Betwixt Lumos and Nox

"You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book
will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children"

As much as I avoid to agree upon, it is a fact that magic was what I dreamt of the most, as a child. The day I created my blogger account I figured out that the blog would be deemingly incomplete without a post on my childhood hero! So I figured I should do this right if I am doing it! And here goes..
Stupefy!’ ‘Experillamus’! His wand flew out of the door, outraged. Doesn't the line ring a familiar bell? Of course, it is Harry Potter. A guileful expression and Ohh! Now don’t switch off the monitor.. Close the tab or do anything drastic.. Saying "Ohh not another Harry freak!!" Well.. Actually, You can do that.. But I am on the other side.. and so I continue writing.. Err.. Typing ;)
So.. Bide a wee! :D


Lumos!!

As I lazed out of my bed that day.. The news paper had this huge article and a picture of a boy holding a wand immediately abandoning the article on the assembly proceedings that day.. I started reading
that article (Yeah.. :D I always did that..)

"A classic favourite among young readers, Harry Potter has found a place in the course curriculum of Durham University in the UK this
year. Around 80 undergraduates have already signed up for it. Though students will not be taught wizardry in keeping with the books, or how to wave a wand, the course will cover the social and cultural aspects
of life through the novel and examine prejudice, bullying and friendship in modern society."

A 11 year old me must have put up to a reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others!! Devilment!! Must have asked my father to send me for studies in the UK! :P
Well.. Not now.. I am 19!! See.. As much as I tend to abnegate today I cannot deny the fact that
12 years of age and I was one of those millions and trillions of Harry Potter freaks!!!

Not to mention all those scary dark art dreams I had all the spells waking me up in the bed! I must say I loved all that! Not just because it is fascinating and alluring but as i look back today.. I learnt many things I needed to, and Harry Potter helped me do it the right way!
In contrast to much of the Pagan discussion I've seen, I think the books and movie do teach some of our basic Wiccan values in a subtle and entertaining way, and that's part of their appeal.Courage, empathy, ingenuity and generosity are some of our core values, found in the heros and heras of thousands of fairy tales. Harry and his friends exemplify them all. They contend with the values
of his loathesome relations who represent utter conventionality (the adults) and utter selfishness and bullying (his cousin Dudley). One of the first things we see Harry do is to talk to a snake with empathy.
Stands up for his friend against the snobbery.
Magic in the Harry Potter books is a somewhat neutral force, a technology and a talent rather than an ethos. Part of the genius of the books is that the shadow side of life is dramatized so vividly.
Childhood is full of intense passions and contests of power. Witness a pair of five-year-olds playing together, and you'll see anguish, outrage, affection, hurt, jealousy and selflessness succeed each other
like rapid changes in the weather. Children's lives are determined by powerful figures who set the ground rules, provide or don't provide love, nurturing, nourishment, pleasure and privileges.
How important it is for children to see both their positive and negative impulses mirrored, The presence and absence of it, to know that greed and envy and rage are part of the common human condition. Only then can they eventually develop the maturity to grow beyond greed and hate. The shadow side is not disavowed, it's acknowledged and recognized. It's part! You can never overlook! Certainly influenced by the values in the books they read, but often in ways that are more oblique and paradoxical than we think. As a child, I read books about magic voraciously. I so desperately wanted magic to be real. The willingness to sacrifice, the concept of a deity who represents powerful, unconditional love, in a way I could understand and accept. In that world, consciousness is not limited to human beings. Animals,
plants, and objects all carry their own awareness and can be communicated with.
Isn't that the essence of the Pagan worldview: that the earth is alive, that all being has consciousness, and that we can learn to communicate with that consciousness if we are sensitive and empathetic. In a global culture increasingly devitalized, corporatized, logoized and shopping malled, where everything is reduced to a commodity that can be bought and sold, I find it cheering that kids still yearn for magic. I hope their love of Harry's magic will inspire them to cherish and defend the natural world upon which real magic is based.
Obviously, the idea of heroes fighting for values in some sense has to be part of any compelling fiction. What strikes me about the Harry Potter series is the richness of the characters and their commitment
to their personal values. There are a lot of people saying these books promote witchcraft, these books are satanic. You have a lot of fairly stringent attacks on the books by Christians. And then you have some
Christians who are arguing the books are in fact fundamentally religious in nature and are promoting key religious ideas. These are interesting debates, but I am offering a fundamentally different way
to look at the books. I am saying, yes, they do include these religious elements. But they are fundamentally at cross-purpose with Rowling’s central theme, which is all the elements related to this
heroic fight for values.

Today, rereading the books,
The magic in Harry Potter takes us back into an animate universe,
where hats talk,
pictures move,
snakes hold conversations.

This world lies just on the other side of ordinary reality, behind a
door or through a seemingly solid wall. Ahh.. How I wish there is a
door, like in Narnia! ;)

This is not a review.. This is what I felt and dreamt of a hero who
made me ‘read’!

"There are many little ways to enlarge a child's world. Love of
books is the best of all".
#Grateful!


Nox!!