The Boundary-Crossing Between Animality and Divinity
I. Serpentine Beings/Phoenix, Kundalini Energy, and Hybridity
In chapter one, we learn Merope, Tom Riddle, Jr. (Voldemort), and Harry, suffer from childhood trauma. We understand the main cause that attributes to their grief, trauma, and sufferings is childhood abuse and mistreatment. Yet, we may wonder how these sufferings are related to or exert influence on their hybridity and psyche. It is proposed that we further probe this dimension from myths/legends, symbols, and archetypes of the serpent and serpentine hybrid, mythic creatures, including Melusine (the serpent woman/the Mermaid), and the phoenix (the dragon included) so as to illustrate how the Garden of Eden/paradise/serpent connects with characterizations in
Harry Potter saga, especially Merope, Voldemort, and Harry from esotericists’
1 point of views. In addition, I would apply theosophical notions of Blavatsky and other scholars of theosophy to the analysis of the ethical aspect related to different bodies, including individual body, social body, and political body through hybridity—liminal qualities between divinity and animality (monstrosity) and marginalized animal/female body threatened by the prejudice on “heresy” (different religious beliefs) and vivisection serving the scientific/medical purpose.
1 Based on Hanegraaff’s classification, there are five groups of researchers on esotericism, including perennialists or traditionalists, religionists, historians of science and philosophy, specialists on specific currents, and generalists in the study of Western esotericism (Bogdan 7). The first group
(perennialists/traditionalists) tends to be more explicit on religious pursuit, who studies comparative religions in the field of esotericism, which can be understood as “a universal phenomenon” (8). The second group (religionists) approaches esotericism from the belief that humankind needs religious symbols and myths and non-mainstream spirituality connected to the Eranos activities from 1933 onward, New Age movement, and popular culture (8). The third group (historians of science/
philosophy) facilitates the understanding of the link between esotericism and early modern science (8).
The fourth group (researchers of a specific current/characteristics of esotericism) focuses on the study of the subject as an “independent phenomenon” (8). The last group (generalists studying Western esotericism) approaches the research subject from a more comprehensive view with foundational research pattern/model (8). My methodologies tend to mainly cover the aspects of the second group.
Serpentine beings have close connection with divinity. According to Jung, animals could lead us back to the “kingdom of heaven” (Jung 1980: 35). The
serpentine creature, the tempter, in the paradise allured Eve to disobey and caused the fall of Eve and Adam, who were expelled from the paradise, yet the serpent serves as a catalyst for human beings’ redemption via the Son of God (ibid. 35). In Christianity, Christ, the Son of God, is oftentimes associated with animals, such as “the Lamb of God or the Fish … the serpent exalted on the cross, the lion … the unicorn” from the angle of symbolism (Franz 265). Aside from that, according to an old English folktale, the hero saw a naked snake without a skin, which was the Eden serpent, winding itself around the old tree without bark and leaves after the Fall of Adam and Eve2, hinting the serpent is in a way connected to the old tree in an identical skinless way (Jung 1967: 304). At a second glance, the hero found the tree growing with bark and leaves, with a new-born baby on top of the tree, who was Christ, “the second Adam” (ibid.
304). This tale seems to contain a hint that Christ is not only the offspring of Adam, but the Eden serpent after transformation (ibid. 304). As far as Blavatsky is concerned, she notes that the Tree of Eden is “the Macroscosmic tree,” which represents “the Serpent of Eternity and absolute Wisdom itself” (Blavatsky 2008: 140). As what Jung and Blavatsky hold the notion of the symbol of serpent, Jesus considers the serpent as the symbol of wisdom as he said “Be ye wise as serpents,” though in the Middle Ages, the serpent was often deemed as a symbol of evil and the Devil (qtd. in Blavatsky 1888a: 74; Jung 1967: 333). In many early and medieval visual arts, such as the painting of “The Tempting of Eve from the Speculum humanae salvation, Augsburg, 1470” and the miniature by Boucicaut Master titled “The Story of Adam and Eve,”
the serpent had a human face; for example, the serpent in Master’s work had a female
2 The motif of the tree without leaves or life force could be found in Judaeo-Christian tradition, like the Eden tree lost its life after Adam and Eve lost the paradise (Jung 1967: 304).
