Podcasts about Rowling

Happy Valentine's Day!Mrs Murray met the UK StrikeFans.com contingent and Badly WiredLamp (“and friends”) on Thursday to talk about the Cormoran Strike novels. Yesterday, Friday the 13th, Rowling tweeted about the secret she had told them — the title of Strike9:Nick Jeffery found the most likely source of the title Sleep Tight, Evangeline, assuming it is not an anagram, in six minutes:BadlyWiredLamp who was at the Rowling meeting congratulated Nick on twixter seven minutes later: “Well done for finding it Nick!” with a hand salute emoji. Which semi-confirmation from a witness suggests he is spot on.Even more impressive, Nick wrote up a flash post about The Whiskey Shambles and other ‘Evangeline' possibilities at the HogwartsProfessor weblog, ‘Sleep Tight, Evangeline – Title Release for Strike 9.' Nick and John will be discussing this news as well as the Psalter and Head of Persephone charms with miniature book, Tolkien, and mythology expert Dimitra Fimi this weekend for a post here next week. See her ‘Miniature Books in Children's Fantasy' to prepare for that conversation. Stay tuned!But it's Valentine's Day! John and Nick celebrate this Hallmark Holiday with a journey through the Cormoran Strike novels' V-Day celebrations and a discussion of the various Valentines and Cupid's in the story, with special emphasis on the Cupid and Psyche myth that Rowling has suggested is the series story template.That suggestion came the week after Hallmarked Man's publication in the first of her Public Service Announcements to “Robin and Strike fans:”This image came as a surprise even to Hogwarts Professor subscribers because, though we have been writing and talking about the Cupid and Psyche myth as one of the mythological templates behind the Strike series since early 2021, it was the first time Rowling had acknowledged this publicly. Since the September revelation of this connection by the author and the appearance of the head of Persephone at the end of her Strike9 clues Christmas Charm bracelet, Strike fandom is now on board with the idea. Which on-boarding Nick and John celebrate with this Hearts and Flowers conversation, in which:* Nick reviews the Valentines Day events in the Strike series, the importance of which makes 14 February to Serious Strikers what Halloween is to Harry Potter fans;* John discusses the post American Bar office scene in Troubled Blood that let the cat out of the bag about the Cupid and Psyche myth just beneath the Strellacott romance;* Nick updates that with Rowling's PSAs and charm pointers to the Trials of Psyche in Robin's story;* John lays out how and where Hallmarked Man features Valentine Longcaster, the character with the Cupid name, and a Valentine's Day conflict with dogs to Guard the Gates of Hell (from charting Parts Five and Six);* Nick journeys back to Cuckoo's Calling and explains how Lula Landry's death and Robin's first meeting with Strike are twist on Cupid and Psyche with Venus, Psyche, and Cupid, Hephaestus, and Ares all with their equivalents in Charlotte, Robin, and Cormoran;* John ups the ante of the conversation by bringing in Edmund Spenser and C. S. Lewis, two writers Rowling loves, both of whom wrote stories that turn on Cupid and Psyche, and suggesting that Galbraith, in using the Eros-Anteros distinction of those writers in the Strike series is answering allegorically the core question of human life: whether to focus the soul on the ephemeral body and its desires or on the noetic faculty of soul, the Heart, logos within us;* Nick and John then discuss Robin and Strike's individual relationships Cuckoo to Hallmarked in light of Cupid-False Cupid and taking turns going through the Strike novels with a look at the principal murder victim and murderer and their respective relationships;* John shares the Jungian interpretation of Cupid and Psyche as the mythic representation of feminine actualization, the chrysalis of female identity;* And more!Below are the links to posts on this subject mentioned in their back and forth and to a translation of the original myth. Happy Valentines Day — and stand by for more discussion of Sleep Tight, Evangeline, the Psalter and Persephone Charms, and all things Strike and Mythology with Dimitra Fimi.Links Mentioned in the Valentines Day Celebration Conversation:Rowling Points to Myth of Cupid and Psyche in order to Console Strike Fans Disappointed with Hallmarked Man (8 September 2025, Nick Jeffery)Nick shares the context of Rowling's tweet (fan disappointment!) and the background information about the illustration she chose for it.The Most Pleasant and Delectable Tale of the Marriage of Cupid and Psyche (Apuleius)A translation of the Silver Age Latin tale from Apuleius' Golden Ass.A Mythological Key to Cormoran Strike? The Myth of Eros, Psyche, and Venus (22 April 2021, John Granger)The first post to discuss Rowling's use of this specific myth within Cormoran Strike, it is essential reading and comes in four parts:* a discussion of Rowling's stated beliefs about the soul and how it is the focus of her story-telling,* a review of her psychological artistry in Potter and the post Potter novels and screenplays,* a synopsis of the Eros and Psyche myth, and* a point to point look at the parallels in the story thus far with speculation about novels to come.Robin's Two Perfumes: The Meaning of Philosychos and Narciso (9 June 2021, John Granger)The names of Robin's baseline perfume, Philosychos, and the one she and Strike choose at story's end, Narciso, both point less to the bedroom than to Robin's allegorical, psychological, and mythological role as Psyche in the series.Erich Neumann in his Amor and Psyche: The Psychic Development of the Feminine describes this discipline as a “prohibition against pity” which “signifies Psyche's struggle against the feminine nature.” …Psyche's last trial involves her having to confront death, a “marriage” to which she was condemned as a sacrifice at the story's start, a meeting she can only survive by transcending her feminine qualities of nurturing and pity. She must become, if only temporarily, a narcissist to pass through Hades and return to the world of the Sun and to Cupid. The myth, in Jungian lights, is about her transcending the accidental self, here her feminine and sexual relation to Eros or Cupid, for “ego-stability” leading to “individuation,” ascent to the greater, immortal Self.Robin as resident psychologist and loving soul is the Psyche-cipher of the Strike mysteries. She differs from the relatively passive Human Beauty of the myth in her active and determined “struggle against the feminine nature,” her “What. I. Do!” She not only wrestles with her desires for domesticity and maternity in her thinking but stands up to Strike-Cupid in their Valentine's Day Street Fight and demands his respect or at least more considerate behavior. But she is still struggling with her difficulty to be the narcissist rather than the Great Mother when circumstances and her heroine's journey of psychological individuation demand that.Reading Rowling as Myth Maker and Myth Re-Writer: A Conversation with Dr Dimitra FimiNick Jeffery and John Granger converse with Dr Dimitra Fimi about Harry Potter, Cormoran Strike, Tolkien, Jane Eyre, and the Mythological Artistry of J. K. Rowling, Hogwarts Saga to Hallmarked ManThe Hallmarked Man's Mythological Template‘Cupid and Psyche's importance for grasping the depths of Strike 8, from the “necessity” of the Silver Vault and the three men in Robin's life, to spaghetti carbonara and ‘Maid of the Silver Sea'Ink Black Heart: The Mythic Backdrop (10 September 2022, John Granger)What Rowling is depicting in Robin's journey through the events and mystery of Ink Black Heart include a trap set by Venus, one that takes Robin to a personal and professional underworld or hell, her survival and endurance of every temptation by her determination to be steely rather than empathetic, especially with respect to a certain “lame fellow” (!), and her re-surfacing from hell a changed person, one worthy of begrudging Venereal approval (or Zeus' intervention — Rokeby!).Ink Black Heart: Strike as Zeus to Robin's Leda and Cupid to Mads' Psyche (10 November 2022, John Granger)These traditional portrayals of the every person's human and divine aspects, soul and spirit as man and woman in dynamic, cathartic relationship — think Romeo and Juliet, Redcrosse Knight and Una, Cupid and Psyche — are perhaps, with her alchemical symbolism, sequencing, and coloring, Rowling's greatest literary ‘reach' and achievement in the Strike series, albeit one largely lost on her her vast reading audience. The deliberate conjunction-melange of archetypal psychology, mythology, and spiritual allegory in these novels is, especially in combination with her hermetic artistry, intertextual playfulness (Aurora Leigh!), and chiastic structures, testimony to the author being one of the most accomplished and challenging writers of the age in addition to the most popular (and least well understood, even by her fans).Hallmarked Man: Freemasonry and J. K. Rowling (7 February 2024, Nick Jeffery)The Royal Arch degree is unique in England for including the ceremony of “Passing the Veils” symbolising the path to enlightenment that a mason undergoes as he progresses in the craft. Given Peter Rowling's upward social mobility from working class apprentice to engineer and moving from the Bristol suburbs to middle class Tutshill, it isn't beyond reason to wonder if Peter might have been tempted by the social and career advantages that freemasonry might have offered him and exposed a young Joanne to some of the symbolism.Edinburgh, as well as being the home of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, is also home to if not the oldest lodge in the world, then at least the one with the oldest records. Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary's Chapel) No. 1 has minutes of meetings from 31st July 1599. There have long been arguments between this Lodge and the one in Kilwinning on the other coast of Scotland as to which is the oldest. (see IVº of the Rite of Baldwyn above)J. K. Rowling's ‘G-Spot' and ‘Triple Play:' The Lake & Shed Secret of Her Success (21 September 2024, John Granger)I want to try tonight to explain as succinctly — and as provocatively — as possible why I think Rowling's ‘Lake and Shed' metaphorical explanation of how she writes offers a compelling reason for both why she writes and why readers around the world love her novels the way they do. I call this her ‘G-Spot' and ‘Triple Play' because it is her point of singular genius, the defining quality that separates her from contemporary story-tellers, which involves ‘Shed' artistry of three particular literary tools, all subliminal, which work together to achieve her aims.The Hallmarked Man's Flood of Names, Characters, and Plots (22 September 2025, John Granger)Rowling's seven Shed tools — psychomachia, literary alchemy, ring composition, misdirection towards defamiliarization, Christian symbolism, mythology, and inter-intratextuality (writing about reading and writing) — are all about the transformation of the human soul by cathartic experience in the imaginative heart, i.e., our spiritual reorientation. These traditional tools alone don't do it, of course; her capacity for creating archetypal characters that we care about in profound fashion is what gives the tools their grip on the heart.But, if a writer uses these tools in his or her Shed, the game being played and its stakes are not in question. Everything Rowling has written to date, with greater or lesser success (largely dependent on her control of the final product, cough*Warner Brothers*cough), shares this aim. Her global popularity testifies that much more often than not she hits her target to the delight of her readers.I assume this was her aim in Hallmarked Man. It's early days on the full exegesis of Strike8 in light of Rowling's Shed tools, Lake springs, and Golden Threads, but there are encouraging signs. My third reading of the book included my first ‘Aha!' moments with respect to the mythological template of the series, the Shed tool Rowling was openly urging her readers to think about in her recent Cupid and Psyche tweet.Jungian Interpretations of ‘Cupid and Psyche:'* Erich Neumann: Amor and Psyche: The Psychic Development of the Feminine (A Commentary on the Tale by Apuleius)* Paul Diel: Symbolism in Greek Mythology: Human Desire and Its Transformations (A “psychological study of the symbols condensed in the fate of the mythological hero”)* Robert A. Johnson: SHE: Understanding Feminine Psychology (An interpretation based on the myth of Amor and Psyche and based on Jungian mythological principles)* Marie-Louise von Franz: Golden Ass of Apuleius: The Liberation of the Feminine in Man (originally A Psychological Interpretation of The Golden Ass of Apuleius)‘Tamspells' Point to Point Correspondence List of Events in the Strike-Ellacott Novels and the Myth of Cupid and PsycheThe list ‘Tamspells' made will be Nick and John's starting point in their upcoming conversation with her about how to see the myth beneath the surface of the storyCupid and Psyche Myth Highlights to Look for in Your Review at Home of the Strike Series:* Jealousy of Venus* Psyche's Wedding/Funeral March to Mountain Crag* Psyche Rescued by Cupid, stuck with his own arrow* Retreat to Hidden Castle, Love in Darkness* The Two Sisters* The Confrontation with Lamp and Knife* Psyche's Return Home; Death of Sisters (Pan cameo)* Psyche's Search for Cupid/Venus: Ceres Interview* Brought to Venus (Worry and Sadness)* First Trial: Seeds and Grains (Ant)* Second Trial: Wool from Golden Sheep (Reed)* Third Trial: Crystal glass for Black Stygian water (Zeus, Eagle)* Persephone Odyssey: Box for Beauty (Tower instructions)* Barley Cakes for Cerberus and Two Coins for Charon* Must ignore: “a lame man driving a mule loaded with sticks, a dead man swimming in the river that separates the world of the living from the world of the dead, and old women weaving.”* Meal in Underworld with Persephone* Return Trip, Falling to Temptation* Cupid intervention; intersession and deal with Zeus* Olympian Court Date* Marriage of Cupid and Psyche post Ambrosia, birth of PleasureStrike Novel Victim Eros Anteros Murderer Eros Anteros Cuckoo's Calling Lula Landry Evan Duffield Marlene Higson,Yvette Bristow, Guy Some, Jonah Agyuman John Bristow Alison Creswell Yvette Bristow The Silkworm Owen Quine Kathryn Kent Leonora/Orlando Elizabeth Tassel Michael Fancourt Owen Quine? Career of Evil Kelsey Platt Rock Band Leader Ray Williams, (Hazel Furley) Donny Laing Rhona Bunyan, hostage women Agnes Waite Lethal White Jasper Chiswell Ornella Seraphin, Kinvara Patricia Fleetwood Raphael Chiswell Kinvara Hanratty Ornella Seraphin Troubled Blood Margot Bamborough Paul Satchwell Roy/Anna Phipps Una Janice Beattie Steven Douthwaite/Diamond Dead Mother Dennis Creed Louise Tucker Agnes Waite Ink Black Heart Edie Ledwell Philip Ormond? Joshua Blay, Grant Heather Ledwell Gus Upcott Anomie/Paperwhite, Vikas BhardwajMorehouse Katya Upcott The Running Grave Daiyu Wace, Kevin Pirbright (Jacob) Louise Pirbright Abigail Glover Patrick, Baz Jennifer Wace The Hallmarked Man Tyler Powell Anne-Marie Morgan Chloe Griffiths/Jolanda Lindvall Ian Griffith Jolanda/Sapphire Rita Lindvall? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

This audio clip from Erik Qualman's #1 bestselling book The Focus Project explores the importance of using common technological tools in a responsible way.   5x #1 Bestselling Author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman has performed in over 55 countries and reached over 50 million people this past decade. He was voted the 2nd Most Likable Author in the World behind Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling.   Have Erik speak at your conference: eq@equalman.com   Motivational Speaker | Erik Qualman has inspired audiences at FedEx, Chase, ADP, Huawei, Starbucks, Godiva, FBI, Google, and many more on Focus and Digital Leadership.   Learn more at https://equalman.com

In der schottischen Hauptstadt Edinburgh wimmelt es nur so von Harry Potter-Fans: Das liegt nicht nur daran, dass die Autorin der Fantasy-Reihe Joanne K. Rowling hier ihre Bücher geschrieben hat und nach wie vor dort lebt. Sie soll sich für ihre Geschichten um die Zauberschüler Harry, Ron und Hermine auch von allerlei Lokalkolorit in Edinburgh inspiriert haben lassen. Darauf jedenfalls bauen die Guides, die Fans durch die Altstadt führen – ganz im Zeichen von Harry Potter. Auf Free-Walking-Touren durch Edinburgh hören die Teilnehmer etwa, welches College Pate gestanden haben soll für Hogwarts, der Zauberschule, die Harry, Ron und Hermine in allen sieben Romanen besuchen. Und wer noch nicht weiß, wo Rowling die Namen für ihre Charaktere herhat, kann sich auf dem Greyfriar's Kirkyard selbst auf die Suche machen, ehe er sich in der „echten“ Winkelgasse mit allerlei Harry Potter-Merchandise eindeckt: Für die Einkaufsstraße in „Harry Potter“ soll Rowling nämlich die Victoria Street in Edinburghs Altstadt vor Augen gehabt haben. Doch was ist dran an den heute so üppig ausgeschlachteten Parallelen zwischen Fiktion und Wirklichkeit? Alles nur Marketing, um Touristen neben Whiskey und Golf auch mit „Harry Potter“ nach Schottland zu locken?Fest steht jedenfalls, dass es auch außerhalb von Edinburgh „echte“ Anlaufpunkte im Zeichen von Harry Potter gibt. Denn die Filme wurden nicht nur in den Warner Bros. Studios in London gedreht, sondern auch in den schottischen Highlands. Fans zieht es heute etwa an den Ort, wo auch die Regisseure Station machten, um die Beerdigungsszene von Hogwarts-Schulleiter Albus Dumbledore zu drehen. Oder zum Schwarzen See von Hogwarts, für den die Regisseure den Loch Shiel in den schottischen Highlands gewählt haben – just in der Nähe des heute vielbereisten Glenfinnan Viadcuts, über den auch der „echte“ Howgwarts Express hinwegfährt.Simon Berninger hat sich auf eine magische Reise nach Schottland begeben – und erzählt, ob er verzaubert zurückgekommen ist.

