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

Separation is the pure essence being extracted from the solution. What is the pure essence for Shasta? I think it is courage. Every step of the way this untrained slave showed courage beyond what those who are trained could do. A lot of his thinking is fear-based. What is the pure essence for Aravis? Beneath her pride is compassion. She showed concern for others, regardless of their status.

Aravis is proud. No doubt about it. At first she wouldn’t even talk to Shasta. She looks down on him and even though they are always quarreling because she thinks she is better than he is. I can imagine the lion scene could be a turning point for her, too. The whole journey has reveal how lacking she is while she sees Shasta rise above what is expected of a slave.

Shasta is always afraid and he doesn’t trust people. He doesn’t like being the butt of jokes but he stays quiet. He couldn’t tell the Narnians that he was not Corin because he was afraid of getting killed. He doesn’t like telling Bree to push hard because he has his slave mentality. The first time where he really does something out of his characteristic desire to play it safe is when he stands up to the lion.

Working through the HP webinar. Calcination goes with fire--the burning hot desert would be it because fire is hot/dry. Dissolution goes with water and that’s probably crossing the Winding Arrow River. Separation is air. I’m still thinking through that. This is where the pure thing is extracted from the water. Spiritually that is when the person learns to separate from emotional triggers or habitual thinking.

On dissolution, there’s three important moments with water so far. The horses swim to escape the lion which forces them to meet. They are sustained by water at the lowest moment in the gorge when they have driven themselves to the point of exhaustion and there is nothing left. They have to cross water to reach Archenland. That is when they have put the ashes of their lives behind them completely.

Calcination is a complete break from one’s identity. Shasta and Aravis were beat up by the world BUT alchemy cannot begin until they break away from their past. The old identity has to be burnt to ashes. And after that they have to learn a greater goal. It turns out they need to save Archenland in order to save Narnia. Aravis gives up a lot because of her status and material wealth. Shasts puts his life on the line.

Archenland is pronounced Arkenland on the audio recording. Noah (whose name means rest) built the ark. The hermit has an art of knowing things and healing and he is wearing autum colors. He fits into the wild man image, and because he is in tune with nature (like St. Francis of Assissi), he can be trusted. BUT then I thought this sounds a lot like the Wood between the Worlds. That’s when my head exploded.

My head just exploded. Inside is a pool of water past that a large, magnificient tree, and past that is a house made of uncut stone and a thatched roof nd past that a gate on the other side. The enclosure forms a circle with green turf growing in the ways. The image I’m seeing is a circle (which the ancients saw as a symbole of God) with the Tree of Life at the center and living water next to it.

Aravis tries to pull her sword but it’s jammed. The lion leaps, scratches her back, and sees Shasta. It halts in mid-air (a bit like Akela in The Jungle Book) and then rolls. Shasta is unarmed and he gives the lion a fierce yell and the lion leaves. They see a 10-foot green wall and a man wearing a robe colored like autumn leaves. He has a long beard. I think he’s the wild man! He shuts the gate when they get inside.

As they are racing to Archenland, they hear the most terrifying noise. It’s a lion. Bree is so terrified that his eyes turn red. The horses gallop as fast as they possibly can. Hwin can’t keep up and Shasta screams at Bree to stop but Bree later said he couldn’t hear him. Shasta does the unthinkable--he jumps off Bree. All along he’s been put down for not having any training and yet he show the most strength.