| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Shadow Line by Joseph Conrad: to me that he might die suddenly, from excitement,
at a critical moment.
While this gruesome fear restrained the ready
words on the tip of my tongue, Ransome stepped
back two paces and vanished from my sight.
At once an uneasiness possessed me, as if some
support had been withdrawn. I moved forward,
too, outside the circle of light, into the darkness
that stood in front of me like a wall. In one stride
I penetrated it. Such must have been the dark-
ness before creation. It had closed behind me. I
The Shadow Line |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: "A careless girl!" said Mr. Brocklehurst, and immediately after--"It
is the new pupil, I perceive." And before I could draw breath, "I
must not forget I have a word to say respecting her." Then aloud:
how loud it seemed to me! "Let the child who broke her slate come
forward!"
Of my own accord I could not have stirred; I was paralysed: but the
two great girls who sit on each side of me, set me on my legs and
pushed me towards the dread judge, and then Miss Temple gently
assisted me to his very feet, and I caught her whispered counsel -
"Don't be afraid, Jane, I saw it was an accident; you shall not be
punished."
Jane Eyre |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from A Simple Soul by Gustave Flaubert: --he was being devoured by savages, or captured in a forest by apes,
or dying on some lonely coast. She never mentioned her anxieties,
however.
Madame Aubain worried about her daughter.
The sisters thought that Virginia was affectionate but delicate. The
slightest emotion enervated her. She had to give up her piano lessons.
Her mother insisted upon regular letters from the convent. One
morning, when the postman failed to come, she grew impatient and began
to pace to and fro, from her chair to the window. It was really
extraordinary! No news since four days!
In order to console her mistress by her own example, Felicite said:
A Simple Soul |
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 Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, etc. by Oscar Wilde: the Custom House, the train service is so irregular, that they
usually go off before they have reached their proper destination.
If, however, you want one for home use, I can supply you with an
excellent article, and guarantee that you will he satisfied with
the result. May I ask for whom it is intended? If it is for the
police, or for any one connected with Scotland Yard, I am afraid I
cannot do anything for you. The English detectives are really our
best friends, and I have always found that by relying on their
stupidity, we can do exactly what we like. I could not spare one
of them.'
'I assure you,' said Lord Arthur, 'that it has nothing to do with
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