| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Eve and David by Honore de Balzac: continued to ponder visibly as she watched Lucien. He was talking with
the Bishop as if he were the king of the room; making no effort to
find any one out, waiting till others came to him, looking round about
him with varying expression, and as much at his ease as his model de
Marsay. M. de Senonches appeared at no great distance, but Lucien
still stood beside the prelate.
At the end of ten minutes Louise could contain herself no longer. She
rose and went over to the Bishop and said:
"What is being said, my lord, that you smile so often?"
Lucien drew back discreetly, and left Mme. du Chatelet with his
lordship.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from King James Bible: EZE 34:10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds;
and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from
feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more;
for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat
for them.
EZE 34:11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both
search my sheep, and seek them out.
EZE 34:12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is
among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and
will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in
the cloudy and dark day.
King James Bible |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from A Princess of Parms by Edgar Rice Burroughs: the command to advance, and in three parties we crept upon
the Zodangan camp from the north, the south and the east.
About a mile from the main camp we encountered their
outposts and, as had been prearranged, accepted this as the
signal to charge. With wild, ferocious cries and amidst the
nasty squealing of battle-enraged thoats we bore down upon
the Zodangans.
We did not catch them napping, but found a well-entrenched
battle line confronting us. Time after time we were repulsed until,
toward noon, I began to fear for the result of the battle.
The Zodangans numbered nearly a million fighting men,
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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 Madam How and Lady Why by Charles Kingsley: I am in earnest. Of course, I do not mean that these folk could
make themselves invisible, or that they had any supernatural
powers--any more, at least, than you and I have--or that they were
anything but savages; but this I do think, that out of old stories
of these savages grew up the stories of fairies, elves, and
trolls, and scratlings, and cluricaunes, and ogres, of which you
have read so many.
When stronger and bolder people, like the Irish, and the
Highlanders of Scotland, and the Gauls of France, came northward
with their bronze and iron weapons; and still more, when our own
forefathers, the Germans and the Norsemen, came, these poor little
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