| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Seraphita by Honore de Balzac: itself and a volume could be made of it'; and the disciple quotes the
following passages taken from a thousand others that would answer the
same purpose.
"'The kingdom of heaven,' says Swedenborg ('Celestial Arcana'), 'is
the kingdom of motives. ACTION is born in heaven, thence into the
world, and, by degrees, to the infinitely remote parts of earth.
Terrestrial effects being thus linked to celestial causes, all things
are CORRESPONDENT and SIGNIFICANT. Man is the means of union between
the Natural and the Spiritual.'
"The Angelic Spirits therefore know the very nature of the
Correspondences which link to heaven all earthly things; they know,
Seraphita |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Letters from England by Elizabeth Davis Bancroft: Westminster, to go to his house, and from thence to the Abbey, to
witness the funeral of the Duke of Northumberland. The Dean, who
has control of everything in the Abbey, issued tickets to several
hundred persons to go and witness the funeral, but only Lord
Northampton's family, the Bunsens (the Prussian Minister), and
ourselves, went to his house, and into the Dean's little gallery.
After the ceremony there were a crowd of visitors at the Dean's, and
I met many old acquaintances, and made many new ones, among whom
were Lady Chantrey, a nice person. After the crowd cleared off, we
sat down to a long table at lunch, always an important meal here,
and afterward the Dean took me on his arm and showed me everything
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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 Dawn O'Hara, The Girl Who Laughed by Edna Ferber: teeth you ever saw, an' eyes--well, his eyes was somethin'
like a lighted pipe with a little fine ash over the red,
just waitin' for a sudden pull t' make it glow."
"Peter!" I moaned, and buried my face in my hands.
Von Gerhard put a quick hand on my arm. But I shook it
off. "I'm not going to faint," I said, through set
teeth. "I'm not going to do anything silly. I want to
think. I want to . . . Go on, Blackie."
"Just a minute," interrupted Von Gerhard. "Does he
know where Mrs. Orme is living?"
"I'm coming t' that," returned Blackie, tranquilly.
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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 Ferragus by Honore de Balzac: for us, than for himself. My mother was all his comfort; she was
dying, and I promised to take her place. With all the ardor of a
soul whose feelings had never been perverted, I saw only the
happiness of softening the bitterness of my mother's last moments,
and I pledged myself to continue her work of secret charity,--the
charity of the heart. The first time that I saw my father was
beside the bed where my mother had just expired. When he raised
his tearful eyes, it was to see in me a revival of his dead hopes.
I had sworn, not to tell a lie, but to keep silence; and that
silence what woman could have broken it?
"There is my fault, Jules,--a fault which I expiate by death. I
Ferragus |
