Teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts to Muggles, Part One

My talk for the Harry Potter Conference in Chestnut Hill, October 2015 Part One

I gave this talk several years ago and then moved to another country. (Those two things were not connected.) Consequently, I have yet to finish transcribing my notes into an understandable written text.

You are sitting in a small classroom on an upper floor of St Joseph Hall at Chestnut Hill College. You have ducked in just now to grab a seat in the high-ceilinged old-school classroom.  You set your bag on the sill of the soaring, arched window that looks out on the green walks and trees of the grounds.

In sweeps a woman in a witch's hat and swirling black robe.  She plunks a stack of books down, whips out a wand and smacks the lectern, booming, "Wands away!"  

"Class, open your copy of 'Defence Against the Dark Arts for Muggles' and turn to Chapter One!"

"Let me introduce myself. I am Professor Alison Longstaff, and I have been invited here to teach you Defence Against the Dark for Muggles in accordance with the new era of cooperation between the magical and non-magical populations."

"I am also known as Alison Smith Longstaff, raised not 20 minutes from here in Huntingdon Valley, PA.  I have lived most of my adult life in Ontario, Canada, though for the past two years I have been the pastor of a small church in Bath, Maine. 

"I am an ordained Swedenborgian minister— a minute and obscure Christian denomination, which, although incredibly small, has split three times (at least) on this continent.

"I am also a trained therapist, a mother, a writer, and a published author.

"I care about this topic as a therapist and as a pastor and as a human being who has had to face the darkness."

"I know what it feels like to be marginalized, because I have been bullied, because I am a woman and because I felt called to ministry in a sect that says women are not capable of being ministers."

"If I were a character in the Harry Potter world, I would be somewhere between Luna Lovegood and Tonks, with a little bit of Dumbledore thrown in for good measure.  I am also Harry, as we all are.

And now for today's lesson.

The Dark Arts are REAL.  If you have ever suffered, you know the darkness is very real. It can often feel far more powerful than we can withstand.

There are many parallels between the "dark arts" in Rowling's world and the mental and emotional anguish we experience in regular life. Whether we are dealing with anxiety or depression, bullying or blocks, childhood traumas or low self-esteem, the tools for battling the darkness in the Harry Potter universe map beautifully onto the many skills and tools available to "muggles" in the non-magical world.

Muggles absolutely can learn skills, which work like magic, in battling the dark energies that attack us in our personal lives.

Let's take a look: 

Coming to us straight from Harry Potter's life and experience is the number one rule to remember:

#1 Fear and despair make the attacks worse. LOVE and BELONGING beat the darkness back.

Try to remember that you are never alone.  There is always a Dobby or Hermione or a shard of mirror connected to a presence ready to help you, even when it seems like your usual resources have fled or turned their backs.  Ask for help, and don't stop asking until you get it.  Remember that you are worthy of love and belonging ALWAYS.  ALWAYS.  Be your own ally FIRST.  Harry struggled more when he forgot to get help from his friends.  Voldemort was defeated only by the uniting of many against him.  We need each other.  There is nothing weak in asking for the help of friends.

#2 WORDS HAVE POWER

“Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic, capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.” Albus Dumbledore, in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

We put "spells" on ourselves and each other through the words we use. 

For more on this see: https://breadbin.blogspot.com/2018/08/do-you-believe-in-magic-part-1.html?m=1&fbclid=IwAR20h5oXtu5Sev2-xfS2I77KnuxpZMR2M4jOAspngRnwCDOjkZw55L9dlHo

The power of words, point 1: Swear words

Swear words are words that our culture has decided have extra power.  We are trained from a very young age to know what words we can say and what we are not allowed to say.  We have been trained to be upset by certain words. But this is culture or fashion.  The words themselves have only the power we have been taught that they have.

  

If someone swore at you in a foreign language you would have no idea what they were saying. The words would have no power because they would have no meaning attached to them. The sounds themselves hold no power.  And if meaning can be attached to a series of sounds, it can be unattached.  Swear words only upset us because we have been programmed to be upset.  Even English speaking countries don't agree on what a swear word is. For example, "bugger" carries little energy in North America, but you don't want say it loudly or often in England, South Africa, or Australia.

