| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Chance by Joseph Conrad: I don't think that there ever was such waiting unless possibly in a
jail at some moment or other on the morning of an execution. The
servant appeared with the hat and coat, and then, still as on the
morning of an execution, when the condemned, I believe, is offered a
breakfast, Mrs. Fyne, anxious that the white-faced girl should
swallow something warm (if she could) before leaving her house for
an interminable drive through raw cold air in a damp four-wheeler--
Mrs. Fyne broke the awful silence: "You really must try to eat
something," in her best resolute manner. She turned to the "odious
person" with the same determination. "Perhaps you will sit down and
have a cup of coffee, too."
Chance |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Maid Marian by Thomas Love Peacock: he blew a loud blast, which was answered at once by four bugles
from the quarters of the four winds, and from each quarter came
five-and-twenty bowmen running all on a row.
"Treason! treason!" cried the sheriff. Old Sir Guy sprang to his
son's side, and so did Little John; and the four setting back
to back, kept the sheriff and his men at bay till the bowmen came
within shot and let fly their arrows among the sheriff's men, who,
after a brief resistance, fled in all directions. The forester,
who had personated the friar, sent an arrow after the flying sheriff,
calling with a strong voice, "To the sheriff's left arm,
as a keepsake from Robin Hood." The arrow reached its destiny;
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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 Pupil by Henry James: couldn't do enough to be nice to him, to show him they had him on
their mind and make up for his loss. That was just what made the
whole thing so sad and caused him to rejoice after all in
Pemberton's return - he had to keep thinking of their affection
less, had less sense of obligation. Pemberton laughed out at this
last reason, and Morgan blushed and said: "Well, dash it, you know
what I mean." Pemberton knew perfectly what he meant; but there
were a good many things that - dash it too! - it didn't make any
clearer. This episode of his second sojourn in Paris stretched
itself out wearily, with their resumed readings and wanderings and
maunderings, their potterings on the quays, their hauntings of the
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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 Rinkitink In Oz by L. Frank Baum: start. He ran swiftly across the great cavern, until he
had almost reached the opposite wall, when he stopped
so abruptly that King Kaliko sailed over his head and
bumped against the jeweled wall. He bumped so hard that
the points of his crown were all mashed out of shape
and his head was driven far into the diamond-studded
band of the crown, so that it covered one eye and a
part of his nose. Perhaps this saved Kaliko's head from
being cracked against the rock wall, but it was hard on
the crown.
Bilbil was highly pleased at the success of his feat
Rinkitink In Oz |
