| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Chessmen of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs: hope of dislodging it before it had succeeded in clambering
aboard. At the same instant he saw that others of the banths were
racing toward them with the quite evident intention of following
their leader to the ship's deck. Should they reach it in any
numbers he would be lost. There was but a single hope. Leaping
for the altitude control Gahan pulled it wide. Simultaneously
three banths leaped for the deck. The craft rose swiftly. Gahan
felt the impact of a body against the keel, followed by the soft
thuds of the great bodies as they struck the ground beneath. His
act had not been an instant too soon. And now the leader had
gained the deck and stood at the stern with glaring eyes and
The Chessmen of Mars |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Seraphita by Honore de Balzac: some eternal cauldron or to walk in white robes, a palm in his hand
and a halo round his head? Can it be that this pagan invention is the
final word of God? Where is the generous soul who does not feel that
the calculating virtue which seeks the eternity of pleasure offered by
all religions to whoever fulfils at stray moments certain fanciful and
often unnatural conditions, is unworthy of man and of God? Is it not a
mockery to give to man impetuous senses and forbid him to satisfy
them? Besides, what mean these ascetic objections if Good and Evil are
equally abolished? Does Evil exist? If substance in all its forms is
God, then Evil is God. The faculty of reasoning as well as the faculty
of feeling having been given to man to use, nothing can be more
Seraphita |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Koran: insidious spirit, nor shall they be drunk therewith; and with them
damsels, restraining their looks, large eyed; as though they were a
sheltered egg; and some shall come forward to ask others; and a
speaker amongst them shall say, 'Verily, I had a mate, who used to
say, "Art thou verily of those who credit? What! when we are dead, and
have become earth and bones, shall we be surely judged?"' He will say,
'Are ye looking down?' and he shall look down and see him in the midst
of hell. He shall say, 'By God, thou didst nearly ruin me! And had
it not been for the favour of my Lord, I should have been among the
arraigned.'-'What! shall we not die save our first death? and shall we
not be tormented?-Verily, this is mighty bliss! for the like of this
The Koran |
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 Pierrette by Honore de Balzac: her do as we did,--work."
Vinet departed, having put his plan into Sylvie's head, her dogged
obstinacy being well-known to him. The old maid, he was certain, would
think the scheme her own, and carry it out.
The lawyer found the colonel in the square, smoking a cigar while he
waited for him.
"Halt!" said Gouraud; "you have pulled me down, but stones enough came
with me to bury you--"
"Colonel!--"
"Colonel or not, I shall give you your deserts. In the first place,
you shall not be deputy--"
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