| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Another Study of Woman by Honore de Balzac: the woman we love is such a balm to the heart that it must dispel
anguish, doubt, and sorrow. All my rage vanished. I could smile again.
Hence this cheerfulness, which at my age now would be the most
atrocious dissimulation, was the result of my youth and my love. My
jealousy once buried, I had the power of observation. My ailing
condition was evident; the horrible doubts that had fermented in me
increased it. At last I found an opening for putting in these words:
'You have had no one with you this morning?' making a pretext of the
uneasiness I had felt in the fear lest she should have disposed of her
time after receiving my first note.--'Ah!' she exclaimed, 'only a man
could have such ideas! As if I could think of anything but your
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Twice Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne: on their way rejoicing. In a few hours they had forgotten the
whole affair, nor once imagined that the recording angel had
written down the crime of murder against their souls, in letters
as durable as eternity. As for David Swan, he still slept
quietly, neither conscious of the shadow of death when it hung
over him, nor of the glow of renewed life when that shadow was
withdrawn.
He slept, but no longer so quietly as at first. An hour's repose
had snatched, from his elastic frame, the weariness with which
many hours of toil had burdened it. Now he stirred--now, moved
his lips, without a sound--now, talked, in an inward tone, to the
Twice Told Tales |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey: unhappiness and tragedy. He met her advance so far that he
returned the embrace and kissed her. Emotion such as she showed
would have made any woman sweet, and she had a certain charm.
It was easy, even pleasant, to kiss her; but Duane resolved
that, whatever her abandonment might become, he would not go
further than the lie she made him act.
"Buck, you love me?" she whispered.
"Yes--yes," he burst out, eager to get it over, and even as he
spoke he caught the pale gleam of Jennie's face through the
window. He felt a shame he was glad she could not see. Did she
remember that she had promised not to misunderstand any action
The Lone Star Ranger |
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 Ball at Sceaux by Honore de Balzac: a reputation due to the scenery, which is considered enchanting.
Perhaps it is quite ordinary, and owes its fame only to the stupidity
of the Paris townsfolk, who, emerging from the stony abyss in which
they are buried, would find something to admire in the flats of La
Beauce. However, as the poetic shades of Aulnay, the hillsides of
Antony, and the valley of the Bieve are peopled with artists who have
traveled far, by foreigners who are very hard to please, and by a
great many pretty women not devoid of taste, it is to be supposed that
the Parisians are right. But Sceaux possesses another attraction not
less powerful to the Parisian. In the midst of a garden whence there
are delightful views, stands a large rotunda open on all sides, with a
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