Lady Aquila wrote:
The Aristasian salute touches either the left shoulder or the left side of the chest (there are many variants on the salute – not random – each military or other group using it will have its own strictly-observed form). Nonetheless the reference is to the heart (which is on the left side) and to the shoulder or arm (which is the instrument of action).
That the (relatively late) Tellurian salute should touch the head, which is the centre of lunar reason, which in turn is the focus of the rationalist revolution which ushered in the rajasic age in West Telluria, does not seem insignificant.
The salute to the head is known in Aristasia as are some other salutes used in different places and circumstances. The salute to the head generally has the effect of being jauntier and less formal than the standard salute, though there are a few contexts in which it is officially used. It has been used in pictures on the Aristasia Friends site largely because it is more readily recognised by newcomers than the standard Aristasian salute.