What wisdom can we draw from this realization? 

We can reclaim a lot of power by working with the meaning we attach to words. Like all magic, it takes practice to get good at having power over the words others use against us.  Just keep remembering that it is possible to develop the power, with practice, to turn the power of words to our side.  "Names can never hurt us" if we practice having power over the words that get thrown at us.

Do I call myself names? Rather, is there an internalized Snape always mocking and finding fault inside my mind?  How would I feel if someone was saying the sort of unkind things I think about myself to someone I love and cherish?  If I would never treat a dear friend to those words and thoughts, why do I allow them voice in my own heart and mind? Once I decide I want to speak more compassionately to myself, I can begin to do so.  Our inner thoughts have more power than we realize, and it is possible to unplug the negative "feed" and plug into a more positive inner dialogue, which increases our power for good in the world as well. 

The power of words, point 2: Pep talks and self-talk

The words we tell ourselves, and especially the words we believe deep inside (often unconsciously) affect us profoundly.  When we understand that, we can begin to pay attention to the "spells" we cast on ourselves and on others. And once we begin to pay attention, we can begin to "practice casting good spells" --- the spells we truly want in our lives.

Luna Lovegood was steadily under a barrage of name-calling, exclusion, and contempt.  How powerful was her magic that she never let this eat away at her peace of mind?  The group conversation had no power over her.  She had a deep magic that way.  What does it take to shift negative inner paradigms and heal them?  It is all in the story we tell ourselves.

Luna never saw herself as a victim.  She never gave away her power to the group by needing their approval.  Her inner self-talk and inner paradigm were stronger than the voices around her.  She knew she was loved.  She knew she would be okay.  And she believed what she believed despite raised eyebrows, contempt, and mockery.

Any good sports coach readies a team for a game by means of a "pep talk." The sole purpose of the pep-talk is to change the inner narrative of the players---to wipe away fear and distraction, and bring all the focus and intention on playing their best. A truly great pep-talk can give an "average" team the inspiration to triumph over their toughest adversary.

Do you want to use the words you put into the world to inspire and encourage, uplift and empower?  Or do you want to undermine and discourage?  Nobody who has achieved seemingly impossible things allowed beliefs like, "I can't," or  "It is impossible," to have power over them.

Every negative story we believe: "I am stupid," "No one likes me," "I am incompetent," "Others are out to get me,"  "I can't ever achieve my dreams," "I am a failure," "_Fill in the blank_", limits what we can do in life and how much of a gift we can be in the world.  That doesn't make us wrong, it makes us human.  It means we have a lot of practicing to do to get auror-strong at defending against the darkness.  You got this!

The power of words, point 3: Rhetoric, spin, and political speech-writers

There is a lot of wisdom in how to use the power of words in what speech-writers study---the power of rhetoric.  When we can spot the tools another is using to persuade us or change our thinking, we can deflect and parry their arguments.  We can choose whether we want to be persuaded rather than be swept along by the power of their created aura.

It is far more powerful to listen to an argument and be able to say, "That is a false either/or dichotomy," than simply feel frustrated by a statement such as, "Do you want freedom or do you want the country to be overrun by Mexicans!?"  

When one spots the weakness in the narrative, one no longer needs to be pulled into a waste-of-time argument.

We can find tremendous power and freedom in learning the bait-and-switch tools workers-with-words use to waste our time and distract us from more important issues.

All aurors must do advanced studies in rhetoric---particularly in parrying logical fallacies. If you want more power over the words used against you, begin to study, and keep on studying LogicalFallacies.

Part two of this talk is coming soon.  Until then, practice wisely!

Professor Alison Longstaff

Read Part two Here: https://alisonlongstaffmoore.blogspot.com/2019/10/teaching-defence-against-dark-arts-to.html

The Union of Effort and Ease

The Union of Effort and Ease

For the past several months I have been job hunting.

Job hunting in New York City as a 54-year-old woman has been a lesson in powerlessness.

