| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from End of the Tether by Joseph Conrad: It was as if he had taken his line, and would accept no
help from men, after having been cast out, like a pre-
sumptuous Titan, from his heaven. Mr. Van Wyk, ar-
rested, seemed to count the footsteps right out of ear-
shot. He walked between the tables, tapping smartly
with his heels, took up a paper-knife, dropped it after
a vague glance along the blade; then happening upon
the piano, struck a few chords again and again, vigor-
ously, standing up before the keyboard with an atten-
tive poise of the head like a piano-tuner; closing it, he
pivoted on his heels brusquely, avoided the little terrier
End of the Tether |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from 1984 by George Orwell: black. For an instant he was insane, a screaming animal. Yet he came out
of the blackness clutching an idea. There was one and only one way to save
himself. He must interpose another human being, the BODY of another human
being, between himself and the rats.
The circle of the mask was large enough now to shut out the vision of
anything else. The wire door was a couple of hand-spans from his face. The
rats knew what was coming now. One of them was leaping up and down, the
other, an old scaly grandfather of the sewers, stood up, with his pink
hands against the bars, and fiercely sniffed the air. Winston could see
the whiskers and the yellow teeth. Again the black panic took hold of him.
He was blind, helpless, mindless.
1984 |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne: forming dark grottos, but which presented no practicable slope;
it was the prop of the Island of Crespo. It was the earth!
Captain Nemo stopped suddenly. A gesture of his brought us all
to a halt; and, however desirous I might be to scale the wall,
I was obliged to stop. Here ended Captain Nemo's domains.
And he would not go beyond them. Further on was a portion of the
globe he might not trample upon.
The return began. Captain Nemo had returned to the head of his little band,
directing their course without hesitation. I thought we were not following
the same road to return to the Nautilus. The new road was very steep,
and consequently very painful. We approached the surface of the sea rapidly.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea |
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 Pierre Grassou by Honore de Balzac: there he went to Sommervieux' atelier, to acquire that portion of the
art of painting which is called composition, but composition was shy
and distant to him. Then he tried to snatch from Decamps and Granet
the mystery of their interior effects. The two masters were not
robbed. Finally Fougeres ended his education with Duval-Lecamus.
During these studied and these different transformations Fougeres'
habits and ways of life were tranquil and moral to a degree that
furnished matter of jesting to the various ateliers where he
sojourned; but everywhere he disarmed his comrades by his modesty and
by the patience and gentleness of a lamblike nature. The masters,
however, had no sympathy for the good lad; masters prefer bright
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