| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Atheist's Mass by Honore de Balzac: "Oh, he goes to see damaged knees in church!--He went to mass,"
said the young man to himself.
Bianchon resolved to watch Desplein. He remembered the day and
hour when he had detected him going into Saint-Sulpice, and
resolved to be there again next year on the same day and at the
same hour, to see if he should find him there again. In that case
the periodicity of his devotion would justify a scientific
investigation; for in such a man there ought to be no direct
antagonism of thought and action.
Next year, on the said day and hour, Bianchon, who had already
ceased to be Desplein's house surgeon, saw the great man's cab
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Caesar's Commentaries in Latin by Julius Caesar: maximum potest militum numerum imperat (erat omnino in Gallia ulteriore
legio una), pontem, qui erat ad Genavam, iubet rescindi. Ubi de eius
aventu Helvetii certiores facti sunt, legatos ad eum mittunt nobilissimos
civitatis, cuius legationis Nammeius et Verucloetius principem locum
obtinebant, qui dicerent sibi esse in animo sine ullo maleficio iter per
provinciam facere, propterea quod aliud iter haberent nullum: rogare ut
eius voluntate id sibi facere liceat. Caesar, quod memoria tenebat
L. Cassium consulem occisum exercitumque eius ab Helvetiis pulsum et sub
iugum missum, concedendum non putabat; neque homines inimico animo, data
facultate per provinciam itineris faciundi, temperaturos ab iniuria et
maleficio existimabat. Tamen, ut spatium intercedere posset dum milites
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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 The Red Seal by Natalie Sumner Lincoln: on his bunch." He took from his pocket the keys he had found so
useful the night before, and selected one that resembled the key to
his own compartment, and inserted it in the lock. To his surprise
he discovered the compartment was already unlocked. Without comment
he pulled open the inside drawer and started to lay the white
envelope on top of the papers already there, when he hesitated.
"The envelope is unaddressed, Helen," he remarked, extending it
toward her. She waved it back.
"It is sealed with red wax," she stated. "That is all that is
necessary for identification."
Kent turned over the envelope - the flap was held down securely with
The Red Seal |
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 Mirror of the Sea by Joseph Conrad: never stop, and this hopeless sensation, characterizing the motion
of ships whose centre of gravity is brought down too low in
loading, made everyone on board weary of keeping on his feet. I
remember once over-hearing one of the hands say: "By Heavens,
Jack! I feel as if I didn't mind how soon I let myself go, and let
the blamed hooker knock my brains out if she likes." The captain
used to remark frequently: "Ah, yes; I dare say one-third weight
above beams would have been quite enough for most ships. But then,
you see, there's no two of them alike on the seas, and she's an
uncommonly ticklish jade to load."
Down south, running before the gales of high latitudes, she made
The Mirror of the Sea |
