| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Oedipus Trilogy by Sophocles: JOCASTA
What is it, Oedipus, that moves thee so?
OEDIPUS
Ask me not yet; tell me the build and height
Of Laius? Was he still in manhood's prime?
JOCASTA
Tall was he, and his hair was lightly strewn
With silver; and not unlike thee in form.
OEDIPUS
O woe is me! Mehtinks unwittingly
I laid but now a dread curse on myself.
Oedipus Trilogy |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle: Yet I will give thee three hundred pounds for them all, and that in good
hard silver and gold."
"Now thou old miser!" quoth Robin, "well thou knowest that so many horned
cattle are worth seven hundred pounds and more, and even that is but small
for them, and yet thou, with thy gray hairs and one foot in the grave,
wouldst trade upon the folly of a wild youth."
At this the Sheriff looked grimly at Robin. "Nay," quoth Robin,
"look not on me as though thou hadst sour beer in thy mouth, man.
I will take thine offer, for I and my brothers do need the money.
We lead a merry life, and no one leads a merry life for a farthing,
so I will close the bargain with thee. But mind that thou bringest
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Herodias by Gustave Flaubert: The tetrarch had already forgotten her presence, it appeared. He paid
no further heed to her anger, but looked intently at a young girl who
had just stepped out upon the balcony of a house not far away. At her
side stood an elderly female slave, who held over the girl's head a
kind of parasol with a handle made of long, slender reeds. In the
middle of the rug spread upon the floor of the balcony stood a large
open travelling-hamper or basket, and girdles, veils, head-dresses,
and gold and silver ornaments were scattered about in confusion. At
intervals the young girl took one object or another in her hands, and
held it up admiringly. She was dressed in the costume of the Roman
ladies, with a flowing tunic and a peplum ornamented with tassels of
Herodias |
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 Mansion by Henry van Dyke: The gate of the city was not like a gate a all, for it was not
barred with iron or wood, but only a single pearl, softly
gleaming,
marked the place where the wall ended and the entrance lay open.
A person stood there whose face was bright and grave, and whose
robe
was like the flower of the lily, not a woven fabric, but a living
texture.
"Come in," he said to the company of travelers; "you are at
your journey's end, and your mansions are ready for you."
John Weightman hesitated, for he was troubled by a doubt.
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