| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Maid Marian by Thomas Love Peacock: A woman, who seemed just old enough to be the boy's mother,
had thrown down her spinning wheel in her joy at the sound
of Robin's horn, and was bustling with singular alacrity
to set forth her festal ware and prepare an abundant supper.
Her features, though not beautiful, were agreeable and expressive,
and were now lighted up with such manifest joy at the sight of Robin,
that Marian could not help feeling a momentary touch of jealousy,
and a half-formed suspicion that Robin had broken his forest law,
and had occasionally gone out of bounds, as other great men have
done upon occasion, in order to reconcile the breach of the spirit,
with the preservation of the letter, of their own legislation.
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson by Robert Louis Stevenson: expression of your opinion on this point. Living as I do among -
not the most cultured of mankind ('splendidly educated and perfect
gentlemen when sober') - I attach a growing importance to friendly
criticisms from yourself.
I believe that this is the most of our business. As for my health,
I got over my cold in a fine style, but have not been very well of
late. To my unaffected annoyance, the blood-spitting has started
again. I find the heat of a steamer decidedly wearing and trying
in these latitudes, and I am inclined to think the superior
expedition rather dearly paid for. Still, the fact that one does
not even remark the coming of a squall, nor feel relief on its
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft: Danforth and I found ourselves bearing up very well, and felt
equal to almost any task which might fall to our lot. It took
only a few steps to bring us to a shapeless ruin worn level with
the snow, while ten or fifteen rods farther on there was a huge,
roofless rampart still complete in its gigantic five-pointed outline
and rising to an irregular height of ten or eleven feet. For this
latter we headed; and when at last we were actually able to touch
its weathered Cyclopean blocks, we felt that we had established
an unprecedented and almost blasphemous link with forgotten aeons
normally closed to our species.
This rampart, shaped like a
At the Mountains of Madness |
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 Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death by Patrick Henry: find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir,
deceive ourselves. Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert
the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated;
we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have
implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and
Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced
additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded;
and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne!
In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and
reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free--
if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which
|
