| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Twelve Stories and a Dream by H. G. Wells: "Lean. You know that sort of young man's neck that has two great
flutings down the back, here and here--so! And a little, meanish head
with scrubby hair--And rather bad ears. Shoulders bad, narrower
than the hips; turn-down collar, ready-made short jacket, trousers
baggy and a little frayed at the heels. That's how he took me.
I came very quietly up the staircase. I did not carry a light,
you know--the candles are on the landing table and there is that lamp--
and I was in my list slippers, and I saw him as I came up. I stopped
dead at that--taking him in. I wasn't a bit afraid. I think that
in most of these affairs one is never nearly so afraid or excited
as one imagines one would be. I was surprised and interested.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence: old friend, lover, and she belonged to Bestwood and home and his youth.
Clara was a newer friend, and she belonged to Nottingham, to life,
to the world. It seemed to him quite plain.
Mrs. Dawes and he had many periods of coolness, when they saw
little of each other; but they always came together again.
"Were you horrid with Baxter Dawes?" he asked her. It was
a thing that seemed to trouble him.
"In what way?"
"Oh, I don't know. But weren't you horrid with him?
Didn't you do something that knocked him to pieces?"
"What, pray?"
Sons and Lovers |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Apology by Plato: tell you that he is lying.
But I shall be asked, Why do people delight in continually conversing with
you? I have told you already, Athenians, the whole truth about this
matter: they like to hear the cross-examination of the pretenders to
wisdom; there is amusement in it. Now this duty of cross-examining other
men has been imposed upon me by God; and has been signified to me by
oracles, visions, and in every way in which the will of divine power was
ever intimated to any one. This is true, O Athenians, or, if not true,
would be soon refuted. If I am or have been corrupting the youth, those of
them who are now grown up and have become sensible that I gave them bad
advice in the days of their youth should come forward as accusers, and take
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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 Caesar's Commentaries in Latin by Julius Caesar: administrarentur. His dimissis, et VII ab eo loco progressus aperto ac
plano litore naves constituit.
At barbari, consilio Romanorum cognito praemisso equitatu et
essedariis, quo plerumque genere in proeliis uti consuerunt, reliquis
copiis subsecuti nostros navibus egredi prohibebant. Erat ob has causas
summa difficultas, quod naves propter magnitudinem nisi in alto constitui
non poterant, militibus autem, ignotis locis, impeditis manibus, magno et
gravi onere armorum oppressis simul et de navibus desiliendum et in
auctibus consistendum et cum hostibus erat pugnandum, cum illi aut ex
arido aut paulum in aquam progressi omnibus membris expeditis, notissimis
locis, audacter tela coicerent et equos insuefactos incitarent. Quibus
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