| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Koran: And those who believe in God and His Apostle, they are the
confessors and the martyrs with their Lord; for them is their hire and
their light! But those who misbelieve and call our signs lies, they
are the fellows of hell!
Know that the life of this world is but a sport, and a play, and
an adornment, and something to boast of amongst yourselves; and the
multiplying of children is like a rain-growth, its vegetation
pleases the misbelievers; then they wither away, and thou mayest see
them become yellow; then they become but grit.
But in the hereafter is a severe woe, and forgiveness from God and
His goodwill; but the life of this world is but a chattel of guile.
The Koran |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Tono Bungay by H. G. Wells: was stretched out over me as she moved past me, the gracious
slenderness of her body was near me. The words we used didn't
seem very greatly to matter. I had vague ideas of getting out
with her--and I didn't.
That encounter, I have no doubt, exercised me enormously. I lay
awake at night rehearsing it, and wondering about the next phase
of our relationship. That took the form of the return of my
twopence. I was in the Science Library, digging something out of
the Encyclopedia Britannica, when she appeared beside me and
placed on the open page an evidently premeditated thin envelope,
bulgingly confessing the coins within.
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy: lightly, he called for glasses of the best, paid for them as
he stood in the passage, and turned to proceed on his way by
the front door. This was barred, and while the landlady was
unfastening it the conversation about the skimmington was
continued in the sitting-room, and reached his ears.
"What do they mean by a 'skimmity-ride'?" he asked.
"O, sir!" said the landlady, swinging her long earrings with
deprecating modesty; "'tis a' old foolish thing they do in
these parts when a man's wife is--well, not too particularly
his own. But as a respectable householder I don't encourage
it.
The Mayor of Casterbridge |
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 Last War: A World Set Free by H. G. Wells: little,' the king conceded. 'But the rest of us?'
His eyes flitted once more towards Leblanc.
'Look at Leblanc,' he said. 'He's just a simple soul. There are
hundreds and thousands like him. I admit, a certain dexterity, a
certain lucidity, but there is not a country town in France where
there is not a Leblanc or so to be found about two o'clock in its
principal cafe. It's just that he isn't complicated or
Super-Mannish, or any of those things that has made all he has
done possible. But in happier times, don't you think, Wilhelm, he
would have remained just what his father was, a successful
epicier, very clean, very accurate, very honest. And on holidays
The Last War: A World Set Free |
