| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin: large spiders, and lizards were found in a half-torpid
state. On the 15th, a few animals began to appear, and by
the 18th (three days from the equinox), everything announced
the commencement of spring. The plains were ornamented
by the flowers of a pink wood-sorrel, wild peas,
cenotherae, and geraniums; and the birds began to lay their
eggs. Numerous Lamellicorn and Heteromerous insects, the
latter remarkable for their deeply sculptured bodies, were
slowly crawling about; while the lizard tribe, the constant
inhabitants of a sandy soil, darted about in every direction.
During the first eleven days, whilst nature was dormant, the
The Voyage of the Beagle |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Beauty and The Beast by Bayard Taylor: bazaar; the captains of vessels floating on the Volga directed
their men by gestures; the mechanics laid aside hammer and axe, and
lighted their pipes. Great silence fell upon the land, and
continued unbroken so long as Prince Alexis and his guests slept
the sleep of the just and the tipsy.
By night, however, they were all awake and busily preparing for the
diversions of the evening. The ball-room was illuminated by
thousands of wax-lights, so connected with inflammable threads,
that the wicks could all be kindled in a moment. A pyramid of tar-
barrels had been erected on each side of the castle-gate, and every
hill or mound on the opposite bank of the Volga was similarly
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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 Stories From the Old Attic by Robert Harris: Sir Percival saw his opportunity and approached Arissa. "Arissa,"
he said, "how about a date anon?" Only a moment was needed for
the look of mild surprise to alter the beautiful maiden's features,
after which she laughed loudly in Sir Percival's face for a good
ten minutes.
Well, both Sir Wishful and Sir Percival retired to lick their wounds
and lament the fate of men in this whole romantic con game, and Sir
Wishful soon enough decided that he liked the taste of trout just
about as well as the taste of women's lips, so he grabbed his bait
and tackle and headed for the river. Sir Percival, on the other hand,
really thought Arissa might be worth another attempt, and he
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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 Records of a Family of Engineers by Robert Louis Stevenson: take the comparative levels of the different inequalities of
its area; and as it would have been painful to have seen men
standing idle upon the Bell Rock, where all moved with
activity, it was judged better to leave them on board. The
boats landed at half-past seven p.m., and the landing-master,
with the seamen, was employed during this tide in cutting the
seaweeds from the several paths leading to the landing-places,
to render walking more safe, for, from the slippery state of
the surface of the rock, many severe tumbles had taken place.
In the meantime the writer took the necessary levels, and
having carefully examined the site of the building and
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