| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from At the Earth's Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs: seemed quite sufficiently menacing, so that I did
not need the added evidence of brandishing spear and
scowling face to warn me that I was in no safe position,
but whither to flee was indeed a momentous question.
The speed of the fellow seemed to preclude the possibility
of escaping him upon the open beach. There was but a
single alternative--the rude skiff--and with a celerity
which equaled his, I pushed the thing into the sea and
as it floated gave a final shove and clambered in over the end.
A cry of rage rose from the owner of the primitive craft,
and an instant later his heavy, stone-tipped spear grazed
At the Earth's Core |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy: convoy, and the clerk, were sitting in the prison yard at a table
covered with writing materials and papers, which was placed in
the shade of a wall. They called the prisoners one by one,
examined and questioned them, and took notes. The rays of the sun
had gradually reached the table, and it was growing very hot and
oppressive for want of air and because of the breathing crowd of
prisoners that stood close by.
"Good gracious, will this never come to an end!" the convoy
officer, a tall, fat, red-faced man with high shoulders, who kept
puffing the smoke, of his cigarette into his thick moustache,
asked, as he drew in a long puff. "You are killing me. From where
Resurrection |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Alexandria and her Schools by Charles Kingsley: only a small portion, and of which I can only say, in Mr. Thomas
Carlyle's words, "What things men will worship, in their extreme need!"
Other moderns, however, have expressed their admiration of Proclus; and,
no doubt, many neat sayings may be found in him (for after all he was a
Greek), which will be both pleasing and useful to those who consider
philosophic method to consist in putting forth strings of brilliant
apophthegms, careless about either their consistency or coherence: but
of the method of Plato or Aristotle, any more than of that of Kant or
Mill, you will find nothing in him. He seems to my simplicity to be at
once the most timid and servile of commentators, and the most cloudy of
declaimers. He can rave symbolism like Jacob Bohmen, but without an
|
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 Critias by Plato: purposes, then as now--that is to say, about twenty thousand. Such were
the ancient Athenians, and after this manner they righteously administered
their own land and the rest of Hellas; they were renowned all over Europe
and Asia for the beauty of their persons and for the many virtues of their
souls, and of all men who lived in those days they were the most
illustrious. And next, if I have not forgotten what I heard when I was a
child, I will impart to you the character and origin of their adversaries.
For friends should not keep their stories to themselves, but have them in
common.
Yet, before proceeding further in the narrative, I ought to warn you, that
you must not be surprised if you should perhaps hear Hellenic names given
|
