great good fortunes
march 399 b.c.
preparer's note
this was typed from dakyns' series, "the works of xenophon," a four-volume set. the complete list of xenophon's works (though there is doubt about some of these) is:
work number of books
the anabasis 7 the hellenica 7 the cyropaedia 8 the memorabilia 4 the symposium 1
a single rune is used to gain a quick insight into what drives the situation, or to reduce it to the most concise summary possible. spirit runes are most commonly used for questions about mysticism, spirituality, and religion.
the rune represents the critical factor in the issue at hand. perth is the rune of chance and gambling. throw the dice, read your fate. gaming is a fine way to pass the night...as long as one is careful. games of chance have outcomes that are hidden from us, and as such perth represents secrets unknown. perth symbolizes enjoyment and wild abandon, but be watchful, for perth is also the rune of mystery and the outcomes unexpected. you cannot lose if you do not play, but neither can you win...
in your private life...
words that embody things that you may be a part of are "constitution".
the fifth line, divided, shows its subject by firm correctness obtaining good fortune, and having no occasion for repentance. we see in him the brightness of a superior man, and the possession of sincerity. there will be good fortune.
the better to understand this narrative, it will be as well to hear a few words on the origin of coal. during the geological epoch, when the terrestrial spheroid was still in course of formation, a thick atmosphere surrounded it, saturated with watery vapors, and copiously impregnated with carbonic acid. the vapors gradually condensed in diluvial rains, which fell as if they had leapt from the necks of thousands of millions of seltzer water bottles. this liquid, loaded with carbonic acid, rushed in torrents over a deep soft soil, subject to sudden or slow alterations of form, and maintained in its semi-fluid state as much by the heat of the sun as by the fires of the interior mass. the internal heat had not as yet been collected in the center of the globe. the terrestrial crust, thin and incompletely hardened, allowed it to spread through its pores. this caused a peculiar form of vegetation, such as is probably produced on the surface of the inferior planets, venus or mercury, which revolve nearer than our earth around the radiant sun of our system.
the soil of the continents was covered with immense forests. carbonic acid, so suitable for the development of the vegetable kingdom, abounded. the feet of these trees were drowned in a sort of immense lagoon, kept continually full by currents of fresh and salt waters. they eagerly assimilated to themselves the carbon which they, little by little, extracted from the atmosphere, as yet unfit for the function of life, and it may be said that they were destined to store it, in the form of coal, in the very bowels of the earth.
it was the earthquake period, caused by internal convulsions, which suddenly modified the unsettled features of the terrestrial surface. here, an intumescence which was to become a mountain, there, an abyss which was to be filled with an ocean or a sea. there, whole forests sunk through the earth’s crust, below the unfixed strata, either until they found a resting-place, such as the primitive bed of granitic rock, or, settling together in a heap, they formed a solid mass.
as the waters were contained in no bed, and were spread over every part of the globe, they rushed where they liked, tearing from the scarcely-formed rocks material with which to compose schists, sandstones, and limestones. this the roving waves bore over the submerged and now peaty forests, and deposited above them the elements of rocks which were to superpose the coal strata. in course of time, periods of which include millions of years, these earths hardened in layers, and enclosed under a thick carapace of pudding-stone, schist, compact or friable sandstone, gravel and stones, the whole of the massive forests.
and what went on in this gigantic crucible, where all this vegetable matter had accumulated, sunk to various depths? a regular chemical operation, a sort of distillation. all the carbon contained in these vegetables had agglomerated, and little by little coal was forming under the double influence of enormous pressure and the high temperature maintained by the internal fires, at this time so close to it.
thus there was one kingdom substituted for another in this slow but irresistible reaction. the vegetable was transformed into a mineral. plants which had lived the vegetative life in all the vigor of first creation became petrified. some of the substances enclosed in this vast herbal left their impression on the other more rapidly mineralized products, which pressed them as an hydraulic press of incalculable power would have done.
thus also shells, zoophytes, starfish, polypi, spirifores, even fish and lizards brought by the water, left on the yet soft coal their exact likeness, “admirably taken off.”
pressure seems to have played a considerable part in the formation of carboniferous strata. in fact, it is to its degree of power that are due the different sorts of coal, of which industry makes use. thus in the lowest layers of the coal ground appears the anthracite, which, being almost destitute of volatile matter, contains the greatest quantity of carbon. in the higher beds are found, on the contrary, lignite and fossil wood, substances in which the quantity of carbon is infinitely less. between these two beds, according to the degree of pressure to which they have been subjected, are found veins of graphite and rich or poor coal. it may be asserted that it is for want of sufficient pressure that beds of peaty bog have not been completely changed into coal. so then, the origin of coal mines, in whatever part of the globe they have been discovered, is this: the absorption through the terrestrial crust of the great forests of the geological period; then, the mineralization of the vegetables obtained in the course of time, under the influence of pressure and heat, and under the action of carbonic acid.
every one was willing to look upon him as an equal; no one would have him for a superior. unconsciously he gave up the idea of winning fame in literature, for it seemed easier to gain success in politics.
"intrigue raises less opposition than talent," du chatelet had said one day (for lucien and the baron had made up their quarrel); "a plot below the surface rouses no one's attention. intrigue, moreover, is superior to talent, for it makes something out of nothing; while, for the most part, the immense resources of talent only injure a man."
so lucien never lost sight of his principal idea;
as if a robber were being led to execution by torchlight.
