| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Pagan and Christian Creeds by Edward Carpenter: flight of a bird, the awful jaws of a crocodile, might easily
mesmerize a whole tribe. Reinach points out, with great
justice, that many tribes placed themselves under the
protection of animals which were supposed (rightly or
wrongly) to act as guides and augurs, foretelling the future.
"Diodorus," he says, "distinctly states that the hawk,
in Egypt, was venerated because it foretold the future."
[Birds generally act as weather-prophets.] "In Australia
and Samoa the kangaroo, the crow and the owl premonish
their fellow clansmen of events to come. At one time the
Samoan warriors went so far as to rear owls for their
Pagan and Christian Creeds |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James: I durst not say, Sir, Master, My Lord, Madam (or My Dame); or say
Your Servant to any one to whom I did not stand in the real
relation of a servant, which I had never done to any.
"Again, respect of persons, in uncovering the head and bowing the
knee or body in salutation, was a practice I had been much in the
use of; and this, being one of the vain customs of the world,
introduced by the spirit of the world, instead of the true honor
which this is a false representation of, and used in deceit as a
token of respect by persons one to another, who bear no real
respect one to another; and besides this, being a type and a
proper emblem of that divine honor which all ought to pay to
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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 Prince Otto by Robert Louis Stevenson: is soft.'
'Her courage is faint, Baron,' said the Princess. 'Suppose we have
judged ill, suppose we were defeated?'
'Defeated, madam?' returned the Baron, with a touch of ill-humour.
'Is the dog defeated by the hare? Our troops are all cantoned along
the frontier; in five hours the vanguard of five thousand bayonets
shall be hammering on the gates of Brandenau; and in all Gerolstein
there are not fifteen hundred men who can manoeuvre. It is as
simple as a sum. There can be no resistance.'
'It is no great exploit,' she said. 'Is that what you call glory?
It is like beating a child.'
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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 U. S. Project Trinity Report by Carl Maag and Steve Rohrer: during the three days was an Army sergeant who received 15 roentgens.
During the same period, two civilians received 10 roentgens and 7.5
roentgens, respectively. All other personnel received exposures of 5
roentgens or less (1; 3).
After the "Going-In Board" was disbanded on 19 July, permission to
enter the ground zero area had to be obtained from Dr. Bainbridge or
one of his deputies. Many scientists entered the ground zero area
after 19 July to retrieve instruments or to perform experiments. The
population of the TRINITY test site was diminishing, however, as the
emphasis shifted to preparing the devices that were to be dropped on
Japan (1).
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