Today's Stichomancy for Nelson Mandela

The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs:

upon the earth's surface. She had seen the arrival of the caravan of books and arms, and ammunition, and the balance of the heterogeneous collection which I had crammed into the cabin of the iron mole for trans- portation to Pellucidar.

She had seen all these evidences of a civilization and brain-power transcending in scientific achieve- ment anything that her race had produced; nor once had she seen a creature of her own kind.

There could have been but a single deduction in the mind of the Mahar--there were other worlds than

Pellucidar

The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbot:

But by some of my Readers the possibility of the identical appearance of Priests and Women, under the new Legislation, may not be recognized; if so, a word or two will make it obvious.

Imagine a woman duly decorated, according to the new Code; with the front half (i.e. the half containing eye and mouth) red, and with the hinder half green. Look at her from one side. Obviously you will see a straight line, HALF RED, HALF GREEN.

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Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions

The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Reminiscences of Tolstoy by Leo Tolstoy:

a silent and gloomy frame of mind." I was very busy with my office work, but made up my mind to devote my first free day to going and seeing my father and mother. When I got to Yásnaya, my father had already left it.

I paid Aunt Masha a visit some little time after my father's funeral. We sat together in her comfortable little cell, and she repeated to me once more in detail the oft-repeated story of my father's last visit to her. "He sat in that very arm-chair where you are sitting now, and how he cried!" she said.

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 On Revenues by Xenophon:

[42] "According to our ability," a favourite Socratic phrase.

[43] {authis}. See for this corrupt passage Zurborg, "Comm." p. 31. He would insert, "and a little delay will not be prejudicial to our interests, but rather the contrary," or to that effect, thus: {kai authis an [anutoimen ou gar toiaute te anabole blaben genesthai an] emin oiometha} "vel simile aliquid."

[44] Or, "it is we who must bear the whole burthen of the outlay."

[45] {outos}, "so far, unless I am mistaken, the easiest method is the best."

[46] Or, "heavy contributions, subscriptions incidental to," but the word {eisphoras} is technical. For the exhaustion of the treasury