| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Talisman by Walter Scott: unmoved by his heady passions, is liberal, generous, and truly
noble; and as such I will deal with him, and act according to his
instructions, direct or implied, seeking to know no more than may
gradually unfold itself without my officious inquiry. To him who
has given me so brave an opportunity to vindicate my tarnished
honour, I owe acquiescence and obedience; and painful as it may
be, the debt shall be paid. And yet"--thus the proud swelling
of his heart further suggested--"Coeur de Lion, as he is called,
might have measured the feelings of others by his own. I urge an
address to his kinswoman! I, who never spoke word to her when I
took a royal prize from her hand--when I was accounted not the
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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 Aspern Papers by Henry James: I took the liberty of asking why, if there was actually enough money
to maintain both of them, there would not be more than enough in case
of her being left alone. She considered this difficult problem
a moment and then she said, "Oh, well, you know, she takes care of me.
She thinks that when I'm alone I shall be a great fool, I shall not know
how to manage."
"I should have supposed that you took care of her.
I'm afraid she is very proud."
"Why, have you discovered that already?" Miss Tita cried with the glimmer
of an illumination in her face.
"I was shut up with her there for a considerable time, and she struck me,
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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 Wyoming by William MacLeod Raine: She found him eager to pick up again the broken strands that had
connected him with the big world from which he had once come. It
had been long since she had enjoyed a talk more, for he expressed
himself with wit and dexterity. But through her enjoyment ran a
note of apprehension. He was for the moment a resurrected
gentleman. But what would he be next? She had an insistent memory
of a heavenly flood of music broken by a horrible discord of
raucous oaths.
It was he that lingered over their breakfast, loath to make the
first move to bring him back into realities; and it was she that
had to suggest the need of setting out. But once on his feet, 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 Yates Pride by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman: Abby eyed it shrewdly. "If I am not mistaken," said she, "that
is the very carriage Eudora herself was wheeled around in when
she was a baby. I am almost sure I have seen that identical
carriage before. When we were girls I used to go to the Yates
house sometimes. Of course, it was always very formal, a little
tea-party for Eudora, with her mother on hand, but I feel sure
that I saw that carriage there one of those times.
"I suppose it cost a lot of money, in the time of it. The
Yateses always got the very best for Eudora," said Julia. "And
maybe Eudora goes about so little she doesn't realize how out of
date the carriage is, but I should think it would be very heavy
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