| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Black Dwarf by Walter Scott: begone; were I to keep thee longer by me, I might again fall into
the stupid dreams concerning human worth from which I have been
so fearfully awakened. But fear nothing--at the very foot of the
altar I will redeem thee. Adieu, time presses, and I must act!"
He led her to the door of the hut, which he opened for her
departure. She remounted her horse, which had been feeding in
the outer enclosure, and pressed him forward by the light of the
moon, which was now rising, to the spot where she had left
Ratcliffe.
"Have you succeeded?" was his first eager question.
"I have obtained promises from him to whom you sent me; but how
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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 Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals by Charles Darwin: as in the case of the contraction of the iris preventing too much
light from falling on the retina, might afterwards have been
taken advantage of and modified for this special purpose.
It further deserves notice that reflex actions are in all probability
liable to slight variations, as are all corporeal structures and instincts;
and any variations which were beneficial and of sufficient importance,
would tend to be preserved and inherited. Thus reflex actions, when once
gained for one purpose, might afterwards be modified independently
of the will or habit, so as to serve for some distinct purpose.
Such cases would be parallel with those which, as we have every
reason to believe, have occurred with many instincts; for although
Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals |
