| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Desert Gold by Zane Grey: a kind of strange, wild glory in the privations, the pains, the perils,
and the silence and solitude to be endured on this desert land.
In the past he had not been of any use to himself or others;
and he had never know what it meant to be hungry, cold, tired,
lonely. He had never worked for anything. The needs of the day
had been provided, and to-morrow and the future looked the same.
Danger, peril, toil--these had been words read in books and papers.
In the present he used his hands, his senses, and his wits. He
had a duty to a man who relied on his services. He was a comrade,
a friend, a valuable ally to riding, fighting rangers. He had spend
endless days, weeks that seemed years, alone with a horse, trailing
Desert Gold |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Cavalry General by Xenophon: the theory of the javelin, yourself an adept in the art through
constant training.[36]
[35] Techn. {prodromoi}, possibly = the Hippotoxotai, or corps of 200
mounted archers--Scythians; cf. "Mem." III. iii. 11. Or, probably,
"mounted skirmishers," distinct from the {ippotexotai}. Cf.
Arrian, "An." i. 12. 7. See Aristot. "Ath. Pol." 49. 5.
[36] Reading as vulg. {eisegoio}, or if with L. D. {egoio} (cf. above,
S. 21), trans. "you must lead them out to the butts yourself."
Lastly, were it possible to institute and offer prizes to the several
tribal squadrons in reward for every excellence of knighthood known to
custom in the public spectacles of our city, we have here, I think, an
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Lily of the Valley by Honore de Balzac: cathedral lift the soul to prayer, so leafy ways, lighted by the moon,
perfumed with penetrating odors, alive with the murmuring noises of
the spring-tide, stir the fibres and weaken the resolves of those who
love. The country calms the old, but excites the young. We knew it
well. Two strokes of the bell announced the hour of prayer. The
countess shivered.
"Dear Henriette, are you ill?"
"There is no Henriette," she said. "Do not bring her back. She was
capricious and exacting; now you have a friend whose courage has been
strengthened by the words which heaven itself dictated to you. We will
talk of this later. We must be punctual at prayers, for it is my day
The Lily of the Valley |
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 Works of Samuel Johnson by Samuel Johnson: Unbinds the glebe, or warms the trees;
Where ever lowering clouds appear,
And angry Jove deforms th' inclement year:
Love and the nymph shall charm my toils,
The nymph, who sweetly speaks and sweetly smiles.
FRANCIS.
OF the happiness and misery of our present state,
part arises from our sensations, and part from
our opinions; part is distributed by nature, and part
is in a great measure apportioned by ourselves.
Positive pleasure we cannot always obtain, and positive
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