[HPforGrownups] Re: Symbolism: HP and the Theospohical Society (was: HP and the Voice of the Silence)

Mon Jul 21 20:46:08 UTC 2003

No: HPFGUIDX 72116

susannacedric <susannacedric at passagen.se> wrote in message 71323:

>>I have a father who is a high ranking member of a theosophical society and a rosicrucian order (I do not share my fathers 'faith'.) Also, HP is not considered worth more than wiping your dog's bottom with in those circles as their think JKR is mocking them.<<

I want to thank Susanna very much for this post as it gives me a wonderful opportunity to discuss the view the Theosophical Society have of HP. They point out some very beautiful and valuable symbolism which I'm sure will thrill those members who follow the symbolism threads.

I stress: I am not a member, but I'm intensely interested in the symbolism of HP and I'm really excited by the wonderful interpretation the Theosophists put on HP.

The Theosophical Society has a bi-monthly magazine called Quest. The Nov/Dec issue 2002 was devoted to LOTR and HP. This magazine is published on Internet and can be read by anyone. The first article I want to mention is called "Harry Potter and the Ancient Wisdom", by the International Vice-President, John Algeo (He is an emeritus Professor of English).
http://www.theosophical.org/theosophy/questmagazine/novdec2002/algeo/index.html

Algeo starts off: "The Harry Potter books by JK Rowling are a fantastically magical phenomenon". He then tells the story for those who haven't read it. On page 3 Algeo proceeds to discuss Harry's quest in SS/PS. He explains Harry's underground exploration in seven discoveries.

I summarize with a few quotes:

1. "Cerberus [...] can be put to sleep with music played by Harry and Hermione on a flute {...} Similarly Orpheus gained entry to Hades to recue his dead wife by playing a lyre. The flute that Harry and Hermione play is an analog of the instrument in Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute", which Tamino and Pamina play during their co-initiation at the end of the opera."

2. "Hermione [...] remembers [...] that the plant (Devil's Snare) retreats from the light, so she uses a magic spell to produce a bright illumination from her wand. The Devil's Snare suggests that what is soft and easy is sometimes a trap and that evil and oppression can be overcome by the Light of Knowledge."

3. (The flying keys) "We need the key of knowledge to open the door to the inner reality, but that key is elusive and can be captured only by one who has trained to accomplish the task."

4. (The chess game) "Ron's heroic self-sacrifice for the welfare of others puts him in the class of future bodhisattvas, who sacrifice their own welfare for the good of all."

5. (the troll) "Overcoming the monster is gaining control of our own shadow or Dweller on the Threshold, the embodiment of our faults, sins, and bestial nature. Once that control has been established, the shadowy troll is no longer a challenge, but can be dealt with as necessary."

6. (the walls of fire & the riddle) The fires of passion can be quenched only by knowing the answer to the ridddle of life. That knowledge is gained by the truly intelligent and is, in fact, what intelligence means."

7. (the Philosopher's Stone) "Through Harry's act of selfless courage, the Philosopher's Stone, like Tolkien's One Ring, is destroyed so that it can never fall into Voldemort's hands. True wealth and true immortality are achieved only by those who are motivated by selfless desire. And that is the great secret of the quest".

Algeo than compares HP to a TS booklet called "At the Feet of the Master". He sums up the article as follows: 

"These are the lessons that Harry Potter learns in his first year at Hogwarts, and in the first stage of his education in life: to discriminate in making his choices; to do the right thing without personal desire; to be guided by intelligent principles in life, rather than arbitrary rules; and to have confidence in what Dante in "The Divine Comedy" called “The Love that moves the sun and the other stars.” They are Discrimination, Desirelessness, Good Conduct, and Love. Those are not bad lessons for any of us to learn at the beginning, or at any time, of life."

Another article in the same edition of Quest is by William W. Quinn, a lawyer in Arizona.

http://www.theosophical.org/theosophy/questmagazine/novdec2002/quinn/index.html

Quinn's main point about HP is that it is an infusion of light for humanity's spiritual development.

A few quotes: 

"At certain junctures in this cyclic process, opportunities present themselves for the increased infusion of light into a darkening world. At certain junctures in this cyclic process, opportunities present themselves for the increased infusion of light into a darkening world."

"Many people are familiar with the great infusions brought by the renowned lightbearers, such as the scriptures revealed by Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad; the written legacy of the Socratic academy in Attic Greece, and the teachings of the Buddha and Lao-tzu"

"Finally, there is today a new and conspicuously overt expression of the esoteric, whose principal characteristic, while related to that of the 1960s, is even greater—because it has unparalleled breadth and scope across the planet. This new opportunity is the receptivity of the newest generation of our new millennium to teaching of a higher order that is related to, but more than, the dramatic occult powers and divination taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and exhibited by young Mr. Potter in both his apprenticeship and his exploits against the malevolent Voldemort."

Isn't that beautiful?

The TS also published an article about HP in their Nov/Dec magazine of 2001. This was written by Helene Vachet, of Los Angeles.

http://www.theosophical.org/theosophy/questmagazine/novdec2001/vachet/

I just want to quote the summary of her article: 

"Courage, calmness, insight, self-sacrifice, logic, and purity are the steps to Harry Potter's and his friends' initiation or self-realization. The meaning and magic of Harry Potter is that he is us. We are seekers on the path of truth or the perennial quest. It is our destiny to integrate our shadows with our conscious self, to listen to our daimon or higher self, to look for the synchronicity between events, and to develop the qualities needed for initiation."
Last December Mr Algeo presented a public lecture in London. A tape was made and I have a transcript of the lecture. If people are interested I'll post it.

Now for the idea that the TS think JK Rowling is mocking them:

This is what Algeo says: "Theosophy, with which Rowling has some familiarity, as is clear from her reference in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" to the fictitious author “Cassandra Vablatsky” and her equally fictitious book "Unfogging the Future". “Vablatsky” is a metathesis of “Blavatsky,” and “Cassandra” is an appropriate substitute for Helena, because Cassandra was the daughter of Priam, King of Troy, a prophetess who always spoke the truth but was never believed and because Cassandra’s story is part of the great war of the Iliad, fought over Helen. Moreover, the fictitious book title "Unfogging the Future" suggests "Isis Unveiled", Helena Blavatsky’s first major work."

susannacedric wrote:

>>Helena Blavatsky was a fraud, making stuff up, powerhungry and attention seeking.<<

Thank you for that opportunity to learn a lesson from HP. The lessons HP teaches are universal and totally clear. One of these is the intense suffering libel and defamation cause. We all suffer with Harry at the hands of Rita Skeeter. We cry with Hagrid and we cringe with Hermione. Mme Blavatsky has been dead for over a century, but many thousands are there who respect her greatly, and her defamation causes suffering to the members of the TS and her numerous admirers.

In any case I think we should divorce people's reputation from their works. "By their fruits you shall know them". If we want to get to know Mme Blavatsky we should read her works. I for one can say that when I read her works I am filled with awe, deep respect and reverence.

By the way, she didn't write "The Voice of the Silence", according to herself. She only translated it, though the original text has never been seen by anyone for thousands of years.

Hans in Holland

---------------------------------
Want to chat instantly with your online friends? Get the FREE Yahoo!Messenger

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]