| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Collected Articles by Frederick Douglass: My whole future depended upon the decision of this conductor.
Agitated though I was while this ceremony was proceeding, still,
externally, at least, I was apparently calm and self-possessed.
He went on with his duty--examining several colored passengers
before reaching me. He was somewhat harsh in tome and peremptory
in manner until he reached me, when, strange enough, and to my surprise
and relief, his whole manner changed. Seeing that I did not readily
produce my free papers, as the other colored persons in the car had done,
he said to me, in friendly contrast with his bearing toward the others:
"I suppose you have your free papers?"
To which I answered:
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Rig Veda: sprang.
Thereafter were the regions born. This sprang from the Productive
Power.
4 Earth sprang from the Productive Power the regions from the
earth
were born.
Daksa was born of Aditi, and Aditi was Daksa's Child.
5 For Aditi, O Daksa, she who is thy Daughter, was brought
forth.
After her were the blessed Gods born sharers of immortal life.
6 When ye, O Gods, in yonder deep closeclasping one another
The Rig Veda |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas: and her daughter, exchanged a parting shake of the hand with
Debray and the count, and left Madame Danglars' box. Upon
his return to Haidee he found her still very pale. As soon
as she saw him she seized his hand; her own hands were moist
and icy cold. "Who was it you were talking with over there?"
she asked.
"With the Count of Morcerf," answered Monte Cristo. "He
tells me he served your illustrious father, and that he owes
his fortune to him."
"Wretch!" exclaimed Haidee, her eyes flashing with rage; "he
sold my father to the Turks, and the fortune he boasts of
The Count of Monte Cristo |
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 Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche: honesty and reciprocal usefulness, what does it matter about all
their mutual good-will: the fact still remains--they "cannot
smell each other!" The highest instinct for purity places him who
is affected with it in the most extraordinary and dangerous
isolation, as a saint: for it is just holiness--the highest
spiritualization of the instinct in question. Any kind of
cognizance of an indescribable excess in the joy of the bath, any
kind of ardour or thirst which perpetually impels the soul out of
night into the morning, and out of gloom, out of "affliction"
into clearness, brightness, depth, and refinement:--just as much
as such a tendency DISTINGUISHES--it is a noble tendency--it also
Beyond Good and Evil |
