| 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: saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me?
MAT 27:47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said,
This man calleth for Elias.
MAT 27:48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and
filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
MAT 27:49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to
save him.
MAT 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up
the ghost.
MAT 27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from
King James Bible |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Life in the Iron-Mills by Rebecca Davis: brought with It calm and peace, who shall say? His dumb soul
was alone with God in judgment. A Voice may have spoken for it
from far-off Calvary, "Father, forgive them, for they know not
what they do!" Who dare say? Fainter and fainter the heart
rose and fell, slower and slower the moon floated from behind a
cloud, until, when at last its full tide of white splendor swept
over the cell, it seemed to wrap and fold into a deeper
stillness the dead figure that never should move again. Silence
deeper than the Night! Nothing that moved, save the black,
nauseous stream of blood dripping slowly from the pallet to the
floor!
Life in the Iron-Mills |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Meno by Plato: one who does not know virtue know a part of virtue?
MENO: No; I do not say that he can.
SOCRATES: Do you remember how, in the example of figure, we rejected any
answer given in terms which were as yet unexplained or unadmitted?
MENO: Yes, Socrates; and we were quite right in doing so.
SOCRATES: But then, my friend, do not suppose that we can explain to any
one the nature of virtue as a whole through some unexplained portion of
virtue, or anything at all in that fashion; we should only have to ask over
again the old question, What is virtue? Am I not right?
MENO: I believe that you are.
SOCRATES: Then begin again, and answer me, What, according to you and your
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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 A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain: responded to. Still we found an interest in the thing,
because we naturally liked to know who were English
and Americans among the passers-by. All continental
natives responded of course; so did some of the English
and Americans, but, as a general thing, these two races
gave no sign. Whenever a man or a woman showed us
cold neglect, we spoke up confidently in our own tongue
and asked for such information as we happened to need,
and we always got a reply in the same language.
The English and American folk are not less kindly than
other races, they are only more reserved, and that comes
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