| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Turn of the Screw by Henry James: I knew what she meant and I replied with a negative headshake.
"No, no; wait! She has taken the boat."
My companion stared at the vacant mooring place and then again across
the lake. "Then where is it?"
"Our not seeing it is the strongest of proofs. She has used it to go over,
and then has managed to hide it."
"All alone--that child?"
"She's not alone, and at such times she's not a child: she's an old,
old woman." I scanned all the visible shore while Mrs. Grose took again,
into the queer element I offered her, one of her plunges of submission;
then I pointed out that the boat might perfectly be in a small refuge
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy: and gave it to the lad, whose eyes had filled with tears.
He kissed the packet, put it in his pocket, and said
in a voice of emotion, "O, Mr. Clym, how good you are
to me!"
"I will go a little way with you," said Clym. And amid
the noise of merriment from below they descended.
Their path to the front led them close to a little side window,
whence the rays of candles streamed across the shrubs.
The window, being screened from general observation
by the bushes, had been left unblinded, so that a person
in this private nook could see all that was going on
Return of the Native |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin: being near him. This guard being disordered, the general hurried
the troops up to their assistance, which was done in great confusion,
thro' waggons, baggage, and cattle; and presently the fire came upon
their flank: the officers, being on horseback, were more easily
distinguish'd, pick'd out as marks, and fell very fast; and the soldiers
were crowded together in a huddle, having or hearing no orders,
and standing to be shot at till two-thirds of them were killed;
and then, being seiz'd with a panick, the whole fled with precipitation.
The waggoners took each a horse out of his team and scamper'd;
their example was immediately followed by others; so that all
the waggons, provisions, artillery, and stores were left to the enemy.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin |
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 Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne: mostly to the honour of his family.--A hundred-and-fifty odd projects took
possession of his brains by turns--he would do this, and that and t'other--
He would go to Rome--he would go to law--he would buy stock--he would buy
John Hobson's farm--he would new fore front his house, and add a new wing
to make it even--There was a fine water-mill on this side, and he would
build a wind-mill on the other side of the river in full view to answer it-
-But above all things in the world, he would inclose the great Ox-moor, and
send out my brother Bobby immediately upon his travels.
But as the sum was finite, and consequently could not do every thing--and
in truth very few of these to any purpose--of all the projects which
offered themselves upon this occasion, the two last seemed to make the
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