| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Shadow Line by Joseph Conrad: In an unexpectedly distinct voice Mr. Burns be-
gan a rambling speech. Its tone was very strange,
not as if affected by his illness, but as if of a differ-
ent nature. It sounded unearthly. As to the
matter, I seemed to make out that it was the fault
of the "old man"--the late captain--ambushed
down there under the sea with some evil intention.
It was a weird story.
I listened to the end; then stepping into the
cabin I laid my hand on the mate's forehead. It
was cool. He was light-headed only from extreme
The Shadow Line |
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 In a German Pension by Katherine Mansfield: next ten minutes, and then paused, panting, twisting her long hair.
"Isn't that nice?" she said. "And now I am perspiring so splendidly. I
shall go and take a bath."
Opposite to me was the brownest woman I have ever seen, lying on her back,
her arms clasped over her head.
"How long have you been here to-day?" she was asked.
"Oh, I spend the day here now," she answered. "I am making my own 'cure,'
and living entirely on raw vegetables and nuts, and each day I feel my
spirit is stronger and purer. After all, what can you expect? The
majority of us are walking about with pig corpuscles and oxen fragments in
our brain. The wonder is the world is as good as it is. Now I live on the
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