| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Koran: said, 'My Lord! verily, I stand in need of what Thou sendest down to
me of good.'
And one of the two came to him walking modestly; said she,
'Verily, my father calls thee, to reward thee with hire for having
watered our flocks for us.' And when he came to him and related to him
the story, said he, 'Fear not, thou art safe from the unjust
people.' Said one of them, 'O my sire! hire him; verily, the best of
those whom thou canst hire is the strong and faithful.'
Said he, 'Verily, I desire to marry thee to one of these daughters
of mine, on condition that thou dost serve me for hire eight years;
and if thou shalt fulfil ten it is of thyself; for I do not wish to
The Koran |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum: standing beside it, with an uplifted axe in his hands, was a man
made entirely of tin. His head and arms and legs were jointed
upon his body, but he stood perfectly motionless, as if he could
not stir at all.
Dorothy looked at him in amazement, and so did the Scarecrow,
while Toto barked sharply and made a snap at the tin legs, which
hurt his teeth.
"Did you groan?" asked Dorothy.
"Yes," answered the tin man, "I did. I've been groaning for more
than a year, and no one has ever heard me before or come to help me."
"What can I do for you?" she inquired softly, for she was
The Wizard of Oz |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Divine Comedy (translated by H.F. Cary) by Dante Alighieri: That here exceeds our pow'r; thanks to the place
Made for the dwelling of the human kind
I suffer'd it not long, and yet so long
That I beheld it bick'ring sparks around,
As iron that comes boiling from the fire.
And suddenly upon the day appear'd
A day new-ris'n, as he, who hath the power,
Had with another sun bedeck'd the sky.
Her eyes fast fix'd on the eternal wheels,
Beatrice stood unmov'd; and I with ken
Fix'd upon her, from upward gaze remov'd
The Divine Comedy (translated by H.F. Cary) |
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: to overcome even the least temptation.
This, then, is leading us not into temptation, to wit, when He gives us
power and strength to resist, the temptation, however, not being taken
away or removed. For while we live in the flesh and have the devil
about us, no one can escape temptation and allurements; and it cannot
be otherwise than that we must endure trials, yea, be engulfed in them;
but we pray for this, that we may not fall and be drowned in them.
To feel temptation is therefore a far different thing from consenting
or yielding to it. We must all feel it, although not all in the same
manner, but some in a greater degree and more severely than others; as,
the young suffer especially from the flesh, afterwards, they that
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