The letter M is the icon of all things maternal, which is why it occurs in the word mother in virtually every language on earth. It’s also the key to the words; maiden, mammary, mother’s milk, and marriage, and when combined with the hushed and hallowed letter H, creates a unique resonance of nurturing gentility. This is why so many words that incorporate the HM phoneme display such pacific qualities: hum, hymn, humane, home, humble, homily, and shalom (the Hebrew word for peace).
These are the nurturers among us… those sensitive types whose antennae are always vibrating to someone else’s needs. But you won’t find them dissolving into tears at the terrible state of the world; they’re simply too confident in their own virtue to let life’s tumult ruffle their feathers.
The HM man is the one who can go through an earthquake without spilling his glass of Merlot, but won’t hesitate to put it aside to comfort the family dog. And if you’ve ever seen a Renaissance painting of a woman ensconced on a velvet pillow accepting peeled grapes from an adoring lover, then you’ll have a pretty accurate picture of the HM woman.
HMs have an intrinsic dignity that belies their sensitive natures. They live their lives with such confidence in their superiority, that they feel little need to assert their authority. Some might say this is complacency, but everyone seems to agree that theirs is a benevolent rule in which they are more than willing to take the needs of others into account.
When it comes to their leisure pursuits, HMs are always looking for outlets for their expressive natures, whether it’s writing, painting, photography or playing music. But they will rarely make full-time careers out of such trifling activities, for they are far too practical to actually live lives of struggling artists. Instead, they are more likely to have lucrative day jobs that provide them the freedom with which to pursue their hobbies.
Family life in the HM household is almost always defined by stability, warmth and togetherness. It would be a faux pas to eat and run at the HM’s table… meals are meant to be indulged and washed down with interesting discussions. This kind of dignified pace will drive an impatient type crazy, which is one reason that HMs tend to end up with sedate partners who are comfortable with the finer pleasures in life. Children will be raised with extraordinary respect and instilled with the same level of self-esteem enjoyed by their HM parent.
