| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll: bag that hung round his neck, and handed a sandwich to the King,
who devoured it greedily.
`Another sandwich!' said the King.
`There's nothing but hay left now,' the Messenger said, peeping
into the bag.
`Hay, then,' the King murmured in a faint whisper.
Alice was glad to see that it revived him a good deal.
`There's nothing like eating hay when you're faint,' he remarked
to her, as he munched away.
`I should think throwing cold water over you would be better,'
Alice suggested: `or some sal-volatile.'
Through the Looking-Glass |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Case of The Lamp That Went Out by Grace Isabel Colbron and Augusta Groner: of Police in Vienna.
The two watchers leaned forward, scarcely three yards above the man
in whom they were interested. Thorne tore out two leaves of his
notebook and wrote several lines on each of them. One note, he
placed in the envelope addressed to the Viennese police and sealed
it carefully. Then he put the sealed letter with the second note in
the other envelope, the one addressed to the Italian police. He put
all the letters back in his notebook, holding it together with a
rubber strap, and replaced it in his pocket.
Then he stretched out his hand toward the revolver.
The sand came rattling down upon him, the thistles bent over
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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 Sarrasine by Honore de Balzac: salutary influence which Bouchardon exercised over his morals and his
habits. He paid the penalty of his genius by winning the prize for
sculpture founded by the Marquis de Marigny, Madame de Pompadour's
brother, who did so much for art. Diderot praised Bouchardon's pupil's
statue as a masterpiece. Not without profound sorrow did the king's
sculptor witness the departure for Italy of a young man whose profound
ignorance of the things of life he had, as a matter of principle,
refrained from enlightening. Sarrasine was Bouchardon's guest for six
years. Fanatically devoted to his art, as Canova was at a later day,
he rose at dawn and went to the studio, there to remain until night,
and lived with his muse alone. If he went to the Comedie-Francaise, he
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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 Flower Fables by Louisa May Alcott: as the cool waves rose and fell, while to and fro, with waving wings
and joyous voices, went the smiling Elves, bearing fruit and honey,
or fragrant garlands for each other's hair.
Long they feasted, gayly they sang, and Eva, dancing merrily
among them, longed to be an Elf that she might dwell forever
in so fair a home.
At length the music ceased, and the Queen said, as she laid her hand
on little Eva's shining hair:--
"Dear child, tomorrow we must bear you home, for, much as we long
to keep you, it were wrong to bring such sorrow to your loving earthly
friends; therefore we will guide you to the brook-side, and there say
Flower Fables |
