[This post is lengthy. If you're looking for the condensed version of my Harry Potter 7.2 experience read what is in italics. if you have some time and patience feel free to read it all.]
I'm surprised by how much is on my mind. It's late (3am) , I should be in bed but my thoughts
are racing and if I sleep, by morning they will have fled. Awkwardly enough, the mental churning surrounds the topic of Harry Potter. I feel somewhat a geek.
I feel like such a wizard right now. This evening I got dressed and gathered my essentials-- which included my 11" Mermaid scales-Birch Wand and headed out to face the end of what has been a long journey. Driving swiftly south down the freeway, the full moon shone brightly and amplified the dark silhouette of the mountain peaks in front of me.. I felt like I was on a Firebolt, in a midnight escape, off to some adventure.
My mind was caught up in reminiscence. I thought of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone; the beginning, in the aftermath of Voldemort's downfall, James & Lily Potter's death and the survival of their son Harry. The wizards were walking about, amongst the Muggles with no thought to try and blend in. They were celebrating, joy overflowed into the streets, sparks and stars are shot thru the air, people gathered together and raised their glasses to- "the boy who lived." The imagery, the memories and feelings felt a lot like tonight.
It was easy to see the parallels between what Rowling wrote and what was happening around me: There was so much hype surrounding Harry Potter today. The dozens of witches and wizards I saw around town as I ran errands, recent fireworks celebrations and the simple atmosphere of summer. I looked down at my Hogwarts School Boy outfit and smiled.
"I'm part of this story," I said to myself. Anyone looking at me would be like the Muggles in the first book as they observed the Wizards and witches frolicking freely about the streets in their 'non-muggle' attire. I was clearly "one of them..." as Uncle Vernon would've put it.
I was happy to be a part of this. My outfit was decent, but wasn't nearly to the degree of some of the others. As I passed the theater two wizard boys stood casting spells at every car that passed. I felt at home amongst all of these 'witches and wizards. I haven't felt that much cohesiveness in such a diverse group of people. It's amazing what can happen when we gather together with one intent and purpose.
The purpose being to watch the final installment of the Harry Potter film series. Our show began with a pre-show of a couple guys in a wizard dual casting spells, running around the theater. Epic- right? :) And from that point on I was pretty well captivated.
I enjoyed what I saw. I was felt there was a good balance between the action and some of the fun details. It was appropriately emotional in the appropriate places. The dialogue was good. I was happy to see some of the better actors (not necessarily the main characters) set the tone and create some of the emotion to the story through their dialogue and acting ability (Mostly Maggie Smith- Prof. McGonagall) This was the Harry Potter series at its best, from cinematography and soundtrack, to the acting and script. I really enjoyed the themes and message of the series especially this last one. I laughed, I cried and Made a Horcrux. A little part of me will always be in the Harry Potter series.
I'm not sure if I liked it because of it being some stellar, epic film- or simply because of the experience and what it means to me. I recognize now how much a part of my life this has been. Harry Potter has been around for nearly half of my life. The world of literature and reading were came alive to me when I picked up the first book of the series. And Oh the places that's allowed me to go, and the things I've been able to learn. It's brought me closer with friends, it's created a venue mystery, novelty, imagination, conversation, interpretation. It's given me a place to create magic. That's the beauty of it all- at it's core Harry Potter follows the Universal Story- The Archetype. We get to follow the Heroes journey. and in a very real sense we can place ourselves into the shoes of the hero. That is why it is so universal. In a sense it inspires us in our own stories. As we see the hero sink to his/her lowest and defeat the archetypal dragon, rising victorious- suddenly our depths of despair become lighter and our dragons less beastly.
* * *
In our society we are trained to be critics. When was the last time you sat back and fully allowed an experience to consume you, instead of standing by and judging, analyzing, critiquing the experience? Have you been in a situation and found yourself liberated at peace and empowered because you weren't distracted by placing value on the situation for what it was or wasn't or what YOU thought it should or shouldn't be?
Many people have much to say and critique
about J.K. Rowling and her creation. I'm grateful I entered the world of Harry Potter before I trained myself to be too much of a critic. I'm grateful I was able to fully invest myself in the experience of Harry Potter. I am glad to have had 'the Potter' on my journey over the past several years, and I will carry it with me for years to come. And I trust that there will be much more joy and magic to come. I'm taking up the practice of non-judgement and overcoming the need to place a value (monetary, moral, comparative) on every thing, person and experience. It's not easy, but it is liberating.
P.S. I am kind of, majorly crushing on Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) Like-we're meant to be.