face, who surrounded “the Tree of Knowledge,” suggesting the blurred boundary between the animal and the human (Jung 1956: 103; Rose, “Serpent of Eden”; Giorgi 21; cf. Murphy 238). Jung notes that in an alchemical work3 on symbolism published in the Middle Ages, the half woman and half serpent hybrid creature in the tree of the paradise could be Melusine4 (Melusina) or Lilith; the former has connection with the French version of mermaids and the latter is Adam’s first wife from the point of view of medieval Christianity, as well as an attractive female animal, who is said to be the ancestor of present apes from the perspective of Kabalistic and Talmudic allegories (Jung 1967: 303; “Melusine—Myths of Melusina Mermaid”; Blavatsky 2008:
205-06).
Moreover, although animal nature or the conception of evil has close
connection with Eve and the serpentine creature, the tempter, we could not deny from esotericists’ point of views, the serpentine creature would in actuality enlighten human beings, since undeniably, Adam and Eve became self-conscious due to eating the apple in the Tree of Knowledge with the serpent (Murphy 192, 227). In other words, the serpent “enlightens them [Adam and Eve] as to their true nature,” so that they are endowed with the opportunity to integrate “fragments of divine light” in the created universe (macrocosm) into a whole self (microcosm) if we interpret the
3 The alchemical work refers to the Ripley Scrowle, which Jung mentions in Psychology and Alchemy as well (Jung 1967: 303).
4 Melusine (Melusina) was a half-woman and half-serpent (fish) water spirit (fairy). She later met a mortal young man named Raymond in the forest and then married him (Peterson). She asked him to keep promise by not seeing her bathe on Saturdays (ibid.) Yet, he failed to keep his promise and brought her ill fortune (ibid.) In some legend, she left him with their children since the mutual trust was broken (ibid.) In other legend, she was transformed into a dragon after he publicly insulted her
“serpent” (“Melusine—Myths of Melusina Mermaid”). This story tends to reveal the metaphor of female sexuality and contradictory female nature, especially for Medieval audience (“Melusine—
Alchemical Siren, Two-Tailed Mermaid”). From the perspective of alchemical symbolism and some commonly seen paintings of Melusine, Melusine is often manifested as a twin-tailed siren or mermaid, whose two tails represent Earth and Water/Body and Soul respectively (ibid.) She could serve as the symbol of dual-nature, the anima mundi (“a vital force or principle conceived of as permeating the world”), and enlightenment for philosophers (ibid.; “anima mundi”; cf. Cirlot 206-07).
creation myth from the viewpoint of the gnostics,5 which Jung entertains, and Blavatsky’s conception on the Tree of Knowledge—the serpent in actuality exists in the conscious manas [mind] of each human being disguised as the tree (Maclagan 79;
Blavatsky 2008: 140). That is, the tree with the serpent symbolizes the serpent inhabiting in everyman6. Take Harry Potter for example, Harry, the serpent, and Voldemort become one entity in the heart of the Ministry of Magic (OP 719). Harry’s being possessed of the serpentine creature, Voldemort, alerts him of his being the same creature—his own animality—which arouses identity crisis, yet reveals the hope of integration of his personalities at the end of the journey as we should not neglect the connection of the serpent with Christ or divinity and the serpent itself is deemed as the symbol of wisdom (ibid. 719; Granger, 2008: 47; Trevarthen 158-59; cf.
