leslie barnhart. john granger’s basic course alchemy: nowadays, history, and jk rowling the hp...
TRANSCRIPT
Leslie Barnhart
John Granger’s Basic Course Alchemy: Nowadays, History, and JK
Rowling The HP alchemical triangles and other
new insights Christian Alchemy parallels, symbolism,
triangles
• Three Parts to Alchemy:– Four physical elements: earth, water, air, fire– Three stages: nigredo, albedo, rubedo– Two forces: mercury and sulfur
• Alchemical characters– Hermione = mercury; Ron = sulfur– Bill and Fleur – “red king” and “white queen”– Ted = alchemical orphan
• Philosopher’s Stone – goal of alchemy• Alchemical numbers: 3, 7, 13• What else do you remember?
Seven stages of transformation, including distillation, coagulation, separation, etc
Elements of the moon and the sun, with their “powers” – spiritual process is focus
Actual kits: chemistry kits, formulas, materials
Scripts look like made-up symbols:
Possibly Chinese, definitely Egyptian roots Well-spread throughout Roman Empire
Colossians 2:8 – talks about the “philosophy of the day concerning the four elements”
Diocletian – burned everything he could find Resurrected from Arabia/ Spain in 12th century People constantly focused on physical, not
spiritual practice, lots of problems http://www.alchemylab.com/history_of_alchemy.htm
Used alchemy to highlight relationships between characters
Alchemical storyline: Harry is the lead – transforms to gold by end of series (JG again)Hermione and RonBlack, White, Red stagesMastery of four elements
In chemistry lab, sulfur is the antidote for mercury spills
Alchemy: a “celestial trio”: sulfur, mercury, salt
Three stages represented in many forms:Gregory Goyle, Draco Malfoy, and Vincent Crabbe
Goyle: a golum/ gargoyle, black stage Malfoy: white hair, etc, seeker, very intelligent Crabbe: represents red, dies at the end of the red stage
Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, and Lord Voldemort Snape: black eyes, turns away from everything Dumbledore: blue eyes, knows everything Voldemort: red eyes, purifying the race, battle
Lord Voldemort, Dumbledore, and Harry:Represent the triptych of man:
Dumbledore: that which has always been (the old one) Lord Voldemort: that which is now (the man in his prime) Harry Potter: that which will be (forever and ever): the
future
Flesh, Blood, and BoneThe bone of the father: the old man; flesh of the
servant: man now; blood of the enemy: future of mankind
Harry = the Philosopher’s Stone in the Making Phineus Nigellus: Nigellus = Black, hence: Pb
= Lead!! – the beginning of the alchemy process
Sirius Black: initials: Sb = Antimony – the fifth/ transitional stage of alchemy (death: end of 5th stage), followers are all shiny metals, has dog-like characteristics
Sb transitions from Slytherin to Gryffindor, adopts Harry, Harry inherits the path to Gold
Gringotts: The Seat of All Alchemical Metals
Micro and Macro: within each book, within the series
Beginning of each stage DNE book beginnings
In General, Order of the Phoenix = black stage, Half-Blood Prince = white stage and Deathly Hallows = red stage
Elements of a stage change:Significant death Juxtaposition of Harry and Lord VoldemortElements of new stage set in immediately
Nigredo – begins at end of Goblet of FireBegins with death of Cedric DiggoryHarry and Lord Voldemort’s wands
“connect”Upon returning from the graveyard, Minister
denies Harry’s claim, begins renouncing Harry’s credibility
Albedo: begins at the end of Order of the PhoenixSirius BLACK dies (signals beginning of end
of Black stage)Lord Voldemort possesses Harry –
juxtaposition of oppositesCornelius Fudge suddenly understands:
“He’s back!”Lord Voldemort is completely absent during
this stage from Harry’s mind
Rubedo:White stage ends with three significant
deaths: Albus Dumbledore’s death at end of Half-Blood
Prince Hedwig’s death Mad-Eye Moody’s death
Harry and Lord Voldemort’s Wands connect in the departure from Privet Drive
Once they find out about Moody’s death, Lord Voldemort is back in Harry’s mind
End of Rubedo:Three Significant deaths/ captures:
Crabbe in the fire in the Room of Requirement Fred in the blast at Hogwarts Rubeus Hagrid – captured in the forest
Harry and Lord Voldemort unite but are then separated forever
Battle of Hogwarts is over
Alchemy is not palatable for most Christians: Thought to be associated with witchcraft Transformation seems like ancient “voo-
doo” scienceSeparated into science and spiritual
discovery after Galileo and Newton Alchemy was banned by the church or
ruling body multiple times Rowling recombines spiritual alchemy
with Christianity, regenerates concept of “Christian Alchemy”
Philosopher’s Stone: Harry masters earth (monster of earth: troll, Quirreldemort)
Chamber of Secrets: Harry masters water by mastering elemental water(masters Parseltongue to help conquer monster of water, the basilisk)
Prisoner of Azkaban: Harry masters elemental air through the Hebraic understanding: breath/ air, spirit, and time: animagus, time-turners, dementors and boggart (monsters of air), …
Goblet of Fire: Harry masters fire by winning tournament, defeats other monsters of fire: blast-ended screwts, conversing via fireplace
Order of the Phoenix: masters the fifth element: the Astral Plane, where angels
and dreams live – has to conquer dreams vs reality (symbolized by the veil)
dovetails with black stage (nigredo): dreams happen at night, Harry’s exile from Dumbledore, renunciation, occlumency…
Half Blood Prince: Illumination/ albedo (lots of silver, the sixth metal of alchemy)
Deathly Hallows: Battle, unification of Lord Voldemort’s soul (eliminating pieces); unification of the races against Lord Voldemort, union with the Divine Mind
Philosopher’s Stone: Covenant of earth: God’s covenant with Adam, his creation
Chamber of Secrets: Covenant over water: God’s covenant with Noah
Prisoner of Azkaban: Covenant of air: God’s covenant promising a future, etc with Abraham
Goblet of Fire: covenant over fire: God’s covenant with Moses through the burning bush
Order of the Phoenix: exile in Babylon, feeling of separation from God
Half-Blood Prince: Palm Sunday: begins with the triumphant re-entry of Harry and Dumbledore into society, ends with Dumbledore’s death – the Passion Narrative
Deathly Hallows: The joys of Easter: new Christian faith, as Christ rose, we share in the resurrection
Ron – Sulfur (two sides to sulfur); Hermione – mercury: quiksilver; Harry – the “salt” of the earth (Christian connection!!)