Boze Geesten afl. 205In deze aflevering bespreken we de column 'De war on woke is opperdepop, dus is die vervangen door een oorlog tegen feminisering' van Emma Curvers en stellen de vraag: is deze millennial-stijl van de hedendaagse columnistiek failliet? Gast: A. L. Speyerbachhttps://x.com/ALSpeyerbachhttps://www.instagram.com/speyerbach/***Steun Open Geesten / Zomergeesten / Boze Geesten Podcast

It is Cancel Me, Daddy's fifth anniversary! This week, former co-host Oliver joins Katelyn and Christine to discuss all the panic around cancel culture. Oliver and Katelyn pinpoint how they defined cancellation when the podcast started in 2021 and what has and hasn't changed about it over the past five years.Some of the very same “cancellation grifters”—Bari Weiss, Dave Chappelle, and J.K. Rowling—from the show's earlier days are still profiting from their so-called cancellation[s]. They've evolved into what Katelyn and Christine call “media villains,” which exist within the show's increasingly focused media and politics lens. Oliver, Katelyn, and Christine scrutinize the cancellation-to-grift pipeline with the show's trademark wit. Come celebrate five years of thoughtful analysis and verbal shitposting! Thank you, listeners, for five years of support!Stream on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy!Links:Listen to our Dave Chapelle episodes: Cancel Me, Daddy Classics: Shame on Chappelle and Netflix Part 2Catch up on Bari Weiss (again) and the rest of the Harper's Letter crew: They Screamed “Cancel Culture” — Then Went Silent While Trump Gutted Free Speech (ft. Parker Molloy)Tune into J.K. Rowling's cancellation: Canncel-o Wizard Game-o (ft. Ana Valens)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week your solo host, Stephen, shared a hot take: that some authors’ sudden hot takes on political topics add more heat than light. These cringe political posts distract from the author's job and confuse fans, and some go further into sinful slanders. Now that Zack is back, let's re-engage this topic as fans and explore hope for biblical unity. Without telling anyone to “stop with politics!” or missing real concerns, how can authors post better about those topics, if they post at all? Episode sponsors The Restitching of Camille DuLaine by Lindsay A. Franklin Realm Makers 2026 Conference & Expo Interregnum by J. A. Webb Above the Circle of Earth by E. Stephen Burnett Mission update New at Lorehaven: The Restitching of Camille DuLaine review. Subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild Authors: sign up for the Authorship as a Creator or Pro Novelist 1. Top recent celebrity political wins and fails Last week, Stephen should have predicted Grammy Awards cringe. He feels sympathy for Billy Eilish and others who just say stuff. Some celebrities can get away with this because they're Big. Example 1: J.K. Rowling, who lives in a castle and everything. Example 2: George Clooney, legacy, leftist, but moderate in tone. Example 3: Conservative actors who find other (often niche) work. Authors who feel tempted to this openness: are you Big like them? It's like going out to buy a $10,000 suit before you can afford this. If not, the cringe political post isn't an upgrade, but a downgrade. Personally, Stephen doesn't mind politically outspoken celebrities. Those who do this out of seeming grace/surplus tend to win. Those who do this out of seeming vengeance/poverty tend to lose. Big tip here for aspiring authors: you must give more than you take. Otherwise they look kinda desperate for attention, or else insincere. 2. Engaging your responses to episode 298 Our own Guildmaster, Ticia Messing, wants a refuge: I have several indie authors I read or recently subscribed to their newsletters who all took part in a join political statement over the weekend with the same general idea. It was clearly to win political points for their side, and it was clearly a “If you do not agree with me, you are wrong,” and reading it I felt dirty and used. Even the author who tried to be more circumspect in how she talked about it because it was still clear what she was talking about. My problem is I come to their newsletters not to read about politics; it is my refuge from politics. I read them to find out about how their writing is going, a quick glimpse into their life, some book recommendations, and maybe a snippet of their upcoming book. Instead, all of these newsletters had paragraphs about Political Issue. Jason Huff seeks to challenge cringepost motives: What is difficult about social media in general is that most posts about politics aren’t about determining a side or discussing a moral issue but virtue signaling. It doesn’t matter if the viewpoint is left, center, right, or even a pox on all the houses. Most of the time, political posts are subtly saying, “I am a good and moral person for speaking out on X issue.” This is not usually the direct and overt intention, but it’s still there on another level. When I say virtue signaling, I’m not saying that they aren’t actually morally correct in their address, but that there usually isn’t a lot at stake in doing so. Most people live, work, and play with people much like them, and they post things their friend pool is going to agree with. And so, when posting anything political, the question has to be, “What is the reason to be posting this?” It’s usually not to inform, because I’d say anyone aware of news right now has heard about Minneapolis. It’s to give a viewpoint. But unless you live in that area, does it affect your daily life right now? Not so much. The stakes are small. So when I see authors and other creatives I follow giving political opinions, I generally tune out. I’m not there for that. I’m more interested in how you’re living out that belief, whether helping a local legal refugee family or befriending your local police force or however that issue plays out in your everyday life. Peter Schott wants to re-hinge certain friends: Personally, I have a couple of acquaintances who I disagree with politically. On some things, we can just discuss and let it go. In others – the posts are just unhinged. I just mute/snooze the guy for 30 days. There was someone else who just went off the deep end – almost everything posted was hateful, cussing, and such. That earned a permanent block. It was sad to see someone go that far off the beaten path. I did have one friend who started calling his own friends Nazis and such because they disagreed with him on politics – maybe 10 years ago. I called him out on that as a Christian brother and he was able to realize that he’d gotten a little too far down the path and took a break (and backed off). Janie Brooks feels betrayed by political cringeposts: “When your favorite authors suddenly post hot takes about the latest controversial headlines or violent acts, how do you feel?” Startled. Annoyed. Betrayed. Hurt. Saddened. Startled because the author doesn't usually throw their hat into the political fray. Annoyed because there are so many more topics to discuss. Annoyed because Instagram or Facebook is my escape from the constant barrage of never-ending political opinions and current events. Betrayed because I thought I knew who they were. Betrayed because they've shown me a side of themselves that goes against how they've always acted. Hurt because they've broken my trust. Hurt because my loyalty is hard to gain and I've been blindsided by their vitriol. Saddened because there are so many other topics in which I agree with them, but now I am anathema because of my politics. 3. Your hosts’ own political-posting rules E. Stephen Burnett's top ten guidelines: Basically, don't. Don't post about politics. But if you do, don't suppose you're “above politics.” And discern what that term “politics” actually means. Carefully curate post subjects based on deeper reasons. Be timely, yet beware the PETs, or Political Emotion Traps. Stick with big themes that support your mission and novels. Avoid the great sins of slander and casting false judgments. Always rejoice with the truth and do not spread false reports. For lesser-known topics, do not meddle in quarrels not your own. “Never be cruel, never be cowardly. Remember hate is always foolish, love is always wise. Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind.” (Steven Moffat via the Twelfth Doctor, Doctor Who) Zackary Russell's social post standards: I don't want to wait until I “make it big” to say the truth. I don't talk about or reply to the posts of politicians. Certain cultural, moral, and spiritual topics will inevitably overlap with a certain politician. That's ok. I won't avoid those topics. I do not have to comment on everything nor defend everything a politician says or does. That way lies madness. I try to find people to agree with, but comment in a way that adds something new to the conversation. I am much more focused on the world of ideas, because ultimately that's what we are battling. Not the flesh and blood conveyors of those ideas. There is significant overlap between the battle of ideas and shaping moral imagination through stories. Although the former is reactive whereas the latter is proactive. I don't believe in cultural pacifism, but I do pick my battles carefully. I also recognize that God calls people to directly take part in the political sphere. Same as he gives other callings. I simply have a different calling as someone working in full-time ministry. But I also reject the practice of some Christians who put their heads in the sand when it comes to certain hot-button topics. Com station Top question for listeners How do authors gain and keep your trust with their social posts? Next on Fantastical Truth For most of our lives, Stephen and Zack have kept their eyes to the stars and wondering if NASA or anybody else will ever again get serious about launching ships up there. Now it seems that moment is upon us. Lord willing, next month's launch of Artemis II will drive new great leaps back to the Moon, not only to orbit or put down boots, but to put down roots. Meanwhile, private firms build reusable rockets and plan satellite networks while setting their sights on Mars. So what other science fictions will come true in reality? Join us to discern and celebrate the God-exalting glories of human spaceflight to faraway lands for this landmark 300th episode of Lorehaven's Fantastical Truth.

email chris@drchrisloomdphd.com with "Podcast freebie" to book a coveted FREE guest spot on the show. To book a PREMIUM spot on the Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.drchrisloomdphd.com/_paylink/AZpgR_7f⁠⁠⁠⁠Book a 1-on-1 coaching call: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.drchrisloomdphd.com/booking-calendar/introductory-session⁠⁠⁠⁠ Become a member of our Podcast community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.drchrisloomdphd.com/membership⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our email list: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://financial-freedom-podcast-with-dr-loo.kit.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to join PodMatch (the "AirBNB" of Podcasting): ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.joinpodmatch.com/drchrisloomdphd⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to purchase my books on Amazon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2PaQn4p⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to purchase my audiobooks, visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.audible.com/author/Christopher-H-Loo-MD-PhD/B07WFKBG1F⁠⁠⁠⁠To help support the show:CashApp- ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cash.app/$drchrisloomdphd⁠⁠⁠⁠Venmo- ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://account.venmo.com/u/Chris-Loo-4⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy Me a Coffee- ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chrisJx⁠⁠⁠⁠Disclaimer: Not advice. Educational purposes only. Not an endorsement for or against. Results not vetted. Views of the guests do not represent those of the host or show.  

This audio clip from Erik Qualman's #1 bestselling book The Focus Project explores the importance of maintaining momentum in our daily lives - and how doing daily tasks will help us in the long run.   5x #1 Bestselling Author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman has performed in over 55 countries and reached over 50 million people this past decade. He was voted the 2nd Most Likable Author in the World behind Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling.   Have Erik speak at your conference: eq@equalman.com   Motivational Speaker | Erik Qualman has inspired audiences at FedEx, Chase, ADP, Huawei, Starbucks, Godiva, FBI, Google, and many more on Focus and Digital Leadership.   Learn more at https://equalman.com

