| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Eryxias by Platonic Imitator: When, I say, we are thus in earnest, and you, who agree in other respects,
fall to disputing about a matter of such moment, that is, about wealth, and
not merely whether it is black or white, light or heavy, but whether it is
a good or an evil, whereby, although you are now the dearest of friends and
kinsmen, the most bitter hatred may arise betwixt you, I must hinder your
dissension to the best of my power. If I could, I would tell you the
truth, and so put an end to the dispute; but as I cannot do this, and each
of you supposes that you can bring the other to an agreement, I am
prepared, as far as my capacity admits, to help you in solving the
question. Please, therefore, Critias, try to make us accept the doctrines
which you yourself entertain.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Rinkitink In Oz by L. Frank Baum: and precious stones are hidden in the earth -- a
knowledge that no other living creatures share with
them. The nomes are busy people, constantly digging up
gold in one place and taking it to another place, where
they secretly bury it, and perhaps this is the reason
they alone know where to find it. The nomes were ruled,
at the time of which I write, by a King named Kaliko.
King Gos had expected to be pursued by Inga in his
magic boat, so he made all the haste possible, urging
his forty rowers to their best efforts night and day.
To his joy he was not overtaken but landed on the sandy
Rinkitink In Oz |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from 'Twixt Land & Sea by Joseph Conrad: hit upon the true cause. Freya had not moved. She watched
Heemskirk's savagely inquiring, black stare directed stealthily
upon herself. "Aha, you would like to be let off!" she said to
herself. She looked at him unflinchingly, thinking it out. The
temptation of making an end of it all without further trouble was
irresistible. She gave an almost imperceptible nod of assent, and
glided away.
"Hurry up that brandy!" old Nelson shouted, as she disappeared in
the passage.
Heemskirk relieved his deeper feelings by a sudden string of curses
in Dutch and English which he sent after her. He raved to his
'Twixt Land & Sea |
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 Two Poets by Honore de Balzac: possesses one signal advantage, for it can only be displayed in the
conduct of the affairs of the great, and when discretion is the
quality required, a man who knows nothing can safely say nothing, and
take refuge in a mysterious shake of the head; in fact; the cleverest
practitioner is he who can swim with the current and keep his head
well above the stream of events which he appears to control, a man's
fitness for this business varying inversely as his specific gravity.
But in this particular art or craft, as in all others, you shall find
a thousand mediocrities for one man of genius; and in spite of
Chatelet's services, ordinary and extraordinary, Her Imperial Highness
could not procure a seat in the Privy Council for her private
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