| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne: And what are you going to do?"
"Send a dispatch to London for a warrant of arrest to be dispatched
instantly to Bombay, take passage on board the Mongolia, follow my rogue
to India, and there, on English ground, arrest him politely, with my warrant
in my hand, and my hand on his shoulder."
Having uttered these words with a cool, careless air, the detective
took leave of the consul, and repaired to the telegraph office,
whence he sent the dispatch which we have seen to the London police office.
A quarter of an hour later found Fix, with a small bag in his hand,
proceeding on board the Mongolia; and, ere many moments longer,
the noble steamer rode out at full steam upon the waters of the Red Sea.
Around the World in 80 Days |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum: "Very well," said the Queen, "we trust you. But what shall we do?"
"Are there many of these mice which call you Queen and are willing
to obey you?"
"Oh, yes; there are thousands," she replied.
"Then send for them all to come here as soon as possible,
and let each one bring a long piece of string."
The Queen turned to the mice that attended her and told them
to go at once and get all her people. As soon as they heard her
orders they ran away in every direction as fast as possible.
"Now," said the Scarecrow to the Tin Woodman, "you must go to
those trees by the riverside and make a truck that will carry the Lion."
The Wizard of Oz |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Don Quixote by Miquel de Cervantes: tuned the harp, Altisidora, running her hand across the strings, began
this ballad:
O thou that art above in bed,
Between the holland sheets,
A-lying there from night till morn,
With outstretched legs asleep;
O thou, most valiant knight of all
The famed Manchegan breed,
Of purity and virtue more
Than gold of Araby;
Give ear unto a suffering maid,
Don Quixote |
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 Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs: was very cold, for the mountains were high. The next day
we decided to ascend to the top of the mountains, and see
what the country upon the other side looked like, and if
it seemed no better than that which we had so far traversed
we would return to our village and tell them that they had
already found the best place in all the world to live.
"And so we clambered up the face of the rocky cliffs
until we reached the summit, and there from a flat
mountain-top we saw, not far beneath us, a shallow valley,
very narrow; and upon the far side of it was a great village
of stone, much of which had fallen and crumbled into decay."
The Return of Tarzan |
