| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Koran: therefore do ye worship.
Every soul must taste of death, then unto us shall ye return; and
those who believe and act aright, we will surely inform them of
upper chambers in Paradise, beneath which rivers flow; to dwell
therein for aye-pleasant is the hire of those who work! those who
are patient and rely upon their Lord!
How many a beast cannot carry its own provision! God provides for it
and for you; He both hears and knows!
And if thou shouldst ask them, 'Who created the heavens and the
earth, and subjected the sun and the moon?' they will surely say,
'God!' how then can they lie?
The Koran |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The White Moll by Frank L. Packard: on through the sequence of events that seemed to have spanned some
vast, immeasurable space of time until they had brought her to
- last night.
Last night! She had thought it was the end last night, but instead
- The dark eyes grew suddenly hard and intent. Yes, she had
counted upon last night, when, with the necessary proof in her
possession with which to confront Danglar with the crime of murder,
she could wring from the man all that now remained necessary to
substantiate her own story and clear herself in the eyes of the law
of that robbery at Skarbolov's antique store of which she was held
guilty - and instead she had barely escaped with her life. That
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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 Seraphita by Honore de Balzac: the impression I received, I must say that already they saw and
thought. The childhood of this predestined being was attended by
circumstances quite extraordinary in our climate. For nine years our
winters were milder and our summers longer than usual. This phenomenon
gave rise to several discussions among scientific men; but none of
their explanations seemed sufficient to academicians, and the baron
smiled when I told him of them. The child was never seen in its nudity
as other children are; it was never touched by man or woman, but lived
a sacred thing upon the mother's breast, and it never cried. If you
question old David he will confirm these facts about his mistress, for
whom he feels an adoration like that of Louis IX. for the saint whose
Seraphita |
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 Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: it in the happiness of love. She ought to be beloved, and nothing
more. But, like all men, he forgot that she too would want work.
And he was surprised that she, his poetic, exquisite Kitty,
could, not merely in the first weeks, but even in the first days
of their married life, think, remember, and busy herself about
table-cloths, and furniture, about mattresses for visitors, about
a tray, about the cook, and the dinner, and so on. While they
were still engaged, he had been struck by the definiteness with
which she had declined the tour abroad and decided to go into the
country, as though she knew of something she wanted, and could
still think of something outside her love. This had jarred upon
Anna Karenina |