My first full day in New York I had an interview that went very well, and by the evening I was offered the job!  I brushed my hands together and thought, "Lucky me!  Mission accomplished! Where is that Staples Easy button?"

However, three weeks later I still had no communication from that employer, and after pursuit I found out that I wasn't hired after all, because that manager "had been told she wasn't allowed to hire anyone."  (I'm not sure what was going on there.  Weird.)

Fortunately I had continued sending out resumes, and did get other interviews, but nothing has resulted in a job.

So I got proactive, and started introducing myself to all the managers of the local Starbucks.  I learned their names and let them know I was wanting to work for them and to look for my name in the bank of resumes on the Starbucks hiring site.  This seemed to be greeted with enthusiasm and curiosity, which gave me hope.  I made sure my resume was fully updated and refreshed.

But ultimately, I was powerless.  Once I had done everything I could reasonably do, the rest had to be surrendered to the whims of chance.  This was made especially clear to me when, upon checking back in, the various managers all told me that my profile was "locked."  Apparently the original manager (that said I was hired my second day in the city) not only didn't have a job for me, she hadn't released my profile back into the Starbucks hiring pool.  She had made it impossible for any other Starbucks to hire me either!

I experienced a profound sense of helplessness when I heard that news---I was thrown into a profound narrative of victimization. "No matter what I do, the universe is against me.  I can do everything right and still experience no success.  Ultimately, I am powerless and helpless."

That is a terrible place to visit.

This tension between powerful and powerless is a deep and longstanding one in the human condition.  The twelve steps answers this tension by asking us to embrace our powerlessness.  It calls us into acceptance of all that we cannot control in life.  We are to tackle the things we can, but then let go of all that is beyond our control.  Ultimately, we are far less powerful than we would like to think, and acceptance of this fact can bring us tremendous peace.  It brings a sense of proportion to life and opens up a lot of forgiveness of ourselves and others.

It is the paradox embodied in yoga.  It is the paradox of life---to seek the union of things that seem diametrically opposed---strength and relaxation, taking action and surrendering, effort and ease.

Embracing my powerlessness actually gives me more genuine agency. Settling down to do what I can do and releasing all that is beyond me gives me much more peace of mind.

And so I realize that I am doing all I can.  I have focussed on three specific workplaces and done my research.  I have courted the managers, and honestly, I have been "hired" twice at one of my best choices, Starbucks. But I have yet to work a day, due to circumstances beyond my control.  Ugh.

I have done my part and am now utterly dependent on others, on technology, and on the whims of fate.  Acceptance of that and release of the outcomes is what brings peace.

If I am honest, life is pretty good. I have somewhere to live.  I have loving friends and family.  I have an education, enough to eat, and self-respect. That is more than a huge percentage of humans on this planet have. And I have the promise of a job, though every day of living without an income just sees the debt mounting.

Effort and ease.  Active and passive.  Do my part and let go of other people's part; which includes being at the mercy of those who are as human and flawed as I am.

Breathe and release.  No matter what comes my way, let it in and let it go again.

This is no easy spiritual "yoga pose"!  It is taking all I can do to stay present and keep breathing.  I want to be anywhere but here in this uncertainty and vulnerability.

Contentment lies just a few breaths away if I can just let it in.  Have I done all I can in this moment? Then I can let the struggle go.  Genuine contentment makes me more powerful.  Can I embrace that?  (I can, but will I?  Can I choose contentment in this moment?)

I will get back to you on that.

The Power of Palms - sermon for Palm Sunday

“The Power of  Palms”

Rev. Alison Longstaff, March 29, 2015
Bath Church of the New Jerusalem
Psalm 143 portions; John 12:12–16; HS 7518, 7596 portions

Heavenly Secrets 7518. (Condensed)

"Fists," or palms of the hands, signify power, because the "hands" signify power.  Arms correspond to power; including the shoulders and the hands, right down to the fingers. The reason for this symbolism is that the body exercises its power by means of the shoulders, arms, and hands.

