| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Bab:A Sub-Deb, Mary Roberts Rinehart by Mary Roberts Rinehart: I was cut to the heart, dear Dairy. One of my dearest dreams has
always been a delicate noze, slightly arched and long enough to be
truly aristocratic. Not realy acqualine but on the verge. I HATE my
little noze--hate it--hate it--HATE IT.
"Father" I said, rising and on the point of tears. "How can you! To
taunt me with what is not my own fault, but partly heredatary and
partly carelessness. For if you had pinched it in infansy it would
have been a good noze, and not a pug. And----"
"Good gracious!" he exclaimed. "Why, Bab, I never meant to insult
your noze. As a matter of fact, it's a good noze. It's exactly the
sort of noze you ought to have. Why, what in the world would YOU do
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Tanach: 2_Chronicles 25: 15 Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and He sent unto him a prophet, who said unto him: 'Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which have not delivered their own people out of thy hand?'
2_Chronicles 25: 16 And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him: 'Have we made thee of the king's counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten?' Then the prophet forbore, and said: 'I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.'
2_Chronicles 25: 17 Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice, and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying: 'Come, let us look one another in the face.'
2_Chronicles 25: 18 And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying: 'The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying: Give thy daughter to my son to wife; and there passed by the wild beasts that were in Lebanon, and trod down the thistle.
2_Chronicles 25: 19 Thou sayest--lo, thou hast smitten Edom; will thy heart therefore lift thee up to glory therein? abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddle with evil, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?'
2_Chronicles 25: 20 But Amaziah would not hear; for it was of God, that He might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought after the gods of Edom.
2_Chronicles 25: 21 So Joash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-shemesh, which belongeth to Judah.
The Tanach |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Voice of the City by O. Henry: to a door and called his partner, Sharp. Together
they explored the caverns of an immense safe. Forth
they dragged, as trophy of their search a big envelope
sealed with wax. This they forcibly invaded, and
wagged their venerable heads together over its con-
tents. Then Tolman became spokesman.
"Mr. Gillian," he said, formally, "there was a
codicil to your uncle's will. It was intrusted to us
privately, with instructions that it be not opened until
you had furnished us with a full account of your
handling of the $1,000 bequest in the will. As you
The Voice of the City |
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 Lesser Hippias by Plato: SOCRATES: And if justice is knowledge, then the wiser will be the juster
soul, and the more ignorant the more unjust?
HIPPIAS: Yes.
SOCRATES: But if justice be power as well as knowledge--then will not the
soul which has both knowledge and power be the more just, and that which is
the more ignorant be the more unjust? Must it not be so?
HIPPIAS: Clearly.
SOCRATES: And is not the soul which has the greater power and wisdom also
better, and better able to do both good and evil in every action?
HIPPIAS: Certainly.
SOCRATES: The soul, then, which acts ill, acts voluntarily by power and
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