Fluids and Fluidity: Potions and Horcruxes

This is a post I promised a while ago, but it has to do also with some upcoming stuff on the "psychic physics" of Rowling's world and the discovery of the Red-Hen writer. Potions and Horcruxes I have had this thought since around 2/12, that what we have said before about Potions as connected to the water element and cunning etc: That potions is a sort of "cruxing" that has the potential for "horrible crossings." In Potions you mix magical elements together, sometimes you want them to blend, and sometimes you want to keep them separate (hence my theory on how exactly the Sectum Sempra spell might be used in potions - to cut elements in such a way that they will not recombine once in solution - following on Pauli's observations from others that the spell may be not originally so dark and may be a very commonly useful one). In either case, Potions as an art is practically defined by the con-joining different magical elements. Fluids and Fluidity To see this tenet if potions as a form of magic, it helps to contrast it to charms and transfiguration, both of which are based in spells and require a wand. The word-play in the sub-title has to do with the obvious fact that a potion is usually a fluid, but the furthermore with the fact that spell-based wand-magic requires a certain fluidity that potions does not. Potions requires precise calculations and precision in chronological timing (cf the post on "narrative defined," perma-linked on the left side bar), but Charms and Transfiguration require, in short, a certain grace of movement and speech. Notice in book 1 the introductory first year Transfiguration lesson and the teaching of "ferraverto." Notice also, in that same book, Flitwick's emphasis on the "swish and flick" in the "wingardium leviosa" charm. Another good place to look for the importance of this fluidity and grace is in the "Dumbledore's Army" chapter of book 5 - there is a lot in what Harry notices about how people are doing the spells. Calculations and Cunning As I said, Potions requires a high level of calculation (or cunning, in the sense that you say a cunning person is very "calculating"), in contrast to the fluid grace required for the other arts. This calculation connects with what I have said in many places about Divination. In short, there are 4 arts involved in this consideration on calculations: Astronomy, Astrology, Divination and Arithmancy. AstroLOGY is the application of "logic" to the movements of the stars; AstroNOMY, on the other hand, takes that more intuitive thing of logic and turns it into an iron-clad law ("nomos" = the Greek word for "law") - just as "science" seeks to impose a tyranny of materialism over human physicality (I would call human physicality "Flesh and Blood" vs the "calculating" term used by somebody like DesCartes, "Res Extensia" - or "extended reality" - ie physical matter, vs spiritual matter, which he called "Res Cogitens" or "thinking reality") As we find out from Firenze in book 5, even true prophecy (ie, that of when the Centaurs get it right, which takes years and is tenuous - vs what Trelawney does most of the time), in the sense of fore-casting, is not that sure and not that valuable. What Trelawney usuaully does is not even this level, but a mere sham of it - and her valid prophecies have nothing to do with her active reading of stars or crystal balls or tea leaves, but an unconscious trance in which she basically channels the voice of true prohecy. So, we have 3 sceinces that deal with the stars and fortune telling, and the worst of them, I think, is Astronomy (IE Dumbledore's death atop the tower, Sinistra as professor etc)- that which seeks to apply the tyrannical "laws" of science (which were not really ever meant to be prescriptive laws, but rather descriptive) to the stars, and I would call this an evil manipulation of the role of the science of mathematics, a complete marterialization of it (ie making it a solely materialist enterprise rather than one ope to the evidence of the transcendant breaking into and out of the material of nature). The answer to the "tyranny of science" is, as you can guess I would say, Arithmancy: Arithmancy is the use of names and numbers to tell about a person's character. Arithmancy is also known as Numerology. The only information given is that the subject is quite hard — therefore attractive to Hermione — and running parallel to Divination lessons at Hogwarts. An optional subject, taught from the third year to the seventh. (taken from here) All of the stuff here on Divination and Astronomy vs Arithmancy has been really for the purpose of developing this idea of the character and place (in relation to other central tensions such as magic numerology and prohpecy) of the "calculation" of cunning used in potions so you can get a better idea Interesting: Polyjuice in the "X" This is just sort of a side-thought in light of the chiastic sturcture of the series - I had thought at one point this might be a clue to something about Horace Slughorn but I found a simpler answer. One of the key potions in the series thus far has been Polyjuice Potion. As I said in the Chiasm post (cf left side-bar), look for an element in book 4 as the center and then it's presence in an earlier book and then in the matching later book. So I saw PJ potion in 4, and in 2 ... and I thought "OOOOOOOOHH? Was Sluggo really somebody else?" - but then I realized that the presence in book 6 was already known and was minor: Crabb and Goyle as the two girls Harry always sees Draco with. Maybe there is something more going on with Crabb and Goyle being girls etc but I think my main point here is just to realize what a central role potions play, as evidenced the way PJ potion is used in the x-structure. It only fits, that potions relate in a central way to the idea of Horcruxes. Other Cruxes This whole thing of cruxes and conjuctions is HUGE in the works. In looking up the stuff above on Arithmancy, I was looking up Sinistra first and found a list there of Hogwarts' courses arranged by those which are required and those which are optional (btw, did anybody else notice that it was Percy Weasley who suggested to Harry to take Divination?). This was connected to the list of professors, minor and major. And who can remember the name of the ministry approved Apparition instructor for 6th years? Twycross - two crosses (maybe "double-cross?") Remember that in the "Potters Pains" post I talked about the uniquely heightened awareness Harry has of the nature of this wandless form of magic.