Today's Stichomancy for Ambrose Bierce

The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from When the World Shook by H. Rider Haggard:

which lighted souls to the other world, and on the wings they flew thither. Whoever fashioned that statue hoped for another life, or so I was convinced.

I explained my ideas. Bastin thought them fanciful and preferred his notion of a flying man, since by constitution he was unable to discover anything spiritual in any religion except his own. Bickley agreed that it was probably an allegorical representation of death but sniffed at my interpretation of the wings and the torch, since by constitution he could not believe that the folly of a belief in immortality could have developed so early in the world, that is, among a highly civilised people such

When the World Shook

The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Silverado Squatters by Robert Louis Stevenson:

bay and the open ocean, and looks down indifferently on both. Even as we saw and hailed it from Vallejo, seamen, far out at sea, were scanning it with shaded eyes; and, as if to answer to the thought, one of the great ships below began silently to clothe herself with white sails, homeward bound for England.

For some way beyond Vallejo the railway led us through bald green pastures. On the west the rough highlands of Marin shut off the ocean; in the midst, in long, straggling, gleaming arms, the bay died out among the grass; there were few trees and few enclosures; the sun shone wide over open

The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from 1492 by Mary Johntson:

and the royal banner over it. He dismounted and spoke to men before the door. ``Tell Don Francisco de Bobadilla that Don Cristoval Colon is here.''

There came an officer with a sword, behind him a dozen men. ``Senor, in the name of the Sovereigns, I arrest you!''

Christopherus Columbus gazed upon him. ``For what, senor?''

The other, an arrogant, ill-tempered man, answered loudly so that all around could hear, ``For ill-service to our lord the King and Queen, and to their subjects here in the Indies,

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 King James Bible:

the stars, how high they are!

JOB 22:13 And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?

JOB 22:14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.

JOB 22:15 Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?

JOB 22:16 Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:

JOB 22:17 Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?

JOB 22:18 Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel

King James Bible