| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Concerning Christian Liberty by Martin Luther: own, and deals with them no otherwise than as if they were His,
and as if He Himself had sinned; and when He suffers, dies, and
descends to hell, that He may overcome all things, and since sin,
death, and hell cannot swallow Him up, they must needs be
swallowed up by Him in stupendous conflict. For His righteousness
rises above the sins of all men; His life is more powerful than
all death; His salvation is more unconquerable than all hell.
Thus the believing soul, by the pledge of its faith in Christ,
becomes free from all sin, fearless of death, safe from hell, and
endowed with the eternal righteousness, life, and salvation of
its Husband Christ. Thus He presents to Himself a glorious bride,
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Secrets of the Princesse de Cadignan by Honore de Balzac: do I not owe to my torturers the honor of a Turenne?"
"Have you passed your word to say nothing?"
"Monsieur de Cadignan did not think it necessary to bind me to
secrecy-- You are asking more than my soul! Tyrant! you want me to
bury my honor itself in your breast," she said, casting upon d'Arthez
a look, by which she gave more value to her coming confidence than to
her personal self.
"You must think me a very ordinary man, if you fear any evil, no
matter what, from me," he said, with ill-concealed bitterness.
"Forgive me, friend," she replied, taking his hand in hers
caressingly, and letting her fingers wander gently over it. "I know
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Chance by Joseph Conrad: incredible, cruel, nightmarish sort of thing that I can hardly
believe in his existence. Certainly not in relation to any other
existences."
"But dash it all," cried Fyne, "he isn't shut up for life. They are
going to let him out. He's coming out! That's the whole trouble.
What is he coming out to, I want to know? It seems a more cruel
business than the shutting him up was. This has been the worry for
weeks. Do you see now?"
I saw, all sorts of things! Immediately before me I saw the
excitement of little Fyne--mere food for wonder. Further off, in a
sort of gloom and beyond the light of day and the movement of the
Chance |
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 Phantasmagoria and Other Poems by Lewis Carroll: I
THERE was an ancient City, stricken down
With a strange frenzy, and for many a day
They paced from morn to eve the crowded town,
And danced the night away.
I asked the cause: the aged man grew sad:
They pointed to a building gray and tall,
And hoarsely answered "Step inside, my lad,
And then you'll see it all."
* * * *
Yet what are all such gaieties to me
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