| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Lady Susan by Jane Austen: and they say that she declares she will have Sir James Martin before she
leaves London again. If I were you, I would certainly get him myself. I had
almost forgot to give you my opinion of Mr. De Courcy; I am really
delighted with him; he is full as handsome, I think, as Mainwaring, and
with such an open, good-humoured countenance, that one cannot help loving
him at first sight. Mr. Johnson and he are the greatest friends in the
world. Adieu, my dearest Susan, I wish matters did not go so perversely.
That unlucky visit to Langford! but I dare say you did all for the best,
and there is no defying destiny.
Your sincerely attached
ALICIA.
Lady Susan |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Enchanted Island of Yew by L. Frank Baum: For a time Prince Marvel could not think what to do. Such magic was
all unknown to him, and how to free the imprisoned forms of his
friends was a real problem. He walked around the castle, but no one
was in sight, the Rogue having given orders to all his people to keep
away. Only the tethered horses did he see, and these raised their
heads and whinnied as if in sympathy with his perplexity.
Then he went back into the hall and searched all the rooms of the
castle without finding a single person. On his return he stopped in
front of the mirror and sorrowfully regarded the faces of his friends,
who again seemed to plead for relief.
And while he looked a sudden fit of anger came over him at being
The Enchanted Island of Yew |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Beast in the Jungle by Henry James: consider that we went far?"
"Why I thought it the point you were just making--that we HAD
looked most things in the face."
"Including each other?" She still smiled. "But you're quite
right. We've had together great imaginations, often great fears;
but some of them have been unspoken."
"Then the worst--we haven't faced that. I COULD face it, I
believe, if I knew what you think it. I feel," he explained, "as
if I had lost my power to conceive such things." And he wondered
if he looked as blank as he sounded. "It's spent."
"Then why do you assume," she asked, "that mine isn't?"
|
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 The Man in Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart: hat and stalked out. Still the woman at the next table waited.
It was a relief when the meal was over. We got our hats and were
about to leave the room, when a waiter touched me on the arm.
"I beg your pardon, sir," he said, "but the lady at the table near
the window, the lady in black, sir, would like to speak to you."
I looked down between the rows of tables to where the woman sat
alone, her chin still resting on her hand, her black eyes still
insolently staring, this time at me.
"I'll have to go," I said to McKnight hurriedly. "She knows all
about that affair and she'd be a bad enemy."
"I don't like her lamps," McKnight observed, after a glance at her.
The Man in Lower Ten |
