| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from 1984 by George Orwell: that a state of war should exist. The splitting of the intelligence which
the Party requires of its members, and which is more easily achieved in an
atmosphere of war, is now almost universal, but the higher up the ranks
one goes, the more marked it becomes. It is precisely in the Inner Party
that war hysteria and hatred of the enemy are strongest. In his capacity
as an administrator, it is often necessary for a member of the Inner Party
to know that this or that item of war news is untruthful, and he may often
be aware that the entire war is spurious and is either not happening or
is being waged for purposes quite other than the declared ones: but such
knowledge is easily neutralized by the technique of DOUBLETHINK. Meanwhile
no Inner Party member wavers for an instant in his mystical belief that
1984 |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum: shall we do now?"
"Let us follow the path back to the signpost," suggested Billina.
"That will be better than getting lost again."
"Why, we're lost anyhow," declared Dorothy; "but I guess you're right
about going back to that signpost, Billina."
They returned along the path to the place where they had first found
it, and at once took "the other road" to Bunnybury. This road was a
mere narrow strip, worn hard and smooth but not wide enough for
Dorothy's feet to tread. Still, it was a guide, and the walking
through the forest was not at all difficult.
Before long they reached a high wall of solid white marble, and the
The Emerald City of Oz |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Georgics by Virgil: Yea, and by many through the breathless groves
A voice was heard with power, and wondrous-pale
Phantoms were seen upon the dusk of night,
And cattle spake, portentous! streams stand still,
And the earth yawns asunder, ivory weeps
For sorrow in the shrines, and bronzes sweat.
Up-twirling forests with his eddying tide,
Madly he bears them down, that lord of floods,
Eridanus, till through all the plain are swept
Beasts and their stalls together. At that time
In gloomy entrails ceased not to appear
Georgics |
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 Black Beauty by Anna Sewell: I was led to my new home, placed in a comfortable stable, fed,
and left to myself. The next day, when the groom was cleaning my face,
he said:
"That is just like the star that `Black Beauty' had;
he is much the same height, too. I wonder where he is now."
A little further on he came to the place in my neck where I was bled
and where a little knot was left in the skin. He almost started,
and began to look me over carefully, talking to himself.
"White star in the forehead, one white foot on the off side, this little knot
just in that place;" then looking at the middle of my back -- "and,
as I am alive, there is that little patch of white hair that
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