| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Pagan and Christian Creeds by Edward Carpenter: safest to move thus backwards in Time, from the things
recent and fairly well known to things more ancient and less
known. In this way we approach more securely to some
understanding of the dim and remote past.
It is clear that before any definite speculations on
heaven-dwelling gods or divine beings had arisen in the human
mind--or any clear theories of how the sun and moon
and stars might be connected with the changes of the
seasons on the earth--there were still certain obvious
things which appealed to everybody, learned or unlearned
alike. One of these was the return of Vegetation, bringing
 Pagan and Christian Creeds |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Kidnapped Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum: right to hate such base slanderers, and you ought to be revenged upon
them for their evil words."
"But I don't hate 'em!" exclaimed Santa Claus positively. "Such
people do me no real harm, but merely render themselves and their
children unhappy. Poor things! I'd much rather help them any day
than injure them."
Indeed, the Daemons could not tempt old Santa Claus in any way. On
the contrary, he was shrewd enough to see that their object in
visiting him was to make mischief and trouble, and his cheery laughter
disconcerted the evil ones and showed to them the folly of such an
undertaking. So they abandoned honeyed words and determined to use force.
 A Kidnapped Santa Claus |