| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Barlaam and Ioasaph by St. John of Damascus: outward appearance could not easily be known, because of the
marvellous change and alteration that had changed and altered his
face from its former bloom of youth; for Ioasaph was black with
the sun's heat, and overgrown with hair, and his cheeks were
fallen in, and his eyes deep sunken, and his eyelids seared with
floods of tears, and much distress of hunger. And Ioasaph
recognised his spiritual father, for his features were, for the
more part, the same. So the old man stood, and, facing the East,
offered up to God a prayer of thanksgiving; and, after the
prayer, when they had said the Amen, they embraced and kissed
each other affectionately, taking their full fill of long
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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 A Heap O' Livin' by Edgar A. Guest: Only a dad, but the best of men.
HARD KNOCKS
I'm not the man to say that failure's sweet,
Nor tell a chap to laugh when things go
wrong;
I know it hurts to have to take defeat
An' no one likes to lose before a throng;
It isn't very pleasant not to win
When you have done the very best you could;
But if you're down, get up an' buckle in --
A lickin' often does a fellow good.
A Heap O' Livin' |
