| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from From London to Land's End by Daniel Defoe: on the Wednesday before, and blew with such violence, and shook the
lighthouse so much, that, as they told me there, Mr. Winstanley
would fain have been on shore, and made signals for help; but no
boats durst go off to him; and, to finish the tragedy, on the
Friday, November 26, when the tempest was so redoubled that it
became a terror to the whole nation, the first sight there seaward
that the people of Plymouth were presented with in the morning
after the storm was the bare Eddystone, the lighthouse being gone;
in which Mr. Winstanley and all that were with him perished, and
were never seen or heard of since. But that which was a worse loss
still was that, a few days after, a merchant's ship called the
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Droll Stories, V. 1 by Honore de Balzac: wild dissipation, and indeed he worked very hard to get a surfeit of
enjoyment. Now by making his crowns sweat and his goods scarce,
draining his land, and a bleeding his hogsheads, and regaling frail
beauties, he found himself excommunicated from decent society, and had
for his friends only the plunderers of towns and the Lombardians. But
the usurers turned rough and bitter as chestnut husks, when he had no
other security to give them than his said estate of Roche-Corbon,
since the Rupes Carbonis was held from our Lord the king. Then Bruyn
found himself just in the humour to give a blow here and there, to
break a collar-bone or two, and quarrel with everyone about trifles.
Seeing which, the Abbot of Marmoustiers, his neighbour, and a man
Droll Stories, V. 1 |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Gobseck by Honore de Balzac: it that no one can know that you have it; then you must slip out of
the house and put the letter into the post-box at the corner.'
" 'Yes, father.'
" 'Can I depend upon you?'
" 'Yes, father.'
" 'Come and kiss me. You have made death less bitter to me, dear boy.
In six or seven years' time you will understand the importance of this
secret, and you will be well rewarded then for your quickness and
obedience, you will know then how much I love you. Leave me alone for
a minute, and let no one--no matter whom--come in meanwhile.'
"Ernest went out and saw his mother standing in the next room.
Gobseck |
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 Brother of Daphne by Dornford Yates: the sea, lay a girl of nineteen or twenty years, her hands
clasped behind her head. Her eyes were closed. She seemed to be
asleep. The reading continued.
"And all his friends knew him again, and cared very much for him
indeed."
Once he thought to himself,' It is a very strange thing that one
cannot get to see the Princess. They all say she is very
beautiful; but what is the use of that, if she has always to sit
in the great copper castle with the many towers? Can I not get
to see her at all? Where is my tinder-box?' And so he struck a
light, and whisk! came the dog with eyes as big as teacups.
The Brother of Daphne |
