| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The King of the Golden River by John Ruskin: So they melted all their gold without making money enough to buy
more, and were at last reduced to one large drinking mug, which an
uncle of his had given to little Gluck, and which he was very fond
of and would not have parted with for the world, though he never
drank anything out of it but milk and water. The mug was a very odd
mug to look at. The handle was formed of two wreaths of flowing
golden hair, so finely spun that it looked more like silk than
metal, and these wreaths descended into and mixed with a beard and
whiskers of the same exquisite workmanship, which surrounded and
decorated a very fierce little face, of the reddest gold imaginable,
right in the front of the mug, with a pair of eyes in it which
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Dawn O'Hara, The Girl Who Laughed by Edna Ferber: The knob turned slowly, and the door opened just
enough to admit the top of a head crowned with a tight,
moist German knob of hair. I searched my memory to
recognize the knob, failed utterly and said again, this
time with mingled curiosity and hospitality:
"Won't you come in?"
The apparently bodiless head thrust itself forward a
bit, disclosing an apologetically smiling face, with high
check bones that glistened with friendliness and
scrubbing.
"Nabben', Fraulein," said the head.
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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 Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling: meat." It is nearly as bad as calling a man a cannibal.
"That food was eaten thirty seasons ago," said the Adjutant
quietly. "If we talk for thirty seasons more it will never
come back. Tell us, now, what happened when the good waters were
reached after thy most wonderful land journey. If we listened to
the howling of every jackal the business of the town would stop,
as the saying is.
The Mugger must have been grateful for the interruption, because
he went on, with a rush:
"By the Right and Left of Gunga! when I came there never did I
see such waters!"
The Second Jungle Book |
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 Dreams by Olive Schreiner: And he told me to come further.
And I looked where I trod.
And we came where Hell opened into a plain, and a great house stood there.
Marble pillars upheld the roof, and white marble steps let up to it. The
wind of heaven blew through it. Only at the back hung a thick curtain.
Fair men and women there feasted at long tables. They danced, and I saw
the robes of women flutter in the air and heard the laugh of strong men.
What they feasted with was wine; they drew it from large jars which stood
somewhat in the background, and I saw the wine sparkle as they drew it.
And I said to God, "I should like to go up and drink." And God said,
"Wait." And I saw men coming in to the Banquet House; they came in from
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