| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Sportsman by Xenophon: boar-spear, and advance. Some one man, the most practised hand, will
cheer on the hounds, and the rest will follow in good order at some
considerable distance from one another, so as to leave the animal a
free passage; since if he falls into the thick of them as he makes
off, there is a fair chance of being wounded, for he will certainly
vent his fury on the first creature he falls foul of.
[22] Lit. "then they will take their javelins and boar-spears and
advance."
As soon as the hounds are near his lair, they will make their
onslaught. The boar, bewildered by the uproar, will rise up and toss
the first hound that ventures to attack him in front. He will then run
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin: a dozen dry thistle-stalks bound together with thongs of
hide; and by the support of these Ionic-like columns, the
roof and sides were thatched with reeds. We were here told
a fact, which I would not have credited, if I had not had
partly ocular proof of it; namely, that, during the previous
night hail as large as small apples, and extremely hard, had
fallen with such violence, as to kill the greater number of the
wild animals. One of the men had already found thirteen
deer (Cervus campestris) lying dead, and I saw their _fresh_
hides; another of the party, a few minutes after my arrival
brought in seven more. Now I well know, that one man
The Voyage of the Beagle |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Anthem by Ayn Rand: We came to know that we had found the
greatest power on earth. For it defies all
the laws known to men. It makes the needle
move and turn on the compass which we
stole from the Home of the Scholars;
but we had been taught, when still a child,
that the loadstone points to the north and that
this is a law which nothing can change;
yet our new power defies all laws.
We found that it causes lightning, and never
have men known what causes lightning.
Anthem |
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 Crisis in Russia by Arthur Ransome: were in favor of them, they were likely to be right this time,
as so often heretofore. But for the most part the speeches
were directly concerned with the problem under discussion,
and showed a political consciousness which would have
been almost incredible three years ago. The Red Army
served as a text for many, who said that the methods which
had produced that army and its victories over the Whites had
been proved successful and should be used to produce a
Red Army of Labor and similar victories on the bloodless
front against economic disaster. Nobody seemed to question
the main idea of compulsory labor. The contest that aroused
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