Today's Stichomancy for Sidney Poitier

The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Reign of King Edward the Third by William Shakespeare:

Normandy, and Phillip, and the Duke of Lorrain.]

KING JOHN. Here, till our Navy of a thousand sail Have made a breakfast to our foe by Sea, Let us encamp, to wait their happy speed.-- Lorraine, what readiness is Edward in? How hast thou heard that he provided is Of marshall furniture for this exploit?

LORRAINE. To lay aside unnecessary soothing, And not to spend the time in circumstance,

The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Astoria by Washington Irving:

salmon, but in general they were too wretchedly poor to furnish anything. It was the wish of Mr. Stuart to purchase horses for the recent recruits of his party; but the Indians could not be prevailed upon to part with any, alleging that they had not enough for their own use.

On the 25th of August they reached a great fishing place, to which they gave the name of the Salmon Falls. Here there is a perpendicular fall of twenty feet on the north side of the river, while on the south side there is a succession of rapids. The salmon are taken here in incredible quantities, as they attempt to shoot the falls. It was now a favorable season, and there were

The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Finished by H. Rider Haggard:

wagon for the night, as they were afraid to go on to "Tampel" in the dark.

At first I could not make out what "Tampel" was, as it did not sound like a native name. Then I remembered that Mr. Marnham had spoken of his house as being called the Temple, of which, of course, Tampel was a corruption; also that he said he and his partner were labour agents.

"Why are they afraid?" I asked.

"Because, Baas, they say that they must go through a wood in a swamp, which they think is haunted by spooks, and they much afraid of spooks;" that is of ghosts.

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 The Rig Veda:

a Goddess, Holy with the Holy, She brake strong fences down and gave the cattle: the kine were lowing as they greeted Morning.

8 O Dawn, now give us wealth in kine and heroes, and horses, fraught with manifold enjoyment. Protect our sacred grass from man's reproaches. Preserve us evermore, ye Gods, with blessings.

The Rig Veda