| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from My Aunt Margaret's Mirror by Walter Scott: air. The door of an inner apartment, partly open, was at the
farther side of the vestibule.
"We must not hesitate now, Jemima," said Lady Bothwell, and
walked forwards into the inner room, where, surrounded by books,
maps, philosophical utensils, and other implements of peculiar
shape and appearance, they found the man of art.
There was nothing very peculiar in the Italian's appearance. He
had the dark complexion and marked features of his country,
seemed about fifty years old, and was handsomely but plainly
dressed in a full suit of black clothes, which was then the
universal costume of the medical profession. Large wax-lights,
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad: "`Mr. Leggatt, you have killed a man. You can act no longer
as chief mate of this ship.'"
His care to subdue his voice made it sound monotonous.
He rested a hand on the end of the skylight to steady himself with,
and all that time did not stir a limb, so far as I could see.
"Nice little tale for a quiet tea party," he concluded
in the same tone.
One of my hands, too, rested on the end of the skylight; neither did I stir
a limb, so far as I knew. We stood less than a foot from each other.
It occurred to me that if old "Bless my soul--you don't say so"
were to put his head up the companion and catch sight of us,
The Secret Sharer |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Cratylus by Plato: when they used omicron for omega, and is called eros, now that omega is
substituted for omicron. But why do you not give me another word?
HERMOGENES: What do you think of doxa (opinion), and that class of words?
SOCRATES: Doxa is either derived from dioxis (pursuit), and expresses the
march of the soul in the pursuit of knowledge, or from the shooting of a
bow (toxon); the latter is more likely, and is confirmed by oiesis
(thinking), which is only oisis (moving), and implies the movement of the
soul to the essential nature of each thing--just as boule (counsel) has to
do with shooting (bole); and boulesthai (to wish) combines the notion of
aiming and deliberating--all these words seem to follow doxa, and all
involve the idea of shooting, just as aboulia, absence of counsel, on the
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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 The Rig Veda: Furthering all our thoughts with might
5 Whoso, divine Sarasvati, invokes thee where the prize is
set,
Like Indra when he smites the foe.
6 Aid us, divine Sarasvad, thou who art strong in wealth and
power
Like Pusan, give us opulence.
7 Yea, this divine Sarasvati, terrible with her golden path,
Foe-slayer, claims our eulogy.
8 Whose limitless unbroken flood, swift-moving with a rapid
rush,
The Rig Veda |
