| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Travels of Sir John Mandeville by Sir John Mandeville: fair damosel, into likeness of a dragon, by a goddess that was
clept Diana. And men say, that she shall so endure in that form of
a dragon, unto [the] time that a knight come, that is so hardy,
that dare come to her and kiss her on the mouth; and then shall she
turn again to her own kind, and be a woman again, but after that
she shall not live long.
And it is not long sithen, that a knight of Rhodes, that was hardy
and doughty in arms, said that he would kiss her. And when he was
upon his courser, and went to the castle, and entered into the
cave, the dragon lift up her head against him. And when the knight
saw her in that form so hideous and so horrible he fled away. And
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Dream Life and Real Life by Olive Schreiner: "Oh, you are so great and good, so beautiful, so different from other
women, who are always thinking only of themselves! Thank you so much. I
know I can trust you. I couldn't have told my mother, or any one but you."
"Now you must go; I have my work to finish."
The younger woman put her arms round her. "Oh, you are so good and
beautiful!"
The silk dress and the fur cloak rustled out of the room.
The woman who was left alone walked up and down, at last faster and faster,
till the drops stood on her forehead. After a time she went up to the
table; there was written illegibly in a man's hand on a fragment of
manuscript paper: "Can I come to see you this afternoon?" Near it was a
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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 Common Sense by Thomas Paine: hath a check over our trade to Europe, we have as large a one over her trade
to the West Indies, which, by laying in the neighbourhood of the continent,
is entirely at its mercy.
Some method might be fallen on to keep up a naval force in time of peace,
if we should not judge it necessary to support a constant navy.
If premiums were to be given to merchants, to build and employ in their
service ships mounted with twenty, thirty, forty or fifty guns,
(the premiums to be in proportion to the loss of bulk to the merchants)
fifty or sixty of those ships, with a few guardships on constant duty,
would keep up a sufficient navy, and that without burdening ourselves
with the evil so loudly complained of in England, of suffering their fleet,
Common Sense |
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 Wrong Box by Stevenson & Osbourne: tobacco-mills are the pride of Richmond, Va.; in short, he's one
of my oldest friends, Mr Forsyth, and I lay his case before you
with emotion.'
The barrister looked at Mr Thomas and was agreeably prepossessed
by his open although nervous countenance, and the simplicity and
timidity of his manner. 'What a people are these Americans!' he
thought. 'Look at this nervous, weedy, simple little bird in a
lownecked shirt, and think of him wielding and directing
interests so extended and seemingly incongruous! 'But had we not
better,' he observed aloud, 'had we not perhaps better approach
the facts?'
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