| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from King James Bible: JOS 15:53 And Janum, and Bethtappuah, and Aphekah,
JOS 15:54 And Humtah, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, and Zior; nine
cities with their villages:
JOS 15:55 Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Juttah,
JOS 15:56 And Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Zanoah,
JOS 15:57 Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages:
JOS 15:58 Halhul, Bethzur, and Gedor,
JOS 15:59 And Maarath, and Bethanoth, and Eltekon; six cities with
their villages:
JOS 15:60 Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, and Rabbah; two cities
with their villages:
King James Bible |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Alexandria and her Schools by Charles Kingsley: electricity, or force, pervading time and space, conditioned by the
accidents of brute matter, and a part of that nature which is born to
die.
The culmination of all this confusion we see in Proclus. The
unfortunate Hypatia, who is the most important personage between him and
Iamblichus, has left no writings to our times; we can only judge of her
doctrine by that of her instructors and her pupils. Proclus was taught
by the men who had heard her lecture; and the golden chain of the
Platonic succession descended from her to him. His throne, however, was
at Athens, not at Alexandria. After the murder of the maiden
philosopher, Neoplatonism prudently retired to Greece. But Proclus is
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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 Large Catechism by Dr. Martin Luther: deed. Thus, to state it in the briefest manner, there is required this
much, that every one both live chastely himself and help his neighbor
do the same, so that God by this commandment wishes to hedge round
about and protect [as with a rampart] every spouse that no one trespass
against them.
But since this commandment is aimed directly at the state of matrimony
and gives occasion to speak of the same, you must well understand and
mark, first, how gloriously God honors and extols this estate, inasmuch
as by His commandment He both sanctions and guards it. He has
sanctioned it above in the Fourth Commandment: Honor thy father and thy
mother; but here He has (as we said ) hedged it about and protected it.
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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 Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf: The evening went on. Dr. Lesage arrived unexpectedly, and stayed
upstairs a very long time. He came down once and drank a cup
of coffee.
"She is very ill," he said in answer to Ridley's question.
All the annoyance had by this time left his manner, he was grave
and formal, but at the same time it was full of consideration,
which had not marked it before. He went upstairs again.
The three men sat together in the drawing-room. Ridley was quite
quiet now, and his attention seemed to be thoroughly awakened.
Save for little half-voluntary movements and exclamations
that were stifled at once, they waited in complete silence.
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