The Alchemy of JK Rowling

Chapter 40 - McGonagall

Minerva McGonagall is the counterpart of the Virgin in The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosycross. In the latter she conducts the weighing of the candidates to determine their virtuousness. In Harry Potter McGonagall gives the first years the sorting hat to determine what house they go into.

In The Chymical Wedding the Virgin is called Alchimia. The book doesn’t tell you that explicitly. You have to work out a puzzle that is very similar to the type J.K. Rowling loves, for example in Part 1. It is obvious from reading The Chymical Wedding that Alchimia symbolises the force that transfigures the alchemist. Now we know why McGonagall is Transfiguration teacher! The parallels between The Chymical Wedding and Harry Potter are very striking! Alchimia symbolises a new astral state, an alchemical synthesis of forces which totally change the whole microcosm. This Alchimia does not cause an automatic process. Minerva is a very strict teacher! She demands your whole attention, and you must obey her with determination and a positive attitude. If you do follow Alchimia wholeheartedly, she will take you to the Alchemical Wedding of Spirit, Soul and personality.

Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom. Just as Alchimia works as a chief assistant to the old man on the tower, so Minerva is Deputy Headmistress to Dumbledore, the old man in the tower. She is loyal to Harry to the end, and marshals all the forces at Hogwarts in support of Harry’s attempt to defeat Voldemort.