| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Mansion by Henry van Dyke: everything that you sent us. This is the mansion prepared for
you."
As he spoke, his look grew deeper and more searching, like a
flame of fire.
John Weightman could not endure it. It seemed to strip him naked
and wither him. He sank to the ground under a crushing weight of
shame,
covering his eyes with his hands and cowering face downward
upon the stones. Dimly through the trouble of his mind he felt
their
hardness and coldness.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Bickerstaff-Partridge Papers by Jonathan Swift: little discomposed at the oddness of the accident. In the mean
time one knocks at my door, Betty runs down, and opening, finds a
sober grave person, who modestly enquires if this was Dr.
Partridge's? She taking him for some cautious city-patient, that
came at that time for privacy, shews him into the dining room. As
soon as I could compose myself, I went to him, and was surprized
to find my gentleman mounted on a table with a two-foot rule in
his hand, measuring my walls, and taking the dimensions of the
room. Pray sir, says I, not to interrupt you, have you any
business with me? Only, sir, replies he, order the girl to bring
me a better light, for this is but a very dim one. Sir, says I,
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from King Lear by William Shakespeare: King?
Doct. Madam, sleeps still.
Cor. O you kind gods,
Cure this great breach in his abused nature!
Th' untun'd and jarring senses, O, wind up
Of this child-changed father!
Doct. So please your Majesty
That we may wake the King? He hath slept long.
Cor. Be govern'd by your knowledge, and proceed
I' th' sway of your own will. Is he array'd?
Enter Lear in a chair carried by Servants.
King Lear |
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 Ten Years Later by Alexandre Dumas: marquise, however, had entered her own room, and was
inspecting her casket of jewels with the greatest attention.
Never, until now, had she bestowed such close attention upon
riches in which women take so much pride; never, until now,
had she looked at her jewels except for the purpose of
making a selection, according to their settings or their
colors. On this occasion, however, she admired the size of
the rubies and the brilliancy of the diamonds; she grieved
over every blemish and every defect; she thought the gold
light, and the stones wretched. The goldsmith, as he
entered, found her thus occupied. "M. Faucheux " she said,
Ten Years Later |
