Rizal's sibylla and my jewelry

I hurriedly unwrapped the package wrapped in a brown paper bag and discovered a dark brown silk box fastened with a beautiful broad label with a drawing of a mad-looking woman with a weird grimace on her face and her arms held up. Over her drawing was the famous signature of a famous ancestor — Jose Rizal. Under his drawing of this madwoman were the words Haec Est Sibylla Cumana, and under these words A Book of Oracles Created in Dapitan By Jose Rizal with English & Filipino Translations.  

I slide off the label and opened the box. On the left is little wooden top with Roman numerals. On the right are two books. The first book is a copy of the original made by Rizal in Spanish, complete with the accidental inkblot on the lower right corner of the inside front cover. Sybilla, the madwoman or more accurately, the mad prophetess, looks confused. There is another portrait of her on the first page where she looks simply perplexed. Over this second drawing, Rizal wrote, La Sibila Cumana, meaning, he spelled her name two ways — Sybilla and Sibila — but who cares? It is the same person. On this copy the questions and answers are handwritten by him in Spanish. This is a fortunetelling game Jose Rizal invented for his family to fool around with whenever they came to Dapitan to visit.

Who is Sybilla/Sibila/Sybil? She was a priestess of Apollo, who according to mythology was a god who could predict fortunes. As a priestess she was also a prophetess and so could tell fortunes. Cumae was a Greek colony, north of Naples, where this Sybilla/Sibila/Sybil located herself. Rizal must have simply gotten fascinated with her name. He called his fortunetelling game Haec Est Sybilla Cumana or This is Sibylla Cumana.

At the back of this first book is a draft, probably the first, of questions, and on the other side, on the inside back cover, a family tree he drew himself starting with his grandparents on his mother side, Lorenzo A. on one side and Brigida Quintos on the other side. The cover of this book was an envelope that he must have received from the Gas Engine & Power Company, New York City. This is a copy of the book as Jose Rizal wrote it, and it is positively charming. But since very few of us speak Spanish now, we keep this book as a Rizal treasure and go to the other book of translations to play the game.

I look at the questions then remember that recently I played I Ching and it said I would get married again (yes, ha ha ha). So I chose Question 9. Will I get married? I spun the top and got number IV. I looked at the table that directed me to page 28. So I turned to that page and looked for IV. It said No, no, no. I burst out laughing. Rizal’s book gives better answers. This book is totally, totally delightful. I could have spent hours playing this when I was a teenager. It makes an ideal Christmas gift for families. The parents can embrace the original book as written by Jose Rizal, their hero, for the historical and realistic value of it. Their teenagers can tell fortunes with the English and Pilipino translations and experience Jose Rizal’s wit and humor. It’s fun for the whole family. And the whole package is positively stunning.

Okay, where do you buy the book? If you can, come to its launch at Auditorium 1 of Ateneo Rockwell on Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. Bring P950 for a set. If you miss this launch you can call Cruz Communications at 891-1945 and order there or look for Sybilla Cumana on FaceBook and order there. It is worth every peso.

The game package is the result of collaboration between the Paciano Rizal Family Heritage, Inc., and Cruz Publishing. The former inherited the game from their grandmother, Lola Millie, the only daughter of Paciano. They have kept this game all these years and decided to print it only this year as part of the celebration of Jose Rizal’s 150th birth year. The latter, Cruz Publishing, belongs to my beloved first cousin, Ismael “Toto” Cruz and his sister Gemma, who translated the Spanish oracle into English. Virgilio S. Almario translated it into Filipino.

Yes, it’s another family affair, but it really is worthwhile. You may want to buy it to give to your grown-up children for Christmas. And if the book is not enough for you, you may want to come to our Christmas jewelry sale. Beginning on Monday, Dec. 5, we will have jewelry on special Christmas sale at our head office on the 6th floor of the Prudential Life Building, 843 Arnaiz Avenue, formerly Pasay Road. We will be selling costume as well as silver jewelry. Please come and have a look and enjoy yourselves. Our office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Just look for the orange sign that says Michelis. This is directly across Kashmir restaurant, closer to Don Bosco than to Dusit Hotel. The elevators appear rickety, but they are safe. Come on. Give your friends something really pretty this Christmas. I will try to make sure you enjoy it there, too. I will be the hostess there.

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