| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne: we had just left presented such marvellous specimens. We were moving
over grey rocks of dense and massive formation, which in cooling had
formed into hexagonal prisms. Everywhere around us we saw truncated
cones, formerly so many fiery mouths.
After the exhaustion of the basalt, the volcano, the power of which
grew by the extinction of the lesser craters, supplied an egress to
lava, ashes, and scoriae, of which I could see lengthened screes
streaming down the sides of the mountain like flowing hair.
Such was the succession of phenomena which produced Iceland, all
arising from the action of internal fire; and to suppose that the
mass within did not still exist in a state of liquid incandescence
Journey to the Center of the Earth |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Master Key by L. Frank Baum: majority of mankind wise enough to use such inventions as yours
unselfishly and for the good of the world. If people were better, and
every one had an equal show, it would be different."
For some moments the Demon sat quietly thinking. Finally the frown
left his face and he said, with animation:
"I have other inventions, which you may use without any such qualms of
conscience. The Electro-Magnetic Restorer I offered you would be a
great boon to your race, and could not possibly do harm. And, besides
this, I have brought you what I call the Illimitable Communicator. It
is a simple electric device which will enable you, wherever you may
be, to converse with people in any part of the world, without the use
The Master Key |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Symposium by Plato: devoid of reason? nor again, ignorance, for neither can ignorance attain
the truth), but is clearly something which is a mean between ignorance and
wisdom.' 'Quite true,' I replied. 'Do not then insist,' she said, 'that
what is not fair is of necessity foul, or what is not good evil; or infer
that because love is not fair and good he is therefore foul and evil; for
he is in a mean between them.' 'Well,' I said, 'Love is surely admitted by
all to be a great god.' 'By those who know or by those who do not know?'
'By all.' 'And how, Socrates,' she said with a smile, 'can Love be
acknowledged to be a great god by those who say that he is not a god at
all?' 'And who are they?' I said. 'You and I are two of them,' she
replied. 'How can that be?' I said. 'It is quite intelligible,' she
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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 King James Bible: JOH 20:12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head,
and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
JOH 20:13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith
unto them, Because they have taken away my LORD, and I know not where
they have laid him.
JOH 20:14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw
Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
JOH 20:15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest
thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if
thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will
take him away.
King James Bible |
