| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Secret Places of the Heart by H. G. Wells: chiefly about the history of the world and the extraordinary
situation of aimlessness in a phase of ruin to which the
Great War had brought all Europe, if not all mankind. The
world excited them both in the same way; as a crisis in which
they were called upon to do something--they did not yet
clearly know what. Into this topic they peered as into some
deep pool, side by side, and in it they saw each other
reflected.
The visit to Avebury had been a great success. It had been a
perfect springtime day, and the little inn had been delighted
at the reappearance of Sir Richmond's car so soon after its
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield: the opening chord; down came all those left hands, beating the air, and in
chimed those young, mournful voices:--
"Fast! Ah, too Fast Fade the Ro-o-ses of Pleasure;
Soon Autumn yields unto Wi-i-nter Drear.
Fleetly! Ah, Fleetly Mu-u-sic's Gay Measure
Passes away from the Listening Ear."
Good Heavens, what could be more tragic than that lament! Every note was a
sigh, a sob, a groan of awful mournfulness. Miss Meadows lifted her arms
in the wide gown and began conducting with both hands. "...I feel more and
more strongly that our marriage would be a mistake..." she beat. And the
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Blue Flower by Henry van Dyke: At the corner of the street where the narrow, populous
Lane of the Camel-drivers crossed the Colonnades, a
storyteller had bewitched a circle of people around him. It
was the same old tale of love and adventure that many
generations have listened to; but the lively fancy of the
hearers rent it new interest, and the wit of the improviser
drew forth sighs of interest and shouts of laughter.
A yellow-haired girl on the edge of the throng turned, as
Hermas passed, and smiled in his face. She put out her hand
and caught him by the sleeve.
"Stay," she said, "and laugh a bit with us. I know who
|
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 Barlaam and Ioasaph by St. John of Damascus: Others assigned worship to beasts, creeping and four-footed
things, proving themselves more beastly than the things that they
worshipped. Others made them images of vile and worthless men,
and named them gods, some of whom they called males, and some
females, and they themselves set them forth as adulterers,
murderers, victims of anger, jealousy, wrath, slayers of fathers,
slayers of brothers, thieves and robbers, lame and maim,
sorcerers and madmen. Others they showed dead, struck by
thunderbolts, or beating their breasts, or being mourned over, or
in enslavement to mankind, or exiled, or, for foul and shameful
unions, taking the forms of animals. Whence men, taking occasion
|