Deathly Hallows: three men = Trinity Elder Wand: the power of God Resurrection Stone: the power of Christ’s
Resurrection Invisibility Cloak: the power of the Holy Spirit As the Trinity, Hallows versus Horcruxes
symbolizes differences between man’s plan for saving his “life” and God’s plan for salvation
Dumbledore’s Death = Passion Narrative
Three Points of View of the Passion:Harry’s: St John – the only disciple to get
into the courtyard and witness Christ’s torture
Snape’s: St Peter – denial of Christ three times: Snape denies Charity’s pleas three times before her death; sectumsempra on George’s ear
Mundungus: Judas: deserts the disciples, allowing the leader to die
Fred and George Weasley – represent the Saints and Martyrs of the church: Saint George, patron saint of England Fred – murdered for his faith
Oliver Wood – the Olive Wood of the cross – shows Harry the quest for truth
Ollivander – the Olive Wand, again pointing to Olive Wood as the Cross wood
Peter Pettigrew / Wormtail: wormwood, the substance that always kills 1/3 of the community whenever it appears in Bible
Albus Dumbledore = Christ Figure: Anno Domini (Year of our Lord) = Great Shepherd
Brother and sister also have AD initialsAberforth = reminder of sheep versus goats
Predecessor, Armando Dippet = AD too Hagrid – gatekeeper for the sheepfold
Goes to the ends of the earth to collect the lost sheep
Believes in all creatures’ goodness
Minerva McGonagall and Molly WeasleyMartha and MaryMcGonagall = all work, duty over all elseMolly Weasley = focus on people, chores less
Snape = St. Peter: rock of Hogwarts when AD leaves, cuts of ear, close friend of Dumbledore
Harry = St. John: Beloved student, watches AD Passion, in cave and in tower
(Draco = Judas, reformed: given opportunity to change mind, appeal to AD’s mercy)
Black: renouncing all evil Early catecumenates would wear black robes
during this stage White: significant insights and learning
At baptism, Christians would gain new white robe and wear it for all special sacraments with God (communion, confirmation, marriage, death, etc)
Red: Reunification between God and humanity Historically, the reunification between Christ and
man on the cross After death – purgatory, “baptism” by fire-- John Granger, The Five Keys to Unlocking Harry
Potter, 2005, USA.
Deathly Hallows concludes series through baptisms in the four elements, solidifying their Christian mastery of the physical elements: Baptism of earth: Trio rise out of the ministry with
the Locket Horcrux Baptism of water: Harry is brought out of the
water by Ron, Sword destroys Locket Baptism of air: Harry, Ron, and Hermione rise out
of Gringotts on the dragon with the Cup Baptism of fire: Harry, Ron, and Hermione emerge
from Fiendfyre, Tiara is destroyed Baptism of astral plane: Harry meets with
Dumbledore, returns with LV’s soul destroyed
Understanding the four elements exist in church:Birth = creation of God, earthBaptism = covenant with waterConfirmation = covenant with airDeath/ purgatory, etc = baptism by fire
Philosopher’s Stone = Christ, who gives us his body and blood, the elixir of life = immortality
Transformation is a Quest, not a Destination
As people are transformed, they transform others as well:Harry helps change Ron and Hermione, as
they change himHarry transforms Draco with sectumsempra
– Draco never hurts anyone afterwardsHelps transform Neville through his
example, Neville then helps transform others
Christ is the ultimate Philosopher’s Stone – shows his mastery of the four elements to become the Stone, gave his body and blood for us (communion/ Eucharist)
Eucharist grants immortality Albus Dumbledore is the Philosopher’s Stone Others create or become Philosopher’s
Stones because of Albus Dumbledore Helps Nicholas Flamel create stone (600 years
ago?) Helps Harry understand his progression through
his mastery at every level – Harry becomes a “stone”
Owls – wisdom of God Raven – hidden knowledge Many others: see John Granger’s books
for list Four houses = four Songs of Isaiah that
foretell the coming of Christ: the pure of heart that will shine as an example to
the world The wise teacher that will instruct the world The suffering servant The conquering king
What do you take from this?
Leslie Barnhart, [email protected]