| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Life of the Spider by J. Henri Fabre: on a big Beetle, with a smooth, plump body, which lent itself
admirably to the rotary process. After depriving the beast of all
power of movement, she went up to it and turned her corpulent
victim as she would have done with a medium-sized Moth.
But with the Praying Mantis, sticking out her long legs and her
spreading wings, rotation is no longer feasible. Then, until the
quarry is thoroughly subdued, the spray of bandages goes on
continuously, even to the point of drying up the silk-glands. A
capture of this kind is ruinous. It is true that, except when I
interfered, I have never seen the Spider tackle that formidable
provender.
The Life of the Spider |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Straight Deal by Owen Wister: Conference in Paris lately? What did we ask for ourselves? Everything we
asked, save some repairs of damage, was for other people. Oh, yes! we are
quite good enough to keep quiet about these things. No need whatever to
brag. Bragging, moreover, inclines the listener to suspect you're not so
remarkable as you sound.
But all this virtue doesn't in the least alter the fact that we're like
everybody else in having some dirty pages in our History. These pages it
is a foolish mistake to conceal. I suppose that the school histories of
every nation are partly bad. I imagine that most of them implant the germ
of international hatred in the boys and girls who have to study them.
Nations do not like each other, never have liked each other; and it may
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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 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: Soon after we heard that the poor victim had expressed a desire
to see my cousin. My father wished her not to go but said that
he left it to her own judgment and feelings to decide. "Yes," said
Elizabeth, "I will go, although she is guilty; and you, Victor,
shall accompany me; I cannot go alone." The idea of this visit was
torture to me, yet I could not refuse. We entered the gloomy
prison chamber and beheld Justine sitting on some straw at the
farther end; her hands were manacled, and her head rested on her knees.
She rose on seeing us enter, and when we were left alone with her,
she threw herself at the feet of Elizabeth, weeping bitterly.
My cousin wept also.
Frankenstein |
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 Case of the Registered Letter by Grace Isabel Colbron and Augusta Groner: I will send Pernburg another letter asking him not to carry out
the instructions of the first.
I can now proceed to tell you what will happen here to-morrow
evening, the 23rd of September.
Albert Graumann will come to me, unknown to his family or friends,
as I have asked him to come. I will so arrange it that the old
servant will see him come in but will not see him go out. My
landlady will not be in my way, for she has already told me that
she will spend the night of the 23rd with her mother, in another
part of the city. It is to be a birthday celebration I believe,
so that I can be certain her plans will not be changed.
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