| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln by Helen Nicolay: thought he had never seen such a sorrowful face. He suggested
that
instead of going into debt, Lincoln might share his own roomy
quarters over the store, assuring him that if he chose to accept
the offer, he would be very welcome. "Where is your room ?"
Lincoln asked quickly. "Upstairs," and the young merchant pointed
to a flight of winding steps leading from the store to the room
overhead.
Lincoln picked up the saddle-bags, went upstairs, set them down
on the floor, and reappeared a moment later, beaming with
pleasure. "Well, Speed," he exclaimed, "I am moved!" It is seldom
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Letters of Two Brides by Honore de Balzac: "My dear little one," she said, "if you were to die at the convent, it
is much better to live with your family. You frustrate your father's
plans and mine; but the age of blind obedience to parents is past. M.
de Chaulieu's intention, and in this I am quite at one with him, is to
lose no opportunity of making your life pleasant and of letting you
see the world. At your age I should have thought as you do, therefore
I am not vexed with you; it is impossible you should understand what
we expected from you. You will not find any absurd severity in me; and
if you have ever thought me heartless, you will soon find out your
mistake. Still, though I wish you to feel perfectly free, I think
that, to begin with, you would do well to follow the counsels of a
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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 Puck of Pook's Hill by Rudyard Kipling: 'He was the nephew, his father had died, of a great rich
man in Gaul who was not always kind to his mother.
When Pertinax grew up, he discovered this, and so his
uncle shipped him off, by trickery and force, to the Wall.
We came to know each other at a ceremony in our Temple
in the dark. It was the Bull-Killing,'Parnesius explained to Puck.
'I see, said Puck, and turned to the children. 'That's
something you wouldn't quite understand. Parnesius
means he met Pertinax in church.'
'Yes - in the Cave we first met, and we were both raised
to the Degree of Gryphons together.' Parnesius lifted his
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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 Thus Spake Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche: earth.
There is no sorer misfortune in all human destiny, than when the mighty of
the earth are not also the first men. Then everything becometh false and
distorted and monstrous.
And when they are even the last men, and more beast than man, then riseth
and riseth the populace in honour, and at last saith even the populace-
virtue: 'Lo, I alone am virtue!'"--
What have I just heard? answered Zarathustra. What wisdom in kings! I am
enchanted, and verily, I have already promptings to make a rhyme thereon:--
--Even if it should happen to be a rhyme not suited for every one's ears.
I unlearned long ago to have consideration for long ears. Well then! Well
Thus Spake Zarathustra |
