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, barnharts4@hotmail.com