| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Another Study of Woman by Honore de Balzac: ordinary woman look like a turtle, but which in her sets off the most
beautiful forms while concealing them. How does she do it? This secret
she keeps, though unguarded by any patent.
"As she walks she gives herself a little concentric and harmonious
twist, which makes her supple or dangerous slenderness writhe under
the stuff, as a snake does under the green gauze of trembling grass.
Is it to an angel or a devil that she owes the graceful undulation
which plays under her long black silk cape, stirs its lace frill,
sheds an airy balm, and what I should like to call the breeze of a
Parisienne? You may recognize over her arms, round her waist, about
her throat, a science of drapery recalling the antique Mnemosyne.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Faraday as a Discoverer by John Tyndall: of Professor Tyndall's opinion, he begged to say that an examiner,
appointed by His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief, had no right
to appear in the public papers as Professor Tyndall has done,
without the sanction of the War Office.' Nothing could be more just
than this reproof, but I did not like to rest under it. I wrote a
reply, and previous to sending it took it up to Faraday. We sat
together before his fire, and he looked very earnest as he rubbed
his hands and pondered. The following conversation then passed
between us:--
F. You certainly have received a reprimand, Tyndall; but the
matter is over, and if you wish to accept the reproof, you will
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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 Miracle Mongers and Their Methods by Harry Houdini: Japanese priests do, the Fijians walk on stones
that have been brought to a white heat in a
great fire of logs.
The familiar claim is made that the
performance puzzles scientists, and that no
satisfactory solution has yet been discovered. We
are about to see that for two or three hundred
years the same claims have been made by a
long line of more or less clever public
performers in Europe and America.
CHAPTER TWO
Miracle Mongers and Their Methods |
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 On Horsemanship by Xenophon: similarly for the legs, rubbing and currying by hand is quite
sufficient.
VI
We will now explain how the operation of grooming may be performed
with least danger to oneself and best advantage to the horse. If the
groom attempts to clean the horse with his face turned the same way as
the horse, he runs the risk of getting a knock in the face from the
animal's knee or hoof. When cleaning him he should turn his face in
the opposite direction to the horse, and planting himself well out of
the way of his leg, at an angle to his shoulder-blade, proceed to rub
him down. He will then escape all mischief, and he will be able to
On Horsemanship |