Blavatsky 1888a: 74; Jung 1967: 333). If we recall the English folklore previously mentioned, there is a hint that Christ is transformed from the Eden serpent. In other words, the serpent symbol of Christ reveals the evolutionary possibility of the divinity of animals as Blavatsky proposes in The Key to Theosophy (59). Jung echoes the notion of serpent symbol manifesting divinity: “[I]n … Kundalini Yoga7 an attempt to
5 For the gnostics, the world’s sufferings should attribute to the flawed “half-maker” or demiurge.
They feel it is necessary to gain gnosis in order to unite with “the higher Self—the angelic twin,”
represented by Christ and Sophia (“Wisdom”), and enter the Pleroma, consisting of “the realm of Fullness” with True God (Holar). In view of the gnostic myth, Eve/Zoe served as the messenger/
daughter of Sophia and “Sophia mystically entered the serpent,” who aimed to teach Adam and Eve that “they were of high and holy origin and not mere slaves of the creator deity” (Hoeller, “The Genesis Factor”; Hoeller, 1982: 91). In addition, for some gnostics, they believe themselves are “the true followers of Christ” and have acquired the teachings from the apostle Paul (Murphy 299). Jung’s interpretation of gnosticism is influenced by the 19th-century occultism/esotericism as he is familiar with some works on gnostic beliefs of G. R. S. Mead, a theosophist and researcher on “gnosticism, hermeticism … and early Christianity” (Hanegraaff 1998: 510, 512). Jung serves to “psychologize[d]
esotericism” and “sacralize[d] psychology by linking “the esoteric traditions (German Romantic Naturphilosophie) and the contemporary New Age movement” (ibid. 513).
6 Jung echoes Blavatsky’s view on inner serpent hidden in each of us by stating “the serpent is at the basis of a whole philosophical system, of Tantrism; it is Kundalini, the Kundalini serpent” and “[t]his is something known only to a few specialists, generally it is not known that we have a serpent in the abdomen” (qtd. in Taveras).
7 Kundalini denotes “she who is coiled,” imagined as a serpent in the sleeping state “curled three and a half times around a phallus (linga) in the bottommost energy center of the human body;” Kundalini is also called Kundalini-Shakti, Shakti, and Serpent-Power, connoting more positive, creative, and
“universal Power,” which is associated with “the finite body-mind” (Feuerstein 473). Kundalini-Yoga
reach the condition where Shiva is in eternal union with Shakti” and Shiva “is encircled by the female principle, Shakti, in the form of a serpent” (qtd. in Taveras).
The final goal in the Kundalini practice is to have the Kundalini energy, hidden in the base of the spine, awakened and achieve the unity of masculine and feminine power (ibid.)
In addition, the serpentine creature is often connected with the motif of Eve-Satan relation, hybrid human nature, and the possibility of human salvation—
main concern for the scholars of theosophy and the interest of mythologists (Faivre 7-8; Murphy 266). Concerning the “Eve-Satan connection” between Tom Riddle, Jr.
serving as a seducer of Ginny8, we discover there is a similar motif between his parents, Tom Riddle, Sr. and Merope, yet curiously Tom Riddle, Sr. and Merope play a boundary-crossing role of Eve and Satan in their relationship with the axis of the subverting role of Merope by being the hybrid creature of Eve, Satan, and the serpent (Blackford 192). On the one hand, in the episode of exorcism of Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets, Ginny is possessed by Tom Riddle (CS 228-29). The latter
explains to Harry how he pours a little of his soul into Ginny and how he controls and directs her to kill school roosters and causes the serpent to attack Mudbloods9 (ibid.228-29). In other words, Tom Riddle, Jr. acts like the role of Satan/Devil (the serpent) and seduces Eve-like Ginny to err. Harry playing the role of Adam-Christ, whose saving Ginny reminds us of the gnostic salvation tale, the Logos descends and rescues Eve-Sophia10 Ginny possessed by the Satanic serpentine being (Tom Riddle, Jr.);
Ginny’s survival is threatened by the dragon-like creature—Basilisk, the king of
has reached the state of maturation after a long historical, “psychospiritual experimentation” (474).
8 In this chapter, Ginny tends to be treated as a symbol. In Chapter Three, I’ll add more details about Ginny from the female’s perspective.
