| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Youth by Joseph Conrad: racket, rattle, clanking of chain, hiss of water, and mil-
lions of sparks flew up into the shivering column of smoke
that stood leaning slightly above the ship. The cat-
heads had burned away, and the two red-hot anchors had
gone to the bottom, tearing out after them two hundred
fathom of red-hot chain. The ship trembled, the mass of
flame swayed as if ready to collapse, and the fore top-
gallant-mast fell. It darted down like an arrow of fire,
shot under, and instantly leaping up within an oar's-
length of the boats, floated quietly, very black on the
luminous sea. I hailed the deck again. After some time
Youth |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Master Key by L. Frank Baum: civilization, and--"
"And they all know as much about that little planet as you do
yourself," interrupted the Demon, impatiently. "The trouble with you
Earth people is that you delight in guessing about what you can not
know. Now I happen to know all about Mars, because I can traverse all
space and have had ample leisure to investigate the different planets.
Mars is not peopled at all, nor is any other of the planets you
recognize in the heavens. Some contain low orders of beasts, to be
sure, but Earth alone has an intelligent, thinking, reasoning
population, and your scientists and novelists would do better trying
to comprehend their own planet than in groping through space to
The Master Key |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy: time to the song.
CHAPTER III
On returning from the review, Kutuzov took the Austrian general into
his private room and, calling his adjutant, asked for some papers
relating to the condition of the troops on their arrival, and the
letters that had come from the Archduke Ferdinand, who was in
command of the advanced army. Prince Andrew Bolkonski came into the
room with the required papers. Kutuzov and the Austrian member of
the Hofkriegsrath were sitting at the table on which a plan was spread
out.
"Ah!..." said Kutuzov glancing at Bolkonski as if by this
War and Peace |
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 Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery: dear birches down in the hollow. And good afternoon,
dear gray house up on the hill. I wonder if Diana is to
be my bosom friend. I hope she will, and I shall love
her very much. But I must never quite forget Katie Maurice
and Violetta. They would feel so hurt if I did and I'd
hate to hurt anybody's feelings, even a little bookcase
girl's or a little echo girl's. I must be careful to
remember them and send them a kiss every day."
Anne blew a couple of airy kisses from her fingertips
past the cherry blossoms and then, with her chin in her
hands, drifted luxuriously out on a sea of daydreams.
Anne of Green Gables |
