in the process itself. The judgment can do no more than the facts 
presented to it warrant. It is naturally impossible in most cases to 
make sure that some important factor has not been omitted. In 
asking, “shall I be wise to marry?” one leaves it open for wisdom 
to be defined in divers ways. One can only expect an answer in 
the sense of the question. The connotation of “wise” would then 
imply the limitations “in your private définition of wisdom”, “in 
reference to your présent circumstances.” It would not involve 
guarantee against subséquent disaster, or pronounce a philosophical 
dictum as to wisdom in the abstract sense. One must not assume 
tliat the oracle is omniscient. By the nature of the case, on 
the contrary, it is the utterance of a being whose powers are partial 
and limited, though not to such an extent, or in the same directions, 
as one’s own. But a man who is advised to purchase a certain 
stock should not complain if a general panic knocks the bottom 
ont of it a few weeks later. The advice only referred to the 
prospects of the stock in itself. The divination must not be blarned 
any more than one would blâme a man for buying a house at Ypres 
three vears before the World-War. 
As against this, one must insist that it is obviously to the advan- 
tage of the diviner to obtain this information from beings of the 
most exalted essence available. An old witch who has a familiar 
spirit of merely local celebritv such as the toad in her tree, can 
hardly expect him to tell her much more of private matters than 
her parish magazine does of public. It dépends entirely on the 
Magician how he is served. The greater the man, the greater must 
be his teacher. It follows that the highest forms of communicating 
daemons, those who know, so to speak, the court secrets, disdain to 
concern themselves with matters which they regard as beneath 
them. One must not make the mistake of calling in a famous 
physician to one’s sick Pekinese. One must also beware of asking 
even the cleverest angel a question outside his ambit. A heart 
specialist should not prescribe for throat trouble. 
The Magician ouglit therefore to make himself master 
of several methods of divination; using one or the other as 
the purpose of the moment dictâtes. He should make a 
point of organizing a staff of such spiriis to suit varions 
168