| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Bureaucracy by Honore de Balzac: senses and all his usual ideas. But, presto! ten minutes later the
water rose, rose, rose and flooded his chest; he knew he was dying for
he felt the cysts break. At that fatal moment he gave evident proof of
his powerful mind and vast intellect. Ah, we never rightly appreciated
him! We used to laugh at him and call him a booby--didn't you,
Monsieur Godard?"
Godard. "I? I always rated Monsieur de la Billardiere's talents higher
than the rest of you."
Bixiou. "You and he could understand each other!"
Godard. "He wasn't a bad man; he never harmed any one."
Bixiou. "To do harm you must do something, and he never did anything.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Concerning Christian Liberty by Martin Luther: the necessities of this life, and with the motive of governing
our bodies; but yet we are not justified by these things, but by
the faith of the Son of God.
The Christian must therefore walk in the middle path, and set
these two classes of men before his eyes. He may meet with
hardened and obstinate ceremonialists, who, like deaf adders,
refuse to listen to the truth of liberty, and cry up, enjoin, and
urge on us their ceremonies, as if they could justify us without
faith. Such were the Jews of old, who would not understand, that
they might act well. These men we must resist, do just the
contrary to what they do, and be bold to give them offence, lest
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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 Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honore de Balzac: For further security, in case of accident, a mounted gendarme follows
the machine, especially when it conveys criminals condemned to death
to the place of execution. Thus escape is impossible. The vehicle,
lined with sheet-iron, is impervious to any tool. The prisoners,
carefully searched when they are arrested or locked up, can have
nothing but watch-springs, perhaps, to file through bars, and useless
on a smooth surface.
So the panier a salade, improved by the genius of the Paris police,
became the model for the prison omnibus (known in London as "Black
Maria") in which convicts are transported to the hulks, instead of the
horrible tumbril which formerly disgraced civilization, though Manon
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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 Lost Continent by Edgar Rice Burroughs: I, Jefferson Turck, lieutenant in the Pan-American navy!
In the privacy of the colonel's quarters I had become
accustomed to my menial duties, lightened as they were by
the natural kindliness of my master, but the thought of
appearing in public as a common slave revolted every fine
instinct within me. Yet there was nothing for it but to
obey.
I cannot, even now, bring myself to a narration of the
humiliation which I experienced that night as I stood behind
my black master in silent servility, now pouring his wine,
now cutting up his meats for him, now fanning him with a
Lost Continent |
