| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from All's Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare: And yet I know him a notorious liar,
Think him a great way fool, solely a coward;
Yet these fix'd evils sit so fit in him
That they take place when virtue's steely bones
Looks bleak i' the cold wind: withal, full oft we see
Cold wisdom waiting on superfluous folly.
[Enter PAROLLES.]
PAROLLES.
Save you, fair queen!
HELENA.
And you, monarch!
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from On the Duty of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau: a violent and bloody measure, as it would be to pay them,
and enable the State to commit violence and shed innocent
blood. This is, in fact, the definition of a peaceable
revolution, if any such is possible. If the tax-gatherer,
or any other public officer, asks me, as one has done, "But
what shall I do?" my answer is, "If you really wish to do
anything, resign your office." When the subject has refused
allegiance, and the officer has resigned from office, then
the revolution is accomplished. But even suppose blood shed
when the conscience is wounded? Through this wound a man's
real manhood and immortality flow out, and he bleeds to an
On the Duty of Civil Disobedience |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum: to the right and another sharp turn to the left,
after which it went straight again. But there
were no side passages, so they could not lose
their way.
After proceeding some distance, Toto, who
had gone on ahead, began to bark loudly. They
ran around a bend to see what was the matter
and found a man sitting on the floor of the
passage and leaning his back against the wall.
He had probably been asleep before Toto's barks
aroused him, for he was now rubbing his eyes
The Patchwork Girl of Oz |
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 Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau by Honore de Balzac: one hand by not laying the bankrupt's business in ashes, on the other
by snatching a few morsels for men of influence,--in short, he runs
with the hare and holds with the hounds. A clever agent has frequently
arrested judgment by buying up the debts and then releasing the
merchant, who then rebounds like an india-rubber ball. The agent
chooses the best-stocked crib, whether it leads him to cover the
largest creditors and shear the debtor, or to sacrifice the creditors
for the future prosperity of the restored merchant. The action of the
agent is decisive. This man, together with the bankrupt's solicitor,
plays the utility role in the drama, where it may be said neither the
one nor the other would accept a part if not sure of their fees.
Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau |
