| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Breaking Point by Mary Roberts Rinehart: Thorwald. She lived at her own place and came over every day. One
night, after Mrs. Thorwald had started home, I came across her down
the road near the irrigator's house, and there was a man with her.
They didn't hear me behind them, and he was giving her a note for
some one in the house.
"Why not for one of the servants?"
"That's what I thought then, sir. It wasn't my business. But I
saw the same man later on, hanging about the place at night, and
once I saw her with him - Mrs. Lucas, I mean. That was in the
early evening. The gentlemen were out riding, and I'd gone with
one of the maids to a hill to watch the moon rise. They were on
The Breaking Point |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Essays of Francis Bacon by Francis Bacon: Surely Comineus mought have made the same
judgment also, if it had pleased him, of his second
master, Lewis the Eleventh, whose closeness was
indeed his tormentor. The parable of Pythagoras
is dark, but true; Cor ne edito; Eat not the heart.
Certainly, if a man would give it a hard phrase,
those that want friends, to open themselves unto,
are carnnibals of their own hearts. But one thing
is most admirable (wherewith I will conclude this
first fruit of friendship), which is, that this com-
municating of a man's self to his friend, works
Essays of Francis Bacon |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Pocket Diary Found in the Snow by Grace Isabel Colbron and Augusta Groner: his hand into the glove and found something pushed up into the
middle finger. He took it out and found that it was a crumpled
tramway ticket.
"Look out for a shabby old closed coupe, with a driver about forty
years old who looks like a drunkard and wears a light overcoat. If
you find such a cab, engage it and drive in it to the nearest police
station. Tell them there to hold the man until further notice. If
the cab is not free, at least take his number. And one thing more,
but you will know that yourself, - the cab we are looking for will
have new glass in the right-hand window." Thus Muller spoke to his
companion as he put the glove into his pocket and unfolded the
|
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 Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: gently let himself down by it, sliding down the bough till he came
near enough to jump down on his feet, and away he ran to his gun,
took it up, and stood still. "Well," said I to him, "Friday, what
will you do now? Why don't you shoot him?" "No shoot," says
Friday, "no yet; me shoot now, me no kill; me stay, give you one
more laugh:" and, indeed, so he did; for when the bear saw his
enemy gone, he came back from the bough, where he stood, but did it
very cautiously, looking behind him every step, and coming backward
till he got into the body of the tree, then, with the same hinder
end foremost, he came down the tree, grasping it with his claws,
and moving one foot at a time, very leisurely. At this juncture,
Robinson Crusoe |
