| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Master and Man by Leo Tolstoy: He frowned, and having shaken the snow off his cap and coat,
stopped in front of the icons as if not seeing anyone, crossed
himself three times, and bowed to the icons. Then, turning to
the old master of the house and bowing first to him, then to
all those at table, then to the women who stood by the oven,
and muttering: 'A merry holiday!' he began taking off his outer
things without looking at the table.
'Why, you're all covered with hoar-frost, old fellow!' said the
eldest brother, looking at Nikita's snow-covered face, eyes,
and beard.
Nikita took off his coat, shook it again, hung it up beside the
Master and Man |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from 1492 by Mary Johntson: difficulty, approach, reconciliation holy triumph! They
are acting out long pilgrimages and arrivals at sacred cities
and hopes for greater cities. It is much the same as in
Seville or Rome!'' Whereupon he looked at me in astonishment,
and Jayme de Marchena said to Juan Lepe, ``Hold
thy tongue!''
Dance and the feast over, it became the Admiral's turn.
He was set not to seem dejected, not to give any Spaniard
nor any Indian reason to say, ``This Genoese--or this
god--does not sustain misfortune!'' But he sat calm,
pleased with all; brotherly, fatherly, by that big, easy,
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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 In a German Pension by Katherine Mansfield: the bootlaces.
While she gave them their breakfast they became uproarious, and the baby
would not cease crying. When she filled the tin kettle with milk, tied on
the rubber teat, and, first moistening it herself, tried with little
coaxing words to make him drink, he threw the bottle on to the floor and
trembled all over.
"Eye teeth!" shouted Hans, hitting Anton over the head with his empty cup;
"he's getting the evil-eye teeth, I should say."
"Smarty!" retorted Lena, poking out her tongue at him, and then, when he
promptly did the same, crying at the top of her voice, "Mother, Hans is
making faces at me!"
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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 Reef by Edith Wharton: by the quality of reticence in her beauty. She suggested a
fine portrait kept down to a few tones, or a Greek vase on
which the play of light is the only pattern.
After dinner they went out on the terrace for a look at the
moon-misted park. Through the crepuscular whiteness the
trees hung in blotted masses. Below the terrace, the garden
drew its dark diagrams between statues that stood like
muffled conspirators on the edge of the shadow. Farther
off, the meadows unrolled a silver-shot tissue to the
mantling of mist above the river; and the autumn stars
trembled overhead like their own reflections seen in dim
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