| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Crisis in Russia by Arthur Ransome: them wear red uniforms and some wear blue. Any single
room to which the fire gains complete control increases the
danger of the whole building, and I hope that before the roof
falls in the firemen will come to their senses.
But turning from grim recognition of the danger, and from
speculations as to the chance of the Russian Government
collapsing, and as to the changes in it that time may bring, let
us consider what is likely to happen supposing it does
not collapse. I have already said that I think collapse
unlikely. Do the Russians show any signs of being able to
carry out their programme, or has the fire gone so far during
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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 Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: bending over the balustrade and peering down into the black seething
well of darkness. Then he took out the key and returned to the room,
locking himself in as he did so.
The thing was still seated in the chair, straining over the table
with bowed head, and humped back, and long fantastic arms.
Had it not been for the red jagged tear in the neck and the clotted
black pool that was slowly widening on the table, one would have said
that the man was simply asleep.
How quickly it had all been done! He felt strangely calm, and walking
over to the window, opened it and stepped out on the balcony.
The wind had blown the fog away, and the sky was like a monstrous
The Picture of Dorian Gray |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Symposium by Xenophon: very truth, that can sweeten cup as well as platter, this same onion;
and if we are to take to munching onions for desert, see if somebody
does not say of us, "They went to dine with Callias, and got more than
their deserts, the epicures."[16]
[15] Lit. "I warrent you! (quoth Socrates) and there's another funny
notion we have every chance of getting fathered on us."
[16] Or, "and had a most hilarious and herbaceous time."
No fear of that (rejoined Niceratus). Always take a bite of onion
before speeding forth to battle, just as your patrons of the cock-pit
give their birds a feed of garlic[17] before they put them for the
fight. But for ourselves our thoughts are less intent perhaps on
The Symposium |
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 Across The Plains by Robert Louis Stevenson: that Gaston Lafenestre was taken from our midst by an untimely
death. He died before he had deserved success; it may be, he would
never have deserved it; but his kind, comely, modest countenance
still haunts the memory of all who knew him. Another - whom I will
not name - has moved farther on, pursuing the strange Odyssey of
his decadence. His days of royal favour had departed even then;
but he still retained, in his narrower life at Barbizon, a certain
stamp of conscious importance, hearty, friendly, filling the room,
the occupant of several chairs; nor had he yet ceased his losing
battle, still labouring upon great canvases that none would buy,
still waiting the return of fortune. But these days also were too
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