| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Europeans by Henry James: Eugenia glanced at the little picture as he laid it on her lap.
"Yes, it is very clever," she said. And in a moment she added,
"Do you suppose our cousins do that?"
"Do what?"
"Get into those things, and look like that."
Felix meditated awhile. "I really can't say. It will be
interesting to discover."
"Oh, the rich people can't!" said the Baroness.
"Are you very sure they are rich?" asked Felix, lightly.
His sister slowly turned in her place, looking at him. "Heavenly powers!"
she murmured. "You have a way of bringing out things!"
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Wrecker by Stevenson & Osbourne: high into the air.
"I guess we'll saunter round the beach," said Nares, when we
had made good our retreat.
The hands were all busy after sea-birds' eggs, so there were
none to follow us. Our way lay on the crisp sand by the margin
of the water: on one side, the thicket from which we had been
dislodged; on the other, the face of the lagoon, barred with a
broad path of moonlight, and beyond that, the line, alternately
dark and shining, alternately hove high and fallen prone, of the
external breakers. The beach was strewn with bits of wreck
and drift: some redwood and spruce logs, no less than two
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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 Mrs. Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw: ACT II
[Inside the cottage after nightfall. Looking eastward from
within instead of westward from without, the latticed window,
with its curtains drawn, is now seen in the middle of the front
wall of the cottage, with the porch door to the left of it. In
the left-hand side wall is the door leading to the kitchen.
Farther back against the same wall is a dresser with a candle and
matches on it, and Frank's rifle standing beside them, with the
barrel resting in the plate-rack. In the centre a table stands
with a lighted lamp on it. Vivie's books and writing materials
are on a table to the right of the window, against the wall. The
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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 Prufrock/Other Observations by T. S. Eliot: And should I have the right to smile?
Preludes
I
The winter evening settles down
With smell of steaks in passageways.
Six o’clock.
The burnt-out ends of smoky days.
And now a gusty shower wraps
The grimy scraps
Of withered leaves about your feet
And newspapers from vacant lots;
Prufrock/Other Observations |
