Superphysics Superphysics
Chapter 21

The Bad Type of Apollonian

by Benham
16 minutes  • 3339 words

There is a bad type of Apollonian.

In it you find the markings of Mount and finger strong enough to show you that the subject is of this type, but you find a thick third phalanx, short first, crooked finger with short nails, hard consistency, no flexibility, or with other indications showing a decrease of the mentality and fineness of the type.

The bad Apollonian will be undersized, with common features, without the beauty of the best type.

The hair will be stiff, crisp, and a dingy yellow.

The complexion will be either red or sallow, the eyes sometimes crossed. Instead of a clean, tidy, artistic being, you have a common person not giving any indication of the brilliancy of the type.

He will be vain and boastful, and have a good opinion of himself and his ability.

He is fond of show and display (the material world rules) and, with the extravagance of the type present without his brilliant way of money-making, he will be improvident and poor.

He craves notoriety, will tell how talented he is, seeks to be an actor, and greatly overestimates himself.

When repulsed he becomes bitter and revengeful and thinks himself badly used. He imagines that his want of success comes from the fact that others are conspiring against him.

He will stop at nothing to make himself conspicuous, and will commit any folly to produce this result. Altogether he is an unhappy, unsuccessful creature. Note, however, that he is seldom criminal.

The two extremes of this type have many degrees of development between them. The Apollonian type is often combined with other types that modify it.

With the mental picture of the two extreme types, I do not believe there will be any trouble after practice in estimating the degree of Apollonian quality possessed by any subject.

All Apollonians have health difficulties peculiar to them.

The type is naturally a healthy one and to this fact may be attributed much of their success. They are entirely wanting in that most baneful influence, biliousness, so none of its irritating, depressing effect is present.

This shows on health, temper, and character, for the Apollonian, free from bile, is usually healthy, happy, and good, and even on his worst side not a criminal. He does not over-eat and his stomach is healthy, but his heart is often irregular in its movement. Heart trouble is the principal health defect of the type.

When examining an Apollonian for health, look for blue nails, the heart-disease nail, look at the Heart-line for islands, dots, cross bars, cuts in the line, chains, stars, or anything that is a defect of the line, and then at the Life line for some sign of delicacy there.

Look for a grille on the Mount, and if found with any of the above indications, it will tell you that it is a health defect of the type and not a check to his prosperity. Look for cross-bars cutting the Mount; these are worse than a grille. By this method you can locate heart trouble, the leading health difficulty of the type.

The Apollonian is subject to weak eyes. If you find a health defect in your subject, see if a small dot or small island is found on the Head line under the Mount. This will locate the trouble in the eyes.

He is also liable to sunstroke and should avoid danger from this source. Fevers are also likely but they are acute attacks, and, unless the Life line shows great disturbance and other indications are found, you will have trouble in locating them.

This matter will be fully treated later as it does not properly belong here. It is essential to know the health defects of the type, as necessity to use them will frequently arise. Note carefully the apex of the Mount, see if it is directly in the centre or whether it leans to one or the other Mounts.

If Apollo leans toward Saturn it will give off some of its brightness and gayety to the melancholy Mount. Thus Saturn will be less sombre, sad, and severe. If Saturn leans toward Apollo it will make Apollo more grave, serious, and less spontaneous.

If Apollo leans towards Mercury it will tinge that Mount with the love of beauty and the artistic sense and brilliancy of Apollo. If Mercury leans toward Apollo it will make Apollo partake of the business shrewdness and scientific qualities of Mercury.

By understanding each Mount thoroughly and remembering that when one Mount leans toward another, it gives off some of its force to the Mount toward which it leans, you can reason out all displacements of the Mounts.

This is a great advantage gained by thoroughly understanding the Mount types. Having now a thorough understanding of the Apollonian type, we will apply to him the qualities which underlie his character and find out what they will do for him. Texture of the skin will tell us whether the subject is refined or coarse. Here, as every where else, we do not find the type exclusively in any one station or grade in life. Common as well as refined people have Apollonian qualities.

Texture will help to locate the grade. If fine, the mental world (first phalanx) is probably predominant, and the love of refined beauty and art the result. Coarse texture will make the tastes coarse, and with it we expect the lower world to rule, (third phalanx).

In this case a love of loud colors and display will be present. The medium texture will follow the middle world (second phalanx) and the business side will be strong. Consistency will show whether energy or laziness is to make or mar the success of the subject. The flabby hand will produce the hyper-refined idler, full of beautiful visions, with the most luxurious and fastidious tastes, but too lazy to do any work to gratify them.

In this case someone else will be the support, as no more impractical subjects exist than the flabby-handed Apollouians.

They are attractive, however, and have many friends for they do not have energy enough to make enemies. Soft hands are better, for these show the subject will put forth some effort. These subjects are as artistic and refined as the flabby hands, but will do something occasionally, and can cultivate energy if they wish to. The elastic consistency belongs to the Apollonian who makes money out of his brilliancy. If he is an artist he produces something marketable and has the faculty of finding a buyer. If he is an actor he finds a good salary in return for his talents. As a writer he gets pay for his efforts.

