| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Fables by Robert Louis Stevenson: the man, and bit his beard.
And the man looked up at him and smiled. "It was so my fathers did
in the ancient ages," quoth he to the Earl, "and I have neither a
better reason nor a worse."
"There is no sense in any of this," thought the Earl, "and I must
be growing old." So he had his daughter on one side, and says he:
"Many suitors have you denied, my child. But here is a very
strange matter that a man should cling so to a shoe of a horse, and
it rusty; and that he should offer it like a thing on sale, and yet
not sell it; and that he should sit there seeking a wife. If I
come not to the bottom of this thing, I shall have no more pleasure
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela: Another soldier, a bright young fellow, but a charlatan,
at heart, who drank habitually and smoked the narcotic
marihuana weed, eyeing him with vague, glassy stare,
whispered in his ear, "You know, partner . . . the men
on the other side ... you know, the other side . . . you
understand . . . they ride the best horses up north there,
and all over, see? And they harness their mounts with
pure hammered silver. But us? Oh hell, we've got to ride
plugs, that's all, and not one of them good enough to
stagger round a water well. You see, don't you, partner?
You see what I mean? You know, the men on the other
The Underdogs |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Black Dwarf by Walter Scott: open space of firm ground in front of the Tower of Westburnflat.
CHAPTER IX.
So spak the knicht; the geaunt sed,
Lend forth with the, the sely maid,
And mak me quile of the and sche;
For glaunsing ee, or brow so brent,
Or cheek with rose and lilye blent,
Me lists not ficht with the. ROMANCE OF THE FALCON.
The tower, before which the party now stood, was a small square
building, of the most gloomy aspect. The walls were of great
thickness, and the windows, or slits which served the purpose of
|
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 Koran: They will ask, 'When is the day of judgment The day when at the fire
they shall be tried.-'Taste your trial! this is what ye wished to
hasten on!'
Verily, the pious are in gardens and springs, taking what their Lord
brings them. Verily, they before that did well. But little of the
night they slept; and at the dawn they asked forgiveness. And in their
wealth was what was due to him who asked, and him who was kept back
from asking.
And in the earth are signs to those who are sure, and in
yourselves,-what! do ye not then see?
And in the heaven is your provision and that which ye are promised.
The Koran |
