| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Danny's Own Story by Don Marquis: write to the other girl and tell her plainly that
everything was off. But I kept postponing it.
It seemed like a deuce of a hard job to tackle.
"But, finally, I did write her. That was the very
day Lucy promised to throw Prent McMakin over
and marry me. You know how determined all
your people were that Lucy should marry McMakin,
Tom. They had brought her up with the idea
that she was going to, and, of course, she was bored
with him for that reason.
"We decided the best plan would be to slip away
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from At the Sign of the Cat & Racket by Honore de Balzac: little Bible-history, and the history of France in Le Ragois, and
never reading any book but what their mother would sanction, their
ideas had not acquired much scope. They knew perfectly how to keep
house; they were familiar with the prices of things; they understood
the difficulty of amassing money; they were economical, and had a
great respect for the qualities that make a man of business. Although
their father was rich, they were as skilled in darning as in
embroidery; their mother often talked of having them taught to cook,
so that they might know how to order a dinner and scold a cook with
due knowledge. They knew nothing of the pleasures of the world; and,
seeing how their parents spent their exemplary lives, they very rarely
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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 Don Quixote by Miquel de Cervantes: observing the coach in which the Judge had come, said, "He is here
no doubt, for this is the coach he is following: let one of us stay at
the gate, and the rest go in to look for him; or indeed it would be as
well if one of us went round the inn, lest he should escape over the
wall of the yard." "So be it," said another; and while two of them
went in, one remained at the gate and the other made the circuit of
the inn; observing all which, the landlord was unable to conjecture
for what reason they were taking all these precautions, though he
understood they were looking for the youth whose description they
had given him.
It was by this time broad daylight; and for that reason, as well
Don Quixote |
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 Large Catechism by Dr. Martin Luther: comprehend everything in one so that the entire substance of all our
prayer is directed against our chief enemy. For it is he who hinders
among us everything that we pray for: the name or honor of God, God's
kingdom and will, our daily bread, a cheerful good conscience, etc.
Therefore we finally sum it all up and say: Dear Father pray, help that
we be rid of all these calamities. But there is nevertheless also
included whatever evil may happen to us under the devil's kingdom --
poverty, shame, death, and, in short, all the agonizing misery and
heartache of which there is such an unnumbered multitude on the earth.
For since the devil is not only a liar, but also a murderer, he
constantly seeks our life, and wreaks his anger whenever he can afflict
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