| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Out of Time's Abyss by Edgar Rice Burroughs: After the first mouthful he cared even less to investigate the
antecedents of the dish, for he found it peculiarly palatable.
It seemed to consist of a combination of meat, fruits,
vegetables, small fish and other undistinguishable articles of
food all seasoned to produce a gastronomic effect that was at
once baffling and delicious.
When he had finished, his trough was empty, and then he commenced
to wonder who was to settle for his meal. As he waited for the
proprietor to return, he fell to examining the dish from which he
had eaten and the pedestal upon which it rested. The font was of
stone worn smooth by long-continued use, the four outer edges
Out of Time's Abyss |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Miracle Mongers and Their Methods by Harry Houdini: this change, the victims lose their equilibrium
and find themselves at the mercy
of the girl, and so much the more so in
proportion as they are stronger and their
efforts are greater. The experiment
succeeds still better with three than with two
men, or with one man.
The experiment represented in Fig. 4,
where it concerns the easy lifting of a
very heavy person, the trick is no less
simple. Out of a hundred persons submitted
Miracle Mongers and Their Methods |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from On the Duty of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau: not so noble but they treated the thief as he had treated
them, and hoped, by a certain outward observance and a few
prayers, and by walking in a particular straight through
useless path from time to time, to save their souls.
This may be to judge my neighbors harshly; for I believe
that many of them are not aware that they have such an
institution as the jail in their village.
It was formerly the custom in our village, when a poor
debtor came out of jail, for his acquaintances to salute
him, looking through their fingers, which were crossed to
represent the jail window, "How do ye do?" My neighbors did
On the Duty of Civil Disobedience |
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 Royalty Restored/London Under Charles II by J. Fitzgerald Molloy: decisions, she, in the month of August, 1670 became a member of
the Catholic Church, in which communion she died seven months
later. For fifteen months previous to her demise she had been
suffering from a complication of diseases, with which the medical
skill of that day was unable to cope, and these accumulating, in
March, 1671, ended her days. The "Stuart Papers" furnish an
interesting account of her death. Seeing the hour was at hand
which would sever her from all earthly ties, she besought her
husband not to leave her whilst life remained. She likewise
requested that in case Dr. Blandford or any other of the bishops
should come to visit her, he would tell them she had become a
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