| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Start in Life by Honore de Balzac: to handle, that was nothing to the suffering caused to the omoplates
when the bar was in place. But when it was left to lie loose across
the coach, it made both ingress and egress extremely perilous,
especially to women.
Though each seat of this vehicle, with rounded sides like those of a
pregnant woman, could rightfully carry only three passengers, it was
not uncommon to see eight persons on the two seats jammed together
like herrings in a barrel. Pierrotin declared that the travellers were
far more comfortable in a solid, immovable mass; whereas when only
three were on a seat they banged each other perpetually, and ran much
risk of injuring their hats against the roof by the violent jolting of
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Hellenica by Xenophon: you not march at once against Pharsalia?" For the good reason, I
reply, that it suits me better to win you voluntarily than to annex
you against your wills. Since, if you are forced, you will always be
planning all the mischief you can against me, and I on my side shall
be striving to diminish your power; whereas if you throw in your lot
with mine trustfully and willingly, it is certain we shall do what we
can to help each other. I see and know, Polydamas, that your country
fixes her eyes on one man only, and that is yourself: what I guarantee
you, therefore, is that, if you will dispose her lovingly to myself, I
on my side will raise you up to be the greatest man in Hellas next to
me. Listen, while I tell you what it is in which I offer you the
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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 Charmides and Other Poems by Oscar Wilde: O guard him, guard him well, my Giotto's tower,
Thou marble lily of the lily town! let not the lour
Of the rude tempest vex his slumber, or
The Arno with its tawny troubled gold
O'er-leap its marge, no mightier conqueror
Clomb the high Capitol in the days of old
When Rome was indeed Rome, for Liberty
Walked like a bride beside him, at which sight pale Mystery
Fled shrieking to her farthest sombrest cell
With an old man who grabbled rusty keys,
Fled shuddering, for that immemorial knell
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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 Shadow out of Time by H. P. Lovecraft: I learned
- even before my waking self had studied the parallel cases or
the old myths from which the dreams doubtless sprang - that the
entities around me were of the world's greatest race, which had
conquered time and had sent exploring minds into every age. I
knew, too, that I had been snatched from my age while another
used my body in that age, and that a few of the other strange
forms housed similarly captured minds. I seemed to talk, in some
odd language of claw clickings, with exiled intellects from every
corner of the solar system.
There was a mind from the planet
Shadow out of Time |
