| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Altar of the Dead by Henry James: clearer than his indecent haste to rejoin her. He sank on his
knees before his altar while his head fell over on his hands. His
weakness, his life's weariness overtook him. It seemed to him he
had come for the great surrender. At first he asked himself how he
should get away; then, with the failing belief in the power, the
very desire to move gradually left him. He had come, as he always
came, to lose himself; the fields of light were still there to
stray in; only this time, in straying, he would never come back.
He had given himself to his Dead, and it was good: this time his
Dead would keep him. He couldn't rise from his knees; he believed
he should never rise again; all he could do was to lift his face
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Peter Pan by James M. Barrie: wearing Wendy's bracelet on her arm; she had asked for the loan
of it. Wendy loved to lend her bracelet to her mother.
She had found her two older children playing at being herself
and father on the occasion of Wendy's birth, and John was saying:
"I am happy to inform you, Mrs. Darling, that you are now a
mother," in just such a tone as Mr. Darling himself may have used
on the real occasion.
Wendy had danced with joy, just as the real Mrs. Darling must
have done.
Then John was born, with the extra pomp that he conceived due
to the birth of a male, and Michael came from his bath to ask to
Peter Pan |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Somebody's Little Girl by Martha Young: ``I am glad I brought the little gown,'' Sister Helen Vincula was
saying; ``the child was so ill, so fearfully thin, I feared--it was
only a fancy--I feared--''
``No, no, no,'' cried the lady, drawing Bessie Bell closer.
``Now nearly two years she has been with us,'' said Sister Helen
Vincula.
``She was just old enough to be put to the table in a high chair,''
said the lady. ``Ah, how she did laugh and crow and jump when her
father took the peacock-feather-fly-brush from the maid, and waved
it in front of her! She would seize the ends of the feathers, and
laugh and crow louder than ever, and hide her laughing little face
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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 The Yates Pride by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman: linen wrapped up in the old blue and white blanket, in my old
carriage, and they thought what they thought."
Eudora laughed faintly. She had a gentle humor. "It was
somewhat laughable, too," she observed. "The Lancaster girls and
I have had our little jests over it, but I felt that I could not
deceive you."
Lawton looked bewildered. "But that is a real baby in there," he
said, jerking an elbow toward the other room.
"Oh yes," replied Eudora. "I adopted him yesterday. I went to
the Children's Home in Elmfield. Amelia Lancaster went with me.
Wilson drove us over. I know a nurse there. She took care of
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