9 Mudbloods refer to the wizards/witches born with Muggle/non-magic parents (CS 89). Mudblood, implying “dirty blood,” is the most insulting word to call someone at that social status in the wizarding world (ibid.)
10 For gnostics, Sophia represents wisdom (Algeo 2001: 89). For theosophists, like Algeo, Sophia represents the female aspect of “spiritual energy or soul (buddhi)” (ibid. 88-89).
serpents, as the symbol of animalistic (carnal) desire (ibid. 228-29; Murphy 266; cf.
Algeo 2001:89). Similar episodes of heroes saving maidens include Perseus saving Andromeda who was chained to the rock and slaying the sea monster, as well as Eric11 the prince defeating Ursulla, the sea monster with serpentine limbs and saving Ariel, the mermaid, who was later brought from the water to live in his kingdom (Murphy 266-67; cf. Hard 240-42).
Moreover, from the perspective of yoga or meditation, the female characters in these tales represent the unconscious divine urge of the seeker—“the coiled serpent at the base of the spine,” which prompts the hero to take adventures and live a worthy life; the urge is “the unconscious, libidinal force called Kundalini”12 (Murphy 268;
Jung 1999: 20-21). This urge somehow corresponds to the symbol of the serpent as the saver, Christ aforementioned, suggesting the hero taking the role of Christ to complete his divine task of saving humanity represented by the female character as the anima (“the female element in a male psyche,” which could be embodied as a witch) of the hero, such as Ginny (a witch) as Harry’s anima (Prinzi 264; Franz 187).
Ginny symbolizes the Kundalini energy within Harry and Harry has to strive to have this female power united with masculine power so as to complete the individuation process from the perspective of Kundalini psychology (cf. Taveras). Interestingly, the symbol of the Deathly Hallows appears in The Tales of Beedle the Bard and as the necklace worn by Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna’s father, when he presents himself at
11 The tale between Eric and Ariel is the one of the Disney film of The Little Mermaid (1989) (Murphy 267).
12 Jung studies chakra system, which he connects with the symbolism of Kundalini practice. Kundalini is like the serpent in Western mythology and Genesis, as well as the snakes winding themselves on Asclepius’s staff (Kohn 207). The serpent symbolizes the aspect of the underground matter of unconsciousness, which could cause chaos, yet it could serve as “the source of great healing” (207).
For theosophists, like Algeo, it could be inferred from Unlocking the Door that Kundalini is vital energy/prana/libido (in Jungian term) (Algeo 2001: 84). For Algeo, “vital energy/prana” (“libido” in Jungian term) is a force flowing in the universe and through our physical bodies while we’re still alive.
Kundalini will be weakened or strengthened, susceptible to “our health and stamina” and “the cycles of time” (Algeo 2001: 85). Another theosophist, student of Blavatsky, James Morgan Pryse (1859-1942), notes the Greek term for Kundalini is “speirema,” the “serpent coil” (qtd. in Leland 171). For Pryse, Kundalini corresponds to the vital energy/prana, connected with the “serpent power” (ibid. 180-81).
Bill and Fleur’s wedding, is composed of a symbol resembling triangular Cloak of Invisibility, a round Resurrection Stone, and an Elder Wand (DH 117, 124, 319, 328).
In the center of the symbol—the phallic line penetrating the womb-like circle—lies the psychic energy, Kundalini, in the Hindu symbol of Muladhara cakra/chakra (energy center)13, where Sakti/Shakti and Siva/Shiva could unite with each other, meaning Kundalini uniting with the linga/lingam in the bottommost energy center of human body, yet Kundalini could unite with Siva/Shiva in the second topmost energy center, Ajna cakra/chakra as well (Aun Weor 2010: 28; Jung 1999: xlviii, 18;
Feuerstein 469). The notion of unity between two opposing forces corresponds to what Xenophilius explains the function of the triangular symbol to Harry, Hermione, and Ron, “[t]here is nothing Dark about the Hallows—at least, not in that crude sense.
