| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Master of the World by Jules Verne: mountains. And after so many years, so many ages even, had it
reawakened? Added to the flames, was a rain of stones and ashes about
to follow? Were the lavas going to pour down torrents of molten fire,
destroying everything in their passage, annihilating the towns, the
villages, the farms, all this beautiful world of meadows, fields and
forests, even as far as Pleasant Garden and Morganton?
This time the panic was overwhelming; nothing could stop it. Women
carrying their infants, crazed with terror, rushed along the eastward
roads. Men, deserting their homes, made hurried bundles of their most
precious belongings and set free their livestock, cows, sheep, pigs,
which fled in all directions. What disorder resulted from this
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Ivanhoe by Walter Scott: them up, this joyous pair were engaged in singing
a virelai, as it was called, in which the clown bore
a mellow burden, to the better instructed Knight
of the Fetterlock. And thus run the ditty:---
Anna-Marie, love, up is the sun,
Anna-Marie, love, morn is begun,
Mists are dispersing, love, birds singing free,
Up in the morning, love, Anna-Marie.
Anna-Marie, love, up in the morn,
The hunter is winding blithe sounds on his horn,
The echo rings merry from rock and from tree,
Ivanhoe |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Where There's A Will by Mary Roberts Rinehart: understand."
"I'm not sure I want to," I snapped, and fell to polishing
glasses.
The storm stopped a little at three and most of the guests waded
down through the snow for bridge and spring water. By that time
the afternoon train was in, and no Mr. Dick. Mr. Sam was keeping
the lawyer, Mr. Stitt, in the billiard room, and by four o'clock
they'd had everything that was in the bar and were inventing new
combinations of their own. And Mrs. Sam had gone to bed with a
nervous headache.
Senator Biggs brought the mail down to the spring-house at four,
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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 Symposium by Plato: poets or makers.' 'Very true.' 'Still,' she said, 'you know that they are
not called poets, but have other names; only that portion of the art which
is separated off from the rest, and is concerned with music and metre, is
termed poetry, and they who possess poetry in this sense of the word are
called poets.' 'Very true,' I said. 'And the same holds of love. For you
may say generally that all desire of good and happiness is only the great
and subtle power of love; but they who are drawn towards him by any other
path, whether the path of money-making or gymnastics or philosophy, are not
called lovers--the name of the whole is appropriated to those whose
affection takes one form only--they alone are said to love, or to be
lovers.' 'I dare say,' I replied, 'that you are right.' 'Yes,' she added,
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