| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie: 'You're an old woman, Emily, and there's no fool like an old
fool. The man's twenty years younger than you, and don't you
fool yourself as to what he married you for. Money! Well, don't
let him have too much of it. Farmer Raikes has got a very pretty
young wife. Just ask your Alfred how much time he spends over
there.' She was very angry. Natural! I went on, 'I'm going to
warn you, whether you like it or not. That man would as soon
murder you in your bed as look at you. He's a bad lot. You can
say what you like to me, but remember what I've told you. He's a
bad lot!' "
"What did she say?"
The Mysterious Affair at Styles |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Unseen World and Other Essays by John Fiske: (Coloss. i. 16), the visible image of the invisible God, the
chief and ruler of the "throues, dominions, principalities, and
powers," into which, in Gnostic phraseology, the emanations of
God were classified. Or, according to "Colossians" and
"Philippians," all the aeons are summed up in him, in whom dwells
the pleroma, or "fulness of God." Thus Jesus is elevated quite
above ordinary humanity, and a close approach is made to
ditheism, although he is still emphatically subordinated to God
by being made the creator of the world,--an office then regarded
as incompatible with absolute divine perfection. In the
celebrated passage, "Philippians" ii. 6-11, the aeon Jesus is
The Unseen World and Other Essays |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Forged Coupon by Leo Tolstoy: a penetrating persuasiveness. Night and morn-
ing, when going to rest or getting up, he said, 'O
God, let me sleep like a stone and rise up like a
loaf.' And, sure enough, he had no sooner lain
down than he slept like a lump of lead, and in the
morning on waking he was bright and lively, and
ready for any work. He could do anything, just
not very well nor very ill; he cooked, sewed,
planed wood, cobbled his boots, and was always
occupied with some job or other, only allowing
himself to chat and sing at night. He sang, not
The Forged Coupon |
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 Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens: 'If that's any comfort to anybody, they're welcome to it. If it
an't, I'm sorry for 'em. If either of you two gentlemen likes to
go out and see what's the matter, you can. I'm not curious,
myself.'
While he spoke the cry drew nearer and nearer, footsteps passed the
window, the latch of the door was raised, it opened, was violently
shut again, and Solomon Daisy, with a lighted lantern in his hand,
and the rain streaming from his disordered dress, dashed into the
room.
A more complete picture of terror than the little man presented, it
would be difficult to imagine. The perspiration stood in beads
Barnaby Rudge |
