| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Legend of Montrose by Walter Scott: village, and of the family, go there to milk them in the morning
and evening. While thus employed, the females of this family, to
their great terror, perceived that their motions were watched at
a distance by a pale, thin, meagre figure, bearing a strong
resemblance to their deceased mistress, and passing, of course,
for her apparition. When some of the boldest resolved to
approach this faded form, it fled from them into the woods with a
wild shriek. The husband, informed of this circumstance, came up
to the glen with some attendants, and took his measures so well
as to intercept the retreat of the unhappy fugitive, and to
secure the person of his unfortunate lady, though her intellect
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Cromwell by William Shakespeare: NORFOLK.
Let us not slack it, tis for England's good.
We must be wary, else he'll go beyond us.
GARDINER.
Well hath your Grace said, my Lord of Norfolk;
Therefore let us presently to Lambeth.
Thether comes Cromwell from the Court to night.
Let us arrest him, send him to the Tower,
And in the morning, cut off the traitor's head.
NORFOLK.
Come, then, about it, let us guard the town.
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Symposium by Xenophon: all they give to me from time to time. I speak well of them, with all
the strength I have. And whenever I take their sacred names to
witness, I do not wittingly falsify my word.
Then God be praised (said Socrates), if being what you are, you have
such friends; the gods themselves, it would appear, delight in
nobleness of soul.[77]
[77] {kalokagathia}, "beautiful and gentle manhood."
Thus, in solemn sort, the theme was handled, thus gravely ended.
But now it was the jester's turn, and so they fell to asking him:[78]
What could he see to pride himself upon so vastly in the art of making
people laugh?
The Symposium |
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 People That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs: night shortly after we had quit the cliff-dwellings of the
Band-lu, when So-al raised a question which it had never
occurred to me to propound to Ajor. She asked her why she had
left her own people and how she had come so far south as the
country of the Alus, where I had found her.
At first Ajor hesitated to explain; but at last she consented,
and for the first time I heard the complete story of her origin
and experiences. For my benefit she entered into greater
detail of explanation than would have been necessary had I been
a native Caspakian.
"I am a cos-ata-lo," commenced Ajor, and then she turned
The People That Time Forgot |
