| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Enchanted Island of Yew by L. Frank Baum: Three men entered the room and bowed before the king. They were of
the Gray Men of the mountains, who had followed Prince Marvel and
Nerle through the rocky passes.
"Bring hither the Royal Dragon," cried the king, "and let him consume
these strangers before my very eyes!"
The men withdrew, and presently was heard a distant shouting, followed
by a low rumbling sound, with groans, snorts, roars and a hissing like
steam from the spout of a teakettle.
The noise and shouting drew nearer, while the people huddled together
like frightened sheep; and then suddenly the doors flew open and the
Royal Dragon advanced to the center of the room.
The Enchanted Island of Yew |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Venus and Adonis by William Shakespeare: If he did see his face, why then I know
He thought to kiss him, and hath killed him so.
''Tis true, 'tis true; thus was Adonis slain:
He ran upon the boar with his sharp spear, 1112
Who did not whet his teeth at him again,
But by a kiss thought to persuade him there;
And nuzzling in his flank, the loving swine
Sheath'd unaware the tusk in his soft groin. 1116
'Had I been tooth'd like him, I must confess,
With kissing him I should have kill'd him first;
But he is dead, and never did he bless
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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 Study of a Woman by Honore de Balzac: may be the position in which she finds herself; she seems always to
have on hand the fig-leaf which our mother Eve bequeathed to her.
Consequently, when Eugene, interpreting, in favor of his vanity, the
refusal to admit him, bowed to Madame de Listomere in a tolerably
intentional manner, she veiled her thoughts behind one of those
feminine smiles which are more impenetrable than the words of a king.
"Are you unwell, madame? You denied yourself to visitors."
"I am well, monsieur."
"Perhaps you were going out?"
"Not at all."
"You expected some one?"
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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 The Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln by Helen Nicolay: for buying ships, moving troops, advancing money to Committees of
Safety, and for other military and naval measures for which at
the moment he had no express authority from Congress. As soon as
Congress came together on July 4, he sent a message explaining
his action, saying: "It became necessary for me to choose
whether, using only the existing means . . . . which Congress had
provided, I should let the Government fall at once into ruin, or
whether availing myself of the broader powers conferred by the
Constitution in cases of insurrection, I would make an effort to
save it with all its blessings for the present age and for
posterity." Congress, it is needless to say, not only approved
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