The Alchemy of JK Rowling

Chapter 22 - Harry 17

The Half-Blood Prince

Part 6 describes the victory over Voldemort’s attempt to take possession of the emotional I in the candidate’s heart. The cave Harry and Dumbledore enter symbolises the heart. The locket, worn just over the heart, symbolises the emotional I. Harry and Dumbledore retrieve the locket with great difficulty, but Harry finds out later that the locket is a substitute for the real one, which was taken about the time Harry was born by Sirius’ brother, Regulus Arcturus Black.

This teaches us that when the New Soul is born, the emotional I in the heart is neutralised. Regulus is a star and hence is a wonderful symbol for a star in the auric firmament. He is the force in the microcosm that makes the person think he is a king, hence Regulus: Latin for ‘little king’. When the Lily opens and the New Soul is born, the little king falls down from his throne, because the New Soul is the real king. We are told that Regulus was pulled under the water by the Inferi, and died, just after Kreacher substituted the locket with a fake one.

It’s not till we reach Part 7 that we learn what’s happened to the locket. It was stolen by Mundungus Fletcher and then confiscated by Dolores Umbridge. Finally Harry managed to steal it back, and Ron was given the task of destroying it. He was subjected to an almost intolerable ordeal, including a sexual innuendo. It is a temptation in the wilderness. Ron was able to resist, and finally destroyed the locket, freeing the seekerfor enlightenment from sexual temptation.

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