| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Glasses by Henry James: couldn't have sufficed to mitigate the start with which she greeted
this free application of my moustache: the blood had jumped to her
face, she quickly recovered her hand and jerked at me, twisting
herself round, a vacant challenging stare. During the next few
instants several extraordinary things happened, the first of which
was that now I was close to them the eyes of loveliness I had come
up to look into didn't show at all the conscious light I had just
been pleased to see them flash across the house: they showed on
the contrary, to my confusion, a strange sweet blankness, an
expression I failed to give a meaning to until, without delay, I
felt on my arm, directed to it as if instantly to efface the effect
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln by Helen Nicolay: leadership.
In 1858, two years after this, another election took place in
Illinois, on which the choice of a United States senator
depended. This time it was the term of Stephen A. Douglas that
was drawing to a close. He greatly desired reelection. There was
but one man in the State who could hope to rival him, and with a
single voice the Republicans of Illinois called upon Lincoln to
oppose him. Douglas was indeed an opponent not to be despised.
His friends and followers called him the "Little Giant." He was
plausible, popular, quick-witted, had winning manners, was most
skilful in the use of words, both to convince his hearers and, at
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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 Dynamiter by Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Van De Grift Stevenson: 'I wish you,' said I, speaking with great difficulty, 'to
help me out with these boxes - and I wish nobody to know.'
He took up the candle. 'And I wish to see your face,' said
he.
I turned back my veil without a word, and looked at him with
every appearance of resolve that I could summon up. For some
time he gazed into my face, still holding up the candle.
'Well,' said he at last, 'and where do you wish them taken?'
I knew that I had gained my point; and it was with a tremor
in my voice that I replied. 'I had thought we might carry
them between us to the corner of Euston Road,' said I,
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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 Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe: out. The once occasional huskiness of his tone was heard no
more; and a tremulous quaver, as if of extreme terror, habitually
characterized his utterance. There were times, indeed, when I
thought his unceasingly agitated mind was labouring with some
oppressive secret, to divulge which he struggled for the
necessary courage. At times, again, I was obliged to resolve all
into the mere inexplicable vagaries of madness, for I beheld him
gazing upon vacancy for long hours, in an attitude of the
profoundest attention, as if listening to some imaginary
sound. It was no wonder that his condition terrified--that it
infected me. I felt creeping upon me, by slow yet certain
The Fall of the House of Usher |
