| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Lysis by Plato: 'Yes, because he knows them, and does not know the others.' This leads to
the conclusion that all men everywhere will trust him in what he knows, but
not in what he does not know; for in such matters he will be unprofitable
to them, and do them no good. And no one will love him, if he does them no
good; and he can only do them good by knowledge; and as he is still without
knowledge, he can have as yet no conceit of knowledge. In this manner
Socrates reads a lesson to Hippothales, the foolish lover of Lysis,
respecting the style of conversation which he should address to his
beloved.
After the return of Menexenus, Socrates, at the request of Lysis, asks him
a new question: 'What is friendship? You, Menexenus, who have a friend
Lysis |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs: the very sight of him threw him into a frenzy of trembling cowardice,
which became frantic hysteria as he saw the white giant dive fearlessly
into the forbidding waters of the tropical river.
With steady, powerful strokes the ape-man forged out into
the stream toward the drifting dugout. Now Rokoff seized
one of the paddles lying in the bottom of the craft, and,
with terrorwide eyes still glued upon the living death that
pursued him, struck out madly in an effort to augment the speed
of the unwieldy canoe.
And from the opposite bank a sinister ripple, unseen by
either man, moving steadily toward the half-naked swimmer.
The Beasts of Tarzan |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Master of the World by Jules Verne: leisurely. We mounted by a narrow and not very steep gorge amid rocks
and trees. A tiny stream trickled downward under our feet. During the
rainy season or after a heavy shower, the water doubtless bounded
from rock to rock in tumultuous cascades. But it evidently was fed
only by the rain, for now we could scarcely trace its course. It
could not be the outlet of any lake within the Great Eyrie.
After an hour of climbing, the slope became so steep that we had to
turn, now to the right, now to the left; and our progress was much
delayed. Soon the gorge became wholly impracticable; its cliff-like
sides offered no sufficient foothold. We had to cling by branches, to
crawl upon our knees. At this rate the top would not be reached
|
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 Tales of Unrest by Joseph Conrad: His beard was gold, his face red, his eyes blue; he had a wide-brimmed
gray hat and no collar or waistcoat; he was inspiring; he had just
come home--had landed that very day! Our meeting caused an eddy in the
current of humanity. Hurried people would run against us, then walk
round us, and turn back to look at that giant. We tried to compress
seven years of life into seven exclamations; then, suddenly appeased,
walked sedately along, giving one another the news of yesterday.
Jackson gazed about him, like a man who looks for landmarks, then
stopped before Bland's window. He always had a passion for firearms;
so he stopped short and contemplated the row of weapons, perfect and
severe, drawn up in a line behind the black-framed panes. I stood by
Tales of Unrest |
