| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Snow Image by Nathaniel Hawthorne: poor fugitives. But after one instant's hesitation, they opened
their arms, and sealed their resolve with as pure and fond an
embrace as ever youthful love had hallowed.
"We will not go back," said they. "The world never can be dark to
us, for we will always love one another."
Then the Canterbury pilgrims went up the hill, while the poet
chanted a drear and desperate stanza of the Farewell to his Harp,
fitting music for that melancholy band. They sought a home where
all former ties of nature or society would be sundered, and all
old distinctions levelled, and a cold and passionless security be
substituted for mortal hope and fear, as in that other refuge of
The Snow Image |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne: occurred to her, with ridiculous importunity, that the window was
not arranged so skilfully, nor nearly to so much advantage, as it
might have been. It seemed as if the whole fortune or failure of
her shop might depend on the display of a different set of articles,
or substituting a fairer apple for one which appeared to be specked.
So she made the change, and straightway fancied that everything was
spoiled by it; not recognizing that it was the nervousness of the
juncture, and her own native squeamishness as an old maid, that
wrought all the seeming mischief.
Anon, there was an encounter, just at the door-step, betwixt two
laboring men, as their rough voices denoted them to be. After
House of Seven Gables |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde: kettle will be boiled"; and they lay down on the grass, and shut
their eyes.
The Rocket was very damp, so he took a long time to burn. At last,
however, the fire caught him.
"Now I am going off!" he cried, and he made himself very stiff and
straight. "I know I shall go much higher than the stars, much
higher than the moon, much higher than the sun. In fact, I shall
go so high that - "
Fizz! Fizz! Fizz! and he went straight up into the air.
"Delightful!" he cried, "I shall go on like this for ever. What a
success I am!"
|
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 King James Bible: generations; these dwelt at Jerusalem.
CH1 9:35 And in Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon, Jehiel, whose wife's
name was Maachah:
CH1 9:36 And his firstborn son Abdon, then Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and
Ner, and Nadab.
CH1 9:37 And Gedor, and Ahio, and Zechariah, and Mikloth.
CH1 9:38 And Mikloth begat Shimeam. And they also dwelt with their
brethren at Jerusalem, over against their brethren.
CH1 9:39 And Ner begat Kish; and Kish begat Saul; and Saul begat
Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal.
CH1 9:40 And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal: and Meribbaal begat
King James Bible |
