‘Earth and water merge to make clay. We gather and manipulate that clay, shape it and harden it with fire. By shaping it we invite a will to reside within it, a ghost inside the clay. It becomes a wilful thing. The wilful thing is not alive, but it is not entirely dead. It cannot think or move, but it has the ability to move the bodies and thoughts of humans. When we look at it, we can sense its will entering our minds, making our heads turn and our bodies move. With or without knowing it, we fulfil its purpose, whatever it might be, and the wilful thing comes to life through our voices, gestures and thoughts. And while each human must fall and lie on the earth and moulder sweetly into the roots of violets, the wilful thing keeps on existing, perpetually reborn in each human encounter.’
