I . . . am about to embark upon a hazardous and technically unexplainable journey . . . to confer, converse, and otherwise hobnob with my brother wizards.
—Oz the Great, The Wizard of Oz
When moon and sun stand each in place
And your opponent takes the field,
Look past him to the one you’ll face
When all hid truths stand new-revealed.
When that time comes, your only shield
Will be the outward gaze toward space;
The cold will show what sword to wield
Against the fire’s and death’s embrace.
Still, though your oldest foe should yield,
Beware the last fall of the dice:
Though now an ancient sorrow’s healed,
Beware who pays the final price—
And do not miss, ’twixt fire and ice,
Your chance to make the sun rise twice.
—I Ching trigram 30, Fire over Fire: “Double Brightness”
I am not young enough to know everything.
—Oscar Wilde