| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from On Horsemanship by Xenophon: When the moment to dismount has come, you should never do so among
other horses, nor near a group of people,[23] nor outside the
exercising-ground; but on the precise spot which is the scene of his
compulsory exertion there let the horse find also relaxation.[24]
[23] Or, "a knot of bystanders"; cf. Thuc. ii. 21.
[24] Or, as we say, "be caressed, and dismissed."
VIII
As there will, doubtless, be times when the horse will need to race
downhill and uphill and on sloping ground; times, also, when he will
need to leap across an obstacle; or, take a flying leap from off a
bank;[1] or, jump down from a height, the rider must teach and train
On Horsemanship |
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 Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells: For a minute we stared at each other without speaking.
He had watery grey eyes, oddly void of expression.
Then just overhead came a sound like an iron bedstead being
knocked about, and the low angry growling of some large animal.
At the same time the man spoke. He repeated his question,--"How do you
feel now?"
I think I said I felt all right. I could not recollect how I
had got there. He must have seen the question in my face,
for my voice was inaccessible to me.
"You were picked up in a boat, starving. The name on the boat
was the `Lady Vain,' and there were spots of blood on the gunwale."
The Island of Doctor Moreau |
