| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Chouans by Honore de Balzac: did so his sabots rolled into the ditch and his feet were seen to be
shod with the thick, hobnailed boots always worn by the Chouans.
At the first cries uttered by the Chouans, the conscripts sprang into
the woods to the right like a flock of birds taking flight at the
approach of a man.
"Fire on those scoundrels!" cried Hulot.
The company fired, but the conscripts knew well how to shelter
themselves behind trees, and before the soldiers could reload they
were out of sight.
"What's the use of /decreeing/ levies in the departments?" said Hulot.
"It is only such idiots as the Directory who would expect any good of
The Chouans |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Within the Tides by Joseph Conrad: people to whom he, Davidson, was under the greatest obligation, and
that he felt morally bound to look after him. Some day he would
tell her more, he said, and meantime he trusted in the goodness and
warmth of her heart, in her woman's natural compassion.
"He did not know that her heart was about the size of a parched
pea, and had the proportional amount of warmth; and that her
faculty of compassion was mainly directed to herself. He was only
startled and disappointed at the air of cold surprise and the
suspicious look with which she received his imperfect tale. But
she did not say much. She never had much to say. She was a fool
of the silent, hopeless kind.
Within the Tides |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Thus Spake Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche: jealous one! Jealous is she always of the glows of my morning-dream.
Measurable by him who hath time, weighable by a good weigher, attainable by
strong pinions, divinable by divine nut-crackers: thus did my dream find
the world:--
My dream, a bold sailor, half-ship, half-hurricane, silent as the
butterfly, impatient as the falcon: how had it the patience and leisure
to-day for world-weighing!
Did my wisdom perhaps speak secretly to it, my laughing, wide-awake day-
wisdom, which mocketh at all "infinite worlds"? For it saith: "Where
force is, there becometh NUMBER the master: it hath more force."
How confidently did my dream contemplate this finite world, not new-
Thus Spake Zarathustra |
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 Othello by William Shakespeare: Oth. I thinke so too
Iago. Men should be what they seeme,
Or those that be not, would they might seeme none
Oth. Certaine, men should be what they seeme
Iago. Why then I thinke Cassio's an honest man
Oth. Nay, yet there's more in this?
I prythee speake to me, as to thy thinkings,
As thou dost ruminate, and giue thy worst of thoughts
The worst of words
Iago. Good my Lord pardon me,
Though I am bound to euery Acte of dutie,
Othello |
