| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Records of a Family of Engineers by Robert Louis Stevenson: were occasionally set up owing to the strength and direction
of the wind.
[Wednesday, 26th Aug.]
The wind had shifted this morning to N.N.W., with rain,
and was blowing what sailors call a fresh breeze. To speak,
perhaps, somewhat more intelligibly to the general reader, the
wind was such that a fishing-boat could just carry full sail.
But as it was of importance, specially in the outset of the
business, to keep up the spirit of enterprise for landing on
all practicable occasions, the writer, after consulting with
the landing-master, ordered the bell to be rung for embarking,
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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 Secret Places of the Heart by H. G. Wells: "She spends," said the doctor, "she just spends. She spends
excitingly and competitively for her own pride and glory, she
drives all the energy of men over the weirs of gain. . . .
"What are we to do with the creature?" whispered the doctor.
Apart from the procreative necessity, was woman an
unavoidable evil? The doctor's untrammelled thoughts began to
climb high, spin, nose dive and loop the loop. Nowadays we
took a proper care of the young, we had no need for high
birth rates, quite a small proportion of women with a gift in
that direction could supply all the offspring that the world
wanted. Given the power of determining sex that science was
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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 Tao Teh King by Lao-tze: Behold his presence in a spacious vale,
To which men come from all beneath the sky.
The unchanging excellence completes its tale;
The simple infant man in him we hail.
2. The unwrought material, when divided and distributed, forms
vessels. The sage, when employed, becomes the Head of all the
Officers (of government); and in his greatest regulations he employs
no violent measures.
29. 1. If any one should wish to get the kingdom for himself, and to
effect this by what he does, I see that he will not succeed. The
kingdom is a spirit-like thing, and cannot be got by active doing. He
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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 The House of Dust by Conrad Aiken: But then he saw this face, this face like flame,
This quiet lady, this portrait by Hiroshigi;
And took it home with him; and with it came
What unexpected changes, subtle as weather!
The dark room, cold as rain,
Grew faintly fragrant, stirred with a stir of April,
Warmed its corners with light again,
And smoke of incense whirled about this portrait,
And the quiet lady there,
So young, so quietly smiling, with calm hands,
Seemed ready to loose her hair,
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