| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs: he joined his own tribe--the men who attacked us." He did
not know why he had said it, for he did not believe it.
The girl looked at him wide eyed for a moment.
"No!" she exclaimed vehemently, much too vehemently he
thought. "It could not be. They were savages."
Clayton looked puzzled.
"He is a strange, half-savage creature of the jungle, Miss
Porter. We know nothing of him. He neither speaks nor
understands any European tongue--and his ornaments and
weapons are those of the West Coast savages."
Clayton was speaking rapidly.
Tarzan of the Apes |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton: reminds me that the work on the extension is to begin next week."
"The what?" it was Mrs. Manstey's turn to ask.
"The extension," said Mrs. Sampson, nodding her head in the
direction of the ignored magnolia. "You knew, of course, that
Mrs. Black was going to build an extension to her house? Yes,
ma'am. I hear it is to run right back to the end of the yard.
How she can afford to build an extension in these hard times I
don't see; but she always was crazy about building. She used to
keep a boarding-house in Seventeenth Street, and she nearly
ruined herself then by sticking out bow-windows and what not; I
should have thought that would have cured her of building, but I
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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 The Koran: Verily, those who believe, and those who flee, and those who wage
war in God's way; these may hope for God's mercy, for God is forgiving
and merciful.
They will ask thee about wine and el maisar, say, 'In them both is
sin and profit to men; but the sin of both is greater than the
profit of the same.'
They will ask thee what they shall expend in alms: say, 'The
surplus.' Thus does God manifest to you His signs; haply ye may
reflect on this world and the next! They will ask thee about
orphans: say, 'To do good to them is best.' But if ye interfere with
them- they are your brethren, and God knows the evildoer from the well
The Koran |
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 Philebus by Plato: use in any enquiry.
PROTARCHUS: That seems to be very near the truth, Socrates. Happy would
the wise man be if he knew all things, and the next best thing for him is
that he should know himself. Why do I say so at this moment? I will tell
you. You, Socrates, have granted us this opportunity of conversing with
you, and are ready to assist us in determining what is the best of human
goods. For when Philebus said that pleasure and delight and enjoyment and
the like were the chief good, you answered--No, not those, but another
class of goods; and we are constantly reminding ourselves of what you said,
and very properly, in order that we may not forget to examine and compare
the two. And these goods, which in your opinion are to be designated as
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