| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Ancient Regime by Charles Kingsley: ceased to do these things, the burden of their privileges appeared
more oppressive, and their existence became an anomaly in proportion
as they ceased to do these things." And the Ancien Regime may be
defined as the period in which they ceased to do these things--in
which they began to play the idlers, and expected to take their old
wages without doing their old work.
But in any case, government by a ruling caste, whether of the
patriarchal or of the feudal kind, is no ideal or permanent state of
society. So far from it, it is but the first or second step out of
primeval savagery. For the more a ruling race becomes conscious of
its own duty, and not merely of its own power--the more it learns to
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from 1984 by George Orwell: Winston followed. As he ran, he gathered from some shouted remarks that
a convoy of Eurasian prisoners was passing.
Already a dense mass of people was blocking the south side of the square.
Winston, at normal times the kind of person who gravitates to the outer
edge of any kind of scrimmage, shoved, butted, squirmed his way forward
into the heart of the crowd. Soon he was within arm's length of the girl,
but the way was blocked by an enormous prole and an almost equally enormous
woman, presumably his wife, who seemed to form an impenetrable wall of
flesh. Winston wriggled himself sideways, and with a violent lunge managed
to drive his shoulder between them. For a moment it felt as though his
entrails were being ground to pulp between the two muscular hips, then he
1984 |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from When the World Shook by H. Rider Haggard: Then as the breeze began to blow I returned to the boat and here
bade adieu to Marama, who gave me his feather cloak as a farewell
gift.
"Good-bye, Friend-from-the-Sea," he said to me. "We are glad to
have seen you and thank you for many things. But we do not wish
to see you any more."
"Good-bye, Marama," I answered. "What you say, we echo. At
least you have now no great lump upon your neck and we have rid
you of your wizards. But beware of the god Oro who dwells in the
mountain, for if you anger him he will sink your island beneath
the sea."
When the World Shook |
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 The Shadow Line by Joseph Conrad: "Oh! You haven't yet!" He dropped his
voice mysteriously. "Well, then I think you
ought to know that there's something going on
here."
I had never in my life felt more detached from
all earthly goings on. Freed from the sea for a
time, I preserved the sailor's consciousness of
complete independence from all land affairs.
How could they concern me? I gazed at Captain
Giles' animation with scorn rather than with
curiosity.
The Shadow Line |
