and flowered. Since the first part of the ‘m’ shows the ego, we see conceit. The writer tries to give an exaggerated image of his own worth. When used in a dishonorable way like this, the flourishing lines show false pretense and affectation.
o When the various humps are of uniform height, we see intelligence, good taste, and a generally affable disposition. Its similarity to the capital letter, which shows simplicity, implies intelligence, and good taste is demonstrated by the very fact that the writer has chosen the simplest possible form. We read good disposition in the same size of the humps: none distorts the others; social status, ego and relationship with their peers are in due proportion.
o The final downward stroke can be significantly lighter than the rest of the letter. This writer has a rough patch on him. He cuts off his relations with his fellow man (the shortened third hump). Also, since the slight downward blow is directed toward the lower (sexual) zone, you probably cannot enjoy marital intercourse in the normal way. The combination of pettiness and inability to enjoy normal sex hints that this writer is by nature a sadist. (See chapter 6.)
o Imagine the final downward stroke that is written much lighter than the rest of the letter. If it continues to the lower zone, the area where the strength of the individual resides, it implies fatigue and weakness.
o The final stroke, which is written with a lot of pressure, indicates brutality. There are two reasons for this: (1) all the final strokes show the writer’s relationship to the other person, and (2) the third part of the m also shows this. Thus, this personality trait is emphasized.
o Imagine the final stroke that rises to the upper area and ends in a thick point. The upper zone indicates the imaginative and intellectual aspect of the writer, and the tendency to the left of the line reveals negativism about him. (Leftward trends often mean negativism and rightward trends positivism.) Strong point pressure shows materialism. Adding these facts together, we conclude that this writer is dedicated to calculating flattery.
o Consider when the final race is hooked. A hook generally shows tenacity, and when it is at the end of the ‘m’ (relationship with others), we see someone whose dealings are marked by stubbornness.
o Imagine the final stroke that extends to the upper zone (spirituality, mysticism). When this final blow is in the last part of the ‘m’ (relationship with other people), we see someone who stratifies their human relationships in religious terms.