| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Market-Place by Harold Frederic: Apparently he was somewhat stouter, and certainly there was
a mellowed softening of his sharp glance and shrewd smile.
It was evident that his friend's mood somewhat nonplussed him,
but his good-humour was unflagging.
"It's the way we're taught at school," he hazarded, genially.
"In all the arithmetics six beats five, and seven beats six."
"They're wrong," Thorpe declared, and then consented
to laugh in a grudging, dogged way at his friend's facial
confession of puzzlement. "What I mean is--what's the good
of piling up money, while you can't pile up the enjoyments
it will buy? What will a million give you, that the fifth
The Market-Place |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen: forest and across the lake: the shining glow-worms flew around like little
floating lights. Do the dancing maidens sleep, or are they dead? The odour of
the flowers says they are corpses; the evening bell tolls for the dead!"
"You make me quite sad," said little Gerda. "I cannot help thinking of the
dead maidens. Oh! is little Kay really dead? The Roses have been in the earth,
and they say no."
"Ding, dong!" sounded the Hyacinth bells. "We do not toll for little Kay; we
do not know him. That is our way of singing, the only one we have."
And Gerda went to the Ranunculuses, that looked forth from among the shining
green leaves.
"You are a little bright sun!" said Gerda. "Tell me if you know where I can
Fairy Tales |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay: from a tree. Maskull, who had fasted since early morning, was not
slow in following her example. A sort of electric vigour at once
entered his limbs and body, his muscles regained their elasticity,
his heart began to beat with hard, slow, strong throbs.
"Food and body seem to agree well in this world," he remarked
smiling.
She glanced toward him. "Perhaps the explanation is not in the food,
but in your body."
"I brought my body with me."
"You brought your soul with you, but that's altering fast, too."
In a copse they came across a short, wide tree, without leaves, but
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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 Talisman by Walter Scott: bursting. The physician heard him, as he was giving orders to
his numerous domestics to prepare for their departure the next
morning before daybreak, and, moved with compassion, interrupted
his occupation to sit down, cross-legged, by the side of his
couch, and administer comfort according to the Oriental manner.
"My friend," he said, "be of good comfort; for what saith the
poet--it is better that a man should be the servant of a kind
master than the slave of his own wild passions. Again, be of
good courage; because, whereas Ysouf Ben Yagoube was sold to a
king by his brethren, even to Pharaoh, King of Egypt, thy king
hath, on the other hand, bestowed thee on one who will be to thee
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