| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin: These friends were afterwards of great use to me, as I occasionally
was to some of them. They all continued their regard for me as long as
they lived.
Before I enter upon my public appearance in business, it may be well
to let you know the then state of my mind with regard to my principles
and morals, that you may see how far those influenc'd the future events
of my life. My parents had early given me religious impressions,
and brought me through my childhood piously in the Dissenting way.
But I was scarce fifteen, when, after doubting by turns of several
points, as I found them disputed in the different books I read,
I began to doubt of Revelation itself. Some books against Deism
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs: Among the ornaments of Tars Tarkas' leather harness,
which is the only manner of clothing worn by Martians other
than silk capes and robes of silk and fur for protection from
the cold after dark, was a small mirror, about the bigness
of a lady's hand glass, which hung midway between his
shoulders and his waist against his broad back.
Once as he stood looking down at a newly fallen antagonist
my eyes happened to fall upon this mirror and in its shiny
surface I saw pictured a sight that caused me to whisper:
"Move not, Tars Tarkas! Move not a muscle!"
He did not ask why, but stood like a graven image
The Gods of Mars |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from A Start in Life by Honore de Balzac: "And what quantities of snuff he took!" continued Monsieur de Serizy.
"He carried it loose in his pockets," said Georges.
"So I've been told," remarked Pere Leger with an incredulous look.
"Worse than that; he chewed and smoked," continued Georges. "I saw him
smoking, in a queer way, too, at Waterloo, when Marshal Soult took him
round the waist and flung him into his carriage, just as he had seized
a musket and was going to charge the English--"
"You were at Waterloo!" cried Oscar, his eyes stretching wide open.
"Yes, young man, I did the campaign of 1815. I was a captain at Mont-
Saint-Jean, and I retired to the Loire, after we were all disbanded.
Faith! I was disgusted with France; I couldn't stand it. In fact, I
|
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 Louis Lambert by Honore de Balzac: girl who was passionately attached to a sailor, and set out from
London to seek him. She found him, without a guide, making her way
alone in the North American wilderness, reaching him just in time to
save his life.
Louis had found confirmatory evidence in the mysteries of the
ancients, in the acts of the martyrs--in which glorious instances may
be found of the triumph of human will, in the demonology of the Middle
Ages, in criminal trials and medical researches; always selecting the
real fact, the probable phenomenon, with admirable sagacity.
All this rich collection of scientific anecdotes, culled from so many
books, most of them worthy of credit, served no doubt to wrap parcels
Louis Lambert |
