QUARTER CALLS We greet the East, direction of Air: gentle breezes and strong winds, realm of the beauty of clouds and birds, bearer of the weather which touches us all, the breath of life we inhale and exhale. We are a part of all around us. We greet the South, direction of Fire: candleflame, bonfire, starlight and sunlight, the energy which warms us and gives life to the world we inhabit, the energy which pulses along our nerves. We are a part of all around us. We greet the West, direction of Water: rain, snow, rivers and lakes, the great encircling ocean from which all life first came, the blood which flows through our veins still bearing the saltiness of that original home. We are a part of all around us. We greet the North, direction of Earth: metal and stone, hill and valley, Mother who bears and nourishes all life--root and leaf, fur and feather and scale and skin, muscle and bone and brain cell. We are a part of all around us.