In the Harry Potter books, much more frequently than Lord of the Rings or Narnia, we see Harry return to the muggle world at the end of every year. In the Lord of the Rings, we don't see a return until much further down the road after the mission is achieved and likewise in Narnia. However, this frequent return to the Dursley home on Privot drive gives the readers a sense of "growth" measuring for our main character.

Harry leaves in the first book after being removed from the boring life on Privot drive, by Hagrid. The famous "You're a wizard, Harry!" comes into play here. Harry goes onto meet new friends, meet the greatest wizard of his time, meet the evilest wizard of his time, and learn about his parent's secrets.

Imagine you found out that your heritage isn't one of this world but another. Imagine for a moment that your entire life up to now was found out to be a covering and not the true reality in which you are supposed to be living within. You were born of Eden, the heir to a Kingdom, the partaker of realms we cannot see, and the ambassador of the greatest King of all time. Could you imagine such a life?

The alchemy of growth, the potion that which makes us not stronger but more aware - this is what we are after in this life. Harry's journey and Rowling's use of alchemy are two portrayals of a growing character arch that will unveil itself in dire moments. As mentioned, we see Harry accomplish so much in just his first year at Hogwarts and return a new boy to his boring privot drive home with his relatives. Rowling's use of the non-fiction character Flamel is one that should awake us to the reality that Potter and these characters are based more closely to our reality than we may realize.

Albus the Headmaster of Hogwarts was a great alchemist, friends with Flamel, while Hermione is closely named to Hermes, James (harry's father) is the name of the patron saint of alchemist and Lily the purifying stage of Alchemy. This shows, as Rowling has mentioned, that her use of internal logic and parameters runs far deeper than we readers may realize at first glance. Each character grew, each character also represented a pivotal point in Harry's life for his own growth.

In order to find growth in character and spirit, one must be tested beyond what they are supposedly used to in ordinary life. Harry must face obstacles most 11-year-olds may find daunting in the Philosopher's Stone and when accomplished he finds a new part of himself aligning with that of his Wizard heritage. We too can find ways to grow toward our heritage, that is, our Spiritual Heritage in Christ. We cannot sit idly by in our homes of dispair hoping and wishing for another realm when in reality one exists that we are called to live within. We are heirs to the greatest King (Wizard if you will) of all time. We are partakers in His story. We are called to fight battles alongside Him that will not only help us grow but help us find our way through this fallen world into the restored world He promises us in the end.

Each day we have an opportunity to reflect on Harry's year-long journey. We have opportunities to live inside our wizard-like world of the Spiritual and walk alongside Christ in ways we have not. Will you sit idly by or will you go on an adventure of growth and return anew?

The Potion for Spiritual Growth

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