| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Somebody's Little Girl by Martha Young: mind, though Only-Just-Ladies were kind and sweet, Mamas were far
greater and more important beings.
One night, when Sister Helen Vincula had put Bessie Bell to bed in
the small bed that was not a crib-bed, though like that she had
slept in before she had come to the high mountain, Bessie Bell still
lay wide awake.
Her blue eyes were wide open and both of her pink little hands were
above her head on the pillow. She was thinking, and thinking, and
she forgot that she was thinking her thinking aloud, and she said:
``Alice has a mama. Robbie has a mama. Katie has a mama. Where is
Bessie Bell's mama? Never mind: Bessie Bell will find a mama.''
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Woman and Labour by Olive Schreiner: about us, as she has still her function as child-bearer: a labour which,
by her own showing, is arduous and dangerous, though she may love it as a
soldier loves his battlefield; and that woman should perform her sex
functions only, allowing man or the state to support her, even when she is
only potentially a child-bearer and bears no children. (Such a scheme, as
has before been stated, was actually put forward by a literary man in
England some years ago: but he had the sense to state that it should apply
only to women of the upper classes, the mass of labouring women, who form
the vast bulk of the English women of the present day, being left to their
ill-paid drudgery and their child-bearing as well!
There is some difficulty in replying to a theorist so wholly delusive. Not
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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 Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen: my head? If I could believe it--my spirit, you know,
is pretty independent."
"I wish your heart were independent. That would
be enough for me."
"My heart, indeed! What can you have to do with
hearts? You men have none of you any hearts."
"If we have not hearts, we have eyes; and they give
us torment enough."
"Do they? I am sorry for it; I am sorry they find
anything so disagreeable in me. I will look another way.
I hope this pleases you" (turning her back on him);
Northanger Abbey |
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 Othello by William Shakespeare: Either from Venice, or some vnhatch'd practise
Made demonstrable heere in Cyprus, to him,
Hath pudled his cleare Spirit: and in such cases,
Mens Natures wrangle with inferiour things,
Though great ones are their obiect. 'Tis euen so.
For let our finger ake, and it endues
Our other healthfull members, euen to a sense
Of paine. Nay, we must thinke men are not Gods,
Nor of them looke for such obseruancie
As fits the Bridall. Beshrew me much, aemilia,
I was (vnhandsome Warrior, as I am)
Othello |
