| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Europeans by Henry James: the figurative meaning which her companion appeared to attach to it.
But it gave her pleasure.
Felix had pushed back his chair and risen to his feet;
he slowly came toward her, smiling. "I am a sort of adventurer,"
he said, looking down at her.
She got up, meeting his smile. "An adventurer?" she repeated.
"I should like to hear your adventures."
For an instant she believed that he was going to take her hand;
but he dropped his own hands suddenly into the pockets of his
painting-jacket. "There is no reason why you should n't," he said.
"I have been an adventurer, but my adventures have been very innocent.
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Margret Howth: A Story of To-day by Rebecca Harding Davis: steady.
"I am glad you did not die. Yes, I can say that. As for
hand-shaking, my ideas may be peculiar as your own."
"She measures her words," he said, as to himself; "her very
eye-light is ruled by decorum; she is a machine, for work. She
has swept her child's heart clean of anger and revenge, even
scorn for the wretch that sold himself for money. There was
nothing else to sweep out, was there?"--bitterly,--"no
friendships, such as weak women nurse and coddle into being,--or
love, that they live in, and die for sometimes, in a silly way?"
"Unmanly!"
Margret Howth: A Story of To-day |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Augsburg Confession by Philip Melanchthon: work men wished to obtain from God all that they needed, and
in the mean time faith in Christ and the true worship were
forgotten.]
Concerning these opinions our teachers have given warning that
they depart from the Holy Scriptures and diminish the glory of
the passion of Christ. For Christ's passion was an oblation
and satisfaction, not for original guilt only, but also for
all other sins, as it is written to the Hebrews, 10, 10: We
are sanctified through the offering of Jesus Christ once for
all. Also, 10, 14: By one offering He hath perfected forever
them that are sanctified. [It is an unheard-of innovation in
|
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 Disputation of the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences by Dr. Martin Luther: worth with the Cross of Christ, is blasphemy.
80. The bishops, curates and theologians who allow such talk
to be spread among the people, will have an account to render.
81. This unbridled preaching of pardons makes it no easy
matter, even for learned men, to rescue the reverence due to
the pope from slander, or even from the shrewd questionings of
the laity.
82. To wit: -- "Why does not the pope empty purgatory, for the
sake of holy love and of the dire need of the souls that are
there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake
of miserable money with which to build a Church? The former
|