Elizabeth Baird Hardy, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts Professor, the genius behind AppalachianInkling.com, Hunger Games expert, and author of Milton, Spenser and the Chronicles of Narnia: Literary Sources for the C.S. Lewis Novels, joined Nick and John to discuss the Charm Bracelet that J. K. Rowling posted on her Twixter home page as a Christmas gift to her readers. She said that that the thirteen charms on nine links were a set of clues about the next Strike novel, the ninth in a ten book series.In the first Part of Elizabeth, Nick, and John's conversation, they discussed Rowling's charm bracelet history, speculated about why she posted this picture when she did, decided to look at each charm on the bracelet for its stand-alone meaning and its place in the nine link set, and to read the whole series as if it were a ring composition, one reflecting a nine Part structure in Strike 9. They then made deep dives into the details of each charm: the heart shaped box containing a ‘You and Me' engagement ring, a golden diamond-laden egg, a foul anchor, two angels, and a Trojan horse.In this second Part of that conversation, the trio of Serious Strikers continue with the remaining charms on the bracelet, namely, a Jack-in-the-box, an Hourglass, a White Rose and Crocodile, a Corvid head, and a Psalter paired on the last link with the Head of Persephone. They share their thoughts, too, about the bracelet as a symbolic integer and its ring meaning.The notes below are in support of references they make mid-flight and to other resources of interest to Magic Charm Decoders! Enjoy.Thank you to all our subscribers with special gratitude and appreciations for our paid subscribers; you are the wind in our sails, the heat from our vents… Serious Strikers are reading Browning's The Ring and the Book, charting Hallmarked Man Part Six, and reviewing the Myth of Cupid and Psyche to look for parallels in the Strike-Ellacott series. See you soon!Jack-in-the-Box Charm* Rowling claims this as her favorite charm (Nick and John in the conversation mistakenly attribute this preference to the Psalter charm):* Badly Wired Lamp ID'd it* Is it a devil — or a Racoon?* The jack in the box toy, the 'Jack' being a devil, was invented in Germany in the 16th century as a mockery of the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. * The shape of this charm, the golden circular center in the inside of the open box top, represents the transcendent spiritual realm and the square bottom with its four directions, the fallen world. The ‘jack' devil lives in the latter but is from the former.* The charm is the third latched object in the chain, the heart box and Trojan horse preceding it and the psalter at chain's end following it — which means the ring latch and center are latched objects with surprises inside. The two interior objects at center have deadly surprises and the beginning and end eternal life interiors. The symbolism here is of the human being and its capacity via choice for either spiritual perfection in sacrificial love (anteros) or consumption by individual desires (eros). The thing hidden inside, man's spiritual capacity or heart, is either light or darkness, the inside bigger than the outside. (John)* What is the Strike 9 connection, the analogue to the demonic Jack in the box? Is it RFM? Uncle Ted? Ilsa's husband Nick? Polworth?* The Jack's position is at the center of the bracelet and between the hourglass and the Trojan horse. So it's placed between cleverness and craftiness and things that we can control and bad surprises, but also time, because we can't control time. (Elizabeth)Hourglass Charm* tempus fugit ‘like sand in an hourglass'* memento mori* infinite symbol* The Strike series may be a collection of mystery-story genres, each one illustrating a unique type of story, different from all the others while keeping the same core of characters and overarching narrative (cf., Rowling's note in The Running Grave acknowledgements that that book was her “cult” book). The hourglass, then, may be Rowling's pointer to Strike9 being a suspense drama in which the good guys not only have a challenging mission (find and rescue the missing Robin, Strike, Lucy, Pat, whomever) but have to do it before a literal deadline arrives. The Ticking Clock plot device.* If the Jack at link five is the center of the bracelet ring of nine links, how does the hourglass mirror the Trojan horse? It's two parts? The deadline aspect? “Reveal the crazies inside before the hourglass empties”?White Rose Charm* White Rose of Yorkshire* The interior of the flower charm is a literal Turtleback or ring composition diagram.* White Rose of Dante: Paradiso Cantos XXXI and XXXIIThe true home of all the blessed is with God in the Empyrean, a heaven of pure light beyond time and space. Dante sees the blessed systematically arranged in an immense white rose: like a hologram, a three-dimensional image, the rose is formed from a ray of light reflected off the outer surface of the Primum Mobile (30.106-17). The queen of this white rose is the Virgin Mary, traditionally represented as a rose herself (see Par. 23.73-4). This celestial rose recalls large rose windows of Gothic cathedrals, many of which are dedicated to Mary. The image of the rose, often red, is also used to represent Christ or, in other contexts, earthly love. The white rose is symmetrically structured according to various criteria, including belief, age, and gender. One half of the rose, already full, holds those who, according to Christian tradition, believed in Christ to come (the blessed of the Hebrew Bible); the other half, with only a few seats still unoccupied, contains those who believed in Christ already come (saved Christians). Two gendered rows mark this division of the rose in two halves. In the row below Mary appear women of the Hebrew Bible (Eve, Rachel, Sarah, Rebecca, Judith, Ruth, and unnamed others); Beatrice is seated next to Rachel, on the third row from the top. Opposite Mary, John the Baptist heads a row of men containing Francis, Benedict, Augustine, and other Christian fathers. Mary is flanked by Adam (first man) and Moses on one side, and Peter (first pope) and John the Evangelist on the other. John the Baptist is flanked by Lucy on one side and Anna, the mother of Mary, on the other. While only adults are seated in the upper section of the rose, below a certain line the rose contains souls of blessed children, their precise location based not on their own merits (since they lacked the power of free will) but on predestination. As physical laws do not apply in the Empyrean, Dante's ability to see these figures is not diminished by distance (30.118-23; 31.76-8).* White Rose of Mockingjay (Hunger Games finale)The prevailing symbol of Catching Fire and the most meaningful token the Christ figure of the series gives Katniss is a pearl, the solid-light symbolism of which we've discussed before. I think Commander Paylor's name may be our last Madge-Pearl-Mags name reference in being a “pale orb.” That gold and pearls have a similar translucency and metaphysical correspondence with the ‘Light of the World' make the twin possibilities that much more rich — and Commander Paylor's ascending to Panem's Presidency that much more meaningful and appropriate.Katniss steps into the Garden with the Pearl's blessing (“on my authority”) and discovers roses of every possible color. There are red, of course, and “lush pink, sunset orange, and even pale blue.” She knows what she wants, though; the rose colored like light, the white rose, Dante's symbolic prelude to the beatific vision and transcendence. Just as she cuts the “magnificent white bud just about to open” “from the top of a slender bush” (ibid, p. 355), the manacled, “pale, sickly green” President Snow, our snake in the Garden, speaks.“The colors, are lovely, of course, but nothing says perfection like white.”Our story Satan, you recall, left her a white rose in District 12 in chapter 1 and dropped roses with the bunker buster bombs in Part 1 to terrify Katniss. Now we know why. He was taunting her with her end, that as a seeker's soul he knew her goal was perfection in Christ and taunted her with it, especially when he held Peeta-Christ and understood the cartharsis and chrysalis she would have to pass through to claim it herself. Now that she is in the inner sanctuary, the High Place, he tells her the truth she could not hear anywhere else, the final, ugly truth about the cause for which Katniss had sacrificed everything. Snow reveals, just as Peeta had told her at the story's start, that she was deceived by those she trusted. President Coin killed Primrose with a weapon designed by Gale.Having been to the Absolute center, the world navel, and taken away the beatific vision as a white rose, Katniss is no longer a seeker but the resolution of contraries, an androgyn of justice and mercy. She is above right and wrong now as the phoenix-mockingjay and hears the voice of the “murderer” on the Hanging Tree at last. She deceives President Coin at the Victors Meeting as something of an avenging angel; she becomes a murderer herself by assassinating President Coin. Peeta-Christ comes down from the tree as her savior once again and prevents her suicide via Nightlock by his out-of-nowhere intervention.* Why does the White Rose share the seventh bracelet link with a crocodile? Faerie Queene!Crocodile Charm* The Crocodile in Shed, crocodile skin handbags (Hallmarked Man) “Maybe the4 crocodile or whatever they're keeping in the shed's chewed its way out,” said Strike. “ (Chapter 22, p 176; center chapter of Part 2)* Crocodile entry, Cirlot's Dictionary of SymbolismCrocodile Two basically different aspects of the crocodile are blended in its symbolic meaning, representing the influence upon the animal of two of the four Elements. In the first place, because of it viciousness and destructive power, the crocodile came to signify fury and evil in Egyptian hieroglyphics (19); in the second place, since it inhabits a realm intermediate between earth and water, and is associated with mud and vegetation, it came to be thought of as an emblem of fecundity and power (50). In the opinion of Mertens Stienon there is a third aspct, deriving from its resemblance to the dragon and the serpent, as a symbol of knowledge. In Egypt, the dead used to be portrayed transformed into crocodiles of knowledge, an idea which is linked with that of the zodiacal sign of Capricorn. Blavatsky compares the crocodile with the Kumara of India (40). Then, finally, come the symbols of Inversion proper and of rebirth. (67)* Lyndy Abraham's Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery entry for ‘Crocodile:'Crocodile The mercurial *serpent or transforming arcanum in its initial chthonic aspect during the dark, destructive opening of the opus alchymicum. Like the *bee, the crocodile was classified as a serpent in te bestiaries of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The amphibious nature of the crocodile made it an apt symbol for the dual-natured *Mercurius. When Lepidus in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra says, ‘Your serpent of Egypt is bred of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile' (2.7.26-7), he is referring to the generation of gold in the earth, and the generation of the mercurial serpent through the heat of the secret *fire or ‘sun'. With the phrase ‘operation of your sun' Lepidus also alludes to the final law of the alchemical Emerald Table: ‘That which I had to say about the operation of the Sun is completed' (48)* Sandy Hope on Crocodile symbolismIsis Church crocodile in Faerie Queene: Book 5, Canto VIIBook V Canto vii. The speaker praises the virtue of justice and cites Osyris as an example of the just man. His wife, Isis, represented equity and to the Temple of Isis Britomart and Talus come to spend the night. Talus, however, is not allowed into the temple. Britomart enters and sees a statue of Isis with her foot on a crocodile. The temple is also full of the priests of Isis who are not allowed to drink wine as it leads to rebellion. Britomart sleeps under the statue of Isis and dreams that the crocodile comes alive and threatens the Goddess. The Goddess subdues the crocodile and it becomes meek and then impregnates the Goddess. She gives birth to a lion which conquers all other beats. Britomart awakes and tells her troubling dream to a priest. He tells her that the crocodile represents Arthegall, Isis represents Britomart, and the lion their son whom they will conceive. Grateful for the interpretation, Britomart leaves and comes to Radigund's castle. Radigund and Britomart battle, Britomart is wounded in the shoulder, and finally Britomart beheads Radigund. Talus enters the castle and wreaks carnage on the Amazon women inside. Britomart finds Arthegall dressed, like other, in women's clothing. she is shamed by the sight, and it is not quite clear whether her suspicions that Arthegall has been unfaithful are confirmed or refuted. She finds Arthegall some armour, arms him, and the rest in the castle. during this time Britomart rules as a princess and reforms the Amazon society so that women are restored to proper subjection to men. Finally, Arthegall leaves to complete his quest against Grantorto. Britomart lets him leave because she knows that his success in this quest is important to restore his ego. After residing further at the Amazon castle she finally leaves to help keep her mind off the absent Arthegall.* The Spenser Encyclopedia entry for ‘Church of Isis:' (408) Clifford DavidsonWhen Britomart spends the night in the temple, she sees a ‘wondrous vision' in which she participates first as a votary of Isis and then as the goddess herself. Her devotion to the statue causes her to become Isis in her dream: she is serving at the altar when she sees herself transformed into Isis but wearing the royal robe. The crocodile awakens, devours the flames which threaten to destroy the temple, and threatens to eat Isis/Britomart until it is driven back by her rod. Then it seeks her ‘grace and love,' she yields, it impregnates her, and from their union she gives birth to a lion. As the Priest explains, the crocodile is Osiris (the Egyptian god of Justice) who sleeps under the feet of Isis ‘To shew that clemence oft in things amis,/ Restraines those sterne behests, and cruell doomes of his' (22), and who shows thereby the proper relation of justice and judgment to equity. The Priest also explains to Britomart that the crocodile is Artegall, ‘The righteous Knight,' who will settle the storms and ‘raging flames, that many foes shall reare' and restore to her the heritage of her throne, and who will give her a ‘Lion like' son (23), the new British monarchy of the Tudors.The crocodile is a symbol both of guile and of a regeneration that will affect future history. As guile, its relation to Isis is reminiscent of Vice figures under the feet of triumphing Virtues in medieval art. An iconographic association between the crocodile in its demonic aspect and medieval saints' legends derives ultimately – significantly for Spenser – from the classical figure of Britomartis (Miskimin 1978). In Plutarch's Isis and Osiris 50, it is linked to Typhon, the enemy of justice and order, while in Renaissance iconographic tradition it is often symbolic of the need for prudence (for one must be prudent to avoid the wily crocodile). Cesare Ripa's Iconologia (sv Lussuria) shows the nude Luxury (or Lechery) seated upon a crocodile, an interesting analogy to its phallic sexuality in Britomart's dream. Yet along with these primarily negative associations, there are also positive ones in the crocodile's identification with Osiris/Artegall/Justice and in the implication that Isis/Britomart/Equity is incomplete without her partner. The image contains its own contradiction, unresolved by the Priest.* Troubled Blood and Faerie Queene: Where Britobart and Artegall are used as stand-ins for Robin and Cormoran:Troubled Blood features several embedded texts, the most important of which is never mentioned in the book: Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queen. Serious Strikers enjoyed the luxury of not one but two scholars of Edmund Spenser who checked in on the relevance and meaning of Rowling's choice of the greatest English epic poem for her epigraphs, not to mention the host of correspondences between Strike 5 and Queen. Elizabeth Baird-Hardy did a part by part exegesis of the Troubled Blood-Faerie Queen conjunctions and Beatrice Groves shared her first thoughts on the connections as well. Just as Lethal White's meaning and artistry is relatively unappreciated without a close reading of Ibsen's Rosmersholm, so with Strike 5 and Faerie Queen.Elizabeth Baird-Hardy* Day One, Part One: The Spenserian Epigraphs of the Pre-Released Troubled Blood Chapters* Day Two, Part Two: The Spenserian Epigraphs of Troubled Blood Chapters Eight to Fourteen* Day Three, Part Three: The Spenserian Epigraphs of Troubled Blood Chapters Fifteen to Thirty* Day Four, Part Four: The Spenserian Epigraphs of Troubled Blood Chapters Thirty One to Forty Eight* Day Five, Part Five: The Spenserian Epigraphs of Troubled Blood Chapters Forty Nine to Fifty Nine* Part Six: The Spenserian Epigraphs of Troubled Blood Chapters Sixty to Seventy One* Spenser and Strike Part Seven: Changes for the BetterBeatrice Groves* Trouble in Faerie Land (Part 1): Spenserian Clues in Troubled Blood Epigraphs* Trouble in Faerie Land (Part 2): Shipping Robin and Strike in the Epigraphs of Troubled Blood* Trouble in Faerie Land (Part 3): Searching for Duessa in Troubled BloodJohn Granger:* How Spenser Uses Cupid in Faerie Queen and Its Relevance for Understanding Troubled Blood* Reading Troubled Blood as a Medieval Morality PlayCorvid Charm* Rowling Twixter headers: 12 January 2016, 9 April 2017 (Nick)* Fantastic Beasts reference? The Lestrange Family Motto features a crow and the ‘Lost Child' of that series is named ‘Corvus'* Crow Symbolism per Cirlot, Dictionary of Symbols:Crow Because of its black colour, the crow is associated with the idea of beginning (as expressed in such symbols as the maternal night, primigenial darkness, the fertilizing earth). Because it is also associated with the atmosphere, it is a symbol for creative, demiurgic power and for spiritual strength. Because of its flight, it is considered a messenger. And, in sum, the crow has been invested by many primitive peoples with far-reaching cosmic significance. Indeed, for the Red Indians of North America it is the great civilizer and the creator of the visible world. It has a similar meaning for the Celts and the Germanic tribes, as well as in Siberia (35). In the classical cultures it no longer possesses such wide implications, but it does still retain certain mystic powers and in particular the ability to foresee the future; hence its claw played a special part in rites of divination (8). In Christian symbolism it is an allegory of solitude. Amongst the alchemists it recovers some of the original characteristics ascribed to it by the primitives, standing in particular for nigredo, or the initial state which is both the inherent characteristic of prime matter and the condition produced by separating out the Elements (putrefactio) … In Beaumont's view, the crow in itself signifies the isolation of him who lives on a superior plane (5), this being the symbolism in general of all solitary birds. (71-72)* Lyndy Abraham's Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery entry for ‘Crow:' (49)Crow, crow's head, crow's bill A symbol of the *putrefaction and *black nigredo which is the first stge of the opus alchymicum. The old body of the metal or matter for the Stone is dissolved and putrefied into the first matter of *creation, the *prima materia, so that it may be regenerated and cast into a new form. The Hermetis Trismegisti Tractatus Aureus said of this initial stage of death and dissolution in the work: ‘The First is the Corvus, the Crow or Raven, which from its blackness is said to be the beginning of the Art' (bk. 2, 235). In his Aurora, Paracelsus wrote that when the matter has been placed in the gentle heat of the secret fire it passes through corruption and grows black: ‘This operation they call putrefaction, and the blackness they name the head of the Crow' (55). Thomas Charnock likewise wrote of the putrefaction: ‘The Crowes head began to appere as black as Jett' (TCB, 296). In Zoroaster's Cave the matter produced during this stage is identified with the name of the process: ‘When the matter has stood for the space of forty dayes in a moderate heat, there will begin to appear above, a blacknesse like to pitch, which is the Caput Corvi of the Philosophers, and the wise men's Mercury' (80). According to Ripley the terms ‘crows head' and ‘crows bill' are synonymous: ‘The hede of the Crow that tokeyn call we,/And sum men call hyt the Crows byll' (TCB, 134) (see ashes). In A Fig for Momus Thomas Lodge listed the crow's head amongst other alchemical enigmas: ‘Then of the crowes-head, tell they weighty things' (Works, 3:69). When Face in Jonson's The Alchemist says that the matter of the Stone has become ‘ground black', Mammon enquires of him, ‘That's your crowes-head? And Subtle replies, ‘No, ‘tis not perfect, would it were the crow' (2.3.67-8).Psalter Charm* In ‘Charms, Psalms & Golden Clues: A brace(let) of clues for Strike 9,' Prof Groves discusses the psalm as charm:Charm first meant the incantation itself, and then the amulet that carried that incantation to protect the wearer and then – from the 19th century – the small ornamental trinkets, fastened to girdles, watch-chains and bracelets, that resembled those original, talismanic charms. This means that Rowling's clue-charm of a Psalm book (which can actually carry a sacred text) circles back beautifully to the original meaning of the word – in which a charm was an amulet carrying a holy text. These charms do not always hold texts but Rowling has confirmed that this one does: ‘The book is a psalm book and holds real, miniature psalms' I think this protective hinterland of charms make it likely that the specific psalm that such a psalm-book charm would carry would be the most comforting and talismanic of psalms – Psalm 23. This psalm famously describes the Lord's love as protective, even unto the valley of the shadow of death* John argues that, in addition to the 23rd Psalm, Psalm 90 (91 in Masoretic or KJV reckoning), the so-called ‘Soldier's Psalm' is at least as likely as an insert for this charm, which is to say, as a talisman a soldier might give a woman about to enter Hades to beg a gift from Persephone…The Head of Persephone Charm* Rowling's clarifying picture* Psyche's Last Task from Venus:One final task is then given to Psyche, one in which Psyche is commanded to bring back a bit of Persephone's beauty from the Underworld. In Greek mythology no living soul is meant to be able to enter the Underworld, let alone leave it, and so Aphrodite felt that she would be rid of Psyche once and for all. Indeed, it seemed that Aphrodite would be proved right, for Psyche's only idea about entering the Underworld was to kill herself. Before Psyche can commit suicide a voice whispers to her instructions about how to complete the task. Thus Psyche finds an entrance to the Underworld and is soon crossing the Acheron upon the skiff of Charon, and the princess even manages to gain an audience with Persephone. Persephone on the surface appears to be sympathetic to the quest of Psyche, but Psyche has been warned about accepting food or a seat in the palace of Hades, for both would bind her to the Underworld for all time. But eventually, Persephone gives Psyche a golden box, said to contain some of the goddess' beauty.* The Head of Persephone charm is paired with the Psalter on the ninth and last link; again, if the Psalm is 22 (23) or 90 (91), then the connection is an invocational prayer for help traveling through the “valley of death,” for protection from the “asp and basilisk,” the “lion and dragon.”* As above, note that the beginning, middle, and end of the bracelet feature clasped objects, with the Psalter being a codex that opens and Psyche's journey to Persephone is in pursuit of a “golden box” containing the means to otherworldly beauty. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

