| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Apology by Xenophon: be, you know," he added, "that God out of his great kindness is
intervening in my behalf[14] to suffer me to close my life in the
ripeness of age, and by the gentlest of deaths. For if at this time
sentence of death be passed upon me, it is plain I shall be allowed to
meet an end which, in the opinion of those who have studied the
matter, is not only the easiest in itself, but one which will cause
the least trouble to one's friends,[15] while engendering the deepest
longing for the departed. For of necessity he will only be thought of
with regret and longing who leaves nothing behind unseemly or
discomfortable to haunt the imagination of those beside him, but,
sound of body, and his soul still capable of friendly repose, fades
The Apology |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum: pleasant, but you must pass through rough and dangerous places
before you reach the end of your journey."
This worried Dorothy a little, but she knew that only the
Great Oz could help her get to Kansas again, so she bravely
resolved not to turn back.
She bade her friends good-bye, and again started along the road
of yellow brick. When she had gone several miles she thought she
would stop to rest, and so climbed to the top of the fence beside
the road and sat down. There was a great cornfield beyond the fence,
and not far away she saw a Scarecrow, placed high on a pole to keep
the birds from the ripe corn.
The Wizard of Oz |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Wife, et al by Anton Chekhov: August we should see Anna Alexyevna off to the Crimea, where the
doctors were sending her, and that a little later Luganovitch and
the children would set off for the western province.
"We were a great crowd to see Anna Alexye vna off. When she had
said good-bye to her husband and her children and there was only
a minute left before the third bell, I ran into her compartment
to put a basket, which she had almost forgotten, on the rack, and
I had to say good-bye. When our eyes met in the compartment our
spiritual fortitude deserted us both; I took her in my arms, she
pressed her face to my breast, and tears flowed from her eyes.
Kissing her face, her shoulders, her hands wet with tears -- oh,
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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 Finished by H. Rider Haggard: sure--why I may not say--that the same sun will see his death and
mine."
He waved his hand to show that the talk on this matter was ended,
then added--
"Macumazahn, you are my prisoner for a while, but give me your
word that you will not try to escape and you may go where you
will within an hour's ride of Ulundi. I would pay you well to
stop here with me, but this I know you would never do should
there be trouble between us and your people. Therefore I promise
you that if war breaks out I will send you safely to Natal, or
perhaps sooner, as my messenger, whence doubtless you will return
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