| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson by Robert Louis Stevenson: and have altogether a placid time. But I can't go out! The
thermometer was nearly down to 50 degrees the other day - no
temperature for me, Mr. James: how should I do in England? I fear
not at all. Am I very sorry? I am sorry about seven or eight
people in England, and one or two in the States. And outside of
that, I simply prefer Samoa. These are the words of honesty and
soberness. (I am fasting from all but sin, coughing, THE BONDMAN,
a couple of eggs and a cup of tea.) I was never fond of towns,
houses, society, or (it seems) civilisation. Nor yet it seems was
I ever very fond of (what is technically called) God's green earth.
The sea, islands, the islanders, the island life and climate, make
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad: remember my words."
"I shall always remember," returned Nina, earnestly; "but where
is my power, and what can I do?"
"Do not let him look too long in your eyes, nor lay his head on
your knees without reminding him that men should fight before
they rest. And if he lingers, give him his kriss yourself and
bid him go, as the wife of a mighty prince should do when the
enemies are near. Let him slay the white men that come to us to
trade, with prayers on their lips and loaded guns in their hands.
Ah!"--she ended with a sigh--"they are on every sea, and on every
shore; and they are very many!"
Almayer's Folly |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Captain Stormfield by Mark Twain: worlds in our own system, but the most celebrated were three poets,
Saa, Bo and Soof, from great planets in three different and very
remote systems. These three names are common and familiar in every
nook and corner of heaven, clear from one end of it to the other -
fully as well known as the eighty Supreme Archangels, in fact -
where as our Moses, and Adam, and the rest, have not been heard of
outside of our world's little corner of heaven, except by a few
very learned men scattered here and there - and they always spell
their names wrong, and get the performances of one mixed up with
the doings of another, and they almost always locate them simply IN
OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, and think that is enough without going into
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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 Lesser Bourgeoisie by Honore de Balzac: abrupt departure, which might signify anything, either much or
nothing.
After talking of the weather and so forth for a time, as persons do
who have met to discuss a delicate subject about which they are not
sure of coming to an understanding, the matter was opened by Brigitte,
who had sent her brother to take a walk on the boulevard, telling him
to leave her to manage the affair.
"My dear boy," she said to Theodose, "it was very nice of you not to
come here to-day like a GRASP-ALL, to put your pistol at our throats,
for we were not, as it happened, quite ready to answer you. I think,"
she added, "that our little Celeste needs a trifle more time."
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