| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Silas Marner by George Eliot: would hurt her. But she only fell in a sitting posture on the
ground, and began to pull at her boots, looking up at him with a
crying face as if the boots hurt her. He took her on his knee
again, but it was some time before it occurred to Silas's dull
bachelor mind that the wet boots were the grievance, pressing on her
warm ankles. He got them off with difficulty, and baby was at once
happily occupied with the primary mystery of her own toes, inviting
Silas, with much chuckling, to consider the mystery too. But the
wet boots had at last suggested to Silas that the child had been
walking on the snow, and this roused him from his entire oblivion of
any ordinary means by which it could have entered or been brought
Silas Marner |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Lemorne Versus Huell by Elizabeth Drew Stoddard: comes out in contrast so brilliantly. Why, you have not a single
ornament on!"
"It is so easy to dress without."
This was all the conversation we had together during the evening,
except when she introduced some acquaintance to fulfill her
matronizing duties. As I was no dancer I was left alone most of the
time, and amused myself by gliding from window to window along the
wall, that it might not be observed that I was a fixed flower.
Still I suffered the annoyance of being stared at by wandering
squads of young gentlemen, the "curled darlings" of the ball-room.
I borrowed Mrs. Bliss's fan in one of her visits for a protection.
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Koran: what vaindoers did?'- Thus do we detail the signs; haply they may
return.
Read to them the declaration of him to whom we brought our signs,
and who stepped away therefrom, and Satan followed him, and he was
of those who were beguiled. Had we pleased we would have exalted him
thereby, but he crouched upon the earth and followed his lust, and his
likeness was as the likeness of a dog, whom if thou shouldst attack he
hangs out his tongue, or if thou should leave him, hangs out his
tongue too. That is the likeness of the people who say our signs are
lies. Tell them then these tales- haply they may reflect.
Evil is the likeness of a people who say our signs are lies;
The Koran |
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 Child of Storm by H. Rider Haggard: new, some alien, spirit. With dull, lack-lustre eyes fixed always upon
the lovely eyes of Mameena, in slow and hesitating tones he began his
tale.
"It is true, O Lion," he said, "that Mameena spread the poison upon my
child's mat. It is true that she set the deadly charms in the doorway
of Nandie's hut. These things she did, not knowing what she did, and it
was I who instructed her to do them. This is the case. From the
beginning I have always loved Mameena as I have loved no other woman and
as no other woman was ever loved. But while I was away with Macumazahn,
who sits yonder, to destroy Bangu, chief of the Amakoba, he who had
killed my father, Umbezi, the father of Mameena, he whom the Prince
Child of Storm |
