| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe: for a least two minutes' time, which was time enough for me,
and to spare. For as I had cried out behind her, as I have said,
and bore myself back in the crowd as she bore forward, there
were several people, at least seven or eight, the throng being
still moving on, that were got between me and her in that time,
and then I crying out 'A pickpocket,' rather sooner than she,
or at least as soon, she might as well be the person suspected
as I, and the people were confused in their inquiry; whereas,
had she with a presence of mind needful on such an occasion,
as soon as she felt the pull, not screamed out as she did, but
turned immediately round and seized the next body that was
Moll Flanders |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad: it would have been impossible to pass him off for anyone else,
and an accidental discovery was to be dreaded now more than ever.
. . .
The steward being engaged in laying the table for dinner,
we could talk only with our eyes when I first went down.
Later in the afternoon we had a cautious try at whispering.
The Sunday quietness of the ship was against us; the stillness
of air and water around her was against us; the elements,
the men were against us--everything was against us in our
secret partnership; time itself--for this could not go on forever.
The very trust in Providence was, I suppose, denied to his guilt.
The Secret Sharer |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Jerusalem Delivered by Torquato Tasso: XXIV
"To me my nephew, to thyself restore
A trusty help, when strength of hand thou needs,
In idleness let him consume no more,
Recall him to his noble acts and deeds!
Known be his worth as was his strength of yore
Wher'er thy standard broad her cross outspreads,
Oh, let his fame and praise spread far and wide,
Be thou his lord, his teacher and his guidel"
XXV
Thus he entreated, and the rest approve
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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 Woman and Labour by Olive Schreiner: to the log, preened its wing. So they sat about it, speculating, and
discussing it: and one said this, and another that. And all the while as
they talked the bird sat motionless, with its gaze fixed on the clear, blue
sky above it. And one said, "Suppose we let the creature loose to see what
it will do?"--and the bird shivered. But the others cried, "It is too
valuable; it might get lost. If it were to try to fly it might fall down
and break its neck." And the bird, with its foot chained to the log, sat
looking upward into the clear blue sky; the sky, in which it had never
been--for the bird--the bird, knew what it would do--because it was an
eaglet!
There is one woman known to many of us, as each human creature knows but
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