Heavenly Secrets 7596.  (Condensed)

“Spreading out the palms” is a physical gesture or action, which represents a pleading from the heart. There are bodily gestures or actions that correspond to every emotion or feeling. For example, falling down on one's knees corresponds to humility, casting oneself down flat onto the ground corresponds to even an greater personal humility, while a spreading out of one's hands towards heaven corresponds to pleading from the heart, and so on.  In the Word, all described gestures or actions symbolize the actual affections to which they correspond, because they physically express such affections.

[A heads-up.  I will be inviting you to move your arms during the sermon.  I am hoping most of you will be trying what I suggest. In any case, know that I give you permission to do so, to deepen your experience.]

I had my shoulder to the wheel this past week.  I have been giving the Chocolate Church a hand by performing in their “Jubilee” fund-raiser.  So if I haven’t responded to your emails, please don’t think I was giving you the cold shoulder.  Don’t judge me out of hand.  I have had my hands full.  My right hand barely knew what my left hand was doing, I have been so busy.

One thing I love about Bath is its community spirit.  It has a way of standing shoulder-to-shoulder, of walking arm-in-arm, and working hand in hand, when something needs support. I hope no one was close-fisted when it came to buying tickets for the show. Because the 17-degree lean on the Chocolate Church tower is forcing the hand of the building preservation committee. While no one should be reduced to a hand-to-mouth existence by supporting the Chocolate Church (or any church!), it is otherwise all hands on deck!

(With apologies if I been a little heavy-handed with these idioms. But what better way to show you my hand?) 

Here we are on Palm Sunday, and the connection between these hand-shaped leaves and human hands is strong.  Palm branches take their name from their resemblance to human hands. And, as we see illustrated in today’s story, ancient peoples frequently grabbed them and waved them as an extension of the hand, in praise, celebration, and adulation.

We Swedenborgians love symbolism. We know that the study of Biblical symbolism, and indeed all symbolism, can enrich and deepen our understanding of human nature, of the Bible, and of how God works with us.  So pay attention this morning, and open your mind to the remarkable way our language and our bodies reflect our spiritual realities.  Our physical and spiritual realities are far more connected than most people think.

Do you talk with your hands?  Actually, we all do, more than we realize. We hide or show our hands based on how safe and connected we feel.  Fold your arms across your chest.  Your body is saying that you are unwilling to communicate (in most cultures).  Even putting your hands in your pockets can disclose a certain level of disengagement.  If our hands are tied it means we are unable (or unwilling) to get involved at all.

We show our palms to show openness.  Putting both hands over your head, or “hands up,” says around the world that we are unarmed, mean no harm, or even that we surrender.  We are showing that we have no weapons, or that our hands are far away from our weapons.

For this same reason the open palm and open hand symbolize truth and honesty.  Two open palms say, “Trust me.”  “Arms wide open” is a universal expression of welcome and affection.  We are letting someone in to our personal space.

The connection between our bodies and our internal state can be so strong that what we do with our bodies can also change our inner state.  Do you want to feel more closed and defensive?  Cross your arms.  Do you want to feel more relaxed and open? Open your palms. In fact, study subjects who have been told to lie while showing relaxed and open palms had a much harder time not being truthful; and in a separate study, individuals made to open their palms while being questioned were more likely to tell the truth.

So, right now, open your heart space—maybe even set your elbows on the back of the pew. Relax your hands. Uncross your legs. Relax your jaw.  Open your lips slightly.  All of those things happen naturally when we feel open.  Doing these things with your body can actually cue your nervous system that you are safe and relaxed.  (Did you sigh?  Your body was releasing stress.)

Arms crossed over your chest is a defensive posture for a primal reason—you are protecting your heart.  Fists up, shoulders up and head ducked is even more defensive—shielding your neck, chest, and vital organs.  People who feel frightened often hug themselves.  Trauma victims sometimes curl right into a ball.  Our inner state is mirrored in our bodies in a correspondential way.

Spread your fingers, wrists bent back and palms facing up (fingers are pointing away from you, not back over your shoulders).  You are saying, “I’ve got nothing,” or “I don’t know,” aren’t you?  Shrugging your shoulders emphasizes the gesture.  Now with elbows bent slightly, wrists neutral, and palms facing forward, spread your hands. You have put yourself in “orans,” whether your hands are hip-height, waist height, or shoulder-height.  Orans is a posture of prayer and blessing going back to very ancient times. You might notice me holding this posture with one or both hands at the end of this service when I say the prayers and blessings.

