| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Bucky O'Connor by William MacLeod Raine: himself, and rather nice as to his personal habits, but it did
not throw him into a flame of embarrassment to brush his teeth
before his fellow passengers. Nor did it send him into a fit if a
friend happened to drop into his room while he was finishing his
dressing. Bucky agreed with himself that this excess of shyness
was foolishness, and that to indulge the boy was merely to lay up
future trouble for him. A dozen times he was on the point of
speaking his mind on the subject, but some unusual quality of
innocence in the lad tied his tongue.
"Blame it all, I'm getting to be a regular old granny. What
Master Frank needs is a first-class dressing-down, and here the
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Warlord of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs: the far side of the apartment.
Scarcely had he gazed beyond them than he called to me in a
tone of suppressed excitement and surprise. In an instant I
was by his side.
"Look!" said Thuvan Dihn, pointing toward the courtyard below.
As my eyes followed the direction indicated I saw two women
pacing back and forth in an enclosed garden.
The Warlord of Mars |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Life of the Spider by J. Henri Fabre: through.
The Spider retreats to her cable and looks on without being greatly
frightened. When I have done, she quietly returns. She takes her
stand on one of the halves, at the spot which was the centre of the
original orb; but, as her legs find no footing on one side, she
soon realizes that the snare is defective. Thereupon, two threads
are stretched across the breach, two threads, no more; the legs
that lacked a foothold spread across them; and henceforth the
Epeira moves no more, devoting her attention to the incidents of
the chase.
When I saw those two threads laid, joining the edges of the rent, I
The Life of the Spider |
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 Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum: "Well," he said with a sigh, "I'm not much of a magician,
as I said; but if you will come to me tomorrow morning, I will
stuff your head with brains. I cannot tell you how to use them,
however; you must find that out for yourself."
"Oh, thank you--thank you!" cried the Scarecrow. "I'll find
a way to use them, never fear!"
"But how about my courage?" asked the Lion anxiously.
"You have plenty of courage, I am sure," answered Oz. "All you need
is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid
when it faces danger. The True courage is in facing danger when you are
afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty."
The Wizard of Oz |
