| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Ion by Plato: about divination, of which both Homer and Hesiod have something to say,--
ION: Very true:
SOCRATES: Would you or a good prophet be a better interpreter of what
these two poets say about divination, not only when they agree, but when
they disagree?
ION: A prophet.
SOCRATES: And if you were a prophet, would you not be able to interpret
them when they disagree as well as when they agree?
ION: Clearly.
SOCRATES: But how did you come to have this skill about Homer only, and
not about Hesiod or the other poets? Does not Homer speak of the same
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The House of Dust by Conrad Aiken: Forget, forget! Our flesh is changed,
Lighter than smoke we wreathe and rise . . .
The cold air hisses between us . . . Beloved, beloved,
What was the word you said?
Something about clear music that sang through water . . .
I cannot remember. The storm-drops break on the leaves.
Something was lost in the darkness. Someone is dead.
Someone lies in the garden and grieves.
Look how the branches are tossed in this air,
Flinging their green to the earth!
Black clouds rush to devour the stars in the sky,
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Phaedrus by Plato: first; and there is confusion and perspiration and the extremity of effort;
and many of them are lamed or have their wings broken through the ill-
driving of the charioteers; and all of them after a fruitless toil, not
having attained to the mysteries of true being, go away, and feed upon
opinion. The reason why the souls exhibit this exceeding eagerness to
behold the plain of truth is that pasturage is found there, which is suited
to the highest part of the soul; and the wing on which the soul soars is
nourished with this. And there is a law of Destiny, that the soul which
attains any vision of truth in company with a god is preserved from harm
until the next period, and if attaining always is always unharmed. But
when she is unable to follow, and fails to behold the truth, and through
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