| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from At the Earth's Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs: it if we are able. We cannot travel as rapidly as you two,
and there is no reason why all should be lost because
of that. It can't be helped--we have simply to face it."
"I will not desert a companion," was Ghak's simple reply.
I hadn't known that this great, hairy, primeval man had
any such nobility of character stowed away inside him.
I had always liked him, but now to my liking was added honor
and respect. Yes, and love.
But still I urged him to go on ahead, insisting that if he
could reach his people he might be able to bring out
a sufficient force to drive off the Sagoths and rescue
At the Earth's Core |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen: One evening the stranger sat out on the balcony. The light burnt in the room
behind him; and thus it was quite natural that his shadow should fall on his
opposite neighbor's wall. Yes! there it sat, directly opposite, between the
flowers on the balcony; and when the stranger moved, the shadow also moved:
for that it always does.
"I think my shadow is the only living thing one sees over there," said the
learned man. "See, how nicely it sits between the flowers. The door stands
half-open: now the shadow should be cunning, and go into the room, look about,
and then come and tell me what it had seen. Come, now! Be useful, and do me a
service," said he, in jest. "Have the kindness to step in. Now! Art thou
going?" and then he nodded to the shadow, and the shadow nodded again. "Well
Fairy Tales |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Magic of Oz by L. Frank Baum: "Who are you?" asked the King.
"Me? Oh, I'm just Dorothy," she answered.
"How dare you come here?" demanded the King.
"Why, I'm not afraid to go anywhere, if the Cowardly Lion is with
me," she said. "I know him pretty well, and so I can trust him. He's
always afraid, when we get into trouble, and that's why he's cowardly;
but he's a terrible fighter, and that's why he isn't a coward. He
doesn't like to fight, you know, but when he HAS to, there isn't any
beast living that can conquer him."
Gugu the King looked at the big, powerful form of the Cowardly Lion,
and knew she spoke the truth. Also the other Lions of the forest now
The Magic of Oz |
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 Island Nights' Entertainments by Robert Louis Stevenson: out; there was nothing to be seen but the shine of the dead wood,
and I couldn't remember where I was nor why I was in such pain nor
what I was all wetted with. Then it came back, and the first thing
I attended to was to give him the knife again a half-a-dozen times
up to the handle. I believe he was dead already, but it did him no
harm and did me good.
"I bet you're dead now," I said, and then I called to Uma.
Nothing answered, and I made a move to go and grope for her, fouled
my broken leg, and fainted again.
When I came to myself the second time the clouds had all cleared
away, except a few that sailed there, white as cotton. The moon
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