| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce: Was "cursed." But that is all symbolic:
The truth is, Adam had the colic.
G.J.
T
T, the twentieth letter of the English alphabet, was by the Greeks
absurdly called _tau_. In the alphabet whence ours comes it had the
form of the rude corkscrew of the period, and when it stood alone
(which was more than the Phoenicians could always do) signified
_Tallegal_, translated by the learned Dr. Brownrigg, "tanglefoot."
TABLE D'HOTE, n. A caterer's thrifty concession to the universal
passion for irresponsibility.
The Devil's Dictionary |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton: "Who did, then? Herve de Lanrivain?"
"No."
"Who then? Can you tell us?"
"Yes, I can tell you. The dogs--" At that point she was carried
out of the court in a swoon.
. . . . . . . .
It was evident that her lawyer tried to get her to abandon this
line of defense. Possibly her explanation, whatever it was, had
seemed convincing when she poured it out to him in the heat of
their first private colloquy; but now that it was exposed to the
cold daylight of judicial scrutiny, and the banter of the town,
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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 The Psychology of Revolution by Gustave le Bon: revolutionary Assemblies, their conduct would have been quite
other than it was, and the Revolution itself would have taken a
very different direction.
Ambition, Envy, Vanity, &c.--In normal times the influence of
these various affective elements is forcibly contained by social
necessities. Ambition, for instance, is necessarily limited in a
hierarchical form of society. Although the soldier does
sometimes become a general, it is only after a long term of
service. In time of revolution, on the other hand, there is no
need to wait. Every one may reach the upper ranks almost
immediately, so that all ambitions are violently aroused. The
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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 The Europeans by Henry James: "It seems as if it would make me happy," said Gertrude.
"To get rid of Mr. Brand, eh? To recover your liberty?"
Gertrude walked on. "To see my sister married to so good a man."
Felix gave his light laugh. "You always put things on
those grounds; you will never say anything for yourself.
You are all so afraid, here, of being selfish.
I don't think you know how," he went on. "Let me show you!
It will make me happy for myself, and for just the reverse
of what I told you a while ago. After that, when I make love
to you, you will have to think I mean it."
"I shall never think you mean anything," said Gertrude.
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