| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson by Robert Louis Stevenson: classical, I might lose even these. But I envied you that page.
I am, of course, deep in schemes; I was so ever. Execution alone
somewhat halts. How much do you make per annum, I wonder? This
year, for the first time, I shall pass 300 pounds; I may even get
halfway to the next milestone. This seems but a faint
remuneration; and the devil of it is, that I manage, with sickness,
and moves, and education, and the like, to keep steadily in front
of my income. However, I console myself with this, that if I were
anything else under God's Heaven, and had the same crank health, I
should make an even zero. If I had, with my present knowledge,
twelve months of my old health, I would, could, and should do
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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 Complete Poems of Longfellow by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: The ship with foamy neck,
Most like a sea-fowl,
Till about one hour
Of the second day
The curved prow
Had passed onward
So that the sailors
The land saw,
The shore-cliffs shining,
Mountains steep,
And broad sea-noses.
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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 The Altar of the Dead by Henry James: told you long ago that my Dead weren't many. Yours were, but all
you had done for them was none too much for MY worship! You had
placed a great light for Each - I gathered them together for One!"
"We had simply different intentions," he returned. "That, as you
say, I perfectly knew, and I don't see why your intention shouldn't
still sustain you."
"That's because you're generous - you can imagine and think. But
the spell is broken."
It seemed to poor Stransom, in spite of his resistance, that it
really was, and the prospect stretched grey and void before him.
All he could say, however, was: "I hope you'll try before you give
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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 Court Life in China by Isaac Taylor Headland: the south, the Wu men, being the front gate, through which the
Emperor alone is allowed to pass. The back gate, guarded by the
Japanese during the occupation, is for the Empress Dowager, the
Empress and the women of the court, while the side gates are for
the officials, merchants or others who may have business in the
palace.
Through the centre of this city, from south to north, is a
passageway about three hundred feet wide, across which, at
intervals of two hundred yards, they have erected large
buildings, such as the imperial examination hall, the hall in
which the Emperor receives his bride, the imperial library, the
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