| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from King James Bible: peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.
NEH 8:12 And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to
send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the
words that were declared unto them.
NEH 8:13 And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the
fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the
scribe, even to understand the words of the law.
NEH 8:14 And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded
by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the
feast of the seventh month:
NEH 8:15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities,
King James Bible |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from On the Duty of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau: virile garb, to collect a fund to the support of the widows
and orphans that may be; who, in short, ventures to live
only by the aid of the Mutual Insurance company, which has
promised to bury him decently.
It is not a man's duty, as a matter of course, to
devote himself to the eradication of any, even to most
enormous, wrong; he may still properly have other concerns
to engage him; but it is his duty, at least, to wash his
hands of it, and, if he gives it no thought longer, not to
give it practically his support. If I devote myself to
other pursuits and contemplations, I must first see, at
On the Duty of Civil Disobedience |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Out of Time's Abyss by Edgar Rice Burroughs: her own recognition by a sudden pressure of her fingers on
Bradley's arm. It was the Wieroo of the yellow slashing whose
abode was the place of the yellow door in which Bradley had first
seen the girl.
The creature carried a wooden bowl which it filled with dried
food from several of the vessels; then it turned and quit the room.
Bradley could see through the partially open doorway that it
descended the ladder. The girl told him that it was taking the
food to the women and the young below, and that while it might
return immediately, the chances were that it would remain for
some time.
Out of Time's Abyss |
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 Art of War by Sun Tzu: 46. This appears to be still extant. See Wylie's "Notes," p. 91
(new edition).
47. T`UNG K`AO, loc. cit.
48. A notable person in his day. His biography is given in the
SAN KUO CHIH, ch. 10.
49. See XI. ss. 58, note.
50. HOU HAN SHU, ch. 17 ad init.
51. SAN KUO CHIH, ch. 54.
52. SUNG SHIH, ch. 365 ad init.
53. The few Europeans who have yet had an opportunity of
acquainting themselves with Sun Tzu are not behindhand in their
The Art of War |
