| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum: A little girl, radiant and beautiful, shapely as a fairy and
exquisitely dressed, was dancing gracefully in the middle of the
lonely road, whirling slowly this way and that, her dainty feet
twinkling in sprightly fashion. She was clad in flowing, fluffy robes
of soft material that reminded Dorothy of woven cobwebs, only it was
colored in soft tintings of violet, rose, topaz, olive, azure, and
white, mingled together most harmoniously in stripes which melted one
into the other with soft blendings. Her hair was like spun gold and
flowed around her in a cloud, no strand being fastened or confined by
either pin or ornament or ribbon.
Filled with wonder and admiration our friends approached and
The Road to Oz |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Straight Deal by Owen Wister: occurs a sentence, "The South American Republics--protected by the two
nations that possess the institutions and speak the language of freedom."
In this fragment from the London Courier, the kinship at which I have
hinted as being felt by England in 1783, and in 1803, is definitely
expressed. From the Holy Alliance, from the general European diplomatic
game, and from England's preference for us who spoke her language and
thought her thoughts about liberty, law, what a man should be, what a
woman should be, issued the Monroe Doctrine. And you will find that no
matter what dynastic or ministerial interruptions have occurred to
obscure this recognition of kinship with us and preference for us upon
the part of the English people, such interruptions are always temporary
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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 Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll: little towards "fuming," you will say "fuming-furious;" if they turn, by even
a hair's breadth, towards "furious," you will say "furious-fuming;" but if you
have the rarest of gifts, a perfectly balanced mind, you will say "frumious."
Supposing that, when Pistol uttered the well-known words--
"Under which king, Bezonian? Speak or die!"
Justice Shallow had felt certain that it was either William or Richard, but
had not been able to settle which, so that he could not possibly say either
name before the other, can it be doubted that, rather than die, he would have
gasped out "Rilchiam!"
Fit the First
THE LANDING
The Hunting of the Snark |
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 Pupil by Henry James: scandalously late, they were in time for all the dinner they were
likely to sit down to. Confusion reigned in the apartments of the
Moreens - very shabby ones this time, but the best in the house -
and before the interrupted service of the table, with objects
displaced almost as if there had been a scuffle and a great wine-
stain from an overturned bottle, Pemberton couldn't blink the fact
that there had been a scene of the last proprietary firmness. The
storm had come - they were all seeking refuge. The hatches were
down, Paula and Amy were invisible - they had never tried the most
casual art upon Pemberton, but he felt they had enough of an eye to
him not to wish to meet him as young ladies whose frocks had been
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