| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from God The Invisible King by H. G. Wells: that stretch out seeking for him into the darkness behind the ivory
and gold.
The fact that God is FINITE is one upon which those who think
clearly among the new believers are very insistent. He is, above
everything else, a personality, and to be a personality is to have
characteristics, to be limited by characteristics; he is a Being,
not us but dealing with us and through us, he has an aim and that
means he has a past and future; he is within time and not outside
it. And they point out that this is really what everyone who prays
sincerely to God or gets help from God, feels and believes. Our
practice with God is better than our theory. None of us really pray
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Maid Marian by Thomas Love Peacock: But truly, sir, if I had a mind to the devil for a son-in-law, I would fain
see the man that should venture to interfere."
"That would I," said the friar; "for I have undertaken to make
her renounce the devil."
"She shall not renounce the devil," said the baron, "unless I please.
You are very ready with your undertakings. Will you undertake to make
her renounce the earl, who, I believe, is the devil incarnate?
Will you undertake that?"
"Will I undertake," said the friar, "to make Trent run westward,
or to make flame burn downward, or to make a tree grow with its head
in the earth and its root in the air?"
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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 Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne: for having placed you in your father's hands, I in my turn
will thank you for having led me to Irkutsk."
"Poor Michael!" answered Nadia, with emotion. "Do
not speak so. That does not answer me. Michael, why,
now, are you in such haste to reach Irkutsk?"
"Because I must be there before Ivan Ogareff," ex-
claimed Michael.
"Even now?"
"Even now, and I will be there, too!"
In uttering these words, Michael did not speak solely
through hatred to the traitor. Nadia understood that her
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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 Daisy Miller by Henry James: "Why, you were awfully mean at Vevey," said Daisy.
"You wouldn't do anything. You wouldn't stay there when
I asked you."
"My dearest young lady," cried Winterbourne, with eloquence,
"have I come all the way to Rome to encounter your reproaches?"
"Just hear him say that!" said Daisy to her hostess, giving a twist to a bow
on this lady's dress. "Did you ever hear anything so quaint?"
"So quaint, my dear?" murmured Mrs. Walker in the tone of a
partisan of Winterbourne.
"Well, I don't know," said Daisy, fingering Mrs. Walker's ribbons.
"Mrs. Walker, I want to tell you something."
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