If you spread your hands and stretch your arms up high over your head you are probably showing jubilation, joy, and celebration.  You could also be acknowledging a beloved figure or leader. It is as if you are reaching out towards them, asking for connection, blessing, and recognition.  Put palm branches in those hands and your shout of adulation becomes that much more expressive.  Today we use poster-boards or foam hands instead of palm branches in our crowds of greeting and celebration, but the impulse and the meaning are the very same.  We are extending our reach.  We are increasing the volume of our shout of praise and cry of recognition.

If you don’t agree with me, you might look down to find your hands on your hips.

According to Swedenborg, hands, palms, fists, and arms symbolize our power or our “reach.”  They symbolize the expression of what is going on inside us, especially in regard to the intention of our hearts.  The show our friendliness or hostility. They show our interest or disinterest in connection.

Spread one hand, palm facing up, and extend it forward.  This shows supplication.  It is a form of submission or a request for help.  You are handing over your power. Perhaps you are asking for a hand.  Turn that palm down and suddenly you are saluting Hitler.  This one-palm-down gesture is a universal sign of dominance and oppression, especially if you lift that hand above shoulder height and lock your elbow.  You are being high-handed and declaring that you have the upper hand.  You are indicating that you might rule with an iron fist.

Face your palm forward and bring it close to your shoulder.  You are ready to swear allegiance or take an oath. Place your hand over your heart and you are expressing love or devotion.

If you are even-handed, it means you are fair, or that you share power; you neither take nor surrender more than your due.  Someone who is even-handed would never palm the proceeds.  Besides, such sleight of hand, might mean you get caught red-handed.  If that happened, your friends might wash their hands of you.

Today’s common hand shake is a ritual from ancient times. It is our way of saying that we do not have a weapon in our hand.  In fact, the Roman soldiers’ full lower-arm grab was their way of checking that there were no weapons concealed up the sleeve either, because there have always been people who try to get around the conventions.

In the Biblical book of Judges a man named Ehud got an upper hand by being left-handed.  Ehud’s job was to carry the Children of Israel’s tribute money to the king of Moab.  Being left-handed, Ehud carried his dagger on the opposite side of his body than the usual.  In this way he was able to sneak a weapon into the Moabite king’s presence.  Ehud’s underhanded tactic helped the Children of Israel overthrow the Moabites and be restored to freedom.

In fact, to this day the word “sinister” carries the suggestion of deviousness or even ill-intent because left-handed warriors often had the advantage of surprise. They were perceived as sneaky. But “sinister” is simply the Latin word for “left.”

Finally, we humans can be known to bite the hand that feeds us.  Not long after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the people turned their backs on Him.  He was their beloved Saviour one week, and despised and rejected the next.  He didn’t do what they expected Him to do (overthrow the Romans).  He was instead a threat to the religious leadership, because He taught that doing good was more important than following religious rules. For this reason they first tied His hands and then nailed those hands to a cross.

As we head into Holy Week, and prepare to walk with our Lord through this darkest time, may we pay attention to the powerful meaning of hands.  The hands that came to heal us will be nailed to the cross instead.  Are we able to admit in humility that there is something inside each of us that does this to the Divine?  Are we able to remember with gratitude there is another part inside each of us that recognises the Lord for Who He is, and that reaches to comfort Him on His walk toward the cross?  It is these same inner hands that will tenderly wash and anoint our Saviour for burial.  And it is these hands that will be lifted in prayer and praise on Easter morning when He rises again.

Amen

The Readings

Psalm 143 portions

Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy!
    In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.

I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done;
    I ponder the work of your hands.
I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord! I have fled to you for refuge.

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!

John 12:12-16
The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.  So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord-- the King of Israel!"
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: "Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!"
His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him.

Idioms heavily sourced from:

http://westsidetoastmasters.com/resources/book_of_body_language/chap2.html