| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling: man had a stick. He may have that stick still, but when he comes
in to bathe in the morning he will not have a stick. I shall wait
here till he comes. Nagaina--do you hear me?--I shall wait
here in the cool till daytime."
There was no answer from outside, so Rikki-tikki knew Nagaina
had gone away. Nag coiled himself down, coil by coil, round the
bulge at the bottom of the water jar, and Rikki-tikki stayed still
as death. After an hour he began to move, muscle by muscle,
toward the jar. Nag was asleep, and Rikki-tikki looked at his big
back, wondering which would be the best place for a good hold.
"If I don't break his back at the first jump," said Rikki, "he can
The Jungle Book |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Dream Life and Real Life by Olive Schreiner: her knees. She heard the thunder rolling, and saw the red torrents rush
among the stones on their way to the river. She heard the roar of the
river as it now rolled, angry and red, bearing away stumps and trees on its
muddy water. She listened and smiled, and pressed closer to the rock that
took care of her. She pressed the palm of her hand against it. When you
have no one to love you, you love the dumb things very much. When the sun
set, it cleared up. Then the little girl ate some kippersol, and lay down
again to sleep. She thought there was nothing so nice as to sleep. When
one has had no food but kippersol juice for two days, one doesn't feel
strong.
"It is so nice here," she thought as she went to sleep, "I will stay here
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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 All's Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare: mother, I could not have owed her a more rooted love.
LAFEU.
'Twas a good lady, 'twas a good lady: we may pick a thousand
salads ere we light on such another herb.
CLOWN.
Indeed, sir, she was the sweet marjoram of the salad, or,
rather, the herb of grace.
LAFEU.
They are not salad-herbs, you knave; they are nose-herbs.
CLOWN.
I am no great Nebuchadnezzar, sir; I have not much skill in
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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 An Unsocial Socialist by George Bernard Shaw: Gertrude, looked round for Trefusis, with whom she intended to
enjoy a trifling flirtation under cover of showing him the
flowers. He was out of sight; but she heard his footsteps in the
passage on the opposite side of the greenhouse. Agatha was also
invisible. Jane, not daring to rearrange their procession lest
her design should become obvious, had to walk on with Erskine.
Agatha had turned unintentionally into the opposite alley to that
which the others had chosen. When she saw what she had done, and
found herself virtually alone with Trefusis, who had followed
her, she blamed him for it, and was about to retrace her steps
when he said coolly:
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