| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Koran: not kill him, and they did not crucify him, but a similitude was
made for them. And verily, those who differ about him are in doubt
concerning him; they have no knowledge concerning him, but only follow
an opinion. They did not kill him, for sure! nay, God raised him up
unto Himself; for God is mighty and wise!
And there shall not be one of the people of the Book but shall
believe in him before his death; and on the day of judgment he shall
be a witness against them.
And for the injustice of those who are Jews have we forbidden them
good things which we had made lawful for them, and for their
obstructing so much the way of God, and for their taking usury when we
The Koran |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli: But confining myself more to the particular, I say that a prince may
be seen happy to-day and ruined to-morrow without having shown any
change of disposition or character. This, I believe, arises firstly
from causes that have already been discussed at length, namely, that
the prince who relies entirely on fortune is lost when it changes. I
believe also that he will be successful who directs his actions
according to the spirit of the times, and that he whose actions do not
accord with the times will not be successful. Because men are seen, in
affairs that lead to the end which every man has before him, namely,
glory and riches, to get there by various methods; one with caution,
another with haste; one by force, another by skill; one by patience,
The Prince |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Tess of the d'Urbervilles, A Pure Woman by Thomas Hardy: the trap-door, and shut himself inside, just as the
young woman's mother busted into the milk-house. 'The
villain--where is he?' says she, 'I'll claw his face
for'n, let me only catch him!' Well, she hunted about
everywhere, ballyragging Jack by side and by seam, Jack
lying a'most stifled inside the churn, and the poor
maid--or young woman rather--standing at the door
crying her eyes out. I shall never forget it, never!
'Twould have melted a marble stone! But she couldn't
find him nowhere at all."
The dairyman paused, and one or two words of comment
Tess of the d'Urbervilles, A Pure Woman |
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 Koran: angels and His apostles and Gabriel and Michael?- Verily, God is an
enemy to the unbelievers. We have sent down to thee conspicuous signs,
and none will disbelieve therein except the evildoers. Or every time
they make a covenant, will a part of them repudiate it? Nay, most of
them do not believe.
And when there comes to them an apostle confirming what they have, a
part of those who have received the Book repudiate God's book, casting
it behind their backs as though they did not know. And they follow
that which the devils recited against Solomon's kingdom;- it was not
Solomon who misbelieved, but the devils who misbelieved, teaching
men sorcery,- and what has been revealed to the two angels at Babylon,
The Koran |
