We're going down the trapdoor...

Once the seeker has meditated on the principles of his counsel for a
due time there is only one thing left to do. The seeker must take
his leap of faith
(detach from his physical place).

The Through the Trapdoor sequence is one of the most popular parts
of the whole series. Maybe this is because it resonates so deeply
with a the leap of faith allegory that, at least, most of us feel
rather strongly about. Instinctively and from the literary angle we
realise that the whole story is about the under the trapdoor
sequence and is revealed in it. This is also true of the seeker
journey, it is all about the leap of faith and the leap of faith
encompasses it all.

The first trifle Harry encounters on his journey through the
trapdoor is Fluffy, a Cerberus guardian of the underworld. Fluffy,
is the contemplation that every seeker will go through in his
detachment from his physical place, Death.

The way to pass Fluffy is to soothe him to sleep with beautiful
music. Now that, as an answer to death, is an analogy of some
complexity, that I don't think can be explained. It can be felt and
believed in (hence the soothingness) received like a beautiful song
(hence the music allegory) and put to a temporary restfulness (hence
the sleeping Fluffy). What Dumbledore says about death being the
next great adventure, is probably as close as anything can get.
While facing Fluffy Harry also sees the great adventure beyond him,
just as Dumbledore sees the adventure beyond death. It is clear to
me that HP deals with death quite a while sooner than we might
realise.

Under the trapdoor the children fall in and land on the Devils
Snare. Here is where JKR is letting us know in some 'not so subtle'
ways that Harry has taken his great leap of faith.
First they jump into the door without knowing or being able to see
what is below.
Secondly they are caught in Devils Snare which wraps tighter if you
struggle and releases if you just remain calm. (Faithful) Hermione
and Harry are able to do this and they are released from the Snare.

Ron, the past self, struggles and finds it difficult to remain calm
and faithful. This makes sense in that it is the mortality (past
self) of the seeker that struggles with the leap of faith. The mind
and the transforming self are a step ahead because they have less
dependence on the physical place than the mortally bound past self.

Further to this we see that Hermione (the mind) sheds light on the
Devils Snare for Ron (the past self ) and he is freed by the Light
from Hermione. We call this the Enlightenment of the Mind.

The next room challenges the seeker to find the winged key. I like
the winged key a lot, partly because I recognise the symbol in a
personal way, and also because it has great meaning, and does a
really good job expressing the souls allegory of flying and becoming
the holder of the winged key to the reader.

The Winged Key is faith, old fashioned and bent on one side like its
been treated roughly before but, it is the one thing that will open
the 'heavy' wooden door ahead. Harry the youngest seeker in a
century has a knack of spotting things that others don't see. He
catches the Key.

This, all, is the seekers *Faith* fully realised. So from here the
Trio begins to represent detaching from the physical place.

I have been putting this one off for a while. I have known from the
start that this will be the best part analysing the Philsophers
Stone and will also be the hardest.

The next room is the Chess board. This is where the past self of
mortality is left behind by the seeker. So logically this is where
Rons journey ends too. Getting across the Chess board represents
going through motions of physical detachment.

I have thought long and hard about doing this... I am doing it.

Luke 18: 18 A Certain Ruler Asked him, saying Good Master, what
shall I do to inherit eternal life?

*** Harry: "Now What do we do?" [To get to the Philosophers Stone]***

Luke 18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack
one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you
will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

*** Ron : Its obvious isn't it! [ Play Chess ]***

[23] When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of
great wealth.

[24] Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to
enter the kingdom of God! [25] Indeed, it is easier for a camel to
go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God."

*** Hermone: How? [nervously] ***

[26] Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?"

[27] Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with
God."

*** Ron to the Black Knight: "Do we - er - have to join you to get
across" *** Narrative: The Black Knight nodded ***

[28] Peter said to him, "We have left all we had to follow you!"

*** Harry : "We're not offended Just tell us what to do" ***

[29] "I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has
left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of
the kingdom of God [30] will fail to receive many times as much in
this age and, in the age to come, eternal life."

