The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Crito by Plato: misrule like Thessaly he may be welcomed at first, and the unseemly
narrative of his escape will be regarded by the inhabitants as an amusing
tale. But if he offends them he will have to learn another sort of lesson.
Will he continue to give lectures in virtue? That would hardly be decent.
And how will his children be the gainers if he takes them into Thessaly,
and deprives them of Athenian citizenship? Or if he leaves them behind,
does he expect that they will be better taken care of by his friends
because he is in Thessaly? Will not true friends care for them equally
whether he is alive or dead?
Finally, they exhort him to think of justice first, and of life and
children afterwards. He may now depart in peace and innocence, a sufferer
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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 Tanach: Proverbs 30: 5 Every word of God is tried; He is a shield unto them that take refuge in Him.
Proverbs 30: 6 Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Proverbs 30: 7 Two things have I asked of Thee; deny me them not before I die:
Proverbs 30: 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with mine allotted bread;
Proverbs 30: 9 Lest I be full, and deny, and say: 'Who is the LORD?' Or lest I be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God.
Proverbs 30: 10 Slander not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.
Proverbs 30: 11 There is a generation that curse their father, and do not bless their mother.
Proverbs 30: 12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness.
Proverbs 30: 13 There is a generation, Oh how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.
Proverbs 30: 14 There is a generation whose teeth are as swords, and their great teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.
Proverbs 30: 15 The horseleech hath two daughters: 'Give, give.' There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four that say not: 'Enough':
The Tanach |