| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Pericles by William Shakespeare: But curb it, spite of seeing. O, my lord,
Are you not Pericles? Like him you spake,
Like him you are: did you not name a tempest,
A birth, and death?
PERICLES.
The voice of dead Thaisa!
THAISA.
That Thaisa am I, supposed dead
And drown'd.
PERICLES.
Immortal Dian!
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Persuasion by Jane Austen: True, upon my honour! Are not you astonished? I shall be surprised
at least if you ever received a hint of it, for I never did.
Mrs Musgrove protests solemnly that she knew nothing of the matter.
We are all very well pleased, however, for though it is not equal to her
marrying Captain Wentworth, it is infinitely better than Charles Hayter;
and Mr Musgrove has written his consent, and Captain Benwick
is expected to-day. Mrs Harville says her husband feels a good deal
on his poor sister's account; but, however, Louisa is a great favourite
with both. Indeed, Mrs Harville and I quite agree that we love her
the better for having nursed her. Charles wonders what Captain Wentworth
will say; but if you remember, I never thought him attached to Louisa;
Persuasion |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Cousin Pons by Honore de Balzac: anchel; 'tis an anchel dat brattles, but an anchel all der same."
"Do you think so? I have grown suspicious in the past month," said the
invalid, shaking his head. "After all I have been through, one comes
to believe in nothing but God and my friend--"
"Get bedder, and ve vill lif like kings, all tree of us," exclaimed
Schmucke.
"Cibot!" panted the portress as she entered the lodge. "Oh, my dear,
our fortune is made. My two gentlemen haven't nobody to come after
them, no natural children, no nothing, in short! Oh, I shall go round
to Ma'am Fontaine's and get her to tell my fortune on the cards, then
we shall know how much we are going to have--"
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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 Aesop's Fables by Aesop: plucked away his borrowed plumes. So the Jay could do no better
than go back to the other Jays, who had watched his behaviour from
a distance; but they were equally annoyed with him, and told him:
"It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds."
The Frog and the Ox
"Oh Father," said a little Frog to the big one sitting by the
side of a pool, "I have seen such a terrible monster! It was as
big as a mountain, with horns on its head, and a long tail, and it
had hoofs divided in two."
"Tush, child, tush," said the old Frog, "that was only Farmer
White's Ox. It isn't so big either; he may be a little bit taller
Aesop's Fables |