*** Ron: "That's Chess! You've got to make some sacrifices." ***


After that is the Troll which is already defeated and I will talk
more about it in an appendix of things in this series of posts.

The Logic Puzzle, oh gosh, now how do I top the Chess game... (I
wonder if JKR thought the same thing..)

This Logic puzzle is one that is solved by deduction, Syllogisms,
the historical founder of syllogism was Aristotle. Aristotle was
called not a great philosopher, but "The Philosophers Stone" by
Scholastic thinkers. Aristotles works on logic were compiled into
six books at about the same time of Christ (historical).

Aristotles three term syllogisms were a favourite of Lewis Carroll
(Alice through the Looking Glass), who compiled them in numbers and
was often to be found campaigning that children should rather be
taught to devise logical conclusions than have the wonder stifled by
the insistence of so called *facts*.

Now the logic puzzle, as well as being totally stuffed overflowing
with juicy plot portends, including the fact that it was Snapes
choice of protection, is abundant with three term syllogisms. There
are 16 lines in all which is Four Squared, more than plenty for
enough logic fun to represent the way Aristotle saw God.

God to Aristotle is a being with everlasting life, and perfect
blessedness, ****engaged in never-ending contemplation.**** (I.
Encyclopaedia of Philosphy James Fieser, Ph.D., founder and general
editor)

Now rather than saying JKR is here making an idol of the 'The
Philosopher' to children, which I seriously doubt, I am saying that
the Logic puzzle refers to a poignant thought about the nature of
his choice of existence.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Finally there is the mirror, and as I have said in other posts on
this, Harry's only desire is to serve. He has no want for the
material possession of the stone and as such finds it in his pocket.
I totally concur with Hans interpretation of this scene as set out
by his texts on Liberation.

For me, as I have tried to show by this series on PS/SS, Harrys
disinterest in material desire is the culmination of all of the
physical and spiritual motions he has gone through to get there as
they occur in the seeker journey.

It becomes such as a culimination of all the seekers efforts to be
closer to the great force (Love-God-Faith-Truth) that it is
apparent and obvious to the seeker no material thing or gain can
surpass the reward of being in the eternal presence and being of
service to it. This is the Newness of the New Soul.

This is the the last part of the series, considering that COS was
able to be fit in a single post, it is quite amazing to me just how
much Jo fit into the tiny PS book.

Although I have come to the end of this series, I anticipate many
questions about 'missed pieces' will need to be answered, especially
for the resident LOON's. Which is why I am currently working on an
appendix to this set. In it will be answers to questions you might
ask such as:
Why isn't DADA listed in part 2,
What is the Troll all about, it seems pretty important.
and not least of all....
Why is Snape the Professor of Wisdom shouldn't that be DD or someone
else?

It's taking a long time to get through PS/SS and I'd like to have a
go at POA and maybe even GOF eventually, if you're still interested
in my analyses after I have talked your ear off about this one.. lol

I just want to thank Hans personally for his encouraging words, and
I appreciate your perpective that my musings are rather abstract,
which kind of made me laugh. If they're abstract to you now, you
wouldn't want to see my working copies... *snicker* I am pretty
talented at wading through large chunks of abstract thought all at
once, but most people don't do that as habitually as I do, so I
reach the conclusion sometimes a bit quickly for some, and unless I
was willing to write several chapters describing my method, the some
that find my conclusion premature are bound to either write it off
as thoughtless jibberish, or else perhaps still a little abstract in
its reasoning.

Anyway, I prefer to leave it in abstract forms too because like
Lewis Carrol, and JK Rowling I prefer not to underestimate the
abilities of others to reason for themselves, and I think laying
down a scientific method to every last conclusion for the reader to
follow only taints the truth. I'd rather campaign that we teach our
children to study and logic for themselves than to dictate what
logic has provided to us.

Valky
Rushing to get as much of this done as possible before term starts.