| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Second Home by Honore de Balzac: "Father," replied the younger man in a tremulous voice, and with great
respect, "I venture to hope that you will forgive me when you have
heard me."
"Your reply is proper," said the Count. "Sit down," and he pointed to
a chair, "But whether I walk up and down, or take a seat, speak
without heeding me."
"Father," the son went on, "this afternoon, at four o'clock, a very
young man who was arrested in the house of a friend of mine, whom he
had robbed to a considerable extent, appealed to you.--He says he is
your son."
"His name?" asked the Count hoarsely.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Sophist by Plato: myself at this moment, in speaking either in the singular or the plural of
that to which I deny both plurality and unity? You, Theaetetus, have the
might of youth, and I conjure you to exert yourself, and, if you can, to
find an expression for not-being which does not imply being and number.
'But I cannot.' Then the Sophist must be left in his hole. We may call
him an image-maker if we please, but he will only say, 'And pray, what is
an image?' And we shall reply, 'A reflection in the water, or in a
mirror'; and he will say, 'Let us shut our eyes and open our minds; what is
the common notion of all images?' 'I should answer, Such another, made in
the likeness of the true.' Real or not real? 'Not real; at least, not in
a true sense.' And the real 'is,' and the not-real 'is not'? 'Yes.' Then
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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 King James Bible: all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was
near them.
JDG 20:35 And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children
of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand
and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.
JDG 20:36 So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for
the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted
unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.
JDG 20:37 And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the
liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the
edge of the sword.
King James Bible |
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 Phaedo by Plato: There are some other questions which are disturbing to us because we have
no answer to them. What is to become of the animals in a future state?
Have we not seen dogs more faithful and intelligent than men, and men who
are more stupid and brutal than any animals? Does their life cease at
death, or is there some 'better thing reserved' also for them? They may be
said to have a shadow or imitation of morality, and imperfect moral claims
upon the benevolence of man and upon the justice of God. We cannot think
of the least or lowest of them, the insect, the bird, the inhabitants of
the sea or the desert, as having any place in a future world, and if not
all, why should those who are specially attached to man be deemed worthy of
any exceptional privilege? When we reason about such a subject, almost at
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