| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Hero of Our Time by M.Y. Lermontov: and that in Paradise another woman would be
his companion. The thought occurred to me
to baptize her before her death. I told her my
idea; she looked at me undecidedly, and for a
long time was unable to utter a word. Finally
she answered that she would die in the faith
in which she had been born. A whole day passed
thus. What a change that day made in her!
Her pale cheeks fell in, her eyes grew ever so
large, her lips burned. She felt a consuming
heat within her, as though a red-hot blade was
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The First Men In The Moon by H. G. Wells: There came a still more violent whirl of the sphere and we had clutched
one another. In another moment we were spun about again. Pound we went and
over, and then I was on all fours. The lunar dawn had hold of us. It meant
to show us little men what the moon could do with us.
I caught a second glimpse of things without, puffs of vapour, half liquid
slush, excavated, sliding, falling, sliding. We dropped into darkness. I
went down with Cavor's knees in my chest. Then he seemed to fly away from
me, and for a moment I lay with all the breath out of my body staring
upward. A toppling crag of the melting stuff had splashed over us, buried
us, and now it thinned and boiled off us. I saw the bubbles dancing on the
glass above. I heard Cavor exclaiming feebly.
The First Men In The Moon |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Black Beauty by Anna Sewell: but don't stay now, sir, the bell is ringing. Here, porter!
take this gentleman's luggage -- Dover line twelve o'clock train --
that's it," and without waiting for another word Jerry wheeled me round
to make room for other cabs that were dashing up at the last minute,
and drew up on one side till the crush was past.
"`So glad!' he said, `so glad!' Poor young fellow! I wonder what it was
that made him so anxious!"
Jerry often talked to himself quite loud enough for me to hear
when we were not moving.
On Jerry's return to the rank there was a good deal of laughing
and chaffing at him for driving hard to the train for an extra fare,
|
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from Alexandria and her Schools by Charles Kingsley: "emancipated women;" a class but too common in the later days of Greece,
as they will always be, perhaps, in civilisations which are decaying and
crumbling to pieces, leaving their members to seek in bewilderment what
they are, and what bonds connect them with their fellow-beings. But to
return: funds shall be provided for the Museum from the treasury; a
priest of rank, appointed by royalty, shall be curator; botanical and
zoological gardens shall be attached; collections of wonders made. In
all things the presiding genius of Aristotle shall be worshipped; for
these, like Alexander, were his pupils. Had he not mapped out all
heaven and earth, things seen and unseen, with his entelechies, and
energies, and dunameis, and put every created and uncreated thing
|
