Subject: [world-vedic] The Vedic Roots of Modern Cultural Phenomena
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2002 02:40:01 -0000
From: Mark Roman
Reply-To: vediculture@yahoogroups.com
To: vediculture@yahoogroups.com

The Vedic Roots of Modern Cultural Phenomena
Part I: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

The story of Harry Potter is a theological drama which portrays in 
simple symbolic fashion a metaphysical understanding which is both 
literal and allegorical, and represents an initiatory teaching as 
practiced in the ancient mystery schools of the Near East (Egypt, 
Babylon, Rome, etc.) This form of worship seeks to offer sacrifice and 
reverence to the Sun by participation in and meditation upon its 
symbolic journey into death and rebirth. This has the two-fold aspect 
of illustrating the theological principle of the soul's separation 
from God and subsequent liberation from the bondage of matter, as well 
as acknowledging the incarnation of the Supreme Absolute in the 
material world in the form of the Sun which gives life and light to 
all living beings.

This particular theological understanding derives itself from the 
Vedic teaching originally practiced in the ancient world, and now 
found predominantly in the Indian subcontinent. The Sun-God, according 
to the Vedas, is a direct incarnation of the Supreme Lord Vishnu in 
the form of Surya-Narayana and is the chief deity worshipped in the 
daily rituals practiced for the purification of sins. The Sun occupies 
a particular place, because while other of the principle planets also 
share worship and respect, their presiding deities belong to the class 
of Devas, or "demigods," fantastically powerful celestial beings who 
rule over different aspects of the material creation. These beings, 
although exalted, are subject to the influence of material nature and 
inevitably succumb to the process of death and transmigration, either 
after their lifespan ends, or for some at the dissolution of the 
material universe, when the congregate elements of matter are merged 
back into the body of Lord Vishnu lying on the Causal Ocean.

The Sun-God, Surya-Narayana, however, is considered a direct plenary 
expansion of the Supreme Lord Vishnu, and thus his body is composed of 
Sat, Chit, and Ananda (Eternity, Knowledge, and Bliss), and is 
unaffected by the gross material elements including the subtle mind 
and intelligence which otherwise encage all mortal beings. Harry 
Potter is indeed, "Hari Pater" or "God the Father," and he struggles 
and overcomes the power of darkness symbolized by Voldemort, or "Baal 
de Mort" the Lord of Death. He does this, like Parsival, the fool of 
the Tarot, by his innocence. He does not selfishly desire the 
Sorcerer's Stone, also known as the Holy Graal. This desire is the 
root cause of our bondage, improper desire which consists of the 
misidentification of the eternal soul with the temporal material 
elements, and the subsequent attraction or aversion for the products 
of material nature.

Harry, however, is the symbol of purity, the transcendent Sun-God 
Himself, and he grasps within his hand that which is coveted by all 
men, the Graal, symbol of eternal life incarnate in a material form, 
which can grant all the desires of a person who possesses it but which 
holds no attraction for the truly wise. This stone symbolizes 
principally spiritual perfection in and of itself, but also refers to 
an actual object apparently sought after by the elite rulers of this 
world since recorded time. This sorcerer's stone is also known as the 
philosopher's stone, or cintamani in Sanskrit, and legend has it was 
left here from a higher world by celestial beings. This touchstone has 
various powers, the most prominent being its power to transform base 
metals into gold, and to produce the elixir of immortality so coveted 
throughout history. This drink is also known as soma and is produced 
on different planets from a certain plant by a specific process. It is 
consumed by various demigods and other celestial beings and is 
generally not available within this planetary system for human beings. 
It increases the power, life span, and energy of those who drink it, 
and enhances their mystic powers while granting fantastic exhilaration 
for an extensive time period. If drank by a mere human it would grant 
him what seems to us conditioned beings as "immortality" by expanding 
his lifespan to thousands of years and granting him tremendous power 
and influence.

Harry goes through a process of initiation having its roots as well in 
the ancient Vedic Dharma. He is marked on the forehead as a child, and 
the marking is not only a form of tilaka, or a marking signifying his 
initiation into the mysteries of God, but also shows his symbolism as 
the Sun-God, for the marking is a "Lightning Bolt" also known as the 
Sig Rune, which symbolizes the Sun in the Elder Futhark Rune system, 
and comes down to our recent history in the Solar cult society which 
captured the government of Germany, marking their most dreaded troops 
with the twin Sig SS insignia, and brandishing the Swastika, the 
ancient symbol of good fortune (which has now become distorted from 
recent experience) while they chanted "Sieg Heil", or "Hail to the 
Sun."

Harry is taken from the muggles, also called sudras, the profane or 
uninitiated, and sent to the ashrama of the wizard, or spiritual 
master, where he is taught sorcery, for which he shows a natural 
aptitude. The schools of the various students: Gryfindorf (Lion), 
Slytherin (Serpent), Hufenpuf (Dragon), Ravenclaw (Eagle) - symbolize 
the four material elements or motivating forces (air, earth, fire and 
water), with the exception of the fifth, or ether, which merely acts 
as the accomodating space for the actions of the others. They also 
apparently symbolize the predominant banners of the major secret 
societies warring throughout history, and can also be taken to 
represent the division of human society into the segments of priest or 
intellectual class, administrative martial class, agricultural or 
mercantile class, and laborers. According to ancient philosophers, 
these are the natural divisions inherent within human society and the 
occupational duties for which people are trained.

These multiple layers of symbolism are common in this genre of 
writings, and are designed to illustrate many different aspects of 
reality at once, so a story having its source within the movement of 
celestial bodies can be used to describe specific material events 
while at the same time instructing the initiated into the more 
profound spiritual truths.

Harry's name of Potter, as stated at the outset, illustrates the 
multidimensional nature of the story, as the title Pater, or Father, 
was the seventh and highest degree of initiation in the Persian cult 
of Mithras practiced widely in the Roman empire. This position within 
the cult comes down through the ages in the office of Pope within the 
Roman Catholic Church, with the supreme Pontiff also adopting the 
Mithraic markings of the rank of Pater, complete with the red hat, 
shepherd's staff, and ring worn by those achieving this level within 
the order. Their worshipable deity was, of course, the Sun-God, who 
was referred to as Mithras, a Sanskrit word for the same deity. The 
Persian Zend-Avesta, the sacred scripture of Zoroastrianism, again 
displays the same coherent theological understanding coming from the 
Vedas, as Mithras is stated therein to be separate and distinct from 
the other demigods controlling material affairs. He is thought to be 
an expansion of the Supreme Absolute God known as Ahura-Mazda, and as 
such has the ability to accept the results of sacrifice on behalf of 
the One God.

The list of correspondences within the Harry Potter stories to 
traditional metaphysical teachings from a wide variety of sources is 
extensive, and my purpose in writing this article is only to touch 
upon the basics of such an analysis so I can expand upon it in future 
articles and delve into the symbolism inherent within many of our 
present-day artistic endeavors. Anyone wishing to correspond can 
contact me at Starpromo@aol.com.

Thank you, Mark Sigmund Roman