Tammy’s Reviews > The Horse and His Boy > Status Update

Calcination: Shasta (I am not a Calormen); Aravis (I am not marying for money), Bree and Hwin (I am not a slave).
Dissolution: They meet at the shore and the horses swim with the riders riding on them. WHOA!!!
Separation: In Tashbaan, Shasta is separated first and then Aravis. They are also separated emotionally. Aravis by her pride, Bree by his self-deceit, Shasta by his mistrust, Hwin by her lack of confidence.

The Calormenes have their focus on the wrong thing. Aravis knows something is wrong but she doesn’t know what she is missing until she runs away. She knows what she is running from, but not what she is running to. Tashbaan is a labyrinth and she was able to escape it. The Tisroc’s palace is also like a labyrinth. Hindrances on the alchemical way are covetousness (false gold), pride (self-love), and self-deception.

I just realized something. Narnia is in a golden age. The two horses and their children are all trying to reach Narnia so that they reach their golden perfected stage. Why? In literary alchemy, what happens in the physical world is connected to what is happening in the spiritual world. Example: Aravis rejects the material world and even gives money to the groom. WHOA! Thank you Angelina’s 2nd webinar on Harry Potter!

They all begin to gallop with urgency. They each urge one another on because they have to beat the army. Ha, ha (Beat Army). Aravis is much more aggressive than Shasta who does not know the difference between giving it all and giving what you think you can give. The race is on again (Mercury). Then they hear a terrifying sound. A roaring lion is chasing them! Now they really fly at full speed.

Ch. 10 The children are amazed at the lush greenery as they climb up hills and ridges. They reach a spot where two rivers meet. The sound of the water and the darting dragonflies excited them. Bree announces that it is the Winding Arrow River, which means they are in Archenland! The land is an open park with no roads and scattered trees. They stop sightseeing after they see the army crossing the river to the east.

The four sleep to the music of the nightingales: resting in unity. Aravis woke first. She is ashamed of herself because the horses were exhausted from the trip and Shasta is ignorant. She knows better. She wakes them and urges them to hurry (Mercury). They realize that the raven didn’t say this path was shorter, just better. Hwin agrees with Aravis, but Bree is stubborn. Bree puts her down (he’s a warhorse).

They pass through prickly cactus-like plants and coarse grass that could cut your fingers. The ground lots of stones and pebbles to get into the horses’ hooves. They finally make it to a small pool of water that offers much needed relief of their thirst. Nearby is a comfortable spot with the lushest grass. A nightingale sings (symbol of devoted mothering). They are exhausted and cannot help but fall asleep.

The four suffer from heat exhaustion and thirst. The desert is ravaging them and Shasta has a hard time keeping his eyes on Mount Pire. Oh, double peaks!!! Pire rhymes with fire and it’s a funeral fire. There is a breathless stuffiness which means, TADA, it’s hot and wet! Lewis for the win!!! He has just cycled through the FOUR ELEMENTS. WHAT? Onward and upward to the quintessence. What’s a quintessence? LOL

Aravis uses hasty words and they leave in haste as well (“Make haste!”) The desert at night has the image of water. When the moom sets, it becomes cold and dry, which is the image of Earth. After the sun rises and the heat turns on, it becomes hot and dry which burns Shasta’s feet because, unlike Aravis, he does not have shoes. That’s fire. Don’t tell me air is next. LOL I can’t believe this.

Another question is about the directions. Heading NW is toward “water”. That is cleansing, too. I also need to draw their route on a map made by the illustrator.

Tashbaan = London (or Bath)

In the end, Aravis shows grace toward Lasaraleen. She is reunited with the horses and pays the groom before ordering him to leave. Shasta arrives and the four are reunited. Aravis shares her news as does Shasta.