| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Falk by Joseph Conrad: an hour in his company without being made to won-
der at such a movement breaking some long period
of stillness. it was a passionate and inexplicable
gesture. He used to make it at all sorts of times;
as likely as not after he had been listening to little
Lena's chatter about the suffering doll, for instance.
The Hermann children always besieged him about
his legs closely, though, in a gentle way, he shrank
from them a little. He seemed, however, to feel a
great affection for the whole family. For Hermann
himself especially. He sought his company. In
Falk |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens: had his head out of the basket, and in return was watching him
intently with his glistening eye.
'He flaps his wings,' said Barnaby, turning almost quickly enough
to catch the retreating form and closing door, 'as if there were
strangers here, but Grip is wiser than to fancy that. Jump then!'
Accepting this invitation with a dignity peculiar to himself, the
bird hopped up on his master's shoulder, from that to his extended
hand, and so to the ground. Barnaby unstrapping the basket and
putting it down in a corner with the lid open, Grip's first care
was to shut it down with all possible despatch, and then to stand
upon it. Believing, no doubt, that he had now rendered it utterly
Barnaby Rudge |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Woman and Labour by Olive Schreiner: surely a waterfowl, a duck, or it may be a goose; if we took it to the
water it would swim and gabble." But another said, "It has no webs to its
feet; it is a barn-door fowl; should you let it loose it will scratch and
cackle with the others on the dung-heap." But a third speculated, "Look
now at its curved beak; no doubt it is a parrot, and can crack nuts!" But
a fourth said, "No, but look at its wings; perhaps it is a bird of great
flight." But several cried, "Nonsense! No one has ever seen it fly! Why
should it fly? Can you suppose that a thing can do a thing which no one
has ever seen it do?" And the bird--the bird--with its leg chained close
to the log, preened its wing. So they sat about it, speculating, and
discussing it: and one said this, and another that. And all the while as
|
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 Chouans by Honore de Balzac: returned from a country where, they say, the /ci-devants/ didn't find
life too easy, and men ripen like medlars in the straw. If that fellow
is really clever he can lead us a pretty dance. He has already formed
companies of light infantry who oppose our troops and neutralize the
efforts of the government. If we burn a royalist village he burns two
of ours. He can hold an immense tract of country and force us to
spread out our men at the very moment when we want them on one spot.
Oh, he knows what he is about."
"He is cutting his country's throat," said Gerard in a loud voice,
interrupting the captain.
"Then," said the /emigre/, "if his death would deliver the nation, why
The Chouans |
