Shakespeare asked, “What’s in a name?” and the handwriting analyst would answer, “That depends on how it is written.” In graphology we learn that one’s signature is arguably one’s most important distinguishing personal characteristic, second only to the personal pronoun “I”. In a strictly etymological sense, it is the sign of one’s nature: the public face and visual representation of the persona we hope to project. It undergoes subtle changes with maturity and serves as one’s personal logo, assuring authenticity in both a figurative and legal sense.
When a person’s signature undergoes a transformation, it is an outward manifestation of significant changes within, which I witnessed first-hand at a major juncture in my life. The process of becoming a certified handwriting analyst is a journey of self-discovery that showed how I had become root-bound in the clay pot we call job security. After much consideration I gave up a good teaching job in order to forge a new career in this unconventional field, and a curious thing happened to my signature in the process. It became liberated.
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For years I was uncomfortable with the traditional cursive capital “J” that begins my name. Something about those two full loops on top and bottom just felt awkward to me, and now I know why. In graphology, those loops represent imagination and expansion incorporating all aspects of one’s self: the physical, social, and intellectual. I had subconsciously adopted a slightly stylized fishhook “J” that sat sensibly atop the “line-of-reality,” simply and directly conveyed practicality and intelligence with an attractive flair that was nevertheless wholly lacking in imagination. It is as if I was afraid to dream.
With the change in my professional circumstances, however, suddenly and totally beyond my control, my capital J became complete with two lovely full loops extending freely in each direction. Here was visual proof of the expansiveness I was feeling after twelve years of a routine that, however successful, had reached its limits of opportunity. My decision to throw caution to the wind had received the most important validation of all, the official seal of approval that can onlycome from within.
What does your signature say about you? Contact me at jane@abcgraphology.com to find out. Or call 410-757-1008 Jane C. Elkin, Certified Handwriting Analyst & Comparative Handwriting Examiner ABC Graphology, LLC www.abcgraphology.com
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