| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Flower Fables by Louisa May Alcott: And little Annie sat among her flowers, and watched with wondering joy
the fairy blossom shining on her breast.
The pleasant days of Spring and Summer passed away, and in
little Annie's garden Autumn flowers were blooming everywhere,
with each day's sun and dew growing still more beautiful and bright;
but the fairy flower, that should have been the loveliest of all,
hung pale and drooping on little Annie's bosom; its fragrance seemed
quite gone, and the clear, low music of its warning chime rang often
in her ear.
When first the Fairy placed it there, she had been pleased with
her new gift, and for a while obeyed the fairy bell, and often tried
Flower Fables |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne: many accidents. However, since a way has been found to transform it into
dynamite, that is to say, to mix with it some solid substance, clay or
sugar, porous enough to hold it, the dangerous liquid has been used with
some security. But dynamite was not yet known at the time when the settlers
worked on Lincoln Island.
"And is it that liquid that is going to blow up our rocks?" said Pencroft
incredulously.
"Yes, my friend," replied the engineer, "and this nitro-glycerine will
produce so much the more effect, as the granite is extremely hard, and will
oppose a greater resistance to the explosion."
"And when shall we see this, captain?"
The Mysterious Island |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from At the Earth's Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs: was the chief of the community.
We had eaten and rested, and I had slept, much to Ja's
amusement, for it seemed that he seldom if ever did so,
and then the red man proposed that I accompany him to the
temple of the Mahars which lay not far from his village.
"We are not supposed to visit it," he said; "but the great
ones cannot hear and if we keep well out of sight they need
never know that we have been there. For my part I hate them
and always have, but the other chieftains of the island
think it best that we continue to maintain the amicable
relations which exist between the two races; otherwise I
At the Earth's Core |
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 Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey: been taught to revere and love bishops of her church. And for ten
years Bishop Dyer had been the closest friend and counselor of
her father, and for the greater part of that period her own
friend and Scriptural teacher. Her interpretation of her creed
and her religious activity in fidelity to it, her acceptance of
mysterious and holy Mormon truths, were all invested in this
Bishop. Bishop Dyer as an entity was next to God. He was God's
mouthpiece to the little Mormon community at Cottonwoods. God
revealed himself in secret to this mortal.
And Jane Withersteen suddenly suffered a paralyzing affront to
her consciousness of reverence by some strange, irresistible
Riders of the Purple Sage |
