| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from King Henry VI by William Shakespeare: They say, in him they fear your highness' death;
And mere instinct of love and loyalty,
Free from a stubborn opposite intent,
As being thought to contradict your liking,
Makes them thus forward in his banishment.
They say, in care of your most royal person,
That if your highness should intend to sleep
And charge that no man should disturb your rest
In pain of your dislike or pain of death,
Yet, notwithstanding such a strait edict,
Were there a serpent seen, with forked tongue,
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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 Master Key by L. Frank Baum: In order to prevent a repetition of this sally the Tatars at once
invested the gates, so that if the Turks should open them they were as
likely to let their foes in as to oppose them.
While the tents were being moved up Rob had an opportunity to search
the battlefield for the bodies of the three Turks who had robbed him,
but they were not among the fallen.
"Those fellows were too cowardly to take part in a fair fight,"
declared the boy; but he was much disappointed, nevertheless,
as he felt very helpless without the electric tube or the
traveling machine.
The Tatar chief now called Rob to his tent and presented him with a
The Master Key |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum: "Who ever heard of a shaggy fairy?" he replied. "No, Dorothy, my
dear; I'm not to blame for this journey in any way, I assure you.
There's been something strange about me ever since I owned the Love
Magnet; but I don't know what it is any more than you do. I didn't
try to get you away from home, at all. If you want to find your way
back to the farm I'll go with you willingly, and do my best to help you."
"Never mind," said the little girl, thoughtfully. "There isn't so
much to see in Kansas as there is here, and I guess Aunt Em won't be
VERY much worried; that is, if I don't stay away too long."
"That's right," declared the Fox-King, nodding approval. "Be
contented with your lot, whatever it happens to be, if you are wise.
The Road to 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 Symposium by Plato: regardful of the good, regardless of the evil: in every word, work, wish,
fear--saviour, pilot, comrade, helper; glory of gods and men, leader best
and brightest: in whose footsteps let every man follow, sweetly singing in
his honour and joining in that sweet strain with which love charms the
souls of gods and men. Such is the speech, Phaedrus, half-playful, yet
having a certain measure of seriousness, which, according to my ability, I
dedicate to the god.
When Agathon had done speaking, Aristodemus said that there was a general
cheer; the young man was thought to have spoken in a manner worthy of
himself, and of the god. And Socrates, looking at Eryximachus, said: Tell
me, son of Acumenus, was there not reason in my fears? and was I not a true
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