| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tess of the d'Urbervilles, A Pure Woman by Thomas Hardy: "Goodbye, my maid," said Sir John, raising his head
from his breast as he suspended his nap, induced by a
slight excess this morning in honour of the occasion.
"Well, I hope my young friend will like such a comely
sample of his own blood. And tell'n, Tess, that being
sunk, quite, from our former grandeur, I'll sell him
the title--yes, sell it--and at no onreasonable
figure."
"Not for less than a thousand pound!" cried Lady
Durbeyfield.
"Tell'n--I'll take a thousand pound. Well, I'll take
Tess of the d'Urbervilles, A Pure Woman |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Ball at Sceaux by Honore de Balzac: profession; and I even gave up going into the Engineers in order to
preserve my independence."
"And you did well," said the Count. "But how can you regard it as an
honor to be a doctor?" added the Breton nobleman. "Ah, my young
friend, such a man as you----"
"Monsieur le Comte, I respect every profession that has a useful
purpose."
"Well, in that we agree. You respect those professions, I imagine, as
a young man respects a dowager."
Monsieur Longueville made his visit neither too long nor too short. He
left at the moment when he saw that he had pleased everybody, and that
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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 The Koran: wish you advantage Nay, God of what ye do is well aware!
Nay, ye thought that the Apostle and the believers would not ever
return again to their families; that was made seemly in your hearts!
and ye thought evil thoughts, and ye were a corrupt people.
Whoso believes not in God and His Apostle- we have prepared for
the unbelievers a blaze!
God's is the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth. He pardons
whom He pleases, and torments whom He pleases; and God is forgiving,
merciful.
Those who were left behind shall say when ye have gone forth to
spoils that ye may take, 'Let us follow you;' they wish to change
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 The Soul of Man by Oscar Wilde: mode of life, and towards which every mode of life quickens. And
so Individualism exercises no compulsion over man. On the
contrary, it says to man that he should suffer no compulsion to be
exercised over him. It does not try to force people to be good.
It knows that people are good when they are let alone. Man will
develop Individualism out of himself. Man is now so developing
Individualism. To ask whether Individualism is practical is like
asking whether Evolution is practical. Evolution is the law of
life, and there is no evolution except towards Individualism.
Where this tendency is not expressed, it is a case of artificially-
arrested growth, or of disease, or of death.
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