| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Call of the Wild by Jack London: Matthewson's six hundred.
The team of ten dogs was unhitched, and Buck, with his own
harness, was put into the sled. He had caught the contagion of
the excitement, and he felt that in some way he must do a great
thing for John Thornton. Murmurs of admiration at his splendid
appearance went up. He was in perfect condition, without an ounce
of superfluous flesh, and the one hundred and fifty pounds that he
weighed were so many pounds of grit and virility. His furry coat
shone with the sheen of silk. Down the neck and across the
shoulders, his mane, in repose as it was, half bristled and seemed
to lift with every movement, as though excess of vigor made each
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Paz by Honore de Balzac: not like to be bound by benefits to a friend who was six years younger
than himself, unless he could repay them. I was careless and
frivolous, just as a young fellow is, and I knew I was certain to ruin
myself at play, or get inveigled by some woman, and Paz and I might
then be parted; and though I had every intention of always looking out
for him, I knew I might sometime or other forget to provide for him.
In short, my dear angel, I wanted to spare him the pain and
mortification of having to ask me for money, or of having to hunt me
up if he got into distress. SO, one morning, after breakfast, when we
were sitting with our feet on the andirons smoking pipes, I produced,
--with the utmost precaution, for I saw him look at me uneasily,--a
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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 Bickerstaff-Partridge Papers by Jonathan Swift: Mahomet has contriv'd matters well for his successors; for as the
Grand Signior has now a great many fine women, he will then have
as many fine young gentelmen, at his devotion.
These are surprizing scenes; but I beg leave to affirm, that the
solemn operations of nature are subjects of contemplation, not of
ridicule. Therefore I make it my earnest request to the merry
fellows, and giggling girls about town, that they would not put
themselves in a high twitter, when they go to visit a general
lying-in of his first child; his officers serving as midwives,
nurses and rockers dispensing caudle; or if they behold the
reverend prelates dressing the heads and airing the linnen at
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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 Rewards and Fairies by Rudyard Kipling: 'There was never a Lee to Warminghurst -
That wasn't a smuggler last and first.'
The children laughed.
'It's comical enough now,' said Pharaoh. 'But I didn't laugh
then. Says Talleyrand after a minute, "I am a bad accountant and I
have several calculations on hand at present. Shall we say twice
the cost of the cargo?"
'Say? I couldn't say a word. I sat choking and nodding like a
China image while he wrote an order to his secretary to pay me, I
won't say how much, because you wouldn't believe it.
'"Oh! Bless you, Abbe! God bless you!" I got it out at last.
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