| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake: There grows one in the human Brain.
INFANT SORROW
My mother groaned, my father wept:
Into the dangerous world I leapt,
Helpless, naked, piping loud,
Like a fiend hid in a cloud.
Struggling in my father's hands,
Striving against my swaddling bands,
Bound and weary, I thought best
To sulk upon my mother's breast.
A POISON TREE
Songs of Innocence and Experience |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from In Darkest England and The Way Out by General William Booth: They had written to the "Dominion" Company, who replied that "he landed
at Liverpool all right," so, thinking he had disappeared upon his
arrival, they put the matter in the hands of the Liverpool Police, who,
after having the case in hand for several weeks made the usual report
--"Cannot be traced."
RESULT.
We at once commenced looking for some passenger who had come over by
the same steamer, and after the lapse of a little time we succeeded in
getting hold of one.
In our first interview with him we learned that Robert R. did not land
at Liverpool, but when suffering from depression threw himself
In Darkest England and The Way Out |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Koran: when they have the law wherein is God's judgment? Yet they turn back
after that, for they do not believe.
Verily, we have revealed the law in which is guidance and light; the
prophets who were resigned did judge thereby those who were Jews, as
did the masters and doctors by what they remembered of the Book of God
and by what they were witnesses of. Fear not men, but fear me, and
sell not my signs for a little price; for whoso will not judge by what
God has revealed, these be the misbelievers. We have prescribed for
thee therein 'a life for a life, and an eye for an eye, and a nose for
a nose, and an ear for an ear, and a tooth for a tooth, and for wounds
retaliation;' but whoso remits it, it is an expiation for him, but
The Koran |
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 My Antonia by Willa Cather: that poor woman out of any comfort she might have from his money
after he was gone!'
`Did you ever hear of anybody else that killed himself for spite,
Mr. Burden?' asked Rudolph.
I admitted that I hadn't. Every lawyer learns over and over
how strong a motive hate can be, but in my collection
of legal anecdotes I had nothing to match this one.
When I asked how much the estate amounted to, Rudolph said it
was a little over a hundred thousand dollars.
Cuzak gave me a twinkling, sidelong glance. `The lawyers,
they got a good deal of it, sure,' he said merrily.
My Antonia |
