| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Massimilla Doni by Honore de Balzac: like a snake, and clung to one foot, pressing it to her beautiful
bosom.
"Will you explain to me," said he, shaking his foot to free it from
her embrace, "how you happen to be in my palazzo? How the impoverished
Emilio Memmi--"
"Emilio Memmi!" cried Tinti, rising. "You said you were a Prince."
"A Prince since yesterday."
"You are in love with the Duchess Cataneo!" said she, looking at him
from head to foot.
Emilio stood mute, seeing that the prima dona was smiling at him
through her tears.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Astoria by Washington Irving: governor exerted some sort of sway, but it was of a peculiar and
characteristic kind; it was the tyranny of the table. They were
obliged to join him in his "prosnics" or carousals, and to drink
"potations pottle deep." His carousals, too, were not of the most
quiet kind, nor were his potations as mild as nectar. "He is
continually," said Mr. Hunt, "giving entertainments by way of
parade, and if you do not drink raw rum, and boiling punch as
strong as sulphur, he will insult you as soon as he gets drunk,
which is very shortly after sitting down to table."
As to any "temperance captain" who stood fast to his faith, and
refused to give up his sobriety, he might go elsewhere for a
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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 Virginian by Owen Wister: Medicine Bow, growing all the while. Steve offered us the freedom
of the house, everywhere. He implored us to call for whatever
pleased us, and as many times as we should please. He ordered the
town to be searched for more citizens to come and help him pay
his bet. But changing his mind, kegs and bottles were now carried
along with us. We had found three fiddlers, and these played
busily for us; and thus we set out to visit all cabins and houses
where people might still by some miracle be asleep. The first man
put out his head to decline. But such a possibility had been
foreseen by the proprietor of the store. This seemingly
respectable man now came dragging some sort of apparatus from his
The Virginian |
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 Crisis in Russia by Arthur Ransome: and of the loss of their old position as centres through which
the country received its imports from abroad. Townsfolk
and factory workers lack food, fuel, raw materials and much
else that in a civilized State is considered a necessary of life.
Thus, ten million poods of fish were caught last year, but
there were no means of bringing them from the fisheries to
the great industrial centres where they were most needed.
Townsfolk are starving, and in winter, cold. People living in
rooms in a flat, complete strangers to each other, by general
agreement bring all their beds into the kitchen. In the
kitchen soup is made once a day. There is a little warmth
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