[MellySingsDoom]

For Cantanky - here be the stuff about the Metal Horse...:

The Metal Horse

Outstanding talent and a knack for basking in the spotlight without developing a swelled head are two of the Metal Horse's special qualities. He is adroit, forceful and combative in his driving ambition to get somewhere in life. People usually think of this person as a real "scrapper", someone who is definitely out there, fists up, armed with a strong personal sense of faith in self. Though not truly a pugnacious sort who goes out looking for trouble, the Metal Horse likes to remain on the qui vive, rarely letting down his guard. Metal Horses walk tall, which discourages others who might try to get in their way.

Maybe such bravura is just a defense to hide sensitivity or lack of confidence? Not really. The Metal Horse has a tight rein on his emotions: he must hold himself in check to maintain a dignified and respectable public and private image. He's alway well dressed in a conservative, tasteful manner. He lives in the "right" neighbourhoods, buying or renting in the most prosperous of suburbs or keeping a swish pied-a-terre in the snootier quarters of al the best cities worldwide. The Metal Horse is careful to engage in acceptable, noble, sports activities: tennis, golf, sailing or fencing. He usually marries people from "good" families, joins up-market clubs, sends his kids to the right schools and eats at the "in" restaurants recommended by the "best" critics.

The Metal Horse is a bit of a snob but he has a solid reason to look down his nose at poor fare and proletarian sports. The Metal Horse feeds on material comfort, which he knows he can only ensure for himself and his family if he travels in the right circles, goes after the cushiest jobs and is seen to be better mannered, educated and dressed than his rivals. The Metal Horse is more ambitious than intelligent, more self-driven than a scud missile...and tougher than tungsten.

It is not quite fair or correct to condemn this eager-beaver figure so hurriedly, slotting him recklessly into the empty-headed category of the blindly ambitious go-getter. The Metal Horse is nobody's fool. He is unusually quick-witted, bright and fleet of foot. He likes to stay within the boundaries set for him by society, pays his taxes on time, and never cheats. He is always punctual, looks nice and, what's worse, has perfect teeth. His kids never take drugs and his dog doesn't bite the postman. You must know at least one Metal Horse: he is that infuriatingly well-turned-out person who lives in the lovely flat on the second floor of your building, about whom nobody ever knows anything except that he does everything right.

Obviously, the Metal Horse is far from perfect. He has faults but he hides them. He has troubles but keeps them to himself. He has a heart but it's kept under wraps. The Metal Horse keeps it all to himself because he fears both pain and the guilt of shame. He's skittish on many emotional situations and flees every intimate discussion because he hates to hurt. His cupboards are in perfect order and his kitchen sink shines because he is worried what others may think. His dinner parties are timed to the last toothpick and his car never breaks down because he's determined to appear to be in control in the eyes of his guests. The Metal Horse is terrified of disorder and an excess of spontaneity because something might go wrong if it isn't planned to advance. Life scares the Metal Horse less when everything is planned ahead. When the dishes are washed and the sink is scrubbed and the fire's scrubbed then (and only then) the Metal Horse will allow his compulsive little head to lay itself upon the pillow for a well-earned snooze.

This horse is a bungler. He is always tripping over things and half drowning in his own bathtub. From an early age he starts polishing his image, planning his time slots and setting up sedate covers to hide his inadequacies. He's a walking time bomb of potential mistakes but you will never have to deal directly with them because he is a master of camouflage.

He is a rough-and-tumble lover. Though his technical skills may be excellent, he never seems to be doing much more than performing a job well. He's not cold or without physical passion, but he never lets go. I suppose, as his sensitivities must remain hidden, tenderness and gentle stroking can hardly be his strong suit. If you love one of these effective and ambitious creatures, you will be forced to employ ruse and chicanery to keep him in bed after lovemaking. A Metal Horse is likely to make love and leap up to do the laundry, make a phone call or turn on the TV.

Of course, he is a serious worker. All professions requiring good social skills, group dynamics and team integration are custom-made for the Metal Horse. He can be an efficient boss or a junior employee, but the Metal Horse will not stay an underling for long. He loves hierarchies and thrives on the vicissitudes of climbing the sturdy ladder to success. He adores material wealth and has an obsession with acquisition. Good things with pedigrees and historical references line the wall of his house. You never eat from cheap dishes in the Metal Horse's home and the flowers are always fresh too.

The Metal Horse, however, deplores routine and dislikes confinement. He is a peripatetic soul who requires change and movement. I do not advise him to get a desk job which doesn't involve travel. Action is his best and the more he has the healthier and happier the Metal Horse will be. His need for motion sometimes hinders the Metal Horse from enjoying a sound family life. He can make a commitment - but not to anything which doesn't evolve. If he feels trapped in a static relationship or family situation where he feels there's no room for improvement or modification, he may bolt. The Metal Horse would prefer to live alone than feel trapped in a no-win marriage or love affair. Some turn to drink when strangling in bad marriages or relationships and divorce is preferable to drugs, gambling or lifelong depression.

The wise Metal Horse will try yoga and meditation to temper his fever-pitch existence. Otherwise, the stress he engenders by living through one of his chock-a-block days might push his delicate nervous system over the edge. Nervous collapse is not uncommon in the Metal Horse. Vitamins and a steady diet of grains and vegetables are recommended to aid his sometimes acid and sluggish digestion. He usually chooses to remain fit as he adores sport and excercises obsessively.

When at his best, the Horse is productive and active. He is even thrilled by adversity, considering setbacks mere hurdles. Then, when the moment is just right and the multiple irons in his myriad fire are all meltingly hot, the Metal Horse will leap any obstacle with grace and style. Watch him as he lands smoothly and emerges from his herculean effort, looking smashingly elegant and almost always winning by at least a nose.

Lastly, this Horse is very kind and charitable, giving his time and money for communal and group events. Often these activities are Church-orientated but they might also have to do with philanthropic or philosophical movements. Unusually for a Horse, the Metal Horse is a spiritual soul, who is attracted not only to religion but capable of expanding his mind in search of philosophical truth. He can succeed in even the most obscure abstract metaphysical realms as writer, teacher or physician.