| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner: "All night," said Bonaparte, "I lie awake; I see naught but thy angelic
countenance. I open my arms to receive thee--where art thou, where? Thou
art not there!" said Bonaparte, suiting the action to the words, and
spreading out his arms and drawing them to his breast.
"Oh, please, I don't understand," said Trana, "I want to go away."
"Yes, yes," said Bonaparte, leaning back in his chair, to her great relief,
and pressing his hands on his heart, "since first thy amethystine
countenance was impressed here--what have I not suffered, what have I not
felt? Oh, the pangs unspoken, burning as an ardent coal in a fiery and
uncontaminated bosom!" said Bonaparte, bending forward again.
"Dear Lord!" said Trana to herself, "how foolish I have been! The old man
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from To-morrow by Joseph Conrad: gested.
"Try," she said.
Captain Hagberd's gate squeaked, and the shad-
ow of the son moved on, then stopped with another
deep laugh in the throat, like the father's, only
soft and gentle, thrilling to the woman's heart,
awakening to her ears.
"He isn't frisky--is he? I would be afraid to
lay hold of him. The chaps are always telling me
I don't know my own strength."
"He's the most harmless creature that ever
To-morrow |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Alcibiades I by Plato: the advantages which you possess with those of her own people. And I
believe that even Lampido, the daughter of Leotychides, the wife of
Archidamus and mother of Agis, all of whom were kings, would have the same
feeling; if, in your present uneducated state, you were to turn your
thoughts against her son, she too would be equally astonished. But how
disgraceful, that we should not have as high a notion of what is required
in us as our enemies' wives and mothers have of the qualities which are
required in their assailants! O my friend, be persuaded by me, and hear
the Delphian inscription, 'Know thyself'--not the men whom you think, but
these kings are our rivals, and we can only overcome them by pains and
skill. And if you fail in the required qualities, you will fail also in
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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 In the Cage by Henry James: every shade of fortune, which evidently included indeed lots of bad
luck as well as of good, declining even toward Mr. Mudge and his
bland firm thrift, and ascending, in wild signals and rocket-
flights, almost to within hail of her highest standard. So from
month to month she went on with them all, through a thousand ups
and downs and a thousand pangs and indifferences. What virtually
happened was that in the shuffling herd that passed before her by
far the greater part only passed--a proportion but just appreciable
stayed. Most of the elements swam straight away, lost themselves
in the bottomless common, and by so doing really kept the page
clear. On the clearness therefore what she did retain stood
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