| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A treatise on Good Works by Dr. Martin Luther: Third Commandment into the Second again; and through that very
calling on the Name of God and praise, faith grows, and becomes
conscious of itself, and so strengthens itself, through the two
works of the Third and of the Second Commandment. Thus faith goes
out into the works and through the works comes to itself again;
just as the sun goes forth unto its setting and comes again unto
its rising. For this reason the Scriptures associate the day with
peaceful living in works, the night with passive living in
adversity, and faith lives and works, goes out and comes in, in
both, as Christ says, John ix.
XXV. This order of good works we pray in the Lord's Prayer. The
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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 Sportsman by Xenophon: deep all along, but sloped away obliquely; the loins muscular, in size
a mean between long and short, neither too flexible nor too stiff;[8]
flanks, a mean between large and small; the hips (or "couples")
rounded, fleshy behind, not tied together above, but firmly knitted on
the inside;[9] the lower or under part of the belly[10] slack, and the
belly itself the same, that is, hollow and sunken; tail long,
straight, and pointed;[11] thighs (i.e. hams) stout and compact;
shanks (i.e. lower thighs) long, round, and solid; hind-legs much
longer than the fore-legs, and relatively lean; feet round and cat-
like.[12]
[1] Pollux, v. 7; Arrian, "Cyn." iv.
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum: in spite of these things he remained as lively as ever, and was just
as jolly and gay, and his kind eyes sparkled as brightly as they did
that first day when he came to the Laughing Valley.
Yet a time is sure to come when every mortal who has grown old and
lived his life is required to leave this world for another; so it is
no wonder that, after Santa Claus had driven his reindeer on many and
many a Christmas Eve, those stanch friends finally whispered among
themselves that they had probably drawn his sledge for the last time.
Then all the Forest of Burzee became sad and all the Laughing Valley
was hushed; for every living thing that had known Claus had used to
love him and to brighten at the sound of his footsteps or the notes of
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus |
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 $30,000 Bequest and Other Stories by Mark Twain: them to desist, and they would have eaten me if I had stayed--
which I didn't, but went away in much haste. . . . I found this place,
outside the Park, and was fairly comfortable for a few days, but she
has found me out. Found me out, and has named the place Tonawanda--
says it LOOKS like that. In fact I was not sorry she came,
for there are but meager pickings here, and she brought some
of those apples. I was obliged to eat them, I was so hungry.
It was against my principles, but I find that principles have no
real force except when one is well fed. . . . She came curtained
in boughs and bunches of leaves, and when I asked her what she
meant by such nonsense, and snatched them away and threw them down,
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