| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Duchess of Padua by Oscar Wilde: Are dull and colourless, in a word let those,
If any such there be, who have not loved,
Cast stones against you. As for me -
DUCHESS
Alas!
GUIDO
[falling at her feet]
You are my lady, and you are my love!
O hair of gold, O crimson lips, O face
Made for the luring and the love of man!
Incarnate image of pure loveliness!
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Bureaucracy by Honore de Balzac: deserted.
Phellion. "My young friend" [he rose, a rare thing], "do you know what
is going on? what scandals are rife about Monsieur Rabourdin whom you
love, and" [bending to whisper in Sebastien's ear] "whom I love as
much as I respect him. They say he has committed the imprudence to
leave a paper containing comments on the officials lying about in the
office--" [Phellion stopped short, caught the young man in his strong
arms, seeing that he turned pale and was near fainting, and placed him
on a chair.] "A key, Monsieur Poiret, to put down his back; have you a
key?"
Poiret. "I have the key of my domicile."
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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 Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton: "Well, well," the doctor muttered, "I don't say no--I don't say
no. I know what Clyde wants--I don't refuse to help him." He
turned to Wyant. "You may come again--you may make notes," he
added with a sudden effort. "Jot down what occurs to you. I'm
willing to concede that."
Wyant again caught the girl's eye, but its emphatic message
perplexed him.
"You're very good," he said tentatively, "but the fact is the
picture is so mysterious--so full of complicated detail--that I'm
afraid no notes I could make would serve Clyde's purpose as well
as--as a photograph, say. If you would allow me--"
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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 The Economist by Xenophon: Crit. That is precisely the conclusion we should come to.[8] To
persons ignorant of their use[9] flutes are wealth as saleable, but as
possessions not for sale they are no wealth at all; and see, Socrates,
how smoothly and consistently the argument proceeds,[10] since it is
admitted that things which benefit are wealth. The flutes in question
unsold are not wealth, being good for nothing: to become wealth they
must be sold.
[8] Reading {tout auto}, or if {tout au} with Sauppe, transl. "Yes,
that is another position we may fairly subscribe to."
[9] i.e. "without knowledge of how to use them."
[10] Or, "our discussion marches on all-fours, as it were."
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