[from http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/5689/trap.htm ]

Trapezoids

   The trapezoid is a very mysterious shape. Unlike the square, and
   unlike the triangle, its sides slope inwards and the top is
   chopped off. It makes people uneasy, feel powerless, and can even
   cause such chaos as to compell people to see ghosts. When Anton
   LaVey was working as a ghost hunter during his younger years,
   many people with "haunted houses" would consult him to exorcise
   their (personal) demons. Instead of hunting down hazy
   apparitions, Anton was more like a therapist for the people. Most
   times the "ghost" was an animal trapped in the attic, or an
   emotional upheaval between members of the family. LaVey would
   simply fix the problem, or tell the people the problem was
   solved, which was what worked best much of the time. Alot of the
   hauntings were caused by one uneven wall in the building, causing
   the shape of the room to qualify as a trapezoid. This one wall
   can cause extreme disturbance in humans. In many cases this
   slanted wall was wallpapered or painted a different color to
   unconsciously try to "right" the room. These people can sense
   that the wall is off, but dont know exactly what is causing the
   disturbance, so they credit it to ghosts. Notice the trapezoids
   on these haunted houses, they are usually near the top, serving
   as the apex of the structure.   I also found out that the
   Parthenon, decidated to Athena on the Athenian Acropolis, is
   shaped like a trapezoid. However, it is so slight, that Greek
   Philosophers made this change to help the temple look more
   straight.  It goes in two feet on both sides, yet the eye never
   notices.
   
   The trapezoid is also a perfect shape on which to construct a
   ritual altar. *still under construction...*
 
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