| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Collection of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter: Inside the house the racket was
fearful. The rabbit babies in the
oven woke up trembling; perhaps
it was fortunate they were shut up
inside..
Everything was upset except the
kitchen table.
And everything was broken,
except the mantelpiece and the
kitchen fender. The crockery was
smashed to atoms.
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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 First Men In The Moon by H. G. Wells: from the Selenites in the world beneath, even had died away. It was as
still as death. Save for the faint stir of the shrub about me in the
little breeze that was rising, there was no sound nor shadow of a sound.
And the breeze blew chill.
Confound Cavor!
I took a deep breath. I put my hands to the sides of my mouth. "Cavor!" I
bawled, and the sound was like some manikin shouting far away.
I looked at the handkerchief, I looked behind me at the broadening shadow
of the westward cliff I looked under my hand at the sun. It seemed to me
that almost visibly it was creeping down the sky. I felt I must act
instantly if I was to save Cavor. I whipped off my vest and flung it as a
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 Hiero by Xenophon: the next place, the private citizen, even during an expedition into
hostile territory,[6] can comfort himself in the reflection that as
soon as he gets back home he will be safe from further peril. Whereas
the tyrant knows precisely the reverse; as soon as he arrives in his
own city, he will find himself in the centre of hostility at once. Or
let us suppose that an invading army, superior in force, is marching
against a city: however much the weaker population, whilst they are
still outside their walls, may feel the stress of danger, yet once
within their trenches one and all expect to find themselves in
absolute security. But the tyrant is not out of danger, even when he
has passed the portals of his palace. Nay! there of all places most,
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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 Caesar's Commentaries in Latin by Julius Caesar: labore et periculo confecturum.
Multa a Caesare in eam sententiam dicta sunt quare negotio desistere
non posset: neque suam neque populi Romani consuetudinem pati ut optime
meritos socios desereret, neque se iudicare Galliam potius esse Ariovisti
quam populi Romani. Bello superatos esse Arvernos et Rutenos a Q. Fabio
Maximo, quibus populus Romanus ignovisset neque in provinciam redegisset
neque stipendium posuisset. Quod si antiquissimum quodque tempus spectari
oporteret, populi Romani iustissimum esse in Gallia imperium; si iudicium
senatus observari oporteret, liberam debere esse Galliam, quam bello
victam suis legibus uti voluisset.
Dum haec in conloquio geruntur, Caesari nuntiatum est equites
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