PROPHECY 
257 
5. The verification must be simple, natural, unique and 
unmistakable. 
Forced 
and 
far-fetched 
explanations, 
distortions of Qabalistic or other mathematical reasoning, are 
barred. 
6. The prophecy itself must possess the complement of 
this precision. It must be so perfectly unintelligible at the 
time that the elucidation of the answer makes it certain that 
the prophet knew precisely the whole riddle. 
I feel that this condition is itself expressed in a somewhat 
oracular form; I will try to clarify by citing what I consider a 
perfect example. 
Perfect, 1 say, because the "must" is a little too strong; 
there are degrees of excellence . 
"That stele they shall call the Abomination of Desolation; 
count well its name , and it shall be to you as 718." (AL, 
III: 19) 
(The Stele is that whose discovery culminated in the 
writing of The Book of the Law.) 
Here the first part is still quite unintelligible to me; 1 have 
tried analysis of the original phrase in "Scripture," and nearly 
everything else: entirely in vain. One can see dimly how 
people, recognizing that Stele as the Talisman responsible for 
reducing half the cities of Europe to rubble, might very well 
make reference to those original prophecies. But , at the best, 
that's nothing to cable to Otaheite about! 
Now the second part. This was even more baffling than the 
other. "Count well its name" how can I? it never had a name! 
So I tried all sorts of experiments with 718. Shin, 300, the 
letter of Spirit , with our key number 418 , looks promising . 
Only one more pie-crust! I kept attacking, off and on, for 
many a long year, got out all sorts of fantastic solutions, 
complex and confused; they simply shouted their derision at 
me. 
lt was one glorious night in Cefalu, too utterly superb to 
waste in sleep; 1 got up. I adored the Stars and the Moon; I 
revelled in the Universe. Yet there was something pulling at 
me. lt pulled eftsoons my body into my chair, and I found