| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Koran: Say, 'Yes, and ye shall shrink up, and it shall only be one scare,
and, behold, they shall look on, and they shall say, 'O, woe is us!
this is the day of judgment, this is the day of decision, which ye did
call a lie!' Gather ye together, ye who were unjust, with their
mates and what they used to serve beside God, and guide them to the
way of hell, and stop them; verily, they shall be questioned. 'Why
do ye not help each other?' nay, on that day they shall resign
themselves, and some shall draw near to others, to question each
other, and they shall say, 'Verily, ye came to us from the right.'
They shall say, 'Nay, ye were not believers, nor had we any
authority over you; nay, ye were an outrageous people. And the
The Koran |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from United States Declaration of Independence: their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has
endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers,
the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare,
is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress
in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered
only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked
by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler
of a free People.
Nor have We been wanting in attention to our British brethren.
United States Declaration of Independence |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Sanitary and Social Lectures by Charles Kingsley: significant. Whatsoever business they may do in the city, they
take good care, if possible, not to live in it. As soon as a man
gets wealthy nowadays, his first act is to take to himself a villa
in the country. Do I blame him? Certainly not. It is an act of
common sense. He finds that the harder he works, the more he
needs of fresh air, free country life, innocent recreation; and he
takes it, and does his city business all the better for it, lives
all the longer for it, is the cheerfuller, more genial man for it.
One great social blessing, I think, which railroads have brought,
is the throwing open country life to men of business. I say
blessing; both to the men themselves and to the country where they
|
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 Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson:
Treasure Island |
