| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Odyssey by Homer: so he said, weeping bitterly, "My friends, this man has done the
Achaeans great wrong. He took many of our best men away with him
in his fleet, and he has lost both ships and men; now, moreover,
on his return he has been killing all the foremost men among the
Cephallenians. Let us be up and doing before he can get away to
Pylos or to Elis where the Epeans rule, or we shall be ashamed
of ourselves for ever afterwards. It will be an everlasting
disgrace to us if we do not avenge the murder of our sons and
brothers. For my own part I should have no more pleasure in
life, but had rather die at once. Let us be up, then, and after
them, before they can cross over to the main land."
The Odyssey |
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 Vailima Prayers & Sabbath Morn by Robert Louis Stevenson: that of yesterday, turned back the leaves of his Bible to find a
chapter fiercely denunciatory, and only too applicable to the
foreign dictators of distracted Samoa. On another occasion the
chief himself brought the service to a sudden check. He had just
learned of the treacherous conduct of one in whom he had every
reason to trust. That evening the prayer seemed unusually short
and formal. As the singing stopped he arose abruptly and left the
room. I hastened after him, fearing some sudden illness. 'What is
it?' I asked. 'It is this,' was the reply; 'I am not yet fit to
say, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass
against us."'
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