| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Venus and Adonis by William Shakespeare: What were thy lips the worse for one poor kiss?
Speak, fair; but speak fair words, or else be mute:
Give me one kiss, I'll give it thee again, 209
And one for interest if thou wilt have twain.
'Fie! lifeless picture, cold and senseless stone,
Well-painted idol, image dull and dead, 212
Statue contenting but the eye alone,
Thing like a man, but of no woman bred:
Thou art no man, though of a man's complexion,
For men will kiss even by their own direction.' 216
This said, impatience chokes her pleading tongue,
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Bronte Sisters: said he.
'No, unless you can tell me when to expect him home.'
'I can't. - You don't want him, do you?' said he, with a broad
grin.
'No.'
'Well, I think you're better without him, sure enough - for my
part, I'm downright weary of him. I told him I'd leave him if he
didn't mend his manners, and he wouldn't; so I left him. You see,
I'm a better man than you think me; and, what's more, I have
serious thoughts of washing my hands of him entirely, and the whole
set of 'em, and comporting myself from this day forward with all
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Christ in Flanders by Honore de Balzac: time that a great wave threatened to engulf the fragile vessel; but
she clung to the hope that the stranger's words had set in her heart.
Each time that the eyes turned to his face she drew fresh faith at the
sight, the strong faith of a helpless woman, a mother's faith. She
lived by that divine promise, the loving words from his lips; the
simple creature waited trustingly for them to be fulfilled, and
scarcely feared the danger any longer.
The soldier, holding fast to the vessel's side, never took his eyes
off the strange visitor. He copied on his own rough and swarthy
features the imperturbability of the other's face, applying to this
task the whole strength of a will and intelligence but little
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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 Stories From the Old Attic by Robert Harris: wealthy bachelors in the realm, and those of modest wealth all had
castles and money boxes of essentially similar dimensions.
For her part, the Princess Jennifrella was repletely enamored of Sir
Fassade, a handsome, dashing, suave, carefree young knight who most
people, when they faced reality, agreed would almost certainly become
her husband and therefore the next king.
King Cleon, however, was desirous of exercising his regal authority
in having a say in who would follow him on the throne. And faced
with what he clearly saw was an impossible number of choices, he
therefore sought the opinion of his favorite advisor, the young Sir
Philo. Now, persons of a cynical bent might begin to think that Sir
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