| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain: of crying that Tom was appalled with the idea that
she might die, or lose her reason. He sat down by
her and put his arms around her; she buried her face
in his bosom, she clung to him, she poured out her
terrors, her unavailing regrets, and the far echoes turned
them all to jeering laughter. Tom begged her to pluck
up hope again, and she said she could not. He fell
to blaming and abusing himself for getting her into
this miserable situation; this had a better effect. She
said she would try to hope again, she would get up and
follow wherever he might lead if only he would not
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer |
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: of the two halves of humanity will be found so identical and so closely to
balance, that no superiority can possibly be asserted of either, as the
result of the closest analysis. This also is possible.
But, it may also be, that, when the bulk and sum-total of human activities
is surveyed in future ages, it will be found that the value of the labour
of the female in the world that is rising about us, has exceeded in quality
or in quantity that of the male. We see no reason either, why this should
be; there is nothing in the nature of the reproductive function in the
female human which of necessity implies such superiority.
Yet it may be, that, with the smaller general bulk and the muscular
fineness, and the preponderance of brain and nervous system in net bulk
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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 Bucolics by Virgil: With her own offspring's blood her hands to imbrue:
Mother, thou too wert cruel; say wert thou
More cruel, mother, or more ruthless he?
Ruthless the boy, thou, mother, cruel too.
"Begin, my flute, with me Maenalian lays.
Now let the wolf turn tail and fly the sheep,
Tough oaks bear golden apples, alder-trees
Bloom with narcissus-flower, the tamarisk
Sweat with rich amber, and the screech-owl vie
In singing with the swan: let Tityrus
Be Orpheus, Orpheus in the forest-glade,
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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 Adam Bede by George Eliot: recovered himself first, and said, "Sit down, young woman, sit
down," placing the chair for her and retiring to his old seat on
the bed.
"Thank you, friend; I won't sit down," said Dinah, "for I must
hasten back. She entreated me not to stay long away. What I came
for, Adam Bede, was to pray you to go and see the poor sinner and
bid her farewell. She desires to ask your forgiveness, and it is
meet you should see her to-day, rather than in the early morning,
when the time will be short."
Adam stood trembling, and at last sank down on his chair again.
"It won't be," he said, "it'll be put off--there'll perhaps come a
Adam Bede |
