Dear Friends,
Recently I posted a question about the symbolism of red and green, and Victoria Jones was kind enough to respond. Today I posted some conclusions about all this, and I thought some of you might like to read it. I'm pasting it underneath.
Warm regards to all,
Hans
I have thought much about the symbolism of the colours green and red, and this is a subject whose depth is probably fathomless. But I think it's time to put down what I've found out so far, and then move on. What will appear as the final thoughts in my book is anyone's guess, but I'll tell you what I know up till now.
We are discussing the words in Part 1, Chapter 2: Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair and bright-green eyes.
Why bright green? There is a multitude of reasons, which all compliment each other. By the time one has finished thinking about this, one comes to the conclusion that Harry couldn't possibly have eyes of any colour other than bright green.
1. Lily's eyes.
We know, as it is often repeated in the books, that Harry has Lily's eyes. We also know that Beatrice in Dante's Divine Comedy has emerald eyes. Beatrice symbolises the reborn divine child of God. Lily symbolises the same thing, but as the dormant aspect, while Harry symbolises the nascent child of God, the New Soul, which is not yet perfect but strives to be so.
2. Voldemort's eyes.
Much later in the story we're told that Voldemort has red eyes. We know that Voldemort symbolises the very opposite of Lily and Harry. JK Rowling is stating here that red and green are opposites. This is logical, as they are complimentary colours. If you look at a green object and shut your eyes, the after-image of the object will be red, and vice versa.
3. Mars and Venus
Jan van Rijckenborgh and many esoteric writers tell us that Mars and Venus are associated with the colours red and green respectively. Mars, the 'red planet', polarises iron. The oxide of iron is reddish, and the redness of our blood is due to the iron content (haemoglobin) . Venus polarises copper and the oxide of copper is green. At the same time, Mars symbolises masculinity, and the astrological symbol for Mars is used extensively to indicate the male sex. Venus symbolises femininity and its astrological symbol indicates the female sex.
We are also told that Mars exerts an astrological influence which enhances strength, potency, fire, and aggression. Mars is often called the Planet of War. Venus on the other hand exerts an influence which is loving, beautiful, friendly etc. Mars was the Roman god of war, and Venus the goddess of love.
In The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosycross the Sepulchre of Venus symbolises the Primordial Principle of Divine Life: Love. Rosicrucians call this the Rose of the Heart, the Lily, or the Lotus. It is also known as "The Philosopher' s Stone", the title of Part 1 of Harry Potter.
4. The two primordial energies and polarisations
The whole of creation is based on the balance and harmony of two basic forces, which Lao Tzu calls "masculine strength" and "feminine meekness (or mildness)" Jan van Rijckenborgh explains that human microcosms emit two flows of energy: Love and Power. They are Absolute Divine Love, and Omnipotence. The whole of creation is developed by means of these two forces. In one type of microcosm Love is positively polarised and Omnipotence negatively, while in the other type, Love is negatively polarised and Omnipotence positively. A divine labour is always carried out by a group of microcosms which have these two forces in perfect balance.
The green and red lions
Thanks to our knowledgeable member of Harry Potter for Seekers Audrey Spindler, we know that Green-eyed Gryffindor Harry is the green lion, the Stone-to-be, the "Stone in training" so to speak during the Series' journey from which "the great future perfection will emerge", and thanks to which the balance is brought back to the Wizarding World. When the alchemist has finished "The Great Work", he becomes the "Red Lion." This Red Lion is "the elixir of eternal life."
Audrey also says, It is Harry's final sacrifice (the "blood of the green lion") that transforms him into the "red lion", re-born as the symbolic Stone and brought back to the castle/crucible in Rubeus's ("the red") arms.
4. "Smaragdine eyesight".
Audrey tells us: At the end of the Great Work, when the alchemist has "discovered the quintessence of things" and has become the "Filius philosophorum, son of the philosophers and therefore eternal child in possession of spiritual gold, the initiated alchemist could have the smaragdine eyesight (that is emerald green)"
and:
In the King's Cross chapter, Harry does not need to wear glasses anymore - he has reached the inner conjunction, quintessence, Dragon's Blood, the true smaragdine eyesight. He has truer vision now.
5. The magic colours:
Harry's and Voldemort's main spells are red and green respectively. Harry's disarming spell, his characteristic spell by which he is recognised, is the 'Expelliarmus, ' which is red, while Voldemort's killing curse, 'Avada Kedavra,' is green.
6. Harry and Draco
Harry belongs to the "red" house of Gryffindor while Draco belongs to the "green" house of Slytherin. They are always at loggerheads. Thus read and green are inextricably linked throughout the 7 parts.
7. The 4 elements.
The 4 houses of Hogwarts represent the 4 elements, as JK Rowling has told us.
Their colours are:
Gryffindor: RED and gold: Fire
Slytherin: GREEN and silver: Water
Ravenclaw: BLUE and bronze: Air
Hufflepuff: YELLOW and black: Earth
This kind of fact teaches us that Harry Potter is entirely consistent within itself, and with the traditional symbolism of alchemy and Hermeticism.
Just as a side issue: looking at the above colours, one can see three metals plus black. If we interpret black as being carbon, we get the following chemical elements:
Gryffindor: gold
Slytherin: silver
Ravenclaw: copper and tin
Hufflepuff: carbon.
Conclusion:
When we look at the overwhelming presence of red and green in the septology, we can conclude that they are extremely important symbolically. And so this is what I conclude about Harry's eyes, plus the importance of red in his life.
It means to me that Harry symbolises the Life that is born from the Love dormant in the human heart. This dormant Love, symbolised by Lily, is self-sacrificing, and is present in Harry's blood as a mighty power which is vastly more powerful than Voldemort, and in the end is the power against which Voldemort destroys himself.
Harry uses his "power" aspect to disarm his opponent. He does not cause harm even when attacked. Voldemort has red eyes showing he values his "power" only and attaches no value to love. He reverses the love element in him into hatred, and uses it to kill.
The green eyes also mean the "smaragdine eyesight", which means that Harry, at the end of the story, sees the truth, just as we all hope to be able to see it one day. But first we have to lose our scar, i.e. our I-consciousness.
Just as a corollary: green is also often used to symbolise the result of light meeting darkness to engender life. When a tiny shoot comes out of a seed in the dark earth, it reaches upwards towards the light. As soon as it emerges, the sun's rays turn it green - chlorophyll is made to turn water and air into sugar and oxygen. Hence green symbolises the potential for life, for renewal, for growth and hence for hope. This is also why the immature stone is called the green lion, later to become the red lion, just as unripe fruit is green, and ripe fruit red.
And that's only the beginning!
Love to you all from Hans |
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