| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Soul of Man by Oscar Wilde: have joy in the contemplation of the joyous life of others.
For it is through joy that the Individualism of the future will
develop itself. Christ made no attempt to reconstruct society, and
consequently the Individualism that he preached to man could be
realised only through pain or in solitude. The ideals that we owe
to Christ are the ideals of the man who abandons society entirely,
or of the man who resists society absolutely. But man is naturally
social. Even the Thebaid became peopled at last. And though the
cenobite realises his personality, it is often an impoverished
personality that he so realises. Upon the other hand, the terrible
truth that pain is a mode through which man may realise himself
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Jolly Corner by Henry James: he had been miraculously CARRIED back - lifted and carefully borne
as from where he had been picked up, the uttermost end of an
interminable grey passage. Even with this he was suffered to rest,
and what had now brought him to knowledge was the break in the long
mild motion.
It had brought him to knowledge, to knowledge - yes, this was the
beauty of his state; which came to resemble more and more that of a
man who has gone to sleep on some news of a great inheritance, and
then, after dreaming it away, after profaning it with matters
strange to it, has waked up again to serenity of certitude and has
only to lie and watch it grow. This was the drift of his patience
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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 Memorabilia by Xenophon: kindnesses tenfold; you will in consequence be knit in closer bonds of
love and domesticity. If, indeed, they were called upon to do any
shameful work, let them choose death rather than that; but now they
know, it would seem, the very arts and accomplishments which are
regarded as the loveliest and the most suitable for women; and the
things which we know, any of us, are just those which we can best
perform, that is to say, with ease and expedition; it is a joy to do
them, and the result is beautiful.[9] Do not hesitate, then, to
initiate your friends in what will bring advantage to them and you
alike; probably they will gladly respond to your summons.
[9] Or, "with ease, rapidity, pleasure and effect."
The Memorabilia |
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 Persuasion by Jane Austen: some dread of the conclusion, made the road appear but half as long
as on the day before. It was growing quite dusk, however,
before they were in the neighbourhood of Uppercross, and there had been
total silence among them for some time, Henrietta leaning back
in the corner, with a shawl over her face, giving the hope of her
having cried herself to sleep; when, as they were going up their last hill,
Anne found herself all at once addressed by Captain Wentworth.
In a low, cautious voice, he said: --
"I have been considering what we had best do. She must not
appear at first. She could not stand it. I have been thinking whether
you had not better remain in the carriage with her, while I go in
Persuasion |
