The Alchemy of JK Rowling

Chapter 48 - Percy

If we continue our climb up the spinal column we now come to the heart chakra. This is of a reddish-golden colour. The gland associated with this chakra is the thymus. This initiates the body’s immune system during childhood, and so we could compare it to a shield. However the most important role Percy plays in liberating alchemy is the formation of the Holy Grail inside the human body. The heart-sanctuary of the alchemist literally becomes a golden chalice which can receive and store the Blood of Christ.

To understand this we should look at the plexuses which are situated here. Three plexuses are ‘inflamed’ with the new soul-force, the Divine Prana, which emanates from the new soul. These are the pharyngeal, the pulmonary, and the cardiac plexuses. Harry, the new soul, invades the whole body through the autonomic nervous system and he renders his shining gold to all parts of the body. Percy receives his share in the aforementioned plexuses.

The pharyngeal plexus forms the rim, the pulmonary (lung) plexus forms the chalice and its base stands on the cardiac plexus. I hope it is clear from this that every seeker has the Holy Grail potentially present and all he has to do is commence the quest for this Holy Grail. Making the Holy Grail or finding it after a quest is a long, arduous process of intense purification. The Blood of Christ is the etheric substance of the Kingdom of God that is extended to the seeker by the Brotherhood of Christ once the seeker has finished making the Grail in his heart-sanctuary. Should any selfish desire enter the Grail it will crack and the seeker will have to start again. This is similar to the legend of Hiram Abiff. His aim was to make a Glass Sea, or Crystal Lake. This symbolises the astral body, which has its focus in the heart. The astral body of the earthly human being is full of desires and cravings, giving the astral body all sorts of murky and muddy colours. The seeker has to cleanse and purify his astral body of earthly desires so that it becomes crystal clear, like a crystal lake of pure, clear water. No wonder Percy was pursuing a girl called Penelope Clearwater.

Percy is short for Percival or Parsifal, a knight on the quest for the Holy Grail. We know from the legend of Parsifal that while on his quest, he sees a Golden City in the distance. He quickly hurries towards it, but when he arrives, it has disappeared. It turns out to be an illusion. In Parts 4-6, Percy Weasley is also hurrying towards a Golden City. Is the Ministry of Magic not a golden city with its golden doors, sculptures, etc.? But in Part 7 Percy has the same experience as Parsifal. His Golden City goes up in smoke and he is left with a painful but very salutary disillusionment.

Notice that Percy turns his back on Harry in Part 5. He even tells Ron not to associate with Harry. This symbolises the fact that when a seeker has worldly ambitions he turns his back on the New Soul, and so he won’t find the Holy Grail. But Percy turns back to Harry in total loyalty before the end, and helps him in the final battle against Voldemort.

I should add in connection with Percy, and Charlie as well, that a Knight of the Holy Grail has two immortal faculties: the Pure Heart and the Word, or Speech. The Pure Heart forms the knight’s Shield, and the Word forms the Sword. With these two weapons the knight is invincible and can enter liberation. They are the heart chakra and the throat chakra respectively. When the new soul reaches the heart chakra and the seeker succeeds in purifying his heart, he has a magic shield that gives him immortality. Purification is achieved by the seeker not allowing worldly emotions and desires to enter his heart. This is not done by force of will, but by self-surrender to the Lily in the heart. The lily is a symbol not only for the immortal spark of the spirit, but also for purity. If the seeker allows his lily to spread its power through his heart and does not deviate, he will purify his heart and thus gain the shield of immortality. And when the heart is purified, the seeker can earn the other immortal faculty, the Sword, symbolised by Charlie.