| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Montezuma's Daughter by H. Rider Haggard: priests, two gripping his hands, two his legs, and one his head.
Then, having donned a scarlet cloak, the head priest, that same who
had felt my heart, uttered some kind of prayer, and, raising a
curved knife of the flint-like glass or itztli, struck open the
poor wretch's breast at a single blow, and made the ancient
offering to the sun.
As he did this all the multitude in the place below, in full view
of whom this bloody game was played, prostrated themselves,
remaining on their knees till the offering had been thrown into the
golden censer before the statue of the god Huitzel. Thereon the
horrible priests, casting themselves on the body, carried it with
Montezuma's Daughter |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Young Forester by Zane Grey: Indian or a hound could have trailed me. The timber was small and rough
brush grew everywhere. Presently I saw light ahead, and I came to an open
space. It was a wide swath in the forest. At once I recognized the path of
an avalanche. It sloped up clean and bare to the gray cliffs far above.
Below was a great mass of trees and rocks, all tangled in black splintered
ruin. I pushed on across the path, into the forest, and up and down the
hollows. The sun had gone down behind the mountain, and the shadows were
gathering when I came to another large canyon. It looked so much like the
first that I feared I had been travelling in a circle. But this one seemed
wider, deeper, and there was no roar of rushing water.
It was time to think of making camp, and so I hurried down the slope. At
The Young Forester |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Royalty Restored/London Under Charles II by J. Fitzgerald Molloy: rather spend his pains in endeavouring to convert his majesty
from pursuing his resolution, which he did in his conscience
believe to be unjust, than in persuading her majesty to comply
with it, which yet he would very heartily do." Saying which, he
departed on his errand; to which the queen answered, her
conscience would not allow her to consent that the king's
mistress should be one of her attendants. Then the chancellor
besought his royal master, saying he hoped he might be no more
consulted with, nor employed concerning an affair, in which he
had been so unsuccessful.
By reason of this opposition the king was now more resolved than
|
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 Herodias by Gustave Flaubert: dominated Jerusalem. The tetrarch turned his gaze from it to
contemplate the palms of Jericho on his right; and his thoughts dwelt
upon other cities of his beloved Galilee,--Capernaum, Endor, Nazareth,
Tiberias--whither it might be he would never return.
The Jordan wound its way through the arid plains that met his gaze;
white and glittering under the clear sky, it dazzled the eye like snow
in the rays of the sun.
The Dead Sea now looked like a sheet of lapis-lazuli; and at its
southern extremity, on the coast of Yemen, Antipas recognised clearly
what at first he had been able only dimly to perceive. Several tents
could now be plainly seen; men carrying spears were moving about among
Herodias |
