| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce: face and hands, then fell away, continuing their descent.
One lodged between his collar and neck; it was uncomfortably
warm and he snatched it out.
As he rose to the surface, gasping for breath, he saw that he
had been a long time under water; he was perceptibly farther
downstream -- nearer to safety. The soldiers had almost
finished reloading; the metal ramrods flashed all at once in
the sunshine as they were drawn from the barrels,
turned in the air, and thrust into their sockets. The two
sentinels fired again, independently and ineffectually.
The hunted man saw all this over his shoulder; he was now
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Aesop's Fables by Aesop: will do you just as much good."
Wealth unused might as well not exist.
The Fox and the Mosquitoes
A Fox after crossing a river got its tail entangled in a bush,
and could not move. A number of Mosquitoes seeing its plight
settled upon it and enjoyed a good meal undisturbed by its tail.
A hedgehog strolling by took pity upon the Fox and went up to him:
"You are in a bad way, neighbour," said the hedgehog; "shall I
relieve you by driving off those Mosquitoes who are sucking your
blood?"
"Thank you, Master Hedgehog," said the Fox, "but I would
Aesop's Fables |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Red Inn by Honore de Balzac: embrasure of a window just as I was leaving the card-table, having
lost all my money. "Would you accept the power of reading hearts? Why
not leave things to human justice or divine justice? We may escape one
but we cannot escape the other. Do you think the privilege of a judge
of the court of assizes so much to be envied? You have almost done the
work of an executioner."
"After sharing and stimulating my curiosity, why are you now lecturing
me on morality?"
"You have made me reflect," she answered.
"So, then, peace to villains, war to the sorrowful, and let's deify
gold! However, we will drop the subject," I added, laughing. "Do you
|
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 Malbone: An Oldport Romance by Thomas Wentworth Higginson: lovely emotions, forsooth, till they wear out those fine
fiddlestrings, and then have nothing left but the flesh and the
D. Don't tell me!"
"Do stop, auntie," interposed Kate, quite alarmed, "you are
really worse than a coachman. You are growing very profane
indeed."
"I have a much harder time than any coachman, Kate," retorted
the injured lady. "Nobody tries to stop him, and you are
always hushing me up."
"Hushing you up, darling?" said Kate. "When we only spoil you
by praising and quoting everything you say."
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