| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll: tone, taking out her purse.
`Only you MUST eat them both, if you buy two,' said the Sheep.
`Then I'll have ONE, please,' said Alice, as she put the money
down on the counter. For she thought to herself, `They mightn't
be at all nice, you know.'
The Sheep took the money, and put it away in a box: then she
said `I never put things into people's hands--that would never
do--you must get it for yourself.' And so saying, she went off
to the other end of the shop, and set the egg upright on a shelf.
`I wonder WHY it wouldn't do?' thought Alice, as she groped her
way among the tables and chairs, for the shop was very dark
Through the Looking-Glass |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: Girty stalked over the borderland with a bloody tomahawk, his long arm
outstretched to clutch some unfortunate white woman, and with his hideous
smile of death. Both of these men were far lower than the worst savages, and
it was almost wholly to their deeds of darkness that Simon Girty owed his
infamous name.
To-day White Chief, as Girty was called, awaited his men. A slight tremor of
the ground caused him to turn his gaze. The Huron chief, Half King,
resplendent in his magnificent array, had entered the teepee. He squatted in
a corner, rested the bowl of his great pipe on his knee, and smoked in
silence. The habitual frown of his black brow, like a shaded, overhanging
cliff; the fire flashing from his eyes, as a shining light is reflected from a
The Spirit of the Border |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Island Nights' Entertainments by Robert Louis Stevenson: to wait for morning. Uma was for neither use nor ornament, and
could only clutch hold of me and shake and cry. I don't suppose
there was ever anybody worse scared, and, to do her justice, she
had had a lively night of it. As for me, I was in a good bit of
pain and fever, but not so bad when I sat still; and every time I
looked over to Case I could have sung and whistled. Talk about
meat and drink! To see that man lying there dead as a herring
filled me full.
The night birds stopped after a while; and then the light began to
change, the east came orange, the whole wood began to whirr with
singing like a musical box, and there was the broad day.
|
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 Persuasion by Jane Austen: was unfit to be seen), she was yet perfectly conscious of
Lady Russell's eyes being turned exactly in the direction for him--
of her being, in short, intently observing him. She could thoroughly
comprehend the sort of fascination he must possess over Lady Russell's mind,
the difficulty it must be for her to withdraw her eyes, the astonishment
she must be feeling that eight or nine years should have passed over him,
and in foreign climes and in active service too, without robbing him
of one personal grace!
At last, Lady Russell drew back her head. "Now, how would she
speak of him?"
"You will wonder," said she, "what has been fixing my eye so long;
Persuasion |
