| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Koran: believe in what is sent down to us, and what has been sent down to
you; our God and your God is one, and we are unto Him resigned.'
Thus did we send down to thee the Book; and every one to whom we
have given the Book believes therein. But these will not believe
therein; though none gainsay our signs except the misbelievers.
Thou couldst not recite before this any book, nor write it with
thy right hand, for in that case those who deem it vain would have
doubted. Nay, but it is evident signs in the breasts of those who
are endued with knowledge, and none but the unjust would gainsay our
signs!
They say, 'Unless there be sent down upon him signs from his Lord-;'
The Koran |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Chita: A Memory of Last Island by Lafcadio Hearn: moored at Viosca's wharf. The visitors were, for the most part,
country gentlemen,--residents of Franklin and neighboring towns,
or planters from the Teche country,--forming one of the numerous
expeditions organized for the purpose of finding the bodies of
relatives or friends lost in the great hurricane, and of
punishing the robbers of the dead. They had searched numberless
nooks of the coast, had given sepulture to many corpses, had
recovered a large amount of jewelry, and--as Feliu afterward
learned,--had summarily tried and executed several of the most
abandoned class of wreckers found with ill-gotten valuables in
their possession, and convicted of having mutilated the drowned.
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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 In a German Pension by Katherine Mansfield: decided me, thinking about that 'then.' He was the only solution. And I
believed in him then. I thought his work had only to be recognised once,
and he'd roll in wealth. I thought perhaps we might be poor for a month--
but he said, if only he could have me, the stimulus...Funny, if it wasn't
so damned tragic! Exactly the contrary has happened--he hasn't had a thing
published for months--neither have I--but then I didn't expect to. Yes,
the truth is, I'm hard and bitter, and I have neither faith nor love for
unsuccessful men. I always end by despising them as I despise Casimir. I
suppose it's the savage pride of the female who likes to think the man to
whom she has given herself must be a very great chief indeed. But to stew
in this disgusting house while Casimir scours the land in the hope of
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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 Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: alight with a thud, to bound erect, to rush forward swift as a leaping deer.
The two remaining Indians had only time to draw their weapons before this
lithe, threatening form whirled upon them. Shrill cries, hoarse yells, the
clash of steel and dull blows mingled together. One savage went down, twisted
over, writhed and lay still. The other staggered, warded of lightninglike
blows until one passed under his guard, and crashed dully on his head. Then he
reeled, rose again, but only to have his skull cloven by a bloody tomahawk.
The victor darted toward the whirling mass.
"Lew, shake him loose! Let him go!" yelled Jonathan Zane, swinging his bloody
weapon.
High above Zane's cry, Deering's shouts and curses, Girty's shrieks of fear
The Spirit of the Border |
