| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Chance by Joseph Conrad: natural to man. Of course it was not a malevolent curiosity which,
if not exactly natural, is to be met fairly frequently in men and
perhaps more frequently in women--especially if a woman be in
question; and that woman under a cloud, in a manner of speaking.
For under a cloud Flora de Barral was fated to be even at sea. Yes.
Even that sort of darkness which attends a woman for whom there is
no clear place in the world hung over her. Yes. Even at sea!
And this is the pathos of being a woman. A man can struggle to get
a place for himself or perish. But a woman's part is passive, say
what you like, and shuffle the facts of the world as you may,
hinting at lack of energy, of wisdom, of courage. As a matter of
Chance |
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 Europeans by Henry James: the room again, and he looked at her without saying anything.
Presently she took out her watch, and, glancing at it,
declared that it was three o'clock in the morning and that
he must go.
"I have not been here an hour," he said, "and they are still
sitting up at the other house. You can see the lights.
Your brother has not come in."
"Oh, at the other house," cried Eugenia, "they are terrible people!
I don't know what they may do over there. I am a quiet
little humdrum woman; I have rigid rules and I keep them.
One of them is not to have visitors in the small hours--
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