| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Land of Footprints by Stewart Edward White: a lion is a fine sight.
*I seem to be generalizing here, but all these conclusions must
be understood to take into consideration the liability of
individual variation.
No, I must confess, to me the lion is an object of great respect;
and so, I gather, he is to all who have had really extensive
experience. Those like Leslie Tarleton, Lord Delamere, W. N.
MacMillan, Baron von Bronsart, the Hills, Sir Alfred Pease, who
are great lion men, all concede to the lion a courage and
tenacity unequalled by any other living beast. My own experience
is of course nothing as compared to that of these men. Yet I saw
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Ann Veronica by H. G. Wells: don't believe there is any strong natural affection at all
between parents and growing-up children. There wasn't, I know,
between myself and my father. I didn't allow myself to see
things as they were in those days; now I do. I bored him. I
hated him. I suppose that shocks one's ideas. . . . It's true.
. . . There are sentimental and traditional deferences and
reverences, I know, between father and son; but that's just
exactly what prevents the development of an easy friendship.
Father-worshipping sons are abnormal--and they're no good. No
good at all. One's got to be a better man than one's father, or
what is the good of successive generations? Life is rebellion,
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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 Concerning Christian Liberty by Martin Luther: word concerning the primacy of the Church of Rome, which had
fallen from me in passing. That boastful Thraso, foaming and
gnashing his teeth, proclaimed that he would dare all things for
the glory of God and for the honour of the holy apostolic seat;
and, being puffed up respecting your power, which he was about to
misuse, he looked forward with all certainty to victory; seeking
to promote, not so much the primacy of Peter, as his own
pre-eminence among the theologians of this age; for he thought it
would contribute in no slight degree to this, if he were to lead
Luther in triumph. The result having proved unfortunate for the
sophist, an incredible rage torments him; for he feels that
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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 Hamlet by William Shakespeare: ouer-done, or come tardie off, though it make the vnskilfull
laugh, cannot but make the Iudicious greeue; The
censure of the which One, must in your allowance o'reway
a whole Theater of Others. Oh, there bee Players
that I haue seene Play, and heard others praise, and that
highly (not to speake it prophanely) that neyther hauing
the accent of Christians, nor the gate of Christian, Pagan,
or Norman, haue so strutted and bellowed, that I haue
thought some of Natures Iouerney-men had made men,
and not made them well, they imitated Humanity so abhominably
Play. I hope we haue reform'd that indifferently with
Hamlet |