One simply uses the symbol to reveal oneself to other believers, in the hope that they might help one with the Quest,” suggesting the symbol of Deathly Hallows aids a seeker’s quest, which could be a spiritual quest or the unity or transcendence of body and soul/light and darkness as the symbol of two-snake feet Siren/Mermaid—
Melusine or Abraxas14 from the view of the gnostics (DH 329; “Melusine—
Alchemical Siren, Two-Tailed Mermaid”; Hoeller 1982: 83). Jung notes this notion in a medieval book, a Christian monk of noble birth entered into a primitive forest and lost his way, where he was led by a wolf and found water (Jung 1999: 21). Afterwards, he traveled into a deserted town, where he felt afraid and wanted to go back; a dragon blocked his way and thus he had to go forward (ibid. 21). The dragon symbolizes Kundalini, which resembles the maiden Hercules had to save for his Lady (21). In the episode of Harry saving Ginny, the divine urge is symbolized by Ginny, the heavenly
13 Muladhara cakra/chakra locates at the area between the anus and the reproductive organ (Aun Weor 2010: 28; Jung 1999: xlviii, 18).
14 Abraxas is the Gnostic God with serpentine feet symbolizing the Earth and rooster head symbolizing the air; the bird-snake hybrid is similar as the one of Melusine and her precursor, the bird-like Siren, representing the archetype of Mother Earth (Hoeller 1982: 85; Graham).
anima Harry meets as the adept met Melusine, the snake woman, in the Eden tree in Shamanic tradition while he was climbing the tree on his heaven journey (Jung 1999:
21-22; Jung 1967: 303). In other words, Ginny represents the “Inner Woman” of Harry, alerting him of his own animality (lower manas15), suggesting Harry’s hybridity of male and female aspects/animality and divinity (higher manas) (Jung 1999: 22; Blavatsky 2006: 68). For example, Harry’s animality manifests itself when he witnesses Ginny kissing Dean as Rowling describes Harry’s reaction to seeing this scene: “It was as though something large and scaly erupted into life in Harry’s
stomach, clawing at his insides … all thought was extinguished, replaced by a savage
urge to jinx Dean into a jelly” (HP 268; emphases mine). Later, when Dean attempts
to grin at Harry, Harry doesn’t return as “the new-born monster inside him” roars for“Dean’s instant dismissal from the team” (ibid. 268; emphases mine). In other words, the presence of Harry’s secret desirous object, Ginny, arouses animalistic jealousy of the dragon-like serpentine monster within him, making him aware of his animality (monstrosity) within. Another example of Ginny as Harry’s Kundalini (Serpent power) would be evidenced in the scene as Harry prepares himself to confront Voldemort, he asks Neville to kill Nagini, Voldemort’s snake (one of the Horcruxes). And this is what he wants Ginny to do: “to know that he was there [under the Invisibility Cloak], he wanted her to know where he was going. He wanted to be stopped, to be dragged back, to be sent back home .… With a huge effort, Harry forced himself on” (DH 558;
HP 473-74). The scene reveals the presence of Ginny intensifies the psychic struggle
within Harry; that is, he wants to have Ginny’s companionship, yet he knows he has something more important to do—confronting Voldemort, the serpentine being, and dying in his hand. Another scene is as Harry sees the flickering flames and the snake15 The higher manas refers to the Ego choosing to be close to the Spiritual Soul (Buddhi), instead of the lower manas while the Ego assimilates itself to beastly desires (Blavatsky 2006: 68).
Nagini “coiling and uncoiling in the glittering cage behind Voldemort” and readies himself to die, he thinks “inexplicably of Ginny, and her blazing look, and the feel of her lips on his…16,” suggesting the inner urge that the symbols of the serpent fire and the Goddess-like Ginny arouse and carry the spiritual transforming energy
unconsciously— the Kundalini (“power of the serpent Goddess,”) which motivates Harry to face his Christ-like self-sacrifice and then ascend to the symbolic location of
unconsciously— the Kundalini (“power of the serpent Goddess,”) which motivates Harry to face his Christ-like self-sacrifice and then ascend to the symbolic location of