| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Shakespeare: Be absent from thy walks; and in my tongue
Thy sweet beloved name no more shall dwell,
Lest I, too much profane, should do it wrong,
And haply of our old acquaintance tell.
For thee, against my self I'll vow debate,
For I must ne'er love him whom thou dost hate.
XC
Then hate me when thou wilt; if ever, now;
Now, while the world is bent my deeds to cross,
Join with the spite of fortune, make me bow,
And do not drop in for an after-loss:
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Lily of the Valley by Honore de Balzac: the second time in a glance as rapid as lightning,--"is to rest here.
I am so crippled with fatigue I really cannot walk farther."
"You must not doubt the hospitality of our beautiful Touraine," she
said; then, turning to my companion, she added: "You will give us the
pleasure of your dining at Clochegourde?"
I threw such a look of entreaty at Monsieur de Chessel that he began
the preliminaries of accepting the invitation, though it was given in
a manner that seemed to expect a refusal. As a man of the world, he
recognized these shades of meaning; but I, a young man without
experience, believed so implicitly in the sincerity between word and
thought of this beautiful woman that I was wholly astonished when my
The Lily of the Valley |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from A Man of Business by Honore de Balzac: " 'I shall only pay when the fancy takes me,' returned Maxime, and he
rang for Suzon. 'It was very rash of Claparon to buy up bills of mine
without speaking to me beforehand. I am sorry for him, for he did so
very well for such a long time as a man of straw for friends of mine.
I always said that a man must really be weak in his intellect to work
for men that stuff themselves with millions, and to serve them so
faithfully for such low wages. And now here he gives me another proof
of his stupidity! Yes, men deserve what they get. It is your own doing
whether you get a crown on your forehead or a bullet through your
head; whether you are a millionaire or a porter, justice is always
done you. I cannot help it, my dear fellow; I myself am not a king, I
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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 On Horsemanship by Xenophon: his head. A horse's natural instinct, in trying to rid himself of
anything that irritates the face, is to toss up his head, and by this
upward movement, if so tied, he only slackens the chain instead of
snapping it. In rubbing the horse down, the groom should begin with
the head and mane; as until the upper parts are clean, it is vain to
cleanse the lower; then, as regards the rest of the body, first brush
up the hair, by help of all the ordinary implements for cleansing, and
then beat out the dust, following the lie of the hair. The hair on the
spine (and dorsal region) ought not to be touched with any instrument
whatever; the hand alone should be used to rub and smooth it, and in
the direction of its natural growth, so as to preserve from injury
On Horsemanship |
