| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela: and her belly's aching something fierce."
She sat Indian-fashion, with bent knees, huddling hip
to hip against Panchita.
"I've got no laurel leaves, honey," Remigia answered,
pausing a moment in her work to push a mop of hair
back from over her sweaty forehead. Then, plunging
her two hands into a mass of corn, she removed a hand-
ful of it dripping with muddy yellowish water. "I've none
at all; you'd better go to Dolores, she's always got herbs,
you know."
"But Dolores went to Cofradia last night. I don't
The Underdogs |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Ferragus by Honore de Balzac: let us go; let us leave this odious cemetery, where the dead are
adorned like women for a ball."
"Suppose we take her away?"
"Can it be done?"
"All things can be done!" cried Jules. "So, I shall lie there," he
added, after a pause. "There is room enough."
Jacquet finally succeeded in getting him to leave the great enclosure,
divided like a chessboard by iron railings and elegant compartments,
in which were tombs decorated with palms, inscriptions, and tears as
cold as the stones on which sorrowing hearts had caused to be carved
their regrets and coats of arms. Many good words are there engraved in
Ferragus |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Statesman by Plato: view to his knowing the same letters in all words? And our enquiry about
the Statesman in like manner is intended not only to improve our knowledge
of politics, but our reasoning powers generally. Still less would any one
analyze the nature of weaving for its own sake. There is no difficulty in
exhibiting sensible images, but the greatest and noblest truths have no
outward form adapted to the eye of sense, and are only revealed in thought.
And all that we are now saying is said for the sake of them. I make these
remarks, because I want you to get rid of any impression that our
discussion about weaving and about the reversal of the universe, and the
other discussion about the Sophist and not-being, were tedious and
irrelevant. Please to observe that they can only be fairly judged when
Statesman |
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 Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, etc. by Oscar Wilde: feelings of the two noble families, every attempt was made to hush
it up; and a full account of all the circumstances connected with
it will be found in the third volume of Lord Tattle's RECOLLECTIONS
OF THE PRINCE REGENT AND HIS FRIENDS. The ghost, then, was
naturally very anxious to show that he had not lost his influence
over the Stiltons, with whom, indeed, he was distantly connected,
his own first cousin having been married EN SECONDES NOCES to the
Sieur de Bulkeley, from whom, as every one knows, the Dukes of
Cheshire are lineally descended. Accordingly, he made arrangements
for appearing to Virginia's little lover in his celebrated
impersonation of 'The Vampire Monk, or, the Bloodless Benedictine,'
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