| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Pupil by Henry James: If however the deficiencies of his own wardrobe were a chapter by
themselves he didn't like his little charge to look too poor.
Later he used to say "Well, if we're poor, why, after all,
shouldn't we look it?" and he consoled himself with thinking there
was something rather elderly and gentlemanly in Morgan's disrepair
- it differed from the untidiness of the urchin who plays and
spoils his things. He could trace perfectly the degrees by which,
in proportion as her little son confined himself to his tutor for
society, Mrs. Moreen shrewdly forbore to renew his garments. She
did nothing that didn't show, neglected him because he escaped
notice, and then, as he illustrated this clever policy, discouraged
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Travels of Sir John Mandeville by Sir John Mandeville: Bethlehem, was king of.
From Ethiopia men go into Ind by many diverse countries. And men
clepe the high Ind, Emlak. And Ind is divided in three principal
parts; that is, the more that is a full hot country; and Ind the
less, that is a full attempre country, that stretcheth to the land
of Media; and the three part toward the septentrion is full cold,
so that, for pure cold and continual frost, the water becometh
crystal. And upon those rocks of crystal grow the good diamonds
that be of trouble colour. Yellow crystal draweth colour like oil.
And they be so hard, that no man may polish them. And men clepe
them diamonds in that country, and HAMESE in another country.
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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 Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift: called iron, at the bottom of their feet, to preserve their hoofs
from being broken by the stony ways, on which we often
travelled."
My master, after some expressions of great indignation, wondered
"how we dared to venture upon a HOUYHNHNM'S back; for he was
sure, that the weakest servant in his house would be able to
shake off the strongest YAHOO; or by lying down and rolling on
his back, squeeze the brute to death." I answered "that our
horses were trained up, from three or four years old, to the
several uses we intended them for; that if any of them proved
intolerably vicious, they were employed for carriages; that they
Gulliver's Travels |
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 Grimm's Fairy Tales by Brothers Grimm: concealed himself in it. He was certainly pleased with this good
attendance, but still at last he was so afraid that he went to a wise
woman and asked for her advice. The wise woman said: 'There is some
enchantment behind it, listen very early some morning if anything is
moving in the room, and if you see anything, no matter what it is,
throw a white cloth over it, and then the magic will be stopped.'
The shepherd did as she bade him, and next morning just as day dawned,
he saw the chest open, and the flower come out. Swiftly he sprang
towards it, and threw a white cloth over it. Instantly the
transformation came to an end, and a beautiful girl stood before him,
who admitted to him that she had been the flower, and that up to this
Grimm's Fairy Tales |