On 23 December last year, Rowling changed her Twixter home page header and cameo with this tweeted explanation:The Charm Bracelet header features thirteen charms on nine links:Rowling tweeted an addendum about the Psalter and Jack in the Box charms:Nick Jeffery dropped an explanatory post two days later at the Hogwarts Professor weblog: J. K. Rowling Drops All the Strike 9 Clues for Christmas! It remains the only complete survey of the pieces and compendium of what Serious Strikers around the world have discovered about them.Beatrice Groves, author of Literary Allusion in Harry Potter, wrote up her charm bracelet thoughts at ‘The Strike Ellacott Files' a month later. In ‘Charms, Psalms & Golden Clues: A brace(let) of clues for Strike 9,' Prof Groves discusses the magical quality of charms as talismans and even incantational song:Rowling points out in this 2013 piece the link between the name given to charm bracelets and the magical world: ‘Why do we call those little masterpieces “charms” if not in allusion to their talismanic properties?… they are personal amulets.' To charm someone is also to slightly to bewitch them, something Rowling plays with when Riddle exerts his charm on Ginny and literally possesses her: ‘If I say it myself, Harry, I've always been able to charm the people I needed.' Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award is given to a smile that is both literally, as well as metaphorically, bewitching.The word ‘charm' comes, through French, from the Latin ‘carmen' which means ‘song, verse, oracular response, incantation.' Its first meaning in English, therefore, was the magical one: ‘the chanting or recitation of a verse supposed to possess magic power or occult influence; incantation, enchantment; hence, any action, process, verse, sentence, word, or material thing, credited with such properties; a magic spell; a talisman, etc.' (Oxford English Dictionary). From the sixteenth century onwards, ‘charm' meant ‘anything worn about the person to avert evil or ensure prosperity' because such amulets might contain the text of such a charm. And thinking about this made me aware for the first time of how in the most important charms in Harry Potter – the Fidelius Charm and the Patronus Charm – the word is not simply a synonym for spell but encodes this original, protective meaning. These magical ‘Charms' like the charms on charm bracelets encode what Rowling calls ‘talismanic properties.'Nick and John invited Elizabeth Baird Hardy, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts Professor, the genius behind AppalachianInkling.com, Hunger Games expert, and author of Milton, Spenser and the Chronicles of Narnia: Literary Sources for the C.S. Lewis Novels to talk about these charms, especially about what she had written briefly on the subject. The goals of this conversation? * To introduce the subject to everyone not familiar with the Christmas tweets and bracelet-header, * to discuss the ‘Why?' of this present to Strike fans everywhere, * to speculate about the meaning of the bracelet pieces individually and in a series, and * to brainstorm their qualities as clues for Strike9, the penultimate novel in the decalogy.Which is a lot! The good news is that the conversation never flagged and the revelations and possible meanings of the charms, thirteen in total on nine links, reward anyone listening in.Nick starts off the conversation with a review of the six charm bracelets in Rowling's life and writing, one of which was a long forgotten piece in the margins of a Rowling web site:[You can read about those internet ‘Easter Eggs' in ‘Hidden Photos at Rowling's Website' here, here, here, and here.]Nick offered as a guiding idea for our conversation the likelihood that the nine links in the bracelet were meaningful, i.e., that they reflected the structure of the book for which the bracelet is meant to be a clue. There are thirteen charms, he noted, but certainly Rowling-Galbraith could have had a thirteen link chain made if she hadn't thought the nine links more than sufficient, even a pointer to Strike 9 being a nine Part mystery. Since, as Nick noted, she has trouble even passing up a shop selling charms, it seems likely she has been collecting the pieces for this one for some time. Perhaps this bracelet is a “target” toward which she has been writing with these books. It is certainly not something she just threw together for a header photo shoot. The trio elected to read the circular collection of charms, consequently, as pieces with individual meaning — as magical talismans of sorts per Prof Groves — and as a ring composition, with both aspects indicating the place and meaning of the piece in the book.After a brief discussion of why Rowling, Inc., would release this set of clues now, with another Strike novel or Bronte Studios television adaptation in the distant future — John offered the possibility that this bit of fan servicing was meant as a touch of appeasement qua Christmas gift to the many fans disappointed with Hallmarked Man — Elizabeth, John, and Nick tackled the thirteen charms on nine links.In Part One of their conversation, they talk about * the heart shaped engagement ring box;* the golden diamond-laden egg;* the anchor;* the two angels; and * the Trojan horse.Their preliminary conclusions at the half-way point?Mrs. Murray in her Nativity gift to her readers offers them clues not only to the next Strike-Ellacott novel but to the meaning of human life. Each of these five charms is a symbol with obvious and not so obvious Christian meaning. John reconsidered his answer to the ‘Why now?' in light of this avalanche of symbolism; instead of it being fan servicing to rescue the brand, he thinks it may be Rowling's attempt — on the most celebrated remnant Christian holiday in a post-Christian world — to reset her serious readers' understanding of what she is about as a writer, what sort of transformation she is trying to create via story within her readers.Part two of this interpretative deep dive into Rowling's artistry in metallurgical symbolism, her “charm work” literary alchemy, will follow shortly. There are five links with seven charms to come — Jack in the Box, Hourglass, White Rose, Crocodile, Corvid, Psalter, and the Head of Persephone — all as rich in meaning as the first four links.Below are links to subjects mentioned in this first conversation and additions not discussed but discovered after the fact, all shared for your consideration and comments!Thank you as always from the Hogwarts Professor team for your joining us with special appreciation to our paid subscribers!Subjects that Elizabeth, Nick, and John Discussed: The Heart Shaped Engagement Ring Charm:* The first, fourth, fifth, and ninth links are clasped objects with surprises inside,* Ink Black Heart and Deathly Hallows: The Heart is Not About Emotions and Affection but the Human Spiritual Center (John, October 2022)* Hallmarked Man, Part Five: The Center of Strike 8 is about “Inner Light” (Ed Shardlow)* Gold as “solid light” and diamonds as “inner light,” both reflecting in nature the Light of God's Word or Logos that is found with in every man (cf., John 1:9 and Rowling's comments about Casual Vacancy being “all about” her belief that “the light of God shines in every soul”);* The consequent symbolism of a golden wedding/engagement band with two diamonds;* The human being as a ‘heart in a box' either enlightened ‘gold and diamonds' or a dark ‘jack in the box' devil* The two-stone ring, as Nick notes, is a “me and you” ring, alluding to a certain theme song. Also, Elizabeth notes, Robin is faced with a choice between two very different types of proposals, so the duality of the ring in the box connects to that conundrum, and since that is apparently where 9 will begin, it gives us a good idea that we are right in “reading” the bracelet starting with this oneThe Gold Diamond-Laden Egg Charm:* Assuming it is an ‘Easter Egg,' the two meanings of that phrase;* Again, ‘gold and diamonds,' as above; * Paschal meaning of Eggs: The custom of exchanging colored eggs entered the life of the Church. The symbolic meaning of the egg as the beginning of a new life was known even earlier. Christians saw in this symbol confirmation of their faith in the coming general resurrection. The Easter egg's red color symbolized the all-conquering Divine Love, which alone could destroy hell!The Foul-Anchor Charm:* ‘Strike 9 to Heads to Portsmouth!' (Nick, September 2025)* Foul Anchor (Wikipedia);* Eagle, Globe, and Anchor (Wikipedia);* Meaning of ‘Hector' in Homeric Greek is ‘Holding Fast,' and, by interpretation, ‘anchor;'* The Greek word for ‘Anchor' found in the New Testament is ἄγκυρα, pronounced ‘ang-chor-a;' * Hebrews 6:19:13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.* Meaning of "Anchor of the Soul" in Hebrews 6:19?The Immediate Context of Hebrews 6:13-20The writer reassures wavering Jewish Christians by citing God's oath to Abraham (Genesis 22:16-17). Two “unchangeable things” (God's promise and His oath, v. 18) make it “impossible for God to lie.” The “hope set before us” (v. 18) functions as an anchor that has already “entered … behind the curtain” (v. 19), where Jesus, our High Priest, intercedes (v. 20; cf. 4:14-16).Anchor as Hope: Theological Significance1. Objective, not subjective: “hope” (ἐλπίς) is grounded in the historical, bodily resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:17-20).2. Already-but-not-yet: the anchor is cast forward into the heavenly holy of holies, securing believers' future inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-4) while exerting a present stabilizing pull.3. Firm and secure: βεβαία (reliable) and ἀσφαλής (incapable of slipping). The compound assures permanence beyond circumstantial change (Malachi 3:6).Christ Our Forerunner Behind the VeilThe anchor “enters” (εἰσερχόμενον, pres. tense) the inner sanctuary “behind the curtain,” alluding to the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). Jesus is πρόδρομος (“forerunner,” v. 20), implying that others will follow where He has gone (John 14:2-3). The anchor-rope is His indestructible life (Hebrews 7:16), tethering the believer to God's throne of grace.* Hence its use as a symbol within Christianity: Christ having defeated death is an anchor to those members of His Mystical Body which anchors them to life after death, “beyond the veil;”* The pairing of the anchor charm with the golden egg on the second link of the bracelet reinforces this Paschal symbolism;* Charles Williams' “Co-inherence” ideas: “Who Saved Draco's Soul?” Co-Inherence in Harry PotterThe Two Angels Charms (paired on Link three)* Cupid and Psyche? Maybe!* Angels? Ghosts?* Orlando drawings! A Silkworm flash-back to the Monkey-Bag with the essential clue inside…The Trojan Horse Charm* Trojan Horse (Wikipedia)In Greek mythology, the Trojan Horse (Greek: δούρειος ίππος, romanized: doureios hippos, lit. ‘wooden horse') was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer's Iliad, with the poem ending before the war is concluded, and it is only briefly mentioned in the Odyssey. It is described at length in the Aeneid, in which Virgil recounts how, after a fruitless ten-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse at the behest of Odysseus, and hid a select force of men inside, including Odysseus himself. The Greeks pretended to sail away, and the Trojans pulled the horse into their city as a victory trophy. That night, the Greek force crept out of the horse and opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, which had sailed back under the cover of darkness. The Greeks entered and destroyed the city, ending the war.Metaphorically, a “Trojan horse” has come to mean any trick or stratagem that causes a target to invite a foe into a securely protected bastion or place. A malicious computer program that tricks users into willingly running it is also called a “Trojan horse“ or simply a “Trojan”.* Could the Strike Series be a Re-telling of Virgil's Aeneid? (John, July 2017)If Cormoran Strike's story is Rowling's postmodern re-telling of the Aeneid, then the Fates theme is more than apt.It is all about, after all, the hero's destiny or fate to recreate Troy in Italy as Rome, a fate which it is pointless for Aeneas to resist. The refugee from Troy, son of the goddess of beauty, is forced ever onward, often over-riding his preferences and pledges, to his destiny to found Rome as the New Troy. A soldier in an eastern country ‘coming home,' Aeneas is a wounded man, haunted by his divine mother, a man of destiny forced to leave a beautiful, powerful woman who curses him at his departure.Sound familiar? The Aeneid is a reverse reflection and re-telling of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey in that it's first six books are about the Trojan's travels and the last six relate his battles with the local tribes in Latium. It seems possible that Rowling might be trying to do with the Aeneid what she did with the Weird Sisters of Macbeth, namely, present what seems to be a tale of inevitability or fate, something prophesied or otherwise seemingly inescapable, as a function really of character choice.In the Peg-Legged PI's story that could mean Rowling's revisiting fate vs choice vis a vis whether he is able to choose to take-or-leave an investigation of Leda's death (and face the dangers inherent in threatening his biological father, Jonny Rokeby) or whether he feels doomed to follow it to its end, whatever the costs to him and to those he loves.* The Trojan Horse is the wisdom of Athene as given to Odysseus, her favorite. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

The story continues. In part 2 of this episode of the True Geordie Podcast, we go deeper into the fallout between J.K. Rowling and Emma Watson, exploring the reactions, long-term consequences, and cultural impact of their very public divide. The True Geordie Podcast examines how online backlash, ideology, and celebrity pressure intensified the conflict, separating fact from emotion with careful research and balanced analysis. This episode adds vital context to the controversy, revealing why the feud escalated — and what it means for both figures moving forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JK Rowling keeps getting richer, John Lithgow didn't walk away from the HBO reboot, and activist journalists are still super angry about it. In fact, Rowling's making MORE money now than she has in a long time -- probably thanks, in fact, to the media having a temper tantrum over Hogwarts Legacy existing.Watch the podcast episodes on YouTube and all major podcast hosts including Spotify.CLOWNFISH TV is an independent, opinionated news and commentary podcast that covers Entertainment and Tech from a consumer's point of view. We talk about Gaming, Comics, Anime, TV, Movies, Animation and more. Hosted by Kneon and Geeky Sparkles.Get more news, views and reviews on Clownfish TV News - https://more.clownfishtv.com/On YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/ClownfishTVOn Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4Tu83D1NcCmh7K1zHIedvgOn Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clownfish-tv-audio-edition/id1726838629

What really caused the explosive fallout between J.K. Rowling and Emma Watson? In this episode of the True Geordie Podcast, we break down the deeper reasons behind the public clash, examining ideology, personal values, and the pressure of fame. With detailed research and thoughtful, compassionate analysis, the True Geordie Podcast goes beyond headlines to uncover how this conflict escalated and why it matters. From social media backlash to long-term consequences, this episode explores the real story behind one of pop culture's most divisive feuds only on the True Geordie Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This audio clip from Erik Qualman's #1 bestselling book The Focus Project dives into the advantages of waiting and explains how lot of the times it's better to play the long game.   5x #1 Bestselling Author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman has performed in over 55 countries and reached over 50 million people this past decade. He was voted the 2nd Most Likable Author in the World behind Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling.   Have Erik speak at your conference: eq@equalman.com   Motivational Speaker | Erik Qualman has inspired audiences at FedEx, Chase, ADP, Huawei, Starbucks, Godiva, FBI, Google, and many more on Focus and Digital Leadership.   Learn more at https://equalman.com

