| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Night and Day by Virginia Woolf: than one who feels.
"That proves that you're mistaken--utterly mistaken," said Katharine,
speaking reasonably, too. She had no need to verify the mistake by a
glance at her own recollections, when the fact was so clearly stamped
upon her mind that if Ralph had any feeling towards her it was one of
critical hostility. She did not give the matter another thought, and
Mary, now that she had stated the fact, did not seek to prove it, but
tried to explain to herself, rather than to Katharine, her motives in
making the statement.
She had nerved herself to do what some large and imperious instinct
demanded her doing; she had been swept on the breast of a wave beyond
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Dreams by Olive Schreiner: new-comers opened their jars and gave them of the wine to drink; and I saw
that the women drank even more greedily than the men. And when others had
well drunken they set the jars among the old ones beside the wall, and took
their places at the table. And I saw that some of the jars were very old
and mildewed and dusty, but others had still drops of new must on them and
shone from the furnace.
And I said to God, "What is that?" For amid the sound of the singing, and
over the dancing of feet, and over the laughing across the wine-cups I
heard a cry.
And God said, "Stand a way off."
And he took me where I saw both sides of the curtain. Behind the house was
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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 Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas: possession of Valentine's mind. She expected every moment
that she should see Morrel appear, pale and trembling, to
forbid the signing of the contract, like the Laird of
Ravenswood in "The Bride of Lammermoor." It was high time
for her to make her appearance at the gate, for Maximilian
had long awaited her coming. He had half guessed what was
going on when he saw Franz quit the cemetery with M. de
Villefort. He followed M. d'Epinay, saw him enter,
afterwards go out, and then re-enter with Albert and
Chateau-Renaud. He had no longer any doubts as to the nature
of the conference; he therefore quickly went to the gate in
The Count of Monte Cristo |
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 In the South Seas by Robert Louis Stevenson: a fact, and not (what I suspect) the pleasing exercise of an
imagination more than sailorly. A., for so I had perhaps better
call him, was walking up the island after dusk, when he came on a
lighted village of some size, was directed to the chief's house,
and asked leave to rest and smoke a pipe. 'You will sit down, and
smoke a pipe, and wash, and eat, and sleep,' replied the chief,
'and to-morrow you will go again.' Food was brought, prayers were
held (for this was in the brief day of Christianity), and the chief
himself prayed with eloquence and seeming sincerity. All evening
A. sat and admired the man by the firelight. He was six feet high,
lean, with the appearance of many years, and an extraordinary air
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