| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Prufrock/Other Observations by T. S. Eliot: How keen you are!)
To find a friend who has these qualities,
Who has, and gives
Those qualities upon which friendship lives.
How much it means that I say this to you--
Without these friendships--life, what cauchemar!"
Among the windings of the violins
And the ariettes
Of cracked cornets
Inside my brain a dull tom-tom begins
Absurdly hammering a prelude of its own,
Prufrock/Other Observations |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Brother of Daphne by Dornford Yates: back that evening. Only seven miles...
At half-past two I was at the office, and at twenty-nine minutes
to three my lady appeared in the hall. I went to her, cap in
hand. She turned and walked to a little lounge-place out of
sight of the office. I followed her there. For a moment she did
not speak. Then:
"Oh, I feel such a beast!" she said passionately. "Such a beast!
Don't take your cap off to me. Put it on. For heaven's sake,
put it on! And sit down. Sprawl about. Light a cigarette.
Shake me. Kiss me, if you like. Anything to show you're my own
class and not a servant." She stopped and passed a hand over her
The Brother of Daphne |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton: Wyant saw that he was losing ground and controlled his
impatience.
"To Clyde, I hope, at any rate," he answered, holding out his
hand. The doctor shook it without a trace of resentment, and
Wyant added: "When shall I come, sir?"
"To-morrow--to-morrow morning," cried Miss Lombard, speaking
suddenly.
She looked fixedly at her father, and he shrugged his shoulders.
"The picture is hers," he said to Wyant.
In the ante-chamber the young man was met by the woman who had
admitted him. She handed him his hat and stick, and turned to
|
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 Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen: one is quite crooked! After all, these roses are very ugly! They are just like
the box they are planted in!" And then he gave the box a good kick with his
foot, and pulled both the roses up.
"What are you doing?" cried the little girl; and as he perceived her fright,
he pulled up another rose, got in at the window, and hastened off from dear
little Gerda.
Afterwards, when she brought her picture-book, he asked, "What horrid beasts
have you there?" And if his grandmother told them stories, he always
interrupted her; besides, if he could manage it, he would get behind her, put
on her spectacles, and imitate her way of speaking; he copied all her ways,
and then everybody laughed at him. He was soon able to imitate the gait and
Fairy Tales |
