| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Tanach: Exodus 6: 3 and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Yud-Kay-Vav-Kay* I made Me not known to them. [*"Yud-Kay-Vav-Kay" is the Yiddish circumlocution for the spelling of the tetragrammaton. In this verse, the original Jewish Publication Society text uses the Hebrew letters that correspond to the actual spelling of the name.]
Exodus 6: 4 And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings, wherein they sojourned.
Exodus 6: 5 And moreover I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered My covenant.
Exodus 6: 6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel: I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments;
Exodus 6: 7 and I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
Exodus 6: 8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning which I lifted up My hand to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for a heritage: I am the LORD.'
Exodus 6: 9 And Moses spoke so unto the children of Israel; but they hearkened not unto Moses for impatience of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
Exodus 6: 10 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:
Exodus 6: 11 'Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.'
The Tanach |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Astoria by Washington Irving: before his enemies, and is now chiefly to be found in the upland
regions, in rugged fastnesses like those of the Black Hills and
the Rocky Mountains. Here he lurks in caverns, or holes which he
has digged in the sides of hills, or under the roots and trunks
of fallen trees. Like the common bear, he is fond of fruits, and
mast, and roots, the latter of which he will dig up with his
foreclaws. He is carnivorous also, and will even attack and
conquer the lordly buffalo, dragging his huge carcass to the
neighborhood of his den, that he may prey upon it at his leisure.
The hunters, both white and red men, consider this the most
heroic game. They prefer to hunt him on horseback, and will
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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 Bride of Lammermoor by Walter Scott: given hour, placed before him a person dressed up in the manner
he described. "Mon Dieu!" said the expiring sinner, who, it
seems, saw both the real and polygraphic apparition, "il y en a
deux!" The surprise of the Lord Keeper was scarcely less
unpleasing at the duplication of the expected arrival; his mind
misgave him strangely. There was no neighbour who would have
approached so unceremoniously, at a time when ceremony was held
in such respect. It must be Lady Ashton, said his conscience,
and followed up the hint with an anxious anticipation of the
purpose of her sudden and unannounced return. He felt that he
was caught "in the manner." That the company in which she had so
The Bride of Lammermoor |
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 A Book of Remarkable Criminals by H. B. Irving: Questioned by the President as to the destruction of Hippolyte
Ballet's will, Castaing admitted that he had seen a draft of a
will executed by Hippolyte in favour of his sister, but he denied
having told Auguste that Lebret had in his possession a copy
which he was prepared to destroy for 100,000 francs. Asked to
explain the assertion of Mlle. Percillie, Auguste's
mistress, that statements to this effect had been made in her
presence by both Auguste Ballet and himself, he said that it was
not true; that he had never been to her house. "What motive," he
was asked, "could Mlle. Percillie have for accusing you?"
"She hated me," was the reply, "because I had tried to separate
A Book of Remarkable Criminals |
