| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne: criticks and gentry of refined taste run it down: Nor is there any thing
so likely to make them do it, as that of leaving them out of the party, or,
what is full as offensive, of bestowing your attention upon the rest of
your guests in so particular a way, as if there was no such thing as a
critick (by occupation) at table.
--I guard against both; for, in the first place, I have left half a dozen
places purposely open for them;--and in the next place, I pay them all
court.--Gentlemen, I kiss your hands, I protest no company could give me
half the pleasure,--by my soul I am glad to see you--I beg only you will
make no strangers of yourselves, but sit down without any ceremony, and
fall on heartily.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Burning Daylight by Jack London: sled runners would not slide over it so well, while one of the
men must go in advance of the dogs and pack it down with
snowshoes so that they should not wallow. Quite different was it
from the ordinary snow known to those of the Southland. It was
hard, and fine, and dry. It was more like sugar. Kick it, and
it flew with a hissing noise like sand. There was no cohesion
among the particles, and it could not be moulded into snow-
balls. It was not composed of flakes, but of crystals--tiny,
geometrical frost-crystals. In truth, it was not snow, but
frost.
The weather was warm, as well, barely twenty below zero, and the
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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 The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield: prove that wrong. She was broken, made weak, her courage was gone, through
child-bearing. And what made it doubly hard to bear was, she did not love
her children. It was useless pretending. Even if she had had the strength
she never would have nursed and played with the little girls. No, it was
as though a cold breath had chilled her through and through on each of
those awful journeys; she had no warmth left to give them. As to the boy--
well, thank Heaven, mother had taken him; he was mother's, or Beryl's, or
anybody's who wanted him. She had hardly held him in her arms. She was so
indifferent about him that as he lay there...Linda glanced down.
The boy had turned over. He lay facing her, and he was no longer asleep.
His dark-blue, baby eyes were open; he looked as though he was peeping at
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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 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne: representatives of the animal kingdom in the interior of this volcano.
Birds of prey hovered here and there in the shadows, or fled from
their nests on the top of the rocks. There were sparrow hawks,
with white breasts, and kestrels, and down the slopes scampered,
with their long legs, several fine fat bustards. I leave anyone
to imagine the covetousness of the Canadian at the sight of this
savoury game, and whether he did not regret having no gun.
But he did his best to replace the lead by stones, and, after several
fruitless attempts, he succeeded in wounding a magnificent bird.
To say that he risked his life twenty times before reaching
it is but the truth; but he managed so well that the creature
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea |
