| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from La Grande Breteche by Honore de Balzac: peal of bells, put him on his guard; he looked at his wife, and read
in her eyes an indescribably anxious and haunted expression.
" 'You are very late,' said she.--Her voice, usually so clear and
sweet, struck him as being slightly husky.
"Monsieur de Merret made no reply, for at this moment Rosalie came in.
This was like a thunder-clap. He walked up and down the room, going
from one window to another at a regular pace, his arms folded.
" 'Have you had bad news, or are you ill?' his wife asked him timidly,
while Rosalie helped her to undress. He made no reply.
" 'You can go, Rosalie,' said Madame de Merret to her maid; 'I can put
in my curl-papers myself.'--She scented disaster at the mere aspect of
La Grande Breteche |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Woman and Labour by Olive Schreiner: suffering, if we analyse it closely, rises from three causes.
Firstly, it is caused by the fact that mere excessive rapidity of change
tends always easily to become painful, by rupturing violently already
hardened habits and modes of thought, as a very rapidly growing tree
ruptures its bark and exudes its internal juices.
Secondly, it arises from the fact that individuals of the same human
society, not adapting themselves at the same rate to the new conditions, or
being exposed to them in different degrees, a wide and almost unparalleled
dissimilarity has today arisen between the different individuals composing
our societies; where, side by side with men and women who have rapidly
adapted or are so successfully seeking to adapt themselves to the new
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Plutarch's Lives by A. H. Clough: Gauls to overrun Italy. Trusting wholly therefore to Aemilius, they
delivered up their towns and shipping into his hands. He, at the utmost,
razed only the fortifications, and delivered their towns to them again,
but took away all their shipping with him, leaving them no vessels bigger
than those of three oars, and set at liberty great numbers of prisoners
they had taken both by sea and land, strangers as well as Romans. These
were the acts most worthy of remark in his first consulship.
Afterwards he frequently intimated his desire of being a second time
consul, and was once candidate; but, meeting with a repulse and being
passed by, he gave up all thought of it, and devoted himself to his
duties as augur, and to the education of his children, whom he not only
|
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 Father Goriot by Honore de Balzac: are eating nothing. So papa was refractory, was he?"
"A monster!" said Mme. Couture.
"Mademoiselle might make application for aliment pending her
suit; she is not eating anything. Eh! eh! just see how Father
Goriot is staring at Mlle. Victorine."
The old man had forgotten his dinner, he was so absorbed in
gazing at the poor girl; the sorrow in her face was
unmistakable,--the slighted love of a child whose father would
not recognize her.
"We are mistaken about Father Goriot, my dear boy," said Eugene
in a low voice. "He is not an idiot, nor wanting in energy. Try
Father Goriot |