Wykład dr Agnieszki Bąbel w ramach Festiwalu Nauki w Warszawie [27 września 2025 r.]Popularnym cyklom powieściowym, serialom czy grom komputerowym towarzyszą dziś często książki kucharskie, osadzone w danym uniwersum.Na przykładzie przepisów pochodzących np. ze „Świata Dysku” Terry'ego Pratchetta, „Harry'ego Pottera” J.K. Rowling, gier „Dungeons & Dragons”, „Outlandera” Diany Gabaldon, „Gry o tron” George'a R.R. Martina czy „Wiedźmina” Andrzeja Sapkowskiego zastanowimy się nad tym, jakich literackich składników potrzeba, aby stworzyć przepis fantastyczny, w jaki sposób można połączyć fabułę z praktycznymi wskazówkami kulinarnymi oraz jak wyglądają „uczty bohaterów” (lub „uczty z bohaterami”) w kontekście zjawiska immersyjności.dr Agnieszka Bąbel – filolog polski, doktor nauk humanistycznych i adiunkt w Pracowni Literatury II połowy XIX wieku Instytutu Badań Literackich Polskiej Akademii Nauk w Warszawie. W swojej pracy naukowej łączy literaturoznawstwo z historią obyczaju i edytorstwem tekstów dawnych. Autorka monografii Skandal, gafa, prowokacja. Obraz normy obyczajowej i jej naruszania w polskiej powieści drugiej połowy XIX wieku (2014) oraz wcześniejszej książki Muza z warząchwią. Uwagi o literaturze i kulinariach (2004). Publikuje artykuły, sprawozdania i recenzje w czasopismach takich jak NAPIS, Teksty Drugie, Pamiętnik Literacki, Prace Polonistyczne, Przegląd Humanistyczny, Wiek XIX i Wieku Oświecenia. Jej badania koncentrują się na literaturze pięknej i użytkowej końca XVIII i XIX wieku, normach obyczajowych i ich przełamywaniu w tekstach kultury oraz na edytorstwie naukowym źródeł literackich.Jeśli chcesz wspierać Wszechnicę w dalszym tworzeniu treści, organizowaniu kolejnych #rozmówWszechnicy, możesz:1. Zostać Patronem Wszechnicy FWW w serwisie https://patronite.pl/wszechnicafwwPrzez portal Patronite możesz wesprzeć tworzenie cyklu #rozmowyWszechnicy nie tylko dobrym słowem, ale i finansowo. Będąc Patronką/Patronem wpłacasz regularne, comiesięczne kwoty na konto Wszechnicy, a my dzięki Twojemu wsparciu możemy dalej rozwijać naszą działalność. W ramach podziękowania mamy dla Was drobne nagrody.2. Możesz wspierać nas, robiąc zakupy za pomocą serwisu Fanimani.pl - https://tiny.pl/wkwpkJeżeli robisz zakupy w internecie, możesz nas bezpłatnie wspierać. Z każdego Twojego zakupu średnio 2,5% jego wartości trafi do Wszechnicy, jeśli zaczniesz korzystać z serwisu FaniMani.pl Ty nic nie dopłacasz!3. Możesz przekazać nam darowiznę na cele statutowe tradycyjnym przelewemDarowizny dla Fundacji Wspomagania Wsi można przekazywać na konto nr:33 1600 1462 1808 7033 4000 0001Fundacja Wspomagania WsiZnajdź nas: https://www.youtube.com/c/WszechnicaFWW/https://www.facebook.com/WszechnicaFWW1/https://anchor.fm/wszechnicaorgpl---historiahttps://anchor.fm/wszechnica-fww-naukahttps://wszechnica.org.pl/#kulinaria #uczta #kuchnia #przepisy #dania #jedzenie #filologia #powieści #fantastyka #fantasy #literatura #instytutbadańliterackich #festiwalnauki #polonistyka

This episode dives into the future of longevity, healthspan, and proactive healthcare with Dr. Matt Kaeberlein, a world-renowned longevity expert and CEO of Optispan. He shares his unlikely "comic book origin story," from playing in rock bands and working blue-collar jobs to becoming a leading scientist at MIT and a founder of multiple longevity initiatives including the Dog Aging Project. The conversation breaks down the difference between lifespan and healthspan, why lifestyle "four pillars" (eat, move, sleep, connect) matter most, and how simple shifts like cutting ultra-processed foods can dramatically improve long-term vitality. Dr. Kaeberlein also explores the promise and pitfalls of AI in healthcare, why longevity is not just for billionaires, and how Optispan aims to use advanced diagnostics and personalized, science-backed care to reclaim 10–20 years of higher-quality life for everyday people. Along the way, he gives pragmatic takes on GLP‑1 drugs, creatine, supplements, microplastics, and the mindset shift of "choose love, not fear" as a guiding principle for a longer, better life.   Dr. Kaeberlein is also the host of The Optispan Podcast, a top-rated show with tens of thousands of loyal listeners. Through both the podcast and his growing Instagram presence (@mkaeberlein), he breaks down complex topics—from gut health to cellular aging—bringing scientific clarity to a crowded wellness landscape.   Is there a guest you want Equalman to interview on the podcast? Do you have any questions you wish you could ask an expert? Send an email to our team: Equalman@equalman.com   5x #1 Bestselling Author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman has performed in over 55 countries and reached over 50 million people this past decade. He was voted the 2nd Most Likable Author in the World behind Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling.   Have Erik speak at your conference: eq@equalman.com   Motivational Speaker | Erik Qualman has inspired audiences at FedEx, Chase, ADP, Huawei, Starbucks, Godiva, FBI, Google, and many more on Focus and Digital Leadership.   Learn more at https://equalman.com

This audio clip from Erik Qualman's #1 bestselling book The Focus Project explores the "Rule of Three," the idea that information grouped in threes is more memorable for audiences.   5x #1 Bestselling Author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman has performed in over 55 countries and reached over 50 million people this past decade. He was voted the 2nd Most Likable Author in the World behind Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling.   Have Erik speak at your conference: eq@equalman.com   Motivational Speaker | Erik Qualman has inspired audiences at FedEx, Chase, ADP, Huawei, Starbucks, Godiva, FBI, Google, and many more on Focus and Digital Leadership.   Learn more at https://equalman.com

Running Grave, book Seven of the ten novel Cormoran Strike murder mystery series by Joanne Murray (‘J. K. Rowling') writing as ‘Robert Galbraith,' is what the author described as her “cult novel.” The cult in question is the Universal Humanitarian Church led by Jonathan Wace; the Strike-Ellacott Agency is hired by a father to rescue his youngest son who has disappeared into the UHC's Chapman Farm property. Robin Ellacott successfully infiltrates the compound and she and the young man escape.Soon after Robin's near-thing deliverance and return to London, Strike attends a UHC rally in that city with hopes that he will be spotted by Wace and invited to meet back-stage. ‘Papa J' takes the bait and he and Strike square off in the cult leader's dressing room. Strike reveals much of what Robin and he have learned about the UHC's criminal past and present in that verbal confrontation. Strike exits only after delivering a warning; stay away from his partner or “I will burn your church to the f*****g ground” (Part 8, chapter 112, 808; italics in original).In the midst of this tense back-and-forth between private detective and religious guru, Strike thrice mentions a book published in 1930, Who Moved the Stone?, a relatively short work of popular Christian apologetics:‘I see you're one of those who prides themselves on disrespecting rites, mysteries, and religious observance,' said Wace, smiling again. ‘I shall pray for you, Cormoran. I mean that sincerely.'‘I'll tell you one book I've read, that's right up your street,' said Strike. ‘Came across it in a Christian mission where I was spending a night, just outside Nairobi. This was when I was still in the army. I'd drunk too much coffee, and there were only two books in the room, and it was late, and I didn't think I'd be able to make much of a dent in the Bible, so I went for Who Moved the Stone? by Frank Morison. Have you read it?'‘I've heard of it,' said Wace, sitting back in his chair, still smiling. ‘We recognise Jesus Christ as an important emissary of the Blessed Divinity, though, of course, he's not the only one.'‘Oh, he had nothing on you, obviously,' said Strike. ‘Anyway, Morison was a non-believer who set out to prove the resurrection never happened. He did an in-depth investigation into the events surrounding Jesus' death, drawing on as many historical sources as he could find, and as a direct result, was converted to Christianity. You see what I'm driving at?'‘I'm afraid not,' said Wace.‘What questions d'you think Morison would've wanted answered, if he set out to disprove the legend of the Drowned Prophet?' (805)This calling into question of the UHC's historical claim to other-worldly power causes those of Wace's inner-circle minions to chafe and counter with traditional Oriental wisdom about wrestling with pigs. Strike again alludes to Morison's book:‘Is that from the I Ching?' asked Strike, looking from Zhou to Mazu. ‘Funnily enough, I've got a few questions on the subject of degradation, if you'd rather hear those? No?' he said, when nobody answered. ‘Back to what I was saying, then.'‘Let's suppose I fancy writing the new Who Moved the Stone? – working title, “Why Paddle in the North Sea at Five a.m.?” As a sceptical investigator of the miraculous ascension into heaven of Daiyu, I think I'd start with how Cherie knew Jordan Reaney would oversleep that morning. Then I'd be finding out why Daiyu was wearing a dress that made her as visible as possible in the dark, why she drowned off exactly the same stretch of beach as your first wife and – parallels with Who Moved the Stone? here – I'd want to know where the body went. But unlike Morison, I might include a chapter on Birmingham' (805-806).John Granger and Nick Jeffery, as part of their Kanreki celebration of Rowling-Galbraith's 60th birthday last July, discussed Texts-Within-the-Text as a Golden Thread that runs through all of the author's work. Most of those embedded texts, though, are of Rowling's invention, e.g., Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog Card, Tales of Beedle the Bard, Bombyx Mori, The Predictions of Tycho Dodonus, Wace's The Answer, etc. It's fairly rare for Rowling-Galbraith to drop a reference to a real world book even in the relatively non-magical Strike series.In addition to the I Ching, however, Running Grave has Prudence Donleavy recommend two psychology texts to Robin (Lifton's Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of Brain Washing in China and Hassan's Combatting Cult Mind Control: Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults) in addition to Strike's weaponization of Morison's Who Moved the Stone?John and Nick chose to discuss Who Moved the Stone? this week rather than an embedded text that works as a template (cf., Aurora Leigh) or a Rowling favorite-book that shaped her perspective (e.g., I Capture the Castle) or a real-world book tied to the plot of Hallmarked Man (Bridge to Light, Pike's Morals and Dogma) because it seemed to connect the dots of several recent Rowling revelations:* the “God-shaped vacuum” tweet; * the unforced admission that she suffers from VWD, a blood-clotting disorder; * the search for the coming Big Twist in the final books of the Strike series;* the Psalter charm on the Strike9 Christmas gift bracelet-of-clues; * the Church of St Giles in the Fields' existence and its incredible absence from the first eight Strike books despite its overshadowing Denmark Street; and* the absence of Strike-series parallels to the Christian content and meaning of the Potter series, especially with respect to the Struggle to Believe in Deathly Hallows.For reasons the two discuss, all the above are pointers to possible Christian content of Strike books nine and ten, even that this content will be a substantial part of the mind-bending surprise finish to the series, namely, Strike's transformation from a skeptic with respect to all things religious to believer. What bigger clue has Rowling presented in the series for that possibility than Strike's confronting a religious “fraud and hypocrite” (799) with a book by an English skeptic about the evidence for belief in Christ's Resurrection from the dead?Nick and John discuss both Who Moved the Stone? itself, its use in Running Grave in the Strike-Wace confrontation, and its possible meaning as a pointer to revelations and transformations to come:1. Why is a Rowling Reader interested in Frank Morison's Who Moved the Stone? ? 2. Who was ‘Frank Morison‘? What is the story behind the writing of Who Moved the Stone? ? What place does it have, if any, in UK Christian apologetics?3. Do you think there are echoes of ‘Morison's conclusions in the Passion parts of Dorothy Sayers' Man Born to be King series for the BBC (1941)? 4. Chesterton per Wikipedia wrote in his review of Stone that he had been “under the impression it was a detective story” when he picked it up; how much does it read like a murder mystery, something akin to how Strike might sift through the evidence of a case?5. Five instances of deductive insights Ross-Morison offers by reasoning that even most Christian believers would have considered —6. A compare-and-contrast exercise of different perspectives -- John, believer, familiar with passion gospels; Nick, seeker, not so much -- how did their reading experiences differ?7. Why would Rowling-Galbraith have Strike mention this book, one that fosters conversions to Christian faith, in his face-to-face meeting with a religious charlatan? Shouldn't he be belittling faith at that point?8. If there is a single ‘keyword' in Stone, John believes it is “vacancy.” Nick and John discuss (1) the possibility that Rowling may have read this book as a young person and been struck by the God-shaped “vacancy” or “Vacuum” in her own life and (2) whether it could have been an influence on the Casual Vacancy title. They review Rowling comments about “the light of God shining from every soul” in her Vacancy interviews.9 - John expresses his bewilderment that Robin and Cormoran have never discussed their faith backgrounds or lack of one in the course of their relationship, especially in light of their UHC cult experiences and Talbot's True Book with its occult and Christian content. Nick explains the fall out of the English Civil War to John.10. Could Strike's familiarity with and seeming sympathy with the arguments of Stone a place-marker for future conversations about faith, not to mention revelations of why both Strike and Robin are so casual about the vacancy of a spiritual dimension in their lives?The remarkable take-away from this conversation was a discussion of the possibility that Rowling's tweeted ‘Psyche Ascendant' suggests the imminent death of Robin Ellacott in Strike 9 with Strike 10 being fallout of that death in the life of Cormoran Strike. ‘Fall out' meaning Strike will learn the truth about all the questions to which he mistakenly thought he knew the answers — the suicides of his mother and Charlotte Campbell-Ross, the character of Jonny Rokeby, Ryan Murphy's real motivation for pursuing Robin Ellacott, Cormoran's relationships with his half-sister Lucy and “oldest mate” Dave Polworth — as well as ‘Who Killed the Better Half of the Strike Ellacott Detective Agency?'John thinks the revelations coupled with Strike's grief may drive him to his knees in St Giles in the Fields Church, a ‘Digging Dobby's Grave on Easter morning' parallel. Make your case in the comment boxes below if you think that he has lost his mind somewhere on the drive east from Oklahoma to the Carolinas.The Granger family is now well settled in their South Carolina bungalow and Hogwarts Professor will be posting with regularity. Nick and John thank you for your patience and for your support!Links to Sources and Subjects Mentioned in Conversation:‘A Ring Reading of Running Grave, Part Eight' (John Granger)Who Moved the Stone? by Frank Morison (Amazon)‘Albert Henry Ross' aka ‘Frank Morison' (Wikipedia)‘Frank Morison and Who Moved the Stone? Advertiser, Novelist, Apologist, Spy' (Philip Johnson, Lecturer, Morling College, New South Wales, 2018)* Most of the information that Nick and John shared about Ross/Morison and his book Who Moved the Stone? came from this carefully researched paper.‘Philip Johnson' UC Berkeley Law Professor, author Darwin on Trial (Wikipedia)Darwin Retried: An Appeal to Reason (Norman MacBeth)Dorothy Sayers' Man Born to be King series for the BBC (1941)?G. K. Chesterton review of Who Moved the Stone? in The Illustrated London News (5 April 1930)‘Reading Troubled Blood as a Medieval Moral Play and Allegory:' Roy Phipps the “bloody bleeder” as King Philip of Spain (John Granger)‘Justin Martyr and the Fourth Gospel' (Fr John Romanides, 1958, on the relationship of the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel According to St John)An examination of the Biblical sources reveals the fact that underlying the New Testament is the catechetical principle that one is able to discern the will and acts of God only according to the measure and degree in which he has been liberated from demonic influences and by spiritual exercise learns to distinguish between divine and satanic energies. This liberation is accomplished in Christ by the power of the Spirit but its effect on man is not automatic. Where it does begin its process is generally gradual as is evident in the tardy way in which the Apostles came to a full understanding of the way the kingdom of God had come upon them. Failure to understand and partake of the mysteries of the kingdom is attributed to continuance in the ways of Satan (e.g., Mtth. 13, 1-23; Mk. 4, 1-20; Lk. 8, 4-15; II Cor. 4, 3-4).Before a person was admitted to baptism, he had to be instructed in the old Testament revelations of the divine activities as well as in the ways of satan. Otherwise, he would continue being blinded by the devil and would be in danger of confounding divine and satanic activities as happened in the case of the Jews who went so far as to say that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Belzebub (Mtth. 12, 22-37; Mk. 3, 22-30; Lk. 11, 14-23). This is the blasphemy against the Spirit which cannot be forgiven. Those who are not able to recognize the energies of God are those who by hearing hear but do not understand and seeing see but do not discern (Is. 6, 9; Mtth. 13, 14; Mk. 4,12; Lk. 8, 10; John 12, 40; Acts 28, 26 ff.). The fourth gospel is a continuous play on the divinity of Christ as witnessed to by the divine activities which He shares in common with the Father and the Spirit and which are eventually understood by those who are defeating the devil but continuously misunderstood by those blinded by the prince of darkness. The fourth gospel is understood only by those who have been previously exercised in the discernment of the saving and sanctifying acts of God in both the Old Testament and Synoptic tradition, apart from whose soteriological presuppositions it is totally meaningless.Contemporary Case for Religious Belief in General:Believe: Why Everyone Should Be ReligiousAdvice to the Serious SeekerWhy Religion Matters: The Fate of the Human Spirit in an Age of DisbeliefThe Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New AtheismAtheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable EnemiesSeven Christian Apologetics ClassicsThe Case for Christ (Movie version!)Evidence that Demands a Verdict: Life Changing Truth for a Skeptical WorldMere Christianity (C. S. Lewis)Handbook of Christian ApologeticsExposing Myths about ChristianityDid the Resurrection Happen?Elements of Faith: An Introduction to Orthodox TheologyHogwarts Professor is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