He is successful in business for he brings intelligent energy to bear on these pursuits and turns his brilliancy to account. The hard hand belongs to a coarse Apollonian, who talks much and lacks the refinement belonging to the higher development of the type. Flexibility will show elasticity added to an already brilliant mind. If the flexibility is great and the Apollonian type strongly marked, it will show the most versatile, brilliant person imaginable.

Too much so in fact, for he will fly to extremes and will constantly shoot over the heads of the inhabitants of earth. Every impression and emotion find quick expression with him, and he enjoys and suffers much, so delicately is he organized. This is the brilliant artist who works by fits and starts producing only a few things in a lifetime but each of them a gem. This subject is very extravagant.

The medium flexibility will be best for the subject, for no additional mental elasticity is needed by a pure Apollonian.

This will make a subject well balanced, even tempered, and self contained; one who will not easily fly off at a tangent, and in both the worlds of art and business, he will, by being more conservative, be more successful. The stiff hand will show that the stiff-brain qualities have taken away some of the versatility of the subject.

He will be less likely to scatter his energies, and more inclined to confine himself to a definite occupation. He will be less brilliant, as the typical Apollonian qualities are much reduced. Pink or red color we expect to find in the Apollonian for the healthy type must have one of the healthy colors.

Pink will lend vivacity and cheer to the already happy subject, and is the color par excellence. Red will show strong, healthy blood supply, but it should not be too pronounced for heart trouble is a difficulty of the type. If found, look at nails and Heart line to see how much pressure the heart is sustaining.

White color is not expected, for Apollonians are not cold, if present it will pull down the attractiveness and health of the subject, showing a weak heart, and this is dangerous, for it is the health defect of the type. Here again look well to nails and Heart line. With white color, there will be no such success as belongs to the natural type, and when found, it will tell of the probable spoiling of the best qualities of the subject. Yellow color is rare with the pure type of Apollonian. Saturnian or Mercurian types may be found to be secondary, in which case yellow color may be present, but it is not expected with the Apollonian type, and is a great defect when found.

It will, to a large degree, spoil the subject and make his success harder to accomplish and much less certain. One source of beauty in this type is his freedom from excess of bile, but when he has this, he is no better than other types which have it. If yellow color is found, examine carefully to see if it is merely temporary, if not, give yellow color qualities to the subject in whatever degree of pronouncedness you find it. Blue color will be seen if heart difficulty is present. It will be seen in temporary blue blotches in the hand, or, if severe, in the coloring of the whole palm. The nails will also have the deep blue settled at their bases which will tell of serious heart trouble.

This is augmented if the heart-disease nail is found. Be careful what you say to this subject, so as not to alarm him, for that would be dangerous. It is well to look carefully to the Heart line, and note whether an island or dot appears on it under the Mount of Apollo. If so, this case is very serious. The Life line should then be examined to judge to what extent the difficulty has undermined the constitution, or is likely to.

The nails will tell by their size, whether the general health is strong or delicate. This will have much to do in estimating the subject. The color under the nail will show whether pink health, white coldness, yellow biliousness, red ardor, or blue heart trouble is present. The latter is most important with this type. Pink nails are what we expect; others are abnormal and when found give their quality to the subject. The texture of nail will show whether nervous trouble is present. This is sometimes produced by the manner in which the subject takes chances and rushes into speculation.

Through all the nervous formations it can be judged what degree of trouble is present. Bulbous nails add tubercular trouble, either of lungs or spine. Short, critical nails will give argumentative force to a person already fond of talking, and he will push his view with vigor. Heart-disease nails will show structural defect in the Apollonian’s weak spot. A finely textured, pink-colored, smooth, open nail is what we expect to find, which will tell of brightness, spontaneity, and honesty.

Hair on the hands tells of the vigor of the constitution. Blond hair is expected and must be distinguished from yellow or silver color; and to be the typical Apollonian blond must be of a brilliant golden hue. There is more fire and snap to this hair, which approaches black than when it is a dull, straw color. Black hair makes the subject quicker and more vivacious, adding to the sparkle of an already sparkling character.

It also lends to the subject a dash of the fire belonging to black color, and makes him unusually sharp and keen.

The more hair found on the hand the more vitality the subject has. The hand as a whole, will tell in which world the subject moves.

If the fingers predominate in length over the palm, then mind will rule, and either in literature, art, poetry, drawing, architecture, or kindred subjects will he find his proper vocation. If the middle world is best developed he will be the man for business.

He will organize syndicates, indulge in large speculations, head great companies, and be a brilliant figure in the commercial world. If the lower third of the hand be strongest he will be ruled by baser instincts, commoner in his tastes, and fond of show. This is especially marked if the third phalanx of the finger of Apollo is thick.

