| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad: "She's ashore already," he wailed, trying to tear himself away.
"Is she? . . . Keep good full there!"
"Good full, sir," cried the helmsman in a frightened, thin, childlike voice.
I hadn't let go the mate's arm and went on shaking it. "Ready about,
do you hear? You go forward"--shake--"and stop there"--shake--"and hold
your noise"--shake--" and see these head-sheets properly overhauled"--
shake, shake--shake.
And all the time I dared not look towards the land lest my heart
should fail me. I released my grip at last and he ran forward
as if fleeing for dear life.
I wondered what my double there in the sail locker thought of
The Secret Sharer |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Complete Angler by Izaak Walton: do you hunt a beast or a fish?
Huntsman. Sir, it is not in my power to resolve you; I leave it to be
resolved by the college of Carthusians, who have made vows never to
eat flesh. But, I have heard, the question hath been debated among
many great clerks, and they seem to differ about it; yet most agree that
her tail is fish: and if her body be fish too, then I may say that a fish will
walk upon land: for an Otter does so sometimes, five or six or ten miles
in a night, to catch for her young ones, or to glut herself with fish. And I
can tell you that Pigeons will fly forty miles for a breakfast: but, Sir, I
am sure the Otter devours much fish, and kills and spoils much more
than he eats. And I can tell you, that this dog-fisher, for so the Latins
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Dunwich Horror by H. P. Lovecraft: feet tall.
Through all the years Wilbur had treated his half-deformed
albino mother with a growing contempt, finally forbidding her
to go to the hills with him on May Eve and Hallowmass; and in
1926 the poor creature complained to Mamie Bishop of being afraid
of him.
'They's more abaout him as I knows than I kin tell ye,
Mamie,' she said, 'an' naowadays they's more nor what I know myself.
I vaow afur Gawd, I dun't know what he wants nor what he's a-tryin'
to dew.'
That Hallowe'en the hill noises sounded louder than
The Dunwich Horror |
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 Just Folks by Edgar A. Guest: That land is home to me.
My land is where the children play,
And where the roses bloom,
And where to break the peaceful day
No flaming cannons boom.
My land's the land of honest toil,
Of laughter, dance and song,
Where harvests crown the fertile soil
And thoughtful are the strong.
My land's the land of many creeds
And tolerance for all
Just Folks |