Equalman sits down with Olympic silver medalist and Emmy-winning NBC sports producer John K. Coyle for a powerful conversation on time, design thinking, and unlocking human potential. From growing up in Michigan and discovering speed skating late, to breaking world records by designing around his unique strengths, Coyle shares how reframing "weakness fixing" into "strength designing" changed his life and career. He dives into his upcoming book "Counterclockwise," explaining the neuroscience of time perception, why life seems to speed up as we age, and how to create more "kairos moments" that make life feel longer and richer. Along the way, John tells unforgettable stories—from winning Olympic silver and an Emmy, to running with the bulls in Pamplona and inspiring a young skater who would later race in an Olympic final—illustrating how memories are the true currency of time. This episode will challenge how you think about success, stress, and how to invest your time for the greatest return.   Episode Highlights: John's journey: late start in speed skating, breaking world records, and winning Olympic silver Using design thinking to focus on strengths instead of fixing weaknesses in sport, career, and life The concept of "chronoception," why time feels faster as we age, and how memories are the currency of time Creating "kairos moments" using risk, uncertainty, uniqueness, emotional intensity, beauty, and flow to slow the perceived acceleration of time Practical ways for busy parents and professionals to design surprise-and-delight experiences that expand life through richer memories Time as capital: trading money for time once you're financially secure and intentionally investing in high-return life experiences Stress and flow: why the right kind of stress boosts performance and helps you enter the flow state Storytelling, meaning, and designing moments that are "worth a year" in memory, including Coyle's run with the bulls in Pamplona. Procrastination, pressure, and how John uses deadlines to write books and ship important work. The powerful story of inspiring a young skater who later competes in an Olympic gold medal final—and how that reframed John's own silver medal. Is there a guest you want Equalman to interview on the podcast? Do you have any questions you wish you could ask an expert? Send an email to our team: Equalman@equalman.com   5x #1 Bestselling Author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman has performed in over 55 countries and reached over 50 million people this past decade. He was voted the 2nd Most Likable Author in the World behind Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling.   Have Erik speak at your conference: eq@equalman.com   Motivational Speaker | Erik Qualman has inspired audiences at FedEx, Chase, ADP, Huawei, Starbucks, Godiva, FBI, Google, and many more on Focus and Digital Leadership.   Learn more at https://equalman.com

Was the Harper's “free speech” letter really about defending open debate—or about protecting powerful media elites from criticism and consequences? In this episode, we expose how the Harper's letter, its transphobic signers, and the larger “cancel culture” panic helped shield figures like J.K. Rowling and Bari Weiss while the real threats to free speech exploded under Trump.More than 150 journalists, authors, and academics signed the infamous “Harper's letter” in 2020. Published in Harper's Magazine amid the George Floyd racial justice protests, the letter argued that the more serious threat to the nation was “an intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming and ostracism, and the tendency to dissolve complex policy issues in a blinding moral certainty”—aka “cancel culture.” At the time, trans people were some of the letter's biggest critics, highlighting its bigoted dog whistles. The letter's signatories include a who's who of transphobia, from Bari Weiss to J.K. Rowling. This week, writer Parker Molloy joins Katelyn and Christine to discuss how this so-called free speech crisis transformed how elite media covers—and protects—itself, from 2020 to today.Tell us your out of context cancellation in the comments and we'll read the best ones on our next episode Stream on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy!Leave us a voicemail with your out of context cancellation at https://www.memo.fm/cancelmedaddyLinks:Follow Parker Molloy on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/parkermolloy.com Subscribe to Parker Molloy's newsletter, The Present Age: https://www.readtpa.com/ David Klion for The Nation: They All Signed the Harper's Letter. Where Are They Now?, https://www.thenation.com/article/society/harpers-letter-free-speech-trump/ The Objective: A More Specific Letter on Justice and Open Debate, https://objectivejournalism.org/2020/07/a-more-specific-letter-on-justice-and-open-debate/Emily St. JamesZach Beauchamp for Vox: The “free speech debate” isn't really about free speech, https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/7/22/21325942/free-speech-harpers-letter-bari-weiss-andrew-sullivanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nick is joined by John Granger and special guest star Guido in their temporary headquarters as they await the move to Granger Towers. We discuss the revelation that J. K. Rowling has an inherited blood clotting disorder, and speculate that this could be von Willebrand Disease, and discuss what this could mean for a Golden Thread that John first explored more than five years ago. Nick surveys the instances of blood in all her published work, and John identifies a theme that Nick has missed - the Eucharist. Could this be the key to understanding the final narrative arch of the Strike series?Links Discussed in this Episode:The revelation of J. K. Rowling's condition:https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/j-k-rowling-and-the-roy-phipps-connection/John discusses the Golden Thread on the Reading Writing Rowling Podcast in 2020.https://audioboom.com/posts/7566531-episode-37-troubled-blood-and-the-faerie-queene-strike-5John Granger's book How Harry Cast his Spell exploring the Christian content and meaning in Harry Potter.https://www.amazon.com/How-Harry-Cast-His-Spell/dp/1414321880John's visit to Denmark Street and St Giles-in-the-Fields in 2016.https://web.archive.org/web/20171130161236/https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/visiting-cormoran-strikes-pub-and-denmark-street-premises-in-london/Victor Turner - Colour Classification in Ndembu Ritual (1966)https://gwern.net/doc/psychology/vision/1966-turner.pdfThe Blood Survey:Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneThe word “Blood” appears 33 times.dragon's bloodThe Bloody BaronHarry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him.One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood.That's unicorn blood.It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone.Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsThe word “Blood” appears 46 times.not a drop of magical blood in their veins‘Wizard blood is counting for less everywhere –'No Malfoy's worth listenin' ter. Bad blood, that's what it is.‘No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood,' he spat.who think they're better than everyone else because they're what people call pure-blood.Most wizards these days are half-blood anyway.‘… I smell blood … I SMELL BLOOD!'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanThe word “Blood” appears 21 times.‘It all comes down to blood, as I was saying the other day. Bad blood will out. Now, I'm saying nothing against your family, Petunia'Ron and Hermione were standing underneath it, examining a tray of blood-flavoured lollipops.‘BLOOD!' Ron yelled into the stunned silence. ‘HE'S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?'Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireThe word “Blood” appears 37 times.Now that they had removed their furs, the Durmstrang students were revealed to be wearing robes of a deep, blood red.‘B-blood of the enemy … forcibly taken … you will … resurrect your foe.'I wanted Harry Potter's blood. I wanted the blood of the one who had stripped me of power thirteen years ago, for the lingering protection his mother once gave him, would then reside in my veins, too …Harry Potter and the Order of the PhoenixThe word “Blood” appears 85 times.‘Yoooou!' she howled, her eyes popping at the sight of the man. ‘Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!'‘Because I hated the whole lot of them: my parents, with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal‘The pure-blood families are all interrelated,' said Sirius. ‘If you're only going to let your sons and daughters marry pure-bloods your choice is very limited; there are hardly any of us left.‘Terrified? I hope I, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, have never been guilty of cowardice in my life! The noble blood that runs in my veins –'Again and again Harry wrote the words on the parchment in what he soon came to realise was not ink, but his own blood.‘It seems there was some rather unusual kind of poison in that snake's fangs that keeps wounds open. They're sure they'll find an antidote, though; they say they've had much worse cases than mine, and in the meantime I just have to keep taking a Blood-Replenishing Potion every hour.‘While you can still call home the place where your mother's blood dwells, there you cannot be touched or harmed by Voldemort. He shed her blood, but it lives on in you and her sister. Her blood became your refugeHarry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceThe word “Blood” appears 105 times.‘If I had murdered Harry Potter, the Dark Lord could not have used his blood to regenerate, making him invincible –'Harry had never hated Malfoy more than as he lay there, like an absurd turtle on its back, blood dripping sickeningly into his open mouth.‘My daughter – pure-blooded descendant of Salazar Slytherin – hankering after a filthy, dirt-veined Muggle?'It was as though something large and scaly erupted into life in Harry's stomach, clawing at his insides: hot blood seemed to flood his brainI've learned more from the Half-Blood Prince than Snape or Slughorn have taught me in –'‘Harry, I'd like you to meet Eldred Worple, an old student of mine, author of Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires – and, of course, his friend Sanguini.'Blood spurted from Malfoy's face and chest as though he had been slashed with an invisible sword. He staggered backwards and collapsed on to the waterlogged floor with a great splash, his wand falling from his limp right hand.‘Payment?' said Harry. ‘You've got to give the door something?' ‘Yes,' said Dumbledore. ‘Blood, if I am not much mistaken.' ‘Blood?'Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsThe word “Blood” appears 125 times.As I reveal in chapter sixteen, Ivor Dillonsby claims he had already discovered eight uses of dragon's blood when Dumbledore “borrowed” his papers.'MUDBLOODS and the Dangers They Pose to a Peaceful Pure-Blood Society‘Splinched,' said Hermione, her fingers already busy at Ron's sleeve, where the blood was wettest and darkest.Was it his own blood pulsing through his veins that he could feel, or was it something beating inside the locket, like a tiny metal heart?‘Drop your wands,' she whispered. ‘Drop them, or we'll see exactly how filthy her blood is!'Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste.‘Precisely!' said Dumbledore. ‘He took your blood and rebuilt his living body with it! Your blood in his veins, Harry, Lily's protection inside both of you! He tethered you to life while he lives!'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find ThemThe word “Blood” appears 11 times.The Kappa feeds on human blood but may be persuaded not to harm a person if it is thrown a cucumber with that person's name carved into it.Re'em blood gives the drinker immense strength, though the difficulty in procuring it means that supplies are negligibleSalamander blood has powerful curative and restorative properties.Quidditch Through the AgesThe word “Blood” appears 6 times.The first Bludgers (or ‘Blooders') were, as we have seen, flying rocksThe Tales of Beedle the BardThe word “Blood” appears 5 times.There is not a witch or wizard in existence whose blood has not mingled with that of MugglesCasual VacancyThe word “Blood” appears 97 times.Then pain such as he had never experienced sliced through his brain like a demolition ball. He barely noticed the smarting of his knees as they smacked onto the cold tarmac; his skull was awash with fire and blood; the agony was excruciating beyond endurance, except that endure it he must, for oblivion was still a minute away.All they could get out of her at first was, ‘The Fields, the bloody, bloody Fields …'‘Mrs Weedon's new pills are upsetting her stomach,' said Parminder calmly. ‘So we're doing your bloods today, aren't we?'Sharp, hot pain and the blood came at once; when she had cut herself right up to her elbow she pressed the wad of tissues onto the long wound, making sure nothing leaked onto her nightshirt or the carpet.Some of her self-hatred had oozed out with the blood.Pagford, bloody Pagford. Samantha had never meant to live here.That morning, at breakfast, she had tested her blood sugar with the glucometer for the first time, then taken out the prefilled needle and inserted it into her own belly. It had hurt much more than when deft Parminder did it.Did she find it easier to accept him as a separate individual than if he had been made from her flesh and blood? Her glucose-heavy, tainted blood …The Cuckoo's CallingThe word “Blood” appears 64 times.Her accidental assailant was massive; his height, his general hairiness, coupled with a gently expanding belly, suggested a grizzly bear. One of his eyes was puffy and bruised, the skin just below the eyebrow cut. Congealing blood sat in raised white-edged nail tracks on his left cheek and the right side of his thick neck, revealed by the crumpled open collar of his shirt.Perhaps a knife would plunge between his shoulder blades as he walked through the front door of her flat; perhaps he would walk into the bedroom to discover her corpse, wrists slit, lying in a puddle of congealing blood in front of the fireplace.‘Pushing someone over a balcony's a spur-of-the-moment thing,' said Strike, as though he had felt her inner wince. ‘Hot blood. Blind temper.'When Lucy's lips were pursed she bore a strong resemblance to their Aunt Joan, who was no blood relation to either of them.You're a cold-blooded b*****d, aren't you? No f*****g wonder old Jonny's not keen on you.'Strike, however, knew Charlotte as intimately as a germ that had lingered in his blood for fifteen yearsSergeant Gary Topley lying in the blood-spattered dust of that Afghanistan road, his face unscathed, but with no body below the upper ribs.The SilkwormThe word “Blood” appears 140 times.Message after message, stuck out on the bloody cliffs at Gwithian trying to get reception—Strike had never taken the time to consider, although Polworth, a man of many pithy theories, took the view that such women (‘nervy, overbred') were subconsciously looking for what he called ‘carthorse blood'.‘—and she says he won't let them sell. There was bad blood between Fancourt and Quine.'Strike would have advised any friend to leave and not look back, but he had come to see her like a virus in his blood that he doubted he would ever eradicate‘So much for love being a mirage and a chimera,' sighed Mrs Ellacott as she tossed down her pen. ‘This is no good. I wanted blood and guts, Michael. Blood and guts.'Career of EvilThe word “Blood” appears 115 times.He had not managed to scrub off all her blood. A dark line like a parenthesis lay under the middle fingernail of his left hand.He was good at reading people. He had read and charmed the girl who had died yesterday among the blood-soaked peach towels.“He doesn't like talking about personal stuff. Blood out of a stone.”On a high metal table sat a pillow in a plastic evidence bag; it was covered in dark brown bloodstains. A cardboard box next to it contained bottles of spirits. Where there was bloodshed, there was always alcohol.Strike remembered the wide patch of blood on the sheets, the excoriated skin on her wrist where Rhona had tried to free herself.Nevertheless, those long hours of driving through the darkness when he had known an encounter with the police might be fatal, when he had feared a request to turn out his pockets or a shrewd-eyed passenger noticing dried blood on him had taught him a powerful lesson.He was wearing a yellow T-shirt and on his right forearm was the rose tattoo, which had undergone a modification: a dagger now ran through it, and drops of blood fell out of the flower towards the wrist.If they'd been five minutes later she'd've been a goner. It took two blood transfusions to keep her alive.Lethal WhiteThe word “Blood” appears 143 times.He had been left with a deep dislike of being driven by anybody else and, to this day, with dreams of blood and agony that sometimes woke him, bathed in sweat.She could imagine Raphael bloody at the steering wheel, and the broken figure of the young mother on the road, and the police cars and the incident tape and the gawpers in passing cars.“Last night, when he was stoned. He said he knew a government minister who had blood on his hands.”“Would you mind waiting outside the curtain? We need to take bloods, change his drips and his catheter.”Strike could taste blood, but, from what he could see, the splintered and torn remnants of Jimmy's placard had been scattered by the mêlée.There was a piece of thick cream writing paper headed with a red Tudor rose, like a drop of blood, and the printed address of the house in which Robin stood.The old knife wound on her arm had been gaping open and it was the trail of her spurting blood that her pursuers were following, and she knew she would never make it to the place where Strike was waiting for the bag of bugs . . .‘She come into the yard, seen what had happened, ran towards Mr Chiswell, grabbed the hammer and just swung for him. Blood everywhere. It was horrible,'Troubled BloodThe word “Blood” appears 171 times.“Yeah, well, blood and soil's never been my—”She'd heard stories that Ilsa gave titles like cheap thrillers: the Night of the Bread Knife, the Incident of the Black Lace Dress and the Blood-Stained Note.She believed, I think, like Suhrawardy, that ‘bloodshed and disorder are not necessarily evil in themselves, if resorted to for a noble cause.'”And even in the seventies, before DNA testing, the police did pretty well with fingerprints, blood groups and so forth.“Anyway, one of the things she told Lawson was that she'd sponged blood off the spare-room carpet the day Margot disappeared.“According to Roy, the age difference and the blood relationship ought to have constituted a total prohibition on the relationship in the minds of all decent people. But as we know, he managed to overcome those qualms seven years later.In the second week of November, Joan's chemotherapy caused her white blood cell count to plummet dangerously, and she was admitted to hospital.She'd only once in her life had to face the possibility that she might be pregnant, and could still remember the relief that had flooded her when it became clear that she wasn't, and wouldn't have to face still more contact with strangers, and another intimate procedure, more blood, more pain.“But there was something bloodless about the man. Not wet exactly, but—” Oonagh gave a sudden laugh. “‘Bloodless'—you'll know about his bleeding problem?”The demon he “saw” was carrying a cup of blood and a sword.‘She – never seemed – to remember – that I couldn't – protect her – couldn't – do anything – if somebody tried – to hurt – because I'm a useless – bleeder … useless … bloody … bleeder … 'A few pages inside was a brown smear. Strike halted the cascade of pages to examine it more closely. It was, he suspected, dried blood, and had been wiped across a few lines of writing.This I will say more, to wit, that those who walk in their sleep, do, by no other guide than the spirit of the blood, that is, of the outward man, walk up and down, perform business, climb walls and manage things that are otherwise impossible to those that are awake.She'd taken the full force of Strike's elbow between her eyebrows, and she realised her nose was bleeding only when she accidentally sprayed blood onto the kind American's white shirt front.‘It – was – a – f*****g – joke,' said Morris, examining the blood smeared on his hands. ‘I only meant to make you jump – f**k's sake—'The Ink Black HeartThe word “Blood” appears 214 times.There was bad blood between Strike and Mitch Patterson, the boss of the agency in question, which dated back to the time Patterson had put Strike himself under surveillance.‘Thanks – I ripped off a nail opening the last one. Yeah, so she was banging on about blood diamonds, and I…'Having explained the Christian symbolism of the pelican, which was feeding her chicks with her own blood, Groomer wondered aloud whether Legs was ready for a coffee‘Second letter of the alphabet, eighth letter: BH. Stands for blood and honour. Blood and Honour are a neo-Nazi skinhead group.'Might still be a bit of Edie's blood on the grass. You could frame it. Sell it on eBay.Vilepechora: I fkn love a redhead. Proper Viking bloodStrike parked, then used the old man's handkerchief and his own saliva to remove from his face all traces of blood, of which there was a surprising amount.Red Soles lay where he'd been deposited on the platform, blood trickling from his inner ear.They fort there was a vampire in the real cemetery, in the seventies. Edie fort it was corny, 'avin' a vampire, but I drew 'im so she could see what I was finking. I wanted 'im to be inept, like, tryna kill tourists but never gettin' enough blood to live on, so 'e was, like, weak an' feeble…'‘Julius Evola. Far-right philosopher. Ludicrous racial theories. A rather determinedly eccentric classmate of mine at Radley was partial to him. Used to carry The Myth of the Blood around and read it ostentatiously at meal times.It was impossible to know whether Ross had turned pale, because the man had always looked as though antifreeze ran in his veins rather than blood, but he'd certainly become unnaturally still.Robin stamped hard on his bare foot before both slipped in another puddle of Inigo's blood.As the door shuddered, Robin saw, by the dim glow from a skylight, Katya slumped on the floor beside the bath, blood all over the hands she was pressing against her stomach.The Running GraveThe word “Blood” appears 194 times.It's important to say that my mother – I was raised to call her Louise, because the UHC forbids naming blood relationships – isn't stupid.It'll have been used for chopping wood, but Oisin was convinced it had blood on it. We couldn't get it out, though. We couldn't reach.I don't know what's normal for a birth but she seemed to lose a huge amount of blood. I was present when the baby was actually born because one of the birthing team couldn't cope any more and I volunteered to take her place.Strike's imagination insisted on showing him a vivid picture of Charlotte submerged in her own blood, her black hair floating on the clotted surface.There was a puddle of blood seeping from under one of the toilet cubicle doors. She could see Lin's bloodstained legs, which weren't moving.They committed nine murders in all, one of them of a pregnant actress, and those young women were right in the thick of the action, ignoring the victims' pleas for mercy, dipping their fingers in the victims' blood to scrawl – Jesus,' said Strike, with a startled laugh, as he remembered a detail he'd forgotten, ‘they wrote “pigs” on the wall as well. In blood.'The Hallmarked ManThe word “Blood” appears 246 times.Some might have considered her flat tone insensitive, given Charlotte's recent death in a blood-filled bathtub, but as Strike was more than happy to dispense with prurient questions or faux sympathyThe body was blood group A positive – that's the same.‘The splash patterns from the blood were un-fakeable, according to forensics. There was also a partial footprint that had clearly been made while the blood was still liquid.'The back wall broke the monotony of the sea of silver, because it displayed many antique aprons and sashes embroidered in gold, and Robin's eye lingered on an apron embroidered with a bloody severed head, held up by a single hand.‘Yeah, somefing like… an' 'e dropped 'is doob tube, remember, Daz? An' 'e told you it was a f****n' blood sample, like you was gonna nick it off 'im.'Previously a Conservative MP, he now headed various charitable and political organisations and committees, was ever-ready with a quote for the papers, sprinkled his conversation with Latin tags and capitalised to the full on the English public's weakness for a toff who seemed ready to laugh at himself, having a fondness for appearing on political quiz shows, where he played to the hilt the part of genial, bumbling blue-blood.Blood must've started pooling in the lower part of the body before they started to mutilate it. Maybe that was deliberate. Maybe they didn't want blood seeping out under the vault door.'As Strike watched, life and blood started to drain from the brindle, its legs twitching ever more feebly as blood flooded from its jugular.Robin took the turn into the road at speed, then looked sideways at Strike, one of whose hands was pressed to his inner thigh, blood seeping through his fingers.The bodies of Jim Todd and a woman Strike assumed to be his mother, Nancy, were lying on the dirty carpet in a foul miasma encouraged by the gas fire that continued to blaze. Todd, who was fully dressed, had been stabbed multiple times. His now black blood had soaked his shirt and the floor beneath himBlood now gushing from his head wound, Strike succeeded in grabbing the wrist of Griffiths' knife-holding hand, then slammed it down on the rough concrete floor,He could feel a weird coldness, as though flesh that had never been exposed to fresh air was meeting it for the first time, and this contrasted unpleasantly with the continuing flow of warm blood.Possibly combining heavy blood loss and neat whisky hadn't been the very best idea, Strike was prepared to concede that now, but he had to keep talking, because he wanted the man to know he knew.The IckabogThe word “Blood” appears 11 times.‘If Beamish was half-eaten, why wasn't there more blood?' asked the second.soldiers who'd been sent back to the marsh to find out what happened to Private Nobby Buttons had discovered nothing but his bloodstained shoes, a single horseshoe, and a few well-gnawed bones.Finally, the same man cut off the head of one of the hens and made sure plenty of blood and feathers was spread around, before breaking down the side of the coop to allow the rest of the chickens to escape.In hundreds, Ickabogs were slain, Our blood poured on the land like rain, Our ancestors like trees were felled And still men came to fight us.The Christmas PigThe word “Blood” appears 2 times.They all seemed to be bits of humans. Some were mouths: one was loudly chewing gum and others smoking stinking cigarettes, which made the glowing red dots and the nasty smell. There were noses, ears, a single finger, its nail chewed to a bloody stub, several oozing spots which were so disgusting Jack could barely look at them, and a couple of fists, which were pounding the ground in a menacing fashion as though they couldn't wait to start hitting someone.The Cursed ChildThe word “Blood” appears 22 times.ALBUS (with power and strength) No, you need to listen to me, you said it yourself – how much blood is on my father's hands. Let me help you change that. Let me help correct one of his mistakes. Trust me.POLLY CHAPMAN The Blood Ball of course – who you – the Scorpion King, are taking to the Blood Ball.POLLY CHAPMAN Mudbloods of course. In the dungeons. Your idea, wasn't it? What's going on with you? Oh Potter, I've got blood on my shoes again . . .DRACO We were capable of having children, but Astoria was frail. A blood malediction, a serious one. An ancestor was cursed . . . it showed up in her. You know how these things can resurface after generations . . .Fantastic Beasts (Screenplay)The word “Blood” appears 2 times.Fantastic Beasts and the Crimes of GrindelwaldThe word “Blood” appears 20 times.A baby Chupacabra—part lizard, part homunculus, a blood-sucking creature of the Americas—is chained to GRINDELWALD'S chair.SKENDER Once trapped in the jungles of Indonesia, she is the carrier of a blood curse. Such Underbeings are destined, through the course of their lives, to turn permanently into beasts.We see TEENAGE DUMBLEDORE and TEENAGE GRINDELWALD facing each other in a barn. Both score their palms with their wands. Now bleeding, they interlace their hands . . .DUMBLEDORE turns his head away, fighting the impulse to cover the glass again. Bracing himself, he looks up.From their bloody palms rise two glowing drops of blood, which mingle and merge to create one. A metal shape begins to form around the droplet, becoming more defined and intricate. It is GRINDELWALD'S vial.NEWT It's a blood pact, isn't it? You swore not to fight each other.Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of DumbledoreDumbledore stares at him, then slowly brings a hand into view and reveals: the BLOOD TROTH. As he cradles it, its chain slowly slithers between Dumbledore's fingers, as if alive.Theseus nods, eyeing the troth, watching as the DROPLETS OF BLOOD circle one another like weights in a clock.The blood troth flashes red and flies free, caroming off the floor and to the wall. As he draws his wand, taking aim, the troth's chain, still tethered to his arm, constricts, burrowing deep into his flesh.CREDENCE I'm a Dumbledore. You abandoned me. The same blood that runs my veins runs yours. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

This audio clip from Erik Qualman's #1 bestselling book The Focus Project explores the benefits of standing rather than sitting throughout the workday, highlighting how even small movements can lead to meaningful health and productivity gains.   5x #1 Bestselling Author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman has performed in over 55 countries and reached over 50 million people this past decade. He was voted the 2nd Most Likable Author in the World behind Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling.   Have Erik speak at your conference: eq@equalman.com   Motivational Speaker | Erik Qualman has inspired audiences at FedEx, Chase, ADP, Huawei, Starbucks, Godiva, FBI, Google, and many more on Focus and Digital Leadership.   Learn more at https://equalman.com

Happy New Year, Superheroes! Today, we're reposting an interview from the Pulse Ox Podcast featuring our very own Erik Qualman. Pulse Ox, hosted by Eric Stopper, explores the intersection of science, spirituality, and high performance. In this episode, Equalman shares his inspiring journey from being cut from his high school basketball team to earning a scholarship at Michigan State University under Coach Tom Izzo. He recounts a pivotal moment when losing teeth during practice demonstrated his grit—turning a setback into the key that unlocked his dream and reframing life's challenges as events happening for us rather than to us. The conversation also explores spirituality, fatherhood goals, and balancing family time amid a busy life.   Topics Covered in this Episode: Equalman's Gritty Basketball Triumph "For Me, Not To Me" Mindset Spiritual Synchronicities Dad Goals & Kindness Book   Listen to the original episode here: Pulse Ox | Podcast on Spotify   Is there a guest you want Equalman to interview on the podcast? Do you have any questions you wish you could ask an expert? Send an email to our team: Equalman@equalman.com   5x #1 Bestselling Author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman has performed in over 55 countries and reached over 50 million people this past decade. He was voted the 2nd Most Likable Author in the World behind Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling.   Have Erik speak at your conference: eq@equalman.com   Motivational Speaker | Erik Qualman has inspired audiences at FedEx, Chase, ADP, Huawei, Starbucks, Godiva, FBI, Google, and many more on Focus and Digital Leadership.   Learn more at https://equalman.com

Send us a textIn today's episode, I'm chatting with Katie Bernet. Katie is an author living in Dallas, Texas. She's an award-winning creative director, a long-standing member of the DFW Writer's Workshop, and the director of the 2025 DFW Writer's Conference. The oldest of three sisters, she's a diehard fan of Little Women. We are here today to discuss her debut novel, Beth is Dead.Episode Highlights:Writing Beth is Dead while living with her sisters, and how those real-life dynamics quietly found their way onto the page.A simple but powerful writing exercise that helped her move past resistance: making a love/hate list and choosing to write toward what felt hard.What changed for her when she reached the end of revisions and realized she understood Beth March in an entirely new way.She talks about which March sister was the most challenging character to write.A gentle reminder that creativity isn't exclusive or earned - it's something we all carry.Connect with Katie:InstagramWebsiteShow NotesSome links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show.Books and authors mentioned in the episode:The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara KingsolverDemon Copperhead by Barbara KingsolverHarry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by J.K. Rowling (full-cast audio)Enchantment by Orson Scott CardGirl Dinner by Olivia BlakeThe Scammer by Tiffany D. JacksonBook FlightLittle Women by Louise May AlcottSo Many Beginnings by Bethany C. MorrowLittle Monsters by Máire RocheThe 2026 Bookish Flights Reading Challenge is here - a simple, nostalgic way to be intentional with your reading. One book per month, with options for individuals and families. Download it at https://www.bookishflights.com/read/2026readingchallengeSupport the showBe sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening! Instagram Facebook Website

No ano em que comemoramos os 20 anos de podcast irmaos.com, decidimos republicar alguns episódios emblemáticos para nós. Para começar, nada melhor que revisitar nosso gênero literátio favorito, a fantasia. Paulinho Degaspari, Dri Degaspari, Lucas Gonçalves e Guilherme Iamarino conversam sobre os universos fantásticos de J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S Lewis, J. K. Rowling e de tantos outros que se dedicaram a criar histórias incríveis para transmitir verdades eternas.

این قسمت از پادکست لوموس رو با فضایی شروع می‌کنیم که در ظاهر پر از شادیه، اما زیر پوستش اضطراب موج می‌زنه. همراه با خشایار، امید، ملیحه و مهمان این قسمت نجلا محقق، مترجم آثار ادبیات ژانری، سراغ عروسی بیل و فلور می‌ریم؛ جایی که هری با هویتی جعلی وارد جمع می‌شه و میان رقص و جشن، تکه‌های آزاردهنده‌ای از گذشتهٔ دامبلدور فاش می‌شن. از حرف‌های سنگین موریل دربارهٔ آریانا و شکاف‌های قدیمی خانوادهٔ دامبلدور می‌گیم، تا شوک ناگهانی پیام پاترونوس کینگزلی که پایان یک جشن و آغاز یک دوران تاریک رو اعلام می‌کنه. در این قسمت تضاد میان شادی، حقیقت و فروپاشی امنیت رو با هم بررسی می‌کنیم.آنچه در این قسمت می‌شنوید:شروع و اسم فصل00:00:00معرفی مهمان00:02:28خوشی واقعی یا انتظار برای شوک؟00:07:49زینوفیلیوس لاوگود و گردنبند یادگاران مرگ00:11:35صدای مخاطب: هلیا00:28:08موریل؛ پیرزن پرحاشیه00:36:29ورود ویکتور کرام و واکنش رون00:40:59گرگرویچ00:46:35جادوگر ریز‌نقش؛ همراه غم‌ها و شادی‌های شما00:49:17اسرار دامبلدور00:55:44خوانش کتاب01:04:46باتیلدا بگشات01:08:58ورود پاترونوس کینگزلی و به هم خوردن عروسی01:17:48حمایت‌های شما و کلام آخر ما01:20:25اجراکنندگان: خشایار، امید، ملیحهمهمان: نجلا محققمترجم: حسین غریبیراوی: آرشیدا لاریآهنگساز: علی خانیکپی‌رایت: Warner Bros and J.K.Rowlingارتباط با ما: podcast@wizardingcenter.com (توییتر و اینستاگرام)

Welcome to the Hogwarts Professor New Year's Celebration! John and Nick look back to a packed 2025, as John looks forward to big changes in 2026. From the marathon Kanreki celebration in July to the joys of sharing The Hallmarked Man with friends around the world and plans for The Hogwarts Professor in 2026. John Granger, Nick Jeffery and the HogPro faculty wish you and your families a happy, healthy and fulfilled new year!1.) John, this time last year you said “I'm hopeful that 2025 will be the most exciting year in Hogwarts Professor's 20+ year history, at least the busiest since the madhouse period following the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” As someone who was part of the initial fandom frenzy, how did this year compare?Not anything like 2007 which was a continuous love fest for Harry Potter and that series' author, Woman of the Year, etc. I was on national teevee repeatedly in the run-up to Deathly Hallows publication and the weblog and podcasts and book sales and speaking dates all did numbers they will almost certainly never do again. Rowling world was the world undivided and I rode that tsunami wave for several years afterwards.Times have changed. Rowling is a much more influential and consequently divisive figure. Her legacy is proving to be at least as great in the political realm as it is in literature with almost 14 million people reading her tweets and her books not selling that well if very well by any other measure.And our role at Hogwarts Professor has changed correspondingly. We sided with Team Rowling against the Gender Theory Extremists in 2020 and were cancelled in consequence. No book deals, no speaking dates, and no podcasts because I refused to bend the knee to Potter fandom's collective effort to cancel Rowling as a transphobic murderer for stating simple biological and psychological truths.In 2025, though, as I hoped last December and January, we re-emerged as leaders of the Royal Society of Rowling Readers. I am still ostracised, of course, from Potter fandom conventions and the like as well as from Strike podcasts, but our conversations, Nick, have an ever growing following globally and locally and one participating in the best conversations anywhere about the artistry and meaning of Rowling's work.It's been a great year and I am again hopeful, especially in light of our move east, that 2026 will be another break through year at Hogwarts Professor.Nick and John share their highlights of 2025 - 2.) Non-Rowling HogPro HighlightNick - Suzanne Collins - Sunrise on the Reaping Elizabeth Baird-Hardy's posts inspired me to not just read the Hunger Games series, but Gregor the Overlander as well.John: The closing of ‘The Rowling Library' magazine3.) Highlight from the Lake:Nick - Rowling's blood disorder - von Willebrand DiseaseJohn: Tough Call! High on my list were (1) Rowling's legal fund for defending women discriminated against for gender critical beliefs and (2) Rowling in Greenland but I'm going to go with both Rowling's 7 August ‘Lake and Shed' Tweets and Rowling's 12 September ‘Changes in Beliefs' tweeting post Charlie Kirk.4.) Highlight from the Shed:Nick - the Golden Threads! We have shared “Pregnancy Traps” and “Lost Child” threads this year which join “Bad Dad” and “Ghosts” which feature front and centre in “Hallmarked Man” John: Mythology – the forgotten Shed tool or more precisely the one neglected by even the most serious Strikers and Potter Pundits despite our efforts here really came to the fore in the wake of Rowling's tweet post Hallmarked Man kerfuffle along with the advent of mythological mavin Dimitra Fimi's into our conversations.5.) Highlight from Rowling Inc:Nick - The all-cast audio editions of Harry PotterJohn: Casting decisions about Bronte Studios/Netflix casting decisions for the small screen teevee adaptations – Black Snape!6.) Highlight from The Hallmarked Man release:Nick - That first English language sneak peek from Germany and the Robin ectopic pregnancy reveal!John: The realisation that for the first time Rowling wasn't writing a self-contained Strike mystery with over-arching story details but the first of a three-part series-ending piece in which many of the players from the book will be returning in feature roles.7.) Highlight book 9 and 10 tease:John - Cupid and PsycheNick - J. K. Rowling's fourth (or fifth) charm bracelet.8.) John Introduces the Kanreki Project and its relationship to fourth generation potter scholarship….· 55 total Substack posts 2023-2024· 3 posts Jan-June 2025…· 31 posts in July and 34 since (today #69)The Goal: Shift the Rowling Reader focus from latest book to work as a whole with the three critical taxonomy categories of Lake springs, Shed tools, and Golden Thread as our guides or lensesThe Means: the Kanreki blitz of Lake, Shed, and Golden Thread highlights from all of Rowling's work in celebration of Rowling's 60th birthday (the old) and the follow-up engagement with Serious Strikers before and after the publication of Hallmarked Man (the new)The Results:We nowhere near the finish line or even, I think, the avalanche tipping point that an authorised critical biography will push us over, but we have cleared the forest and prepared the field for that event, work that we will take another quantum leap forward in 2026 with our Lake, Shed, and Golden Thread Rowling Studies 101 online class.Which is to say that this is the year that the Substack Platform has really taken off, with an engaging and intelligent comments section that is really unparalleled, certainly J. K. Rowling fandom. I think much of this has been generated by our video conversations here. We have moved from the audio only Rowling Studies podcast; Nick, as the technical wizard, can you give us a peek behind the curtain? How have we done this, and what's next?9.) One of the reasons I'm exploring better quality audio and video, is that we can start creating content that can be used as a reference, potentially for many years. Once we can do this, then we can start offering online courses, can we say anything yet about our plans, John?John: As soon as I'm settled in, we'll finish the Hallmarked Man ring charting (I've been listening to the painful Part Five chapters while packing…) and then offer a free five part introduction to L/S/GT thinking and survey of what is known in those categories followed by a ten week course for those wanting a much deeper appreciation of Rowling, roots, branches, and leaves10.) John and Nick Wish Fulfillment Predictions for 2026John: Special guests on our shows – Elizabeth Baird-Hardy, Beatrice Groves, Lindsey and Company from Strike FansNick: A proper interview with Beatrice Groves, Dimitry Fimi or John Granger. I'm more than happy to be the impartial invigilator.John: Critical Biography news, More Rowling Biographical RevealsNick: A biography! (Authorised)John: Michael is Doorstepped and Tells All!Nick: A book! We know Rowling has the plots for a further 5 books one of which is “futuristic” but not set in space. But not the WB television reboot, that is scheduled for 2027!John: Rowling Confirms ‘Ending Trilogy Theory'Nick: Rowling to talk about Fantastic Beasts – this will be difficult… John: Rowling is Special Guest on Hogwarts Professor ShowNick: A get together, with The HogPro team.Apologies for limited commenting on threads and posting during my family relocation!Thank you for your patience, support, and prayers since November and in the coming month! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

What up, shorms? Been a while eh? So the Morphy Boys are back. Have been back. Podcasting. For two years. This is the pilot episode of podcast called Hate Speech Podcast. The Morphy Boys + sometimes guest pick a topic and hate on it or defend it. This smorgasbord of hate is about someone a lot of the animorphs community knows and hates: THOMAS HEAP. He's the Animorphs YouTuber that makes right wing content about Animorphs. He runs a large Animorphs discord where he allowed a Nazi to be a mod. He thinks animorphs is too woke. And he also thinks jk Rowling is a better writer than KA Applegate. Maybe some of you have this weird grudge with this little chud too. Past guest Greg certainly did as they are different sides of the same coin (British). We thought some of you might vibe with our new thing and we have a whole two years worth of podcast out there for you. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts. It's called Hate Speech Podcast. https://hatespeechpod.com/

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are taking a look back at their favorite reads of 2021. This was one of the best reading years. This was also the year we added the superlatives which everybody loved! Most of these books should be available for you to grab if any interest you after hearing us rave about them! Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) .  .  .  2:38 - Our Top 10 Reads of 2021 12:35 - Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (Kaytee #10) 12:39 - Season 3: episode 40 14:09 - Currently Reading Patreon 16:39 - Fablehaven by Brandon Mull  16:52 - A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus (Meredith #10) 18:50 - The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (Kaytee #9) 21:25 - Furyborn by Claire Legrand 21:36 - Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo  21:56 - A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (Meredith #9) 22:21 - A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas 23:01 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 23:46 - The Day The World Came to Town by Jim DeFede (Kaytee #8) 23:50 - Season 4: Episode 14 25:32 - Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May (Meredith #8) 25:41 - Season 3: Episode 41 29:03 - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Kaytee #7) 29:25 - Season 3: Episode 42 31:41 - State of Terror by Hilary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny (Meredith #7) 34:22 - Intermission: Lowest Rated Books 34:58 - Roar by Cecilia Ahern (Kaytee) 35:41 - Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard (Kaytee) 36:48 - Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay (Meredith) 37:30 - Survive the Night by Riley Sager (Meredith) 38:25 - Meredith and Kaytee's Top 10 Books of the Year cont'd 38:36 - Love Lives Here by Rowan Jette Knox (Kaytee #6) K NOTE: while I do think it's clear that I love my sister dearly here, I want to be extra super clear that when I say "love covers all manner of sins" I am referring to the ways we as her family fail at times to do the best we can. I am not in any way referring to her gender identity as a sin. My sister knows this, but I want to be sure that anyone else who hears me, hears me correctly as well. 40:25 - Pony by R.J. Palacio (Meredith #6) 40:50 - Page & Palette Bookshop 42:05 - Wonder by R.J. Palacio 43:01 - The Guncle by Steven Rowley (Kaytee #5) 43:04 - Season 3: Episode 45 44:29 - The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino (Meredith #5) 47:46 - Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston (Kaytee #4) 47:51 - Season 3: Episode 35 47:56 - Bookshelf Thomasville 48:47 - Blackwell's 49:05 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend 49:06 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling 49:28 - 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard  49:37 - The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard (Meredith #4) 53:14 - Intermission: The Books that Surprised Us Most in 2021 53:44 - Season 3: Episode 34 53:50 - The Black Count by Tom Reiss (Kaytee) 55:38 - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (Meredith) 59:25 - Meredith and Kaytee's Top 10 Books of the Year cont'd 59:50 - How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith (Kaytee #3) 59:56 - Season 4: Episode 19 1:01:37 - Fabled Bookshop 1:01:39 - We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker (Meredith #3) 1:04:52 - Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby (Kaytee #2) 1:04:56 - Season 4: Episode 2 1:07:18 - Matrix by Lauren Groff (Meredith #2) 1:07:59 - Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff 1:11:14 - All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle (Kaytee #1) 1:11:22 - Season 4: Episode 12 1:11:38 - Minisode w/Mike Gayle 1:14:09 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (Meredith #1) 1:15:42 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 1:22:48 - Reflections from the 2021 Reading Year 1:24:25 - Pony by R.J. Palacio 1:24:45 - Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston   Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. December's IPL is a recap of the year with Kaytee and Meredith. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business.  All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Bij het maken van deze serie afleveringen kregen we vanzelfsprekend de vraag: kan dat nog wel, in deze tijd, zeven afleveringen over het werk van J.K. Rowling? Nadat ze zich de afgelopen jaren zo nadrukkelijk heeft gemend in het debat rond transvrouwen is er veel negatieve aandacht geweest voor haar geweest. Kun je haar dan nog wel lezen en steunen op deze manier - hebben we niet met z’n allen besloten dat we haar boeken niet meer kopen of lezen? In deze aflevering gaan we dieper in op de positie van J.K. Rowling in onze wereld, haar fanbase en het verwantschap tussen Harry Potter-lezers en de opkomst van het internet. Harry Potter en de Vuurbeker wordt soms als de beste roman uit de Harry Potter-serie beschouwd en ook als de beste film. Hoe komt het dat Rowling vanaf deel vier beter gaat schrijven? In de Vuurbeker worden veel nieuwe personages geïntroduceerd. Wat is er zo geniaal aan het personage Rita Pulpers, de pulpjournalist die sensationele artikelen schrijft over beroemdheden? En de allerbelangrijkste vraag: hoe melk je een slang? Genoemde podcast: The Witch Trials van J.K. Rowling See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

این قسمت از پادکست لوموس از جایی شروع می‌شه که همه‌چیز بوی خداحافظی و راز می‌ده؛ از تولد هفده‌سالگی هری و خواب‌های ناآرامش، تا آخرین یادگارهایی که دامبلدور از خودش به جا گذاشته. همراه با خشایار، امید، ملیحه، ایاز و شادی، دربارهٔ وصیت‌نامه‌ای حرف می‌زنیم که ساده به نظر میاد، اما پر از معنا و نشونه‌ست. بررسی می‌کنیم اسکریمیجر چرا این‌قدر محتاطه، دامبلدور چطور حتی بعد از مرگش بازی رو هدایت می‌کنه و این میراث چه نقشی توی مسیر آیندهٔ هری، رون و هرماینی دارن؛ درست در آستانهٔ عروسی‌ای که قرار نیست فقط جشن باشه.آنچه در این قسمت می‌شنوید:شروع و اسم فصل00:00:00بازگشت دوبارهٔ شادی به لوموس00:04:31خواب‌های غیرارادی هری00:08:16اولین تجربهٔ جادو کردن هری و هدیه جذاب رون00:15:47هدیه ویژهٔ جینی00:24:41جشن تولد هری و بررسی تحلیلی رابطه لوپین و تانکس00:38:46میراث رون: خاموش‌کن00:45:38میراث هرماینی: کتاب قصه‌های بیدل نقال01:02:21میراث هری: اسنیچ طلایی01:07:02خوانش کتاب01:09:55میراث آخر: شمشیر گریفیندور01:14:14پایان‌بندی01:21:48اجراکنندگان: امید، خشایار، ملیحه، ایاز، شادیمترجم: حسین غریبیراوی: آرشیدا لاریآهنگساز: علی خانیکپی‌رایت: Warner Bros and J.K.Rowlingارتباط با ما: podcast@wizardingcenter.com (توییتر و اینستاگرام)

So many books are published each year; few stand the test of time. Today we devote our whole show to asking which works have shaped the way we behave and how we think. Picks include “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, “A Suitable Boy” by Vikram Seth and “Lord of the Rings” by JRR Tolkien.Full list of books mentioned in the show:The BibleThe Koran“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins“On the Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin“Il Saggiatore” by Galileo Galilei“Two New Sciences” by Galileo Galilei“Capital in the Twenty-First Century” by Thomas Piketty“Amusing Ourselves to Death” by Neil PostmanThe novels of Philip PullmanThe Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling“The Satanic Verses” by Salman Rushdie“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley“A Suitable Boy” by Vikram Seth “Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien “A Room of One's Own” by Virginia Woolf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So many books are published each year; few stand the test of time. Today we devote our whole show to asking which works have shaped the way we behave and how we think. Picks include “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, “A Suitable Boy” by Vikram Seth and “Lord of the Rings” by JRR Tolkien.Full list of books mentioned in the show:The BibleThe Koran“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins“On the Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin“Il Saggiatore” by Galileo Galilei“Two New Sciences” by Galileo Galilei“Capital in the Twenty-First Century” by Thomas Piketty“Amusing Ourselves to Death” by Neil PostmanThe novels of Philip PullmanThe Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling“The Satanic Verses” by Salman Rushdie“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley“A Suitable Boy” by Vikram Seth “Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien “A Room of One's Own” by Virginia Woolf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lieve luisteraar, vrolijk kerstfeest! Normaal gesproken geven we je twee kerstspecials per jaar, maar ditmaal dachten we: het kan nog beter. Dus vanaf vandaag tot en met oudejaarsdag nemen we je mee in de wereld van Harry Potter! Elke dag bespreken we een deel uit de legendarische serie, om de void tussen kerst en oud en nieuw op magische wijze te vullen. Het verhaal rondom Harry staat niet stil: in maart 2026 is het toneelstuk ‘Harry Potter en het vervloekte kind’ in de Nederlandse theaters te zien, in april wordt er een nieuwe biografie van J.K. Rowling gepubliceerd, en uiterlijk begin 2027 verschijnt er een nieuwe serie gebaseerd op de boekenreeks (HBO & Warner