| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Life of the Spider by J. Henri Fabre: Let us add that, for many months yet, until the final emancipation
comes, she will carry them without drawing any distinction between
them and her own young. Henceforth, the two families, united in so
tragic a fashion, will form but one. We see how greatly out of
place it would be to speak, in this connection, of mother-love and
its fond manifestations.
Does the Lycosa at least feed the younglings who, for seven months,
swarm upon her back? Does she invite them to the banquet when she
has secured a prize? I thought so at first; and, anxious to assist
at the family repast, I devoted special attention to watching the
mothers eat. As a rule, the prey is consumed out of sight, in the
The Life of the Spider |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Roads of Destiny by O. Henry: countryside. The company about the inn table applauded heartily, for
the young poet paid for the wine. Only the notary, M. Papineau, shook
his head a little at the lines, for he was a man of books, and he had
not drunk with the rest.
David went out into the village street, where the night air drove the
wine vapour from his head. And then he remembered that he and Yvonne
had quarrelled that day, and that he had resolved to leave his home
that night to seek fame and honour in the great world outside.
"When my poems are on every man's tongue," he told himself, in a fine
exhilaration, "she will, perhaps, think of the hard words she spoke
this day."
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Pagan and Christian Creeds by Edward Carpenter: and the table of devils."
[1] See Sanskrit Dictionary.
[2] See Ch. VIII.
[3] There are many indications in literature--in prophetic or
poetic form--of this awareness and distinct conviction of an
eternal life, reached through love and an inner sense of union
with others and with humanity at large; indications which bear
the mark of absolute genuineness and sincerity of feeling. See,
for instance, Whitman's poem, "To the Garden the World" (Leaves
of Grass, complete edition, p. 79). But an eternal life of the
third order; not, thank heaven! an eternity of the meddling and
Pagan and Christian Creeds |
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 Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: made my escape from Sallee in a boat; the same day of the year I
was born on - viz. the 30th of September, that same day I had my
life so miraculously saved twenty-six years after, when I was cast
on shore in this island; so that my wicked life and my solitary
life began both on a day.
The next thing to my ink being wasted was that of my bread - I mean
the biscuit which I brought out of the ship; this I had husbanded
to the last degree, allowing myself but one cake of bread a-day for
above a year; and yet I was quite without bread for near a year
before I got any corn of my own, and great reason I had to be
thankful that I had any at all, the getting it being, as has been
Robinson Crusoe |
