| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Koran: and I consent not with you to that which I forbid you, I only wish
to better you so far as I can,- nor comes my grace through any one but
God; on Him do I rely, and unto Him I turn. O my people! let not a
breach with me make you so sin that there befall you the like of
that which befel the people of Noah, or the people of Hud, or the
people of Zali'h- nor are the people of Lot so far from you! Ask
pardon, then, from your Lord, then turn to Him; verily, my Lord is
merciful, loving!'
They said, 'O Sho'haib! we do not understand much of what thou
sayest, and 'we see that thou art weak amongst us; and were it not for
thy family we would stone thee, nor couldst thou be powerful over us.'
The Koran |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Black Dwarf by Walter Scott: reverted to him as a male fief. In this he may have thought that
he was acting with extreme generosity, while, in the opinion of
all impartial men, he will only be considered as having fulfilled
a natural obligation, seeing that, in justice, if not in strict
law, you must be considered as the heir of your mother, and I as
your legal administrator. Instead, therefore, of considering
myself as loaded with obligations to Sir Edward on this account,
I think I had reason to complain that these remittances were only
doled out to me at the pleasure of Mr. Ratcliffe, who, moreover,
exacted from me mortgages over my paternal estate of Ellieslaw
for any sums which I required as an extra advance; and thus may
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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 Ferragus by Honore de Balzac: public promenades, like those individuals who seem to be a sort of
furniture of the streets of Paris, and who are always to be found in
public places, at first representations or noted restaurants,--then
this being fastens himself or herself on our memory, and remains there
like the first volume of a novel the end of which is lost. We are
tempted to question this unknown person, and say, "Who are you?" "Why
are you lounging here?" "By what right do you wear that pleated
ruffle, that faded waistcoat, and carry that cane with an ivory top;
why those blue spectacles; for what reason do you cling to that cravat
of a dead and gone fashion?" Among these wandering creations some
belong to the species of the Greek Hermae; they say nothing to the
Ferragus |
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 The Duchess of Padua by Oscar Wilde: As of a woman merely, one who tried
To make her life a sacrifice to love,
And slew love in the trial: Oh, what is that?
The bell has stopped from ringing, and I hear
The feet of armed men upon the stair.
GUIDO
[aside]
That is the signal for the guard to come.
DUCHESS
Why has the bell stopped ringing?
GUIDO
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