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Harry Potter's Invitation to the World

by Vickie Ewell

 

Chapter 88 – Quirrell Clears Up a Few Misconceptions
(HP Chapter 17)

Quirrell felt all of Snape’s efforts to protect Harry were a waste of time because he was going to kill Harry tonight. He didn’t understand that Snape’s observations and questions were so Snape could report back to Dumbledore what was really going on. Undoubtedly, Quirrell’s announcement was supposed to scare Harry into submission, but it didn’t. We have already seen that Harry wasn’t afraid to die. Although he felt fear, he didn’t allow his fear to control him. He faces it, rather than running away.

Quirrell snapped his fingers. He was going to make good on his threat, so ropes appeared out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry. The ropes remind us of our conditioning and limitations, although our limitations are due to our True Self being asleep, or taking a nap.

Harry had the power to release himself, to Wake Up and stay awake, but being 100 percent aware 100 percent of the time was difficult. It takes a large amount of concentration. When our True Self first awakens, he’s weak. He has difficulty staying awake. Wakefulness improves as he continues to observe situations and react appropriately, but as long as we continue to see reality through our divided perspective – our conditioned and fractured self – we limit our power and slow down our transformation.

Quirrell felt Harry was too nosy to live. Harry made Quirrell feel uncomfortable, and the Natural Man always strives to get rid of discomfort. Comfort and pain sit at the very heart of judgment. What makes us comfortable we judge to be good. What produces discomfort or pain we judge to be bad, or evil.

Quirrell didn’t know if Harry had seen him going to look at what was guarding the Stone on Halloween. That comment helped Harry realize that Quirrell had let the troll in that night, not Snape. Even though Quirrell had explained that Snape was innocent of any wrong doing, it still wasn’t sinking into Harry’s heart yet. It’s difficult to let go of what we want to believe, but letting go of judgment and the accounts we set up against others is impossible for the conditioned self.

Quirrell proudly claimed he had a special gift with trolls. He was the one who had taken care of the large troll that Harry and Hermione had just passed. In Book 6, it was Dumbledore that died. Harry was paralyzed and unable to prevent or interfere with Dumbledore’s death. That death symbolized Harry’s complete union with The Holy Spirit, the newly opened false locket leaving him open to all possibilities.

In fact, Jo told us that Harry’s plan was to take Dumbledore’s place by finishing what Dumbledore had started. However, there were many false “I’s” that also arose to criticize and condemn Harry for his inability to act.

That new adventure led the kids into the secluded path of purification and elimination found at Level Seven, but it was Quirrell who took credit for it all. “I” was the one who killed the troll. This seems to indicate that our false selves, our little bits of conditioning, have severe consequences on the physical body. It is our false self that creates the conditions and chemical reactions that bring about the eventual death of the body.

At Halloween, while everyone was running around looking for the troll, Professor Snape had gone to the third floor (to a higher level of consciousness than the others) to confront Quirrell. “Not only did my troll fail to beat you to death,” Quirrell told Harry, “that three-headed dog didn’t even manage to bite Snape’s leg off properly.”

Quirrell was enjoying the task of correcting many of Harry’s misunderstandings, but he also presented us with illusions of his own. He considered the troll (the body) to be one of his possessions. The personality, the many false I’s we’ve created over the years, have many possessions. Quirrell also insinuated that the three-headed dog had attempted to rob Snape’s freedom of movement (his power) but failed.

Fluffy’s job isn’t to disable us. His purpose is to inform or remind us that there is only a single power in the universe through which both pure and impure forces work. He is a reminder that our ultimate goal is to unite our conscious, subconscious, and superconscious minds, so that the One Power can work through us unobstructed.

Once united, the subconscious mind will no longer interfere with the Divine Plan. This tri-conjunction permanently places the Lord back onto his Throne. This is a greater event than the Alchemical Marriage because once we reach this point of Trinity, nothing can stop the Divine process of complete Transformation.

Quirrell turned to face the Mirror of Erised that had been standing behind him. This movement was a clue that Harry’s confrontation with Quirrell so far had been taking place at the doorway that led to his subconscious mind. Quirrell wanted to know what the mirror did. He knew (or thought he knew) it was the Key to finding the Stone.

He began to tap around the outside of the frame. Natural Man always looks outside of himself for Salvation. He believes that something or some person in the outer world holds the Keys to relieve his turmoil and bring eternal happiness.

Quirrell felt frustrated because Dumbledore had constructed the room’s enchantment. He couldn’t figure out how to get to the Philosopher’s Stone. He also felt anxious. Dumbledore was in London, so Quirrell would be far away from Hogwarts by the time Dumbledore got back. Dumbledore catching him wasn’t his concern. Something else was causing the anxiety.

Since Harry had sent Hermione back through the Path to pick up Ron and contact Dumbledore, Harry figured the best chance he had to survive was to keep Quirrell talking.

At Level Seven, our awareness is no longer divided. Male and female have married and are now a function of our True Self. Ron and Hermione have become One Mind. Our True Self is our True “I”. It observes our conditioning, and reports any Not-I’s running around the body to the Holy Spirit, so they can be inactivated.

That was exactly what Harry did here. He didn’t confront Quirrell. He kept him talking. He didn’t judge him or condemn him, even in thought. He merely sent a message to Dumbledore (through Hermione and Ron) that advised Dumbledore of the situation