| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Foolish Virgin by Thomas Dixon: scarlet--the amethyst into rubies!
A great awe filled her in the solemn hush. She
stood in Nature's vast cathedral, close to God's
heart--her life in harmony with His eternal laws.
How foolish and artificial were the ways of the
far-away, drab, prosaic world of clothes and houses and
furnishings! If she could only live forever in this
dream-world!
Even while the thought surged through her heart,
she lifted her head and saw the red rim of the sun
suddenly break through the sea, and started lest the
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Essays of Travel by Robert Louis Stevenson: Where books are comparatively scarce, a greater amount of information
will be given and received by word of mouth; and this tends to
produce good talkers, and, what is no less needful for conversation,
good listeners. They could all tell a story with effect. I am
sometimes tempted to think that the less literary class show always
better in narration; they have so much more patience with detail, are
so much less hurried to reach the points, and preserve so much juster
a proportion among the facts. At the same time their talk is dry;
they pursue a topic ploddingly, have not an agile fancy, do not throw
sudden lights from unexpected quarters, and when the talk is over
they often leave the matter where it was. They mark time instead of
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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 The Large Catechism by Dr. Martin Luther: reproved, as we shall hear. Therefore, if you encounter an idle tongue
which betrays and slanders some one, contradict such a one promptly to
his face, that he may blush thus many a one will hold his tongue who
else would bring some poor man into bad repute from which he would not
easily extricate himself. For honor and a good name are easily taken
away, but not easily restored.
Thus you see that it is summarily forbidden to speak any evil of our
neighbor, however the civil government, preachers, father and mother
excepted, on the understanding that this commandment does not allow
evil to go unpunished. Now, as according to the Fifth Commandment no
one is to be injured in body, and yet Master Hannes [the executioner]
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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 What is Man? by Mark Twain: encouragement and joy. Like this: it was "conjectured"--though
not established--that Satan was originally an angel in Heaven;
that he fell; that he rebelled, and brought on a war; that he was
defeated, and banished to perdition. Also, "we have reason to
believe" that later he did so and so; that "we are warranted in
supposing" that at a subsequent time he traveled extensively,
seeking whom he might devour; that a couple of centuries
afterward, "as tradition instructs us," he took up the cruel
trade of tempting people to their ruin, with vast and fearful
results; that by and by, "as the probabilities seem to indicate,"
he may have done certain things, he might have done certain other
What is Man? |
