| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne: to the unfortunate woman, who had not even strength to
thank him, put spurs to his horse once more.
One thing he knew; he must not pass through Tomsk.
To go to Kolyvan, which the Tartars had not yet reached,
was possible. Yes, that is what he must do; there he must
prepare himself for another long stage. There was noth-
ing for it but, having crossed the Obi, to take the Irkutsk
road and avoid Tomsk.
This new route decided on, Michael must not delay an
instant. Nor did he, but, putting his horse into a steady
gallop, he took the road towards the left bank of the Obi,
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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 Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx: class, in fact within the whole range of society, assumes such a
violent, glaring character, that a small section of the ruling
class cuts itself adrift, and joins the revolutionary class, the
class that holds the future in its hands. Just as, therefore, at
an earlier period, a section of the nobility went over to the
bourgeoisie, so now a portion of the bourgeoisie goes over to the
proletariat, and in particular, a portion of the bourgeois
ideologists, who have raised themselves to the level of
comprehending theoretically the historical movement as a whole.
Of all the classes that stand face to face with the bourgeoisie
today, the proletariat alone is a really revolutionary class.
The Communist Manifesto |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Psychology of Revolution by Gustave le Bon: upon the will of God, ``sole judge of the actions of kings,
always irresponsible before men.'' Religious faith was then as
strong as the monarchical faith from which it seemed inseparable,
and no philosopher could have shaken it.
The writings of the reforming ministers of Louis XVI., those of
Turgot, for instance, are animated by quite another spirit. Of
the Divine right of kings there is hardly a word, and the rights
of the peoples begin to be clearly defined.
Many events had contributed to prepare for such an evolution--
unfortunate wars, famines, imposts, general poverty at the end of
the reign of Louis XV., &c. Slowly destroyed, respect for
|
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 Breaking Point by Mary Roberts Rinehart: But when he saw David formulating a further protest he dropped the
subject.
"I'll not do it until we've gone into it together," he promised.
"There's plenty of time. You settle down now and get ready for
sleep."
When the nurse came in at eleven o'clock she found Dick gone and
David, very still, with his face to the wall.
It was the end of May before David began to move about his upper
room. The trees along the shaded streets had burst into full leaf
by that time, and Mike was enjoying that gardener's interval of
paradise when flowers grow faster than the weeds among them.
The Breaking Point |
