| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs: battleship's stern. Only a second I hung there before tearing
away, but that second was amply long to swarm my deck
with black devils.
There was no fight. In the first place there was no room
to fight. We were simply submerged by numbers. Then as
swords menaced me a command from Xodar stayed the hands
of his fellows.
"Secure them," he said, "but do not injure them."
Several of the pirates already had released Xodar. He now
personally attended to my disarming and saw that I was
properly bound. At least he thought that the binding was
The Gods of Mars |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from United States Declaration of Independence: deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore,
acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them,
as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America,
in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of
the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name,
and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies,
solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are,
and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States;
that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown,
and that all political connection between them and the State
United States Declaration of Independence |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin: ever mutually endeavored to make each other happy. Thus I corrected
that great erratum as well as I could.
About this time, our club meeting, not at a tavern, but in a little
room of Mr. Grace's, set apart for that purpose, a proposition
was made by me, that, since our books were often referr'd to in our
disquisitions upon the queries, it might be convenient to us to have them
altogether where we met, that upon occasion they might be consulted;
and by thus clubbing our books to a common library, we should,
while we lik'd to keep them together, have each of us the advantage
of using the books of all the other members, which would be nearly
as beneficial as if each owned the whole. It was lik'd and agreed to,
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin |
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 Fanny Herself by Edna Ferber: "You nervy little devil, you!" He reached out with one
great, irresistible hand and gripped her shoulder. "You
wonderful, glorious girl!" The hand that gripped her
shoulder swung her to him. She saw his face with veins she
had never noticed before standing out, in knots, on his
temples, and his eyes were fixed and queer. And he was
talking, rather incoherently, and rapidly. He was saying
the same thing over and over again: "I'm crazy about you.
I've been looking for a woman like you--all my life. I'm
crazy about you. I'm crazy----"
And then Fanny's fine composure and self control fled, and
Fanny Herself |
