| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Reason Discourse by Rene Descartes: ordinary are still unknown; and the circumstances upon which they depend
are almost always so special and minute as to be highly difficult to
detect. But in this I have adopted the following order: first, I have
essayed to find in general the principles, or first causes of all that is
or can be in the world, without taking into consideration for this end
anything but God himself who has created it, and without educing them from
any other source than from certain germs of truths naturally existing in
our minds In the second place, I examined what were the first and most
ordinary effects that could be deduced from these causes; and it appears
to me that, in this way, I have found heavens, stars, an earth, and even
on the earth water, air, fire, minerals, and some other things of this
Reason Discourse |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Land that Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs: and refuse in the tower, the cook had juicy steaks and a steaming
broth upon the electric stove, and the aroma arising from P. Olsoni
filled us an with a hitherto unfelt admiration for him and all his kind.
Chapter 5
The steaks we had that night, and they were fine; and the
following morning we tasted the broth. It seemed odd to be
eating a creature that should, by all the laws of paleontology,
have been extinct for several million years. It gave one a
feeling of newness that was almost embarrassing, although it
didn't seem to embarrass our appetites. Olson ate until I
thought he would burst.
The Land that Time Forgot |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde: GWENDOLEN. Is your name really John?
JACK. [Standing rather proudly.] I could deny it if I liked. I
could deny anything if I liked. But my name certainly is John. It
has been John for years.
CECILY. [To GWENDOLEN.] A gross deception has been practised on
both of us.
GWENDOLEN. My poor wounded Cecily!
CECILY. My sweet wronged Gwendolen!
GWENDOLEN. [Slowly and seriously.] You will call me sister, will
you not? [They embrace. JACK and ALGERNON groan and walk up and
down.]
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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 Pool of Blood in the Pastor's Study by Grace Isabel Colbron and Augusta Groner: altars, and handsome stained glass windows broke the light that fell
into the high vaulted interior. There were three great altars in
the church, all of them richly decorated. The main altar stood
isolated in the choir. In the open space behind it was the
entrance to the crypt, now veiled in a mysterious twilight. Heavy
silver candlesticks, three on a side, stood on the altar. The pale
gold of the tabernacle door gleamed between them.
Muller walked through the silent church, in which even his light
steps resounded uncannily. He looked into each of the pews, into
the confessionals, he walked around all the columns, he climbed up
into the pulpit, he did everything that the others had done before
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