| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Rescue by Joseph Conrad: to do. How's one to know what YOU are after?"
She had never expected to hear so many words from that rigid
shadow. Its monotonous mumble was fascinating, its sudden
loquacity was shocking. And in the profound stillness that
reigned outside it was as if there had been no one left in the
world with her but the phantom of that old adventurer. He was
heard again: "What I could tell you would be worse than poison."
Mrs. Travers was not familiar with Jorgenson's consecrated
phrases. The mechanical voice, the words themselves, his air of
abstraction appalled her. And he hadn't done yet; she caught some
more of his unconcerned mumbling: "There is nothing I don't
The Rescue |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Unconscious Comedians by Honore de Balzac: matter what,--the communists, the humanitarians, the philanthropists,
you understand,--all these people are our advanced guard. While we are
storing gunpowder, they are making the tinder which the spark of a
single circumstance will ignite."
"But what do you expect will make the happiness of France?" cried
Gazonal.
"Equality of citizens and cheapness of provisions. We mean that there
will be no persons lacking anything, no millionaires, no suckers of
blood and victims."
"That's it!--maximum and minimum," said Gazonal.
"You've said it," replied the corn-cutter, decisively.
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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 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain: sonality here; she was head chief of this household,
that was plain. She caused us to be seated, and then
she began, with all manner of pretty graces and
graciousnesses, to ask me questions. Dear me, it was
like a bird or a flute, or something, talking. I felt
persuaded that this woman must have been misrepre-
sented, lied about. She trilled along, and trilled along,
and presently a handsome young page, clothed like the
rainbow, and as easy and undulatory of movement as a
wave, came with something on a golden salver, and,
kneeling to present it to her, overdid his graces and
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court |
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 Marriage Contract by Honore de Balzac: the people here who know you and will watch and hamper you, so be it!
But if you feel that desire for a solitude together which can hardly
be expressed, let us go to Paris were the life of a young couple can
pass unnoticed in the stream. There alone you can behave as lovers
without fearing to seem ridiculous."
"You are quite right," said Paul, "but I shall hardly have time to get
my house ready. However, I will write to-night to de Marsay, the
friend on whom I can always count to get things done for me."
At the moment when Paul, like all young men accustomed to satisfy
their desires without previous calculation, was inconsiderately
binding himself to the expenses of a stay in Paris, Maitre Mathias
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