| 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: give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over
them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
JOE 2:18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his
people.
JOE 2:19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I
will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied
therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
JOE 2:20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will
drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east
sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come
up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
King James Bible |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Collection of Antiquities by Honore de Balzac: Duchess. "Nowhere but in France, my dear M. Chesnel, do you see women
so much wedded to their husbands that they are wedded to their
husband's professions, work, or business as well. In Italy, England,
and Germany, women make it a point of honor to leave men to fight
their own battles; they shut their eyes to their husbands' work as
perseveringly as our French citizens' wives do all that in them lies
to understand the position of their joint-stock partnership; is not
that what you call it in your legal language? Frenchwomen are so
incredibly jealous in the conduct of their married life, that they
insist on knowing everything; and that is how, in the least
difficulty, you feel the wife's hand in the business; the Frenchwoman
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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 Dynamiter by Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Van De Grift Stevenson: powers of death, his mind was still tortured by his
daughter's peril. The sun had gone down, the darkness had
fallen, when I perceived that I was alone on this unhappy
earth. What thought had I of flight, of safety, of the
impending dangers of my situation? Beside the body of my
last friend, I had forgotten all except the natural pangs of
my bereavement.
The sun was some four hours above the eastern line, when I
was recalled to a knowledge of the things of earth, by the
entrance of the slave-girl to whom I have already referred.
The poor soul was indeed devotedly attached to me; and it was
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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 Manon Lescaut by Abbe Prevost: resource, but that it was necessary to consider the point well.
`Mere play,' said he, `with its ordinary chances, is the certain
road to ruin; and as for attempting, alone and without an ally,
to employ the little means an adroit man has for correcting the
vagaries of luck, it would be too dangerous an experiment.'
There was, he stated, a third course, which was to enter into
what he called a partnership; but he feared his confederates
would consider my youth an objection to my admittance. He,
however, promised to use his influence with them; and, what was
more than I expected at his hands, he said that he would supply
me with a little money whenever I had pressing occasion for any.
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