| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Koran: created not the heavens and the earth, and what is between the two
except in truth, and for a stated and appointed time? but, verily,
many men in the meeting of their Lord do disbelieve.
Have they not journeyed on in the land and seen how was the end of
those before them who were stronger than they, and who turned up the
ground and cultivated it more than they do cultivate it? and there
came to them their apostles with manifest signs; for God would never
wrong them: it was themselves they wronged!
Then evil was the end of those who did evil, in that they said the
signs of God were lies and mocked thereat.
God produces a creation, then He makes it go back again, then unto
The Koran |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Dunwich Horror by H. P. Lovecraft: dominion of the ancient and once passive nightmare. He locked
away the Necronomicon with a shudder of disgust, but the room
still reeked with an unholy and unidentifiable stench. 'As a foulness
shall ye know them,' he quoted. Yes - the odour was the same as
that which had sickened him at the Whateley farmhouse less than
three years before. He thought of Wilbur, goatish and ominous,
once again, and laughed mockingly at the village rumours of his
parentage.
'Inbreeding?' Armitage muttered half-aloud to himself.
'Great God, what simpletons! Show them Arthur Machen's Great God
Pan and they'll think it a common Dunwich scandal! But what thing
The Dunwich Horror |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Memories and Portraits by Robert Louis Stevenson: say, was visible in the first plate of characters, bearded, pistol
in hand, or drawing to his ear the clothyard arrow; I would spell
the name: was it Macaire, or Long Tom Coffin, or Grindoff, 2d
dress? O, how I would long to see the rest! how - if the name by
chance were hidden - I would wonder in what play he figured, and
what immortal legend justified his attitude and strange apparel!
And then to go within, to announce yourself as an intending
purchaser, and, closely watched, be suffered to undo those bundles
and breathlessly devour those pages of gesticulating villains,
epileptic combats, bosky forests, palaces and war-ships, frowning
fortresses and prison vaults - it was a giddy joy. That shop,
|
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 Mysterious Island by Jules Verne: make the necessary arrangements for your being comfortably established
there."
"Never mind that, I shall do very well."
"My friend," answered Harding, who always intentionally made use of this
cordial appellation, "you must let us judge what it will be best to do in
this respect."
"Thank you, sir," replied the stranger as he withdrew.
The engineer then made known to his companions the proposal which had
been made to him, and it was agreed that they should build a wooden house
at the corral, which they would make as comfortable as possible.
That very day the colonists repaired to the corral with the necessary
The Mysterious Island |