"what's the matter?" said the shepherd to a citizen who in great haste had rushed to the door with a chamber utensil in his hand.
"oh! it's nothing," replied the good man. "we thought it was the armagnacs descending upon the town, but it's only mau-cinge beating la pasquerette."
"where?" asked the shepherd.
"below there, at that fine house where the pillars have the mouths of flying frogs delicately carved upon them. do you hear the varlets and the serving maids?"
and in fact there was nothing but cries of "murder! help!
the saloon with the rest of the crowd, he asked to be introduced to m. de treville's office. as d'artagnan so constantly frequented the hotel, no difficulty was made in complying with his request, and a servant went to inform m. de treville that his young compatriot, having something important to communicate, solicited a private audience. five minutes after, m. de treville was asking d'artagnan what he could do to serve him, and what caused his visit at so late an hour.
"pardon me, monsieur," said d'artagnan, who had profited by the moment he had been left alone to put back m. de treville's clock three-quarters of an hour, "but i thought, as it was yet only
that he should be overjoyed at being under a strong personal obligation-- that he should be overjoyed at getting money for himself from bulstrode.
the banker felt that he had done something to nullify one cause of uneasiness, and yet he was scarcely the easier. he did not measure the quantity of diseased motive which had made him wish for lydgate's good-will, but the quantity was none the less actively there, like an irritating agent in his blood. a man vows, and yet will not east away the means of breaking his vow. is it that he distinctly means to break it? not at all; but the desires which tend to break it are at work in him dimly, and make their way into his imagination,
he did not turn to look at holyrood, the palace of the former sovereigns of scotland. he did not notice the sentinels who stood before its gateways, dressed in the uniform of their highland regiment, tartan kilt, plaid and sporran complete. his whole thought was to reach callander where harry ford was supposedly awaiting him.
meantime the old salt ("ex-coasting skipper" was writ large all over his person) had hobbled up alongside in his bumpy, shiny boots, and, waving an arm, short and thick like the flipper of a seal, terminated by a paw red as an uncooked beef-steak, addressed the poop in a muffled, faint, roaring voice, as if a sample of every north-sea fog of his life had been permanently lodged in his throat: "haul 'em round, mr. mate!" were his words. "if you don't look sharp, you'll have your topgallant yards through the windows of that 'ere warehouse presently!"
gwendolen. [sitting down again.] ernest never mentioned to me that he had a brother.
cecily. i am sorry to say they have not been on good terms for a long time.
gwendolen. ah! that accounts for it. and now that i think of it i have never heard any man mention his brother. the subject seems distasteful to most men. cecily, you have lifted a load from my mind. i was growing almost anxious. it would have been terrible if any cloud had come across a friendship like ours, would it not? of course you are quite, quite sure that it is not mr. ernest worthing who is your guardian?
the present is embodied in hexagram 42 - i (increase): there will be advantage in every movement which shall be undertaken, and it will even be advantageous to cross the great stream.
the first (bottommost) line, undivided, shows that it will be advantageous for its subject in his position to make a great movement. if it be greatly fortunate, no blame will be inputed to him.
the third line, divided, shows increase given to its subject by means of what is evil, so that he shall be led to good, and be without blame. let him be sincere and pursue the path of the mean, so shall he secure the recognition of the ruler, like an officer who announces himself to his prince by the symbol of his rank.
the fifth line, undivided, shows its subject with sincere heart seeking to benefit all below. there need be no question about it, the result will be great good fortune. all below will, with sincere heart, acknowledge his goodness.
the tin woodman swung his arm and chopped the wolf's head from its body, so that it immediately died. as soon as he could raise his axe another wolf came up, and he also fell under the sharp edge of the tin woodman's weapon. there were forty wolves, and forty times a wolf was killed, so that at last they all lay dead in a heap before the woodman.
then he put down his axe and sat beside the scarecrow, who said, "it was a good fight, friend."
they waited until dorothy awoke the next morning. the little girl was quite frightened when she saw the great pile of shaggy wolves, but the tin woodman told her all.
once upon a time there was a miser who used to hide his gold at the foot of a tree in his garden; but every week he used to go and dig it up and gloat over his gains. a robber, who had noticed this, went and dug up the gold and decamped with it. when the miser next came to gloat over his treasures, he found nothing but the empty hole. he tore his hair, and raised such an outcry that all the neighbours came around him, and he told them how he used to come and visit his gold. "did you ever take any of it out?" asked one of them.
"nay," said he, "i only came to look at it."
"then come again and look at the hole," said a neighbour; "it will do you just as good."
the cloud reclind upon his airy throne and answerd thus.
then if thou art the food of worms, o virgin of the skies, how great thy use, how great thy blessing, every thing that lives. lives not alone nor or itself: fear not and i will call, the weak worm from its lowly bed, and thou shalt hear its voice. come forth worm and the silent valley, to thy pensive queen.
the helpless worm arose and sat upon the lillys leaf, and the bright cloud saild on, to find his partner in the vale.
iii.
then thel astonish'd view'd the worm upon its dewy bed.
in your spiritual life...
words that embody your presence are "fulfillment, industry, television".
words that embody people or things in your periphery are "attraction, blue, cup, encyclopedia, film, food, gamble, line, luxury, mathematics, mercury, mind, pact, pain, poverty, revelation, satellite, splendor, stonehenge, toe, unknown".