| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Symposium by Xenophon: Antisthenes, to explain to us, how it is that you, with means so
scanty, make so loud a boast of wealth.
Because (he answered) I hold to the belief, sirs, that wealth and
poverty do not lie in a man's estate, but in men's souls. Even in
private life how many scores of people have I seen, who, although they
roll in wealth, yet deem themselves so poor, there is nothing they
will shrink from, neither toil nor danger, in order to add a little to
their store.[55] I have known two brothers,[56] heirs to equal
fortunes, one of whom has enough, more than enough, to cover his
expenditure; the other is in absolute indigence. And so to monarchs,
there are not a few, I perceive, so ravenous of wealth that they will
The Symposium |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Somebody's Little Girl by Martha Young: dress. For Sisters, like Sister Helen Vincula, wore a soft white
around the face, and soft long black veils, and a small cross on the
breast of the dress: so that even had any not known the difference
one could easily have guessed.
But for Ladies and Mamas there were none of these differences.
But Bessie Bell looked and looked and wondered, but her eyes brought
to her no way of knowing.
Bessie Bell could at length think of only one way to find out the
difference, and that was to ask--to let her ears help her eyes to
bring to her some way of knowing.
One day, a dear old lady with white curls all around under her
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Professor by Charlotte Bronte: prendre garde--savez-vous?"
"Mais quel danger y a-t-il?"
"Je n'en sais rien--ne vous laissez pas aller a de vives
impressions--voila tout."
I laughed: a sentiment of exquisite pleasure played over my
nerves at the thought that "vives impressions" were likely to be
created; it was the deadness, the sameness of life's daily
ongoings that had hitherto been my bane; my blouse-clad "eleves"
in the boys' seminary never stirred in me any "vives impressions"
except it might be occasionally some of anger. I broke from M.
Pelet, and as I strode down the passage he followed me with one
The Professor |
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 Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain: kissing her and calling her by endearing names; but
there was scarcely sign of response now in the glazing
eyes. I saw tears well from the king's eyes, and
trickle down his face. The woman noticed them, too,
and said:
"Ah, I know that sign: thou'st a wife at home,
poor soul, and you and she have gone hungry to bed,
many's the time, that the little ones might have your
crust; you know what poverty is, and the daily insults
of your betters, and the heavy hand of the Church and
the king."
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court |
