| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Charmides by Plato: for me to say of myself, and also I should give the lie to Critias, and
many others who think as he tells you, that I am temperate: but, on the
other hand, if I say that I am, I shall have to praise myself, which would
be ill manners; and therefore I do not know how to answer you.
I said to him: That is a natural reply, Charmides, and I think that you
and I ought together to enquire whether you have this quality about which I
am asking or not; and then you will not be compelled to say what you do not
like; neither shall I be a rash practitioner of medicine: therefore, if
you please, I will share the enquiry with you, but I will not press you if
you would rather not.
There is nothing which I should like better, he said; and as far as I am
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Heroes by Charles Kingsley: won her, my beloved, and lost her again the same day, and
wandered away in my madness, even to Egypt and the Libyan
sands, and the isles of all the seas, driven on by the
terrible gadfly, while I charmed in vain the hearts of men,
and the savage forest beasts, and the trees, and the lifeless
stones, with my magic harp and song, giving rest, but finding
none. But at last Calliope my mother delivered me, and
brought me home in peace; and I dwell here in the cave alone,
among the savage Cicon tribes, softening their wild hearts
with music and the gentle laws of Zeus. And now I must go
out again, to the ends of all the earth, far away into the
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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 Crowd by Gustave le Bon: The unconscious acts like a force still unknown.
If we wish, then, to remain within the narrow but safe limits
within which science can attain to knowledge, and not to wander
in the domain of vague conjecture and vain hypothesis, all we
must do is simply to take note of such phenomena as are
accessible to us, and confine ourselves to their consideration.
Every conclusion drawn from our observation is, as a rule,
premature, for behind the phenomena which we see clearly are
other phenomena that we see indistinctly, and perhaps behind
these latter, yet others which we do not see at all.
CONTENTS
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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 The White Moll by Frank L. Packard: And the Adventurer was leaping for the window.
There was a blinding flash, the roar of a report, as the
millionaire flung up a revolver and fired; it was echoed by the
splatter and tinkle of falling glass. The Adventurer was astride
the window sill now, his face deliberately and unmistakably in view.
"A foot too high, and a bit to the right!" said the Adventurer
debonairly - and the window sill was empty.
Rhoda Gray stole silently through the doorway behind her. She could
hear the millionaire and his companion, the butler, probably, rush
across the library to the window. As she gained the pantry, she
heard another shot. Tight-lipped, using her flashlight, she ran
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