| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Collection of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter: Pickles.
"No," replied Ginger, who had
opened the envelope, "it is the
rates and taxes, L 3 19 11 3/4 ."
"This is the last straw," said
Pickles, "let us close the shop."
They put up the shutters, and
left. But they have not removed
from the neighbourhood. In fact
some people wish they had gone
further.
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Walden by Henry David Thoreau: bidding of any prince. Genius is not a retainer to any emperor, nor
is its material silver, or gold, or marble, except to a trifling
extent. To what end, pray, is so much stone hammered? In Arcadia,
when I was there, I did not see any hammering stone. Nations are
possessed with an insane ambition to perpetuate the memory of
themselves by the amount of hammered stone they leave. What if
equal pains were taken to smooth and polish their manners? One
piece of good sense would be more memorable than a monument as high
as the moon. I love better to see stones in place. The grandeur of
Thebes was a vulgar grandeur. More sensible is a rod of stone wall
that bounds an honest man's field than a hundred-gated Thebes that
Walden |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas: carbineers; well, they see a vessel, and good fellows like
us on board, they come and demand hospitality of us; you
can't refuse help to a poor hunted devil; we receive them,
and for greater security we stand out to sea. This costs us
nothing, and saves the life, or at least the liberty, of a
fellow-creature, who on the first occasion returns the
service by pointing out some safe spot where we can land our
goods without interruption."
"Ah!" said Franz, "then you are a smuggler occasionally,
Gaetano?"
"Your excellency, we must live somehow," returned the other,
The Count of Monte Cristo |
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 The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum: the head of her family, Dorothy cried, "Oh, you lovely things!" and
ran down from her seat to pet the little yellow downy balls. Billina
wore a pearl necklace, and around the neck of each chicken was a tiny
gold chain holding a locket with the letter "D" engraved upon the outside.
"Open the lockets, Dorothy," said Billina. The girl obeyed and found
a picture of herself in each locket. "They were named after you, my
dear," continued the Yellow Hen, "so I wanted all my chickens to wear
your picture. Cluck--cluck! come here, Dorothy--this minute!" she
cried, for the chickens were scattered and wandering all around the
big room.
They obeyed the call at once, and came running as fast as they could,
The Road to Oz |
