| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Brothers Grimm: go; you have no clothes, and cannot dance, and you would only put us
to shame': and off she went with her two daughters to the ball.
Now when all were gone, and nobody left at home, Ashputtel went
sorrowfully and sat down under the hazel-tree, and cried out:
'Shake, shake, hazel-tree,
Gold and silver over me!'
Then her friend the bird flew out of the tree, and brought a gold and
silver dress for her, and slippers of spangled silk; and she put them
on, and followed her sisters to the feast. But they did not know her,
and thought it must be some strange princess, she looked so fine and
beautiful in her rich clothes; and they never once thought of
Grimm's Fairy Tales |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Crito by Plato: But he who has experience of the manner in which we order justice and
administer the state, and still remains, has entered into an implied
contract that he will do as we command him. And he who disobeys us is, as
we maintain, thrice wrong: first, because in disobeying us he is
disobeying his parents; secondly, because we are the authors of his
education; thirdly, because he has made an agreement with us that he will
duly obey our commands; and he neither obeys them nor convinces us that our
commands are unjust; and we do not rudely impose them, but give him the
alternative of obeying or convincing us;--that is what we offer, and he
does neither.
'These are the sort of accusations to which, as we were saying, you,
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum: "You're expected to fly," explained the Scarecrow. "not to walk."
"We can walk ourselves," said the Woggle-Bug."
I begin to understand what is required of me," remarked the Gump; "so I will
do my best to
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please you," and he flew on for a time in silence.
Presently Jack Pumpkinhead became uneasy.
"I wonder if riding through the air is liable to spoil pumpkins," he said.
"Not unless you carelessly drop your head over the side," answered the
Woggle-Bug. "In that event your head would no longer be a pumpkin, for it
would become a squash."
The Marvelous Land of Oz |
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 Thuvia, Maid of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs: rushing of air against her body, and, from far beneath the
shouting and the challenge from the guard.
Racing toward the south another flier sped toward Helium.
In its cabin a tall red man bent over the soft sole of an
upturned sandal. With delicate instruments he measured
the faint imprint of a small object which appeared there.
Upon a pad beside him was the outline of a key,
and here he noted the results of his measurements.
A smile played upon his lips as he completed his task and
turned to one who waited at the opposite side of the table.
"The man is a genius," he remarked.
Thuvia, Maid of Mars |
