| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett: "I just saw a nice plant o' elecampane growin' back there,"
she said presently to her daughter.
"I haven't got my mind on herbs to-day," responded Mrs. Todd,
in the most matter-of-fact way. "I'm bent on seeing folks," and
she shook the reins again.
I for one had no wish to hurry, it was so pleasant in the
shady roads. The woods stood close to the road on the right; on
the left were narrow fields and pastures where there were as many
acres of spruces and pines as there were acres of bay and juniper
and huckleberry, with a little turf between. When I thought we
were in the heart of the inland country, we reached the top of a
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Royalty Restored/London Under Charles II by J. Fitzgerald Molloy: spiritual, Dr. Cosin, Bishop of Durham, and Dr. Wilkins, Bishop
of Chester, voted in favour of the bill.
The social history of this remarkable reign would be incomplete
without mention of the grace and patronage which Charles II.
extended towards the Society of Antiquaries. This learned body,
according to Stow, had been in existence since the days of
Elizabeth; but for lack of royal acknowledgment of its worth and
lore, was permitted to languish in neglect and finally become
extinct. However, under the commonwealth the society had
revived, from the fact that numbers of the nobility being
unemployed in affairs of state, and having no court to attend,
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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 Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy: leave them alone, and I do, in fact, go out; but scarcely am I
outside when I am invaded by a fear of what is taking place
within my absence. I go in again, inventing some pretext. Or
sometimes I do not go in; I remain near the door, and listen.
How can she humiliate herself and humiliate me by placing me in
this cowardly situation of suspicion and espionage? Oh,
abomination! Oh, the wicked animal! And he too, what does he
think of you? But he is like all men. He is what I was before
my marriage. It gives him pleasure. He even smiles when he
looks at me, as much as to say: 'What have you to do with this?
It is my turn now.'
The Kreutzer Sonata |
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 Magic of Oz by L. Frank Baum: carefully, and when you are ready to answer, I will hear you."
12. Kiki Uses His Magic
Then arose a great confusion of sounds as all the animals began
talking to their fellows. The monkeys chattered and the bears growled
and the voices of the jaguars and lions rumbled, and the wolves yelped
and the elephants had to trumpet loudly to make their voices heard.
Such a hubbub had never been known in the forest before, and each beast
argued with his neighbor until it seemed the noise would never cease.
Ruggedo the Nome waved his arms and fluttered his wings to try to
make them listen to him again, but the beasts paid no attention. Some
wanted to fight the Oz people, some wanted to be transformed, and some
The Magic of Oz |
