| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Anthem by Ayn Rand: from under their skin. We watch the leaf
which has fallen upon their shoulder, and
it lies at the curve of their neck, and a
drop of dew glistens upon it like a jewel.
They approach us, and they stop, laughing,
knowing what we think, and they wait
obediently, without questions, till it
pleases us to turn and go on.
We go on and we bless the earth under
our feet. But questions come to us again,
as we walk in silence. If that which we
Anthem |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs: been many times broken and spliced, so that he had discarded
it for a better one long before. Tarzan wished that he had a knife.
Well, unless he was mistaken he should have that and a spear and
bows and arrows before another sun had set--the rope would take
care of that, and in the meantime it must be made to procure
food for him. He coiled it carefully, and, throwing it about
his shoulder, went out, closing the door behind him.
Close to the cabin the jungle commenced, and into it
Tarzan of the Apes plunged, wary and noiseless--once more
a savage beast hunting its food. For a time he kept to the
ground, but finally, discovering no spoor indicative of
The Return of Tarzan |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy: it overtook her--which was not soon, on account of her pace--the
scene was much darker, and the lights glared in her eyes
sufficiently to hide the details of the equipage.
It occurred to Marty that she might take hold behind this carriage
and so keep along with it, to save herself the mortification of
being overtaken and picked up for pity's sake by the coming pair.
Accordingly, as the carriage drew abreast of her in climbing the
long ascent, she walked close to the wheels, the rays of the
nearest lamp penetrating her very pores. She had only just
dropped behind when the carriage stopped, and to her surprise the
coachman asked her, over his shoulder, if she would ride. What
The Woodlanders |
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 Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte: back it; and as for kindness and affection, either they had no
hearts, or such as they had were so strongly guarded, and so well
concealed, that I, with all my efforts, had not yet discovered how
to reach them.
But soon my trials in this quarter came to a close - sooner than I
either expected or desired; for one sweet evening towards the close
of May, as I was rejoicing in the near approach of the holidays,
and congratulating myself upon having made some progress with my
pupils (as far as their learning went, at least, for I HAD
instilled SOMETHING into their heads, and I had, at length, brought
them to be a little - a very little - more rational about getting
Agnes Grey |