Note carefully if the three worlds are in balance or if one is deficient. Whatever the combination, reason out the result by noting which worlds are present, which absent, and combining the attributes of those found. The fingers must be closely studied. If the fingers of Apollo and Jupiter are of the same length, then we have a balance between ambition and brilliancy which will produce good results. If Apollo is longer than Jupiter, then artistic or business tastes will be in the ascendancy.

If Apollo is as long as Saturn, or nearly so, the subject will take great chances in everything, - will risk life, money, reputation, in carrying out his enterprises. He is the plunger, speculator, or gambler.

If Apollo is longer than Saturn, he will be the foolhardy gambler, unable to restrain his propensities. If the finger is bent laterally it will add shrewdness to his character, and with the finger extremely long and crooked also, will show the tricky gambler. If the first phalanx is flexible, bending back easily, it will show flexibility in the mental qualities of the type. If the first phalanx is longest, it will show that artistic mental qualities are the strongest, and here is the place you must separate the artistic from the business side of the subject

The first phalanx longest indicates the artist, the writer, the poet, and the subject who will be given to these pursuits. With the second phalanx longest the business side prevails. When the third phalanx is longest, the subject is not destined for art; he will be fond of display and will have common tastes and love flashy colors.

If the first and second phalanges are equal in length, then the artistic talents can be made to yield money, as the business and artistic worlds are combined.

If the business world is short, the Apollonian may achieve a reputation, but will make little money. If the second and third phalanges are equally long, and the first short, there will only be a desire for money-making, and no artistic quality.

This subject will wear flashy clothing and incline to be “shoddy.” In judging the phalanges, see which is shortest, and which has gained length at its expense.

Estimate what has been taken out of the subject, and what has been furnished in increased supply. The finger tips will add their qualities to the finger and the character. Conic tips will make the subject more artistic and, with the first phalanx longest, add to its qualities the artistic conic qualities. Square tips make them practical and regular in habits, spatulate tips very active and original. With a long first phalanx the square tip will almost equal the presence of a long second phalanx.

With the second phalanx longest and conic tip, the subject will add the artistic qualities of the conic tip to the business side of his nature. He will dress well, keep his place of business attractive, and wherever he goes will have artistic things around him. He will be fond of pleasure, and may not keep down to business as closely as he might.

If the tip be square it will add common-sense, practical ideas, to an already good business person, and there will be every chance of success. With a spatulate tip he will be very original and make a natural entertainer. All his Apollonian qualities of pleasure-giving have originality and activity added to them, producing a clever after-dinner speaker and a mimic.

Pointed tips idealize everything and make him visionary and impractical. When the third phalanx is longest, with conic finger tips, he will be fond of color and form, but with no taste for higher art. With square tips he will desire to be rich, and when so will make a show of his wealth. With spatulate tips he will be fond of games, and will be skilful in them and full of dash.

Knotty fingers will check some of his enthusiasm and spontaneity, and are not common to the type. He is not given to analyzing, his mental processes are quicker and more intuitive. Knotty fingers are really a defect, for they make him operate in a manner which is not best for him.

Smooth fingers are his natural kind, for artistic feeling, impulsive ways, and great intuition are the main sources of the Apollonian strength. Note the phalanges and see if knotty or smooth-finger qualities are to rule in the world best developed. Long fingers show that minutiae and detail will be strong with the subject.

  • If he is an artist, he will give every detail of the scene he is painting.
  • If a portrait painter, he will reproduce every button, every hair, and every eyelash.
  • If a sculptor, nothing will escape him.
  • If an author, he will describe minutely every character and incident. In business he will be accurate, but more careful than usual for the type; will be a good accountant and office man. Short fingers will make him quick as a flash.

He will have added to his already intuitive nature the short-fingered quickness of thought and action, and it will be surprising how quickly he makes a decision. His first impressions are his best.

He is in danger of “plunging,” however, especially if the Apollo finger be nearly the length of Saturn.

The short-fingered Apollonian is always a strong factor in speculation or at the gaming table.

The thumb will tell whether strong determination is present to bring out the best side of the type. A large thumb will strengthen the character, and the subject will be more of a “doer” than he would be with a short thumb. The small thumb takes away much of the practical, and leaves the artistic in full sway, but without the will-power necessary to develop it.

The short-thumbed Apollonians are geniuses, but never accomplish much.

The length of the will phalanx shows the strength of this element, and its shape tells whether the will is coarse, refined, tactful, nervous, or brutal. The second phalanx will show whether good reasoning powers are present, and, by its length, whether there is a balance with the will phalanx greater strength or deficiency.

You will thus know whether the subject is ruled by will or reason. A strong second phalanx of the thumb will be a fine addition to any Apollonian, as it adds to his character caution and prudence, which he often sadly needs.

A good, clear Head line adds self-control, judgment, and a clear brain.

There are many people who have much Apollonian quality in them, but pure Apollonian are rare.

The Apollonian leaven that is mixed with humanity does much to brighten life, and is a constant benefit, not only to the subjects themselves, but to all around them who share in and enjoy their cheerful moods and charming manners.

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