| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen: like snakes knotted together, with their heads sticking out; and others,
again, like small fat bears, with the hair standing on end: all were of
dazzling whiteness--all were living snow-flakes.
Little Gerda repeat~d the Lord's Prayer. The cold was so intense that she
could see her own breath, which came like smoke out of her mouth. It grew
thicker and thicker, and took the form of little angels, that grew more and
more when they touched the earth. All had helms on their heads, and lances
and shields in their hands; they increased in numbers; and when Gerda had
finished the Lord's Prayer, she was surrounded by a whole legion. They thrust
at the horrid snow-flakes with their spears, so that they flew into a thousand
pieces; and little Gerda walked on bravely and in security. The angels patted
Fairy Tales |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling: distance, till Mowgli, whose head was not so close to the ground
as Bagheera's, cried: "They have met. Good hunting--look!
Here stood Little Foot, with his knee on a rock--and yonder
is Big Foot indeed!"
Not ten yards in front of them, stretched across a pile of
broken rocks, lay the body of a villager of the district,
a long, small-feathered Gond arrow through his back and breast.
"Was the Thuu so old and so mad, Little Brother?" said Bagheera
gently. "Here is one death, at least."
"Follow on. But where is the drinker of elephant's blood--the
red-eyed thorn?"
The Second Jungle Book |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Modeste Mignon by Honore de Balzac: intended for her father.
"I know what you are capable of, Dumay," she said; "and if you take
one step against Monsieur de Canalis, I shall take another out of this
house, to which I will never return."
"You will kill your mother, mademoiselle," replied Dumay, who left the
room and called his wife.
The poor mother was indeed half-fainting,--struck to the heart by
Modeste's words.
"Good-bye, wife," said the Breton, kissing the American. "Take care of
the mother; I go to save the daughter."
He made his preparations for the journey in a few minutes, and started
Modeste Mignon |
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 Economist by Xenophon: it is therefore probable, if I take in hand to learn the art of
economy on your estate, I shall ruin it outright.
[10] Lit. "The very thing, God help me! which would hinder . . ."
[11] Lit. "the art of administering an estate."
Critobulus retorted: I see, Socrates, you are doing your very best to
escape an irksome task: you would rather not, if you can help it,
stretch out so much as your little finger to help me to bear my
necessary burthens more easily.
Soc. No, upon my word, I am not trying to escape: on the contrary, I
shall be ready, as far as I can, to expound the matter to you.[12]
. . . Still it strikes me, if you had come to me for fire, and I had
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