| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Light of Western Stars by Zane Grey: fear, of him, and now she found it imperative for her to keep in
mind that more than any other of the wild fellows on her ranch
this one should be dealt with as if he were a big boy.
Monty removed his sombrero--something he had never done before--
and the single instant when it was off was long enough to show
his head entirely bald. This was one of the hall-marks of that
terrible Montana prairie fire through which he had fought to save
the life of a child. Madeline did not forget it, and all at once
she wanted to take Monty's side. Remembering Stillwell's wisdom,
however, she forebore yielding to sentiment, and called upon her
wits.
The Light of Western Stars |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Lesser Bourgeoisie by Honore de Balzac: inquisitive, intelligent, searching, always on the scent, instead of
expressing good-humor, was ironical and mocking; but this particular
aspect of his nature never showed itself openly; the young man must
have ceased to watch himself, he must have flown into fury before the
power came to him to flash out the sarcasm and the wit which
embittered, tenfold, his infernal humor. The mouth, the curving lines
and pomegranate-colored lips of which were very pleasing, seemed the
admirable instrument of an organ that was almost sweet in its middle
tones, where its owner usually kept it, but which, in its higher key,
vibrated on the ear like the sound of a gong. This falsetto was the
voice of his nerves and his anger. His face, kept expressionless by an
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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 The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum: can't be done? It was easy to make the Scarecrow and the Lion
and the Woodman happy, because they imagined I could do anything.
But it will take more than imagination to carry Dorothy back
to Kansas, and I'm sure I don't know how it can be done."
17. How the Balloon Was Launched
For three days Dorothy heard nothing from Oz. These were sad
days for the little girl, although her friends were all quite
happy and contented. The Scarecrow told them there were wonderful
thoughts in his head; but he would not say what they were because
he knew no one could understand them but himself. When the Tin
Woodman walked about he felt his heart rattling around in his
The Wizard of Oz |
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 A Princess of Parms by Edgar Rice Burroughs: a thorough search of the palace for other Zodangans and for loot,
and Dejah Thoris and I were left alone.
She had sunk into one of the golden thrones, and as I
turned to her she greeted me with a wan smile.
"Was there ever such a man!" she exclaimed. "I know that
Barsoom has never before seen your like. Can it be that all
Earth men are as you? Alone, a stranger, hunted, threatened,
persecuted, you have done in a few short months what in
all the past ages of Barsoom no man has ever done: joined
together the wild hordes of the sea bottoms and brought them
to fight as allies of a red Martian people."
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