| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Alkahest by Honore de Balzac: impossible to escape riveting the attention exclusively upon it. Its
expression of stupefaction, which was cold and rigid despite hot tears
that were rolling from her eyes, would have struck the most
thoughtless mind. Nothing is more terrible to behold than excessive
grief that is rarely allowed to break forth, of which traces were left
on this woman's face like lava congealed about a crater. She might
have been a dying mother compelled to leave her children in abysmal
depths of wretchedness, unable to bequeath them to any human
protector.
The countenance of this lady, then about forty years of age and not
nearly so far from handsome as she had been in her youth, bore none 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 Two Brothers by Honore de Balzac: worthy of so charming a fellow. In fact, in the course of six years
our captain had by degrees perfected the comfort of his abode and
adorned every detail of it, as much for his own pleasure as for
Flore's. But it was, after all, only the comfort and luxury of
Issoudun,--colored tiles, rather elegant wallpapers, mahogany
furniture, mirrors in gilt frames, muslin curtains with red borders, a
bed with a canopy, and draperies arranged as the provincial
upholsterers arrange them for a rich bride; which in the eyes of
Issoudun seemed the height of luxury, but are so common in vulgar
fashion-plates that even the petty shopkeepers in Paris have discarded
them at their weddings. One very unusual thing appeared, which caused
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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 The Ancient Regime by Charles Kingsley: phenomenon" (the hatred which it aroused) "must be looked for less
in the condition of religion than in that of society."
"We no longer," he says, shortly after, "ask in what the Church of
that day erred as a religious institution, but how far it stood
opposed to the political revolution which was at hand." And he goes
on to show how the principles of her ecclesiastical government, and
her political position, were such that the philosophes must needs
have been her enemies. But he mentions another fact which seems to
me to belong neither to the category of religion nor to that of
politics; a fact which, if he had done us the honour to enlarge upon
it, might have led him and his readers to a more true understanding
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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 Little Rivers by Henry van Dyke: live it as bravely and cheerfully and faithfully as we can.
So my gentle teacher with the silver hair showed me the treasures
of her ancient, simple faith; and I felt that no sermons, nor
books, nor arguments can strengthen the doubting heart so deeply as
just to come into touch with a soul which has proved the truth of
that plain religion whose highest philosophy is "Trust in the Lord
and do good." At the end of the evening the household was gathered
for prayers, and the Mistress kneeled among her servants, leading
them, in her soft Scottish accent, through the old familiar
petitions for pardon for the errors of the day, and refreshing
sleep through the night and strength for the morrow. It is good to
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