| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne: was mingled the noise of a loom, at which she was probably
seated, weaving a rich texture of cloth, and intertwining the
high and low sweetness of her voice into a rich tissue of
harmony.
By and by, the song came to an end; and then, all at once,
there were several feminine voices, talking airily and
cheerfully, with now and then a merry burst of laughter, such
as you may always hear when three or four young women sit at
work together.
"What a sweet song that was!" exclaimed one of the voyagers.
"Too sweet, indeed," answered Eurylochus, shaking his head.
Tanglewood Tales |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot: Here is the man with three staves, and here the Wheel,
And here is the one-eyed merchant, and this card,
Which is blank, is something he carries on his back,
Which I am forbidden to see. I do not find
The Hanged Man. Fear death by water.
I see crowds of people, walking round in a ring.
Thank you. If you see dear Mrs. Equitone,
Tell her I bring the horoscope myself:
One must be so careful these days.
Unreal City, 60
Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,
The Waste Land |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Blix by Frank Norris: accept either one of the young women's invitations without
offending the other.
"Well, I won't go to EITHER, that's all," he vociferated aloud to
the opposite wall. "I'll send 'em each a wire, and say that I'm
sick or have got to go down to the office, and--and, by George!
I'll go up and see Blix, and we'll read and make things to eat."
And no sooner had this alternative occurred to him than it
appeared too fascinating to be resisted. A weight seemed removed
from his mind. When it came to that, what amusement would he have
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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 Royalty Restored/London Under Charles II by J. Fitzgerald Molloy: ready that he might take an airing in the park, he, on a sudden
impulse, ran down the broad steps leading from his palace gardens
to the riverside. Here, entering a boat alone, he rowed himself
adown the placid river now crossed by early shadows, until he
came to Somerset House, where his lady-love dwelt; and finding
the garden-door locked, he, in his impatience to be with her,
clambered over the wall and sought her. Two months after the
occurrence of this incident, the young duchess was appointed a
lady of the bedchamber to the queen, and therefore had apartments
at Whitehall. There was little doubt now entertained she any
longer rejected his majesty's love; and in order to remove all
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