| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne: "What's the matter," replied the sailor; "a rock?"
"No--wait," said Herbert; "I don't quite see. Luff again--right--now."
So saying, Herbert, leaning over the side, plunged his arm into the
water, and pulled it out, exclaiming,--
"A bottle!"
He held in his hand a corked bottle which he had just seized a few
cables' length from the shore.
Cyrus Harding took the bottle. Without uttering a single word he drew the
cork, and took from it a damp paper, on which were written these words:--
"Castaway.... Tabor island: 153øW. long., 37ø 11' S. lat."
Chapter 13
The Mysterious Island |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum: had appeared. The two girl prisoners were smiling and
in safety, and knowing this Glinda felt she could take
all the time necessary in order to effect their final
rescue.
As nothing more could be done just then, Glinda
ordered the boat to return to shore and it obeyed
readily. First it ascended to the surface of the water,
then the roof parted and fell into the slots at the
side of the boat, and then the magic craft quickly made
the shore and beached itself on the sands at the very
spot from which it had departed at Glinda's command.
Glinda of Oz |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from King James Bible: Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and
seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt
offering unto the LORD.
EZR 8:36 And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's
lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and they
furthered the people, and the house of God.
EZR 9:1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me,
saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not
separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to
their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the
Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians,
King James Bible |
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 Tanach: Numbers 19: 9 And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of sprinkling; it is a purification from sin.
Numbers 19: 10 And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even; and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever.
Numbers 19: 11 He that toucheth the dead, even any man's dead body, shall be unclean seven days;
Numbers 19: 12 the same shall purify himself therewith on the third day and on the seventh day, and he shall be clean; but if he purify not himself the third day and the seventh day, he shall not be clean.
Numbers 19: 13 Whosoever toucheth the dead, even the body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself--he hath defiled the tabernacle of the LORD--that soul shall be cut off from Israel; because the water of sprinkling was not dashed against him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him.
Numbers 19: 14 This is the law: when a man dieth in a tent, every one that cometh into the tent, and every thing that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days.
Numbers 19: 15 And every open vessel, which hath no covering close-bound upon it, is unclean.
The Tanach |
