[caltheous]

What is the Crux of a Soul?
By Hilde Pols (atschpe)

Biography:

Hilde's (a.k.a atschpe) passport says she's Belgian, but ask her and she'll tell you she's an Earthian who feels at home everywhere and anywhere having grown up in several countries and cultures. Living in the south of Germany didn't stop her catching the Harry Potter bug in 2000. The infection was so bad that by the time she read Order of the Phoenix she started to frequent forums and finally ended up taking the series as her literary topic in her end exams in her English studies. Nothing has changed since then and next to her work as a music setter and flute teacher she is even more involved now, being a member of the Reading Group and Gallery staff at the Leaky Lounge that no cure of the addiction is in sight.

Abstract:

The essay explores the theory that each Horcrux made by Voldemort parallels or even is one of his respective chakras seeing a human has the same number of chakras as Voldemort made Horcruxes. Moving from Root to Crown Chakra the traits of each is compared to how the Horcrux objects are described, the state of Voldermort at the time as well as how these interact with the people around them.

This essay can be read here.

This post has been edited by AnguaTLC: 01 March 2008 - 02:48 AM

[WaggaWaggaWerewolf]

What a wonderful essay! I really enjoyed reading this essay, and frankly envy the illustrations.

There is a couple of things that I found interesting. One was that whilst your interpretation of the Horcruxes, using Chakras is based on Eastern philosophy, mine is based on Judeo-Christian traditional thought. Yet, I've noticed more than a couple of points of convergence about both essays. For example, somehow or other the order in which we both chose the Horcruxes was little different. I changed around the order of the Diademcrux and the Locketcrux, to fit the suggested timeline, but that is all.

Another thing I find interesting is that what you say about the root chakra could equally have applied to my essay as well. Not only that chakra but the next two as well. Though I thought the Hufflepuff cup would have coincided with the stomach, more than anything else.

Is this merely coincidence? Or is it karma?

This post has been edited by WaggaWaggaWerewolf: 02 March 2008 - 01:54 AM

[atschpe]

Thanks WaggaWaggaWerewolf!

It does seem more than coincidence that we both happened to write about Horcruxes (I wonder who jinxed us). Even more that nothing either of us say is contrary to the other. Just shows the brilliances and depth of JKR's writing.

Actually the Solar-Plexus is the stomach region so your feeling would be correct. A Chakra isn't a pinprick position but a region as it's an energy centre swirling and thus exchanging and balancing energy with its neighbours.

In a way both approaches are merely different viewing points. Someone learning to live by virtues and discarding sins is taking a similar journey as someone developing their chakras. Just like you have the alchemist purifying themselves and many other paths of life.

[gadigal ghoul]

It does seem more than coincidence that we both happened to write about Horcruxes (I wonder who jinxed us). Even more that nothing either of us say is contrary to the other. Just shows the brilliances and depth of JKR's writing.

What a lovely essay you wrote, though I can't say I know much about chakras. I know WWW worked on her essay for ages, but that is half a planet and a different hemisphere away from you. Where did Chakras as a concept come from?

In a way both approaches are merely different viewing points. Someone learning to live by virtues and discarding sins is taking a similar journey as someone developing their chakras. Just like you have the alchemist purifying themselves and many other paths of life.

I wonder what alchemy would make of the Horcruxes?

[atschpe]

What a lovely essay you wrote, though I can't say I know much about chakras. I know WWW worked on her essay for ages, but that is half a planet and a different hemisphere away from you. Where did Chakras as a concept come from?

Thanks!

I've always been interested in the varying takes on life you find in all cultures and the idea of chakras and how they intertwine with life has been a fascinating subject to me for I don't know how long. Still digesting DH it hit me at one point that there were seven Horcruxes and seven Chakras … and hey is that coincidence that two of the Horcruxs are "worn" directly over a corresponding Chakra (heart & brow). I pottered around (yup pun intended) for quite some time thinking things over playing puzzle with the chakras and horcruxes; I didn't believe thoroughly in the develpoing theory until I came across the halo description of Nagini again – from there on in it was sold. So yes this essay has been around (in my head, on slips of paper, on my computer) for quite some time too. Another scary parallel with WWW …

I wonder what alchemy would make of the Horcruxes?

A question that intrudges me as well. I meant to poke a friend and fellow staffer, birthday twins, about parallels seeing she has a better overview of the workings of alchemy and how it correlates to the HP novels than me, but decided best not to get myself even more wrapped into more possibilities before the essay was out and set in stone. Seeing that the alchemical process is very similar to someone seeking enlightenment (both aim at a cleansing of their being, striving to reach some kind of purity) I think there are many parallels there to find. And seeing how WWW's essay and mine seem to compliment each other I'd see an alchemical approach yet again shed a different light on the subject spying out shadowy areas we left unexplored and giving it even more depth.

[The-T-Dane]

What a great job done with the essays on Horcruxes. I have only one question regarding "What is the Crux of a Soul?":

his ability to speak Parseltongue, his self-proclaimed high intelligence of having figured out where the Chamber of Secrets is and how to get in, and of course the actual fact of creating the tool “so that one day, with luck, [he] would be able to lead another in [his] footsteps, and finish Salazar Slytherin’s noble work.” 1

I have an idea of having read somewhere, that Voldemort did not rely on luck, but that Malfoy Snr. made an error by giving the diary to Ginny as an entirely independent act - not sure his master would ever find out, because Malfoy wasn't being told about the role of the diary.
Is that my imagination, or is relying on luck something complety out of caracter for Riddle/Voldemort?

This post has been edited by The-T-Dane: 09 March 2008 - 01:33 PM

[atschpe]

What a great job done with the essays on Horcruxes. I have only one question regarding "What is the Crux of a Soul?":

his ability to speak Parseltongue, his self-proclaimed high intelligence of having figured out where the Chamber of Secrets is and how to get in, and of course the actual fact of creating the tool "so that one day, with luck, [he] would be able to lead another in [his] footsteps, and finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work." 1

I have an idea of having read somewhere, that Voldemort did not rely on luck, but that Malfoy Snr. made an error by giving the diary to Ginny as an entirely independent act - not sure his master would ever find out, because Malfoy wasn't being told about the role of the diary.
Is that my imagination, or is relying on luck something complety out of caracter for Riddle/Voldemort?

Thanks!

Hmmm … I think we must remember that it's a 16-year-ld Tom Riddle talking here. He is still trying to figure out how best to use the tool of HOrcruxes and possibly seeing the diary as an experiment and more of a way to "finish Slalazar's noble work" than to manifest is immortality. From his point of view he doesn't yet know how the Diary can be slipped to someone to do this only that it has the potential. THe Riddle coming from the Diary learning from Ginny and Harry how it came about might indeed call Lucius' actions as lucky as they enable him to ope nthe Chamber again. What I'm saying is that it looks like he's more commentating the actions that took place than what he expected at the time. Yes, I do agree that the fully fledged Voldemort isn't hte type to hope on luck.