| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Mirror of the Sea by Joseph Conrad: mistake - perhaps a half-excusable one - about the distribution of
his ship's cargo should pay the penalty. A piece of one of the
minor spars that did carry away flew against the chief mate's back,
and sent him sliding on his face for quite a considerable distance
along the main deck. Thereupon followed various and unpleasant
consequences of a physical order - "queer symptoms," as the
captain, who treated them, used to say; inexplicable periods of
powerlessness, sudden accesses of mysterious pain; and the patient
agreed fully with the regretful mutters of his very attentive
captain wishing that it had been a straightforward broken leg.
Even the Dutch doctor who took the case up in Samarang offered no
The Mirror of the Sea |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Travels and Researches in South Africa by Dr. David Livingstone: formerly alight@mercury.interpath.net). To assure a high quality text,
the original was typed in (manually) twice and electronically compared.
[Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are CAPITALIZED.
Some obvious errors have been corrected.]
Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa.
Also called, Travels and Researches in South Africa;
or, Journeys and Researches in South Africa.
By David Livingstone [British (Scot) Missionary and Explorer--1813-1873.]
David Livingstone was born in Scotland, received his medical degree
from the University of Glasgow, and was sent to South Africa
by the London Missionary Society. Circumstances led him to try to meet
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Herbert West: Reanimator by H. P. Lovecraft: teeth a snow-white, terrible, cylindrical object terminating in
a tiny hand.
IV. The Scream of the Dead
Published May 1922
in Home Brew Vol. 1, No. 4, p. 53-58.
The scream of a dead man
gave to me that acute and added horror of Dr. Herbert West which
harassed the latter years of our companionship. It is natural
that such a thing as a dead man’s scream should give horror, for
it is obviously, not a pleasing or ordinary occurrence; but I
was used to similar experiences, hence suffered on this occasion
Herbert West: Reanimator |
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 The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart: and Miss Louise."
"Nothing of the sort," I protested.
"The fact is," he went on, evidently justifying him self, "I got
that piece of information just as we get a lot of things, through
the kitchen end of the house. Young Walker's chauffeur--Walker's
more fashionable than I am, and he goes around the country in a
Stanhope car--well, his chauffeur comes to see our servant
girl, and he told her the whole thing. I thought it was
probable, because Walker spent a lot of time up here last summer,
when the family was here, and besides, Riggs, that's Walker's
man, had a very pat little story about the doctor's building a
The Circular Staircase |
