| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Illustrious Gaudissart by Honore de Balzac: subscription, Madame Gaudissart."
"On my word of honor, you are going crazy, Gaudissart."
"More and more crazy about YOU," he replied, flinging his hat upon the
sofa.
The next morning Gaudissart, having breakfasted gloriously with Jenny,
departed on horseback to work up the chief towns of the district to
which he was assigned by the various enterprises in whose interests he
was now about to exercise his great talents. After spending forty-five
days in beating up the country between Paris and Blois, he remained
two weeks at the latter place to write up his correspondence and make
short visits to the various market towns of the department. The night
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Daisy Miller by Henry James: his previous history, his tastes, his habits, his intentions--and for
supplying information upon corresponding points in her own personality.
Of her own tastes, habits, and intentions Miss Miller was prepared
to give the most definite, and indeed the most favorable account.
"Well, I hope you know enough!" she said to her companion,
after he had told her the history of the unhappy Bonivard.
"I never saw a man that knew so much!" The history of Bonivard
had evidently, as they say, gone into one ear and out of the other.
But Daisy went on to say that she wished Winterbourne would travel
with them and "go round" with them; they might know something,
in that case. "Don't you want to come and teach Randolph?" she asked.
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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 Sportsman by Xenophon: [5] As it evaporates. Aliter, "is perceptible to smell as it is wafted
by the breeze to greet them."
Heavy dews also will obliterate scent by its depressing effect;[6] and
rains occurring after long intervals, while bringing out odours from
the earth,[7] will render the soil bad for scent until it dries again.
Southerly winds will not improve scent--being moisture-laden they
disperse it; whereas northerly winds, provided the scent has not been
previously destroyed, tend to fix and preserve it. Rains will drown
and wash it away, and so will drizzle; while the moon by her heat[8]--
especially a full moon--will dull its edge; in fact the trail is
rarest--most irregular[9]--at such times, for the hares in their joy
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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 Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift: The king, who, as I before observed, was a prince of excellent
understanding, would frequently order that I should be brought in
my box, and set upon the table in his closet: he would then
command me to bring one of my chairs out of the box, and sit down
within three yards distance upon the top of the cabinet, which
brought me almost to a level with his face. In this manner I had
several conversations with him. I one day took the freedom to
tell his majesty, "that the contempt he discovered towards
Europe, and the rest of the world, did not seem answerable to
those excellent qualities of mind that he was master of; that
reason did not extend itself with the bulk of the body; on the
Gulliver's Travels |
