| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Polly of the Circus by Margaret Mayo: "You're more precious to me than all else on this earth."
For the first time he saw the extreme pallor on her face. He
felt her growing limp and lifeless in his arms. A doubt crossed
his mind. "If I am wrong in thinking you feel as I do, if you
honestly care for all this," he glanced about at the tents, "more
than for any life that I can give you, I shan't interfere.
You'll be going on your way in an hour. I'll say good-bye and
God bless you; but if you do care for me, Polly," he was pleading
now, "if you're NOT happy here-- won't you come back to me? Won't
you, Polly?"
She dared not meet his eyes, nor yet to send him away. She stood
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche: the right if one wishes to have the laughers on ONE'S OWN side; a
grain of wrong pertains even to good taste.
222. Wherever sympathy (fellow-suffering) is preached nowadays--
and, if I gather rightly, no other religion is any longer
preached--let the psychologist have his ears open through all the
vanity, through all the noise which is natural to these preachers
(as to all preachers), he will hear a hoarse, groaning, genuine
note of SELF-CONTEMPT. It belongs to the overshadowing and
uglifying of Europe, which has been on the increase for a century
(the first symptoms of which are already specified documentarily
in a thoughtful letter of Galiani to Madame d'Epinay)--IF IT IS
Beyond Good and Evil |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Mrs. Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw: your mother's indispensable as managing director. Youve noticed,
I daresay, that she travels a good deal. But you see you cant
mention such things in society. Once let out the word hotel and
everybody thinks you keep a public-house. You wouldnt like
people to say that of your mother, would you? Thats why we're so
reserved about it. By the way, youll keep it to yourself, wont
you? Since it's been a secret so long, it had better remain so.
VIVIE. And this is the business you invite me to join you in?
CROFTS. Oh no. My wife shant be troubled with business. Youll
not be in it more than youve always been.
VIVIE. _I_ always been! What do you mean?
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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 Damnation of Theron Ware by Harold Frederic: For a moment they shaped themselves in a picture before his
mind's eye; he saw their blackened foliage, their sicklied,
drooping stalks, and wilted blooms, and as he looked,
they restored themselves to the vigor and grace and richness
of color of summer-time, as vividly as if they had been
painted on a canvas. Or no, the picture he stared at
was not on canvas, but on the glossy, varnished panel
of a luxurious sleeping-car. He shook his head angrily and
blinked his eyes again and again, to prevent their seeing,
seated together in the open window above this panel,
the two people he knew were there, gloved and habited
The Damnation of Theron Ware |
