| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin: given all her estate to charitable uses, reserving only twelve
pounds a year to live on, and out of this sum she still gave a great
deal in charity, living herself on water-gruel only, and using
no fire but to boil it. She had lived many years in that garret,
being permitted to remain there gratis by successive Catholic tenants
of the house below, as they deemed it a blessing to have her there.
A priest visited her to confess her every day. "I have ask'd her,"
says my landlady, "how she, as she liv'd, could possibly find so much
employment for a confessor?" "Oh," said she, "it is impossible
to avoid vain thoughts." I was permitted once to visit her, She was
chearful and polite, and convers'd pleasantly. The room was clean,
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Kidnapped Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum: no evil, are about to visit my cave at once; for to prove that I sincerely
regret my share in your capture I am going to permit you to escape."
This speech greatly surprised the prisoner, until he reflected that it
was just what might be expected of the Daemon of Repentance. The
fellow at once busied himself untying the knots that bound Santa Claus
and unlocking the chains that fastened him to the wall. Then he
led the way through a long tunnel until they both emerged in the
Cave of Repentance.
"I hope you will forgive me," said the Daemon pleadingly. "I am not
really a bad person, you know; and I believe I accomplish a great deal
of good in the world."
A Kidnapped Santa Claus |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte: can obtain and seek no sympathy from any living creature, and which
yet we cannot, or will not wholly crush, we often naturally seek
relief in poetry - and often find it, too - whether in the
effusions of others, which seem to harmonize with our existing
case, or in our own attempts to give utterance to those thoughts
and feelings in strains less musical, perchance, but more
appropriate, and therefore more penetrating and sympathetic, and,
for the time, more soothing, or more powerful to rouse and to
unburden the oppressed and swollen heart. Before this time, at
Wellwood House and here, when suffering from home-sick melancholy,
I had sought relief twice or thrice at this secret source of
Agnes Grey |
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 Black Dwarf by Walter Scott: abuse the Word that gate, ye dinna ken what ye speak about."
"Hae ye ony tidings?--Hae ye ony speerings, Hobbie?--O, callants,
dinna be ower hasty," said old Dick of the Dingle.
"What signifies preaching to us, e'enow?" said Simon; "if ye
canna make help yoursell, dinna keep back them that can."
"Whisht, sir; wad ye take vengeance or ye ken wha has wrang'd
ye?"
"D'ye think we dinna ken the road to England as weel as our
fathers before us?--All evil comes out o' thereaway--it's an auld
saying and a true; and we'll e'en away there, as if the devil was
blawing us south."
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