| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas: placing himself in the darkest corner of the room, determined
thus to wait till daylight; but this time again his hopes were
disappointed, and although he listened with all his ears, he
heard nothing, amid the oaths, coarse jokes, and abuse which
passed between the laborers, servants, and carters who comprised
the honorable society of which he formed a part, which could put
him upon the least track of her who had been stolen from him. He
was compelled, them, after having swallowed the contents of his
bottle, to pass the time as well as to evade suspicion, to fall
into the easiest position in his corner and to sleep, whether
well or ill. D'Artagnan, be it remembered, was only twenty years
The Three Musketeers |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy: was not only a theoretical but also a practical solution of the
question. The usual objection, "What is one to do with the evil
doers? Surely not let them go unpunished?" no longer confused
him. This objection might have a meaning if it were proved that
punishment lessened crime, or improved the criminal, but when the
contrary was proved, and it was evident that it was not in
people's power to correct each other, the only reasonable thing
to do is to leave off doing the things which are not only
useless, but harmful, immoral and cruel.
For many centuries people who were considered criminals have been
tortured. Well, and have they ceased to exist? No; their numbers
Resurrection |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: wake his anger against yourself, for peace and happiness depend on
keeping his respect. Watch yourself, be the first to ask pardon if
you both err, and guard against the little piques, misunderstandings,
and hasty words that often pave the way for bitter sorrow and regret."
These words came back to Meg, as she sat sewing in the sunset,
especially the last. This was the first serious disagreement, her
own hasty speeches sounded both silly and unkind, as she recalled
them, her own anger looked childish now, and thoughts of poor John
coming home to such a scene quite melted her heart. She glanced at
him with tears in her eyes, but he did not see them. She put down
her work and got up, thinking, "I will be the first to say,
Little Women |
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 Stories From the Old Attic by Robert Harris: into a beam and nailed a holy man to it, leaving him to die upon a
hill. So the tree of hope now had become a beam covered with blood
and death. "See here," the wicked men said, laughing with scorn,
"in what manner God's promises are fulfilled."
* * *
The chairman of the department asked the young professor how his
book was coming along. Said the professor, "Oh, the book is already
written; I just haven't put it down on paper yet." The chairman
patted the man on the back and told him to keep up the good work.
A construction worker, watching this scene transpire, decided that
what was good enough for academe was good enough for him, so he sat
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