| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Wyoming by William MacLeod Raine: she feared him! The thoughts were woven inseparably in her mind.
Mephisto himself could not have impressed himself more
imperatively than this strutting, heartless master artist in
vice.
She saw him again presently down in the arena, for it was his
turn to show his skill at roping. Texas had done well; very well,
indeed. He had made the throw and tie in thirty-seven seconds,
which was two seconds faster than the record of the previous
year. But she knew instinctively, as her fascinated eyes watched
the outlaw preparing for the feat, that he was going to win. He
would use his success as a weapon against her; as a means of
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James: discrediting states of mind for which we have an antipathy. We
all use it to some degree in criticizing persons whose states of
mind we regard as overstrained. But when other people criticize
our own more exalted soul-flights by calling them 'nothing but'
expressions of our organic disposition, we feel outraged and
hurt, for we know that, whatever be our organism's peculiarities,
our mental states have their substantive value as revelations of
the living truth; and we wish that all this medical materialism
could be made to hold its tongue.
Medical materialism seems indeed a good appellation for the too
simple-minded system of thought which we are considering.
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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 Animal Farm by George Orwell: us of our repose, would you, comrades? You would not have us too tired to
carry out our duties? Surely none of you wishes to see Jones back?"
The animals reassured him on this point immediately, and no more was said
about the pigs sleeping in the farmhouse beds. And when, some days
afterwards, it was announced that from now on the pigs would get up an
hour later in the mornings than the other animals, no complaint was made
about that either.
By the autumn the animals were tired but happy. They had had a hard year,
and after the sale of part of the hay and corn, the stores of food for the
winter were none too plentiful, but the windmill compensated for
everything. It was almost half built now. After the harvest there was a
Animal Farm |
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 Somebody's Little Girl by Martha Young: laugh and crow louder than ever, and hide her laughing little face
deep into the feathers--Ah me--''
But Bessie Bell said nothing, nor remembered anything. For she did
not know that the lady was talking of something green, and blue, and
soft, and brown.
And it was Sister Justina, and not Sister Helen Vincula, who had
told her to be ashamed when she had cried: Pretty! Pretty! Pretty!
as the something green, and blue, and soft, and brown was waved to
and fro in front of her until she seized it and buried her little
face in it for the joy--of remembering--
So Sister Helen Vincula did not know, and Bessie Bell did not
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