| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: clear and true and thrilling as the bugle notes. Turning, she saw
that Melly was standing with her hands clasped to her breast, her
eyes closed, and tiny tears oozing from the corners. She smiled
at Scarlett, whimsically, as the music ended, making a little moue
of apology as she dabbed with her handkerchief.
"I'm so happy," she whispered, "and so proud of the soldiers that
I just can't help crying about it."
There was a deep, almost fanatic glow in her eyes that for a
moment lit up her plain little face and made it beautiful.
The same look was on the faces of all the women as the song ended,
tears of pride on cheeks, pink or wrinkled, smiles on lips, a deep
 Gone With the Wind |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Art of War by Sun Tzu: Chang Yu tells the following anecdote: Wu-tu Ch`iang was a
robber captain in the time of the Later Han, and Ma Yuan was sent
to exterminate his gang. Ch`iang having found a refuge in the
hills, Ma Yuan made no attempt to force a battle, but seized all
the favorable positions commanding supplies of water and forage.
Ch`iang was soon in such a desperate plight for want of
provisions that he was forced to make a total surrender. He did
not know the advantage of keeping in the neighborhood of
valleys."]
2. Camp in high places,
[Not on high hills, but on knolls or hillocks elevated above
 The Art of War |