Today's Stichomancy for John Lennon

The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Tanach:

Psalms 37: 1 A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness.

Psalms 37: 2 For they shall soon wither like the grass, and fade as the green herb.

Psalms 37: 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and cherish faithfulness.

Psalms 37: 4 So shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and He shall give thee the petitions of thy heart.

Psalms 37: 5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass.

Psalms 37: 6 And He will make thy righteousness to go forth as the light, and thy right as the noonday.

Psalms 37: 7 Resign thyself unto the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Psalms 37: 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil-doing.

Psalms 37: 9 For evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait for the LORD, they shall inherit the land.

Psalms 37: 10 And yet a little while, and the wicked is no more; yea, thou shalt look well at his place, and he is not.

Psalms 37: 11 But the humble shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

The Tanach

The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Massimilla Doni by Honore de Balzac:

things. A work which begins with that introduction and ends with that prayer is immortal--as immortal as the Easter hymn, /O filii et filioe/, as the /Dies iroe/ of the dead, as all the songs which in every land have outlived its splendor, its happiness, and its ruined prosperity."

The tears the Duchess wiped away as she quitted her box showed plainly that she was thinking of the Venice that is no more; and Vendramin kissed her hand.

The performance ended with the most extraordinary chaos of noises: abuse and hisses hurled at Genovese and a fit of frenzy in praise of la Tinti. It was a long time since the Venetians had had so lively an

The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Tales of Unrest by Joseph Conrad:

gratuitously display it would be abominable--abominable! And often in life--in the highest conception of life--outspokenness in certain circumstances is nothing less than criminal. Temptation, you know, excuses no one. There is no such thing really if one looks steadily to one's welfare--which is grounded in duty. But there are the weak." . . . His tone became ferocious for an instant . . . "And there are the fools and the envious--especially for people in our position. I am guiltless of this terrible--terrible . . . estrangement; but if there has been nothing irreparable." . . . Something gloomy, like a deep shadow passed over his face. . . . "Nothing irreparable--you see even now I am ready to trust you implicitly--then our duty is clear."

Tales of Unrest

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 A treatise on Good Works by Dr. Martin Luther:

mercy." So we pray with perfect confidence: "Our Father," and yet petition: "Forgive us our trespasses"; we are children and yet sinners; are acceptable and yet do not do enough; and all this is the work of faith, firmly grounded in God's grace.

XVII. But if you ask, where the faith and the confidence can be found and whence they come, this it is certainly most necessary to know. First: Without doubt faith does not come from your works or merit, but alone from Jesus Christ, and is freely promised and given; as St. Paul writes, Romans v: "God commendeth His love to us as exceeding sweet and kindly, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"; as if he said: "Ought not this give