| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Symposium by Plato: simply to turn me and my speech into stone, as Homer says (Odyssey), and
strike me dumb. And then I perceived how foolish I had been in consenting
to take my turn with you in praising love, and saying that I too was a
master of the art, when I really had no conception how anything ought to be
praised. For in my simplicity I imagined that the topics of praise should
be true, and that this being presupposed, out of the true the speaker was
to choose the best and set them forth in the best manner. And I felt quite
proud, thinking that I knew the nature of true praise, and should speak
well. Whereas I now see that the intention was to attribute to Love every
species of greatness and glory, whether really belonging to him or not,
without regard to truth or falsehood--that was no matter; for the original
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Four Arthurian Romances by Chretien DeTroyes: and to his lady, as if it were to himself in person; and when
they should have presented to them the sumpters which they
brought them, the gold, the silver, and money, and all the other
furnishings which were in the boxes, they should escort the lady
and the vavasor with great honour into his kingdom of Farther
Wales. (20) Two towns there he had promised them, the most
choice and the best situated that there were in all his land,
with nothing to fear from attack. Montrevel was the name of one,
and the other's name was Roadan. When they should arrive in his
kingdom, they should make over to them these two towns, together
with their rents and their jurisdiction, in accordance with what
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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 'Twixt Land & Sea by Joseph Conrad: . Will that Jacobus really put good business in my way? I must go
and see him in a day or two.
Don't imagine that I pursued these thoughts with any precision.
They pursued me rather: vague, shadowy, restless, shamefaced.
Theirs was a callous, abominable, almost revolting, pertinacity.
And it was the presence of that pertinacious ship-chandler which
had started them. He stood mournfully amongst our little band of
men from the sea, and I was angry at his presence, which,
suggesting his brother the merchant, had caused me to become
outrageous to myself. For indeed I had preserved some decency of
feeling. It was only the mind which -
'Twixt Land & Sea |
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 Ursula by Honore de Balzac: nothing to leave behind him. Madame Massin's father, Levrault-Minoret,
had just died at Montereau after the battle, in despair at seeing his
farm burned, his fields ruined, his cattle slaughtered.
"We'll get nothing out of your great-uncle," said Massin to his wife,
now pregnant with her second child, after the interview.
The doctor, however, gave them privately ten thousand francs, with
which Massin, who was a great friend of the notary and of the sheriff,
began the business of money-lending, and carried matters so briskly
with the peasantry that by the time of which we are now writing Goupil
knew him to hold at least eighty thousand francs on their property.
As to his other niece, the doctor obtained for her husband, through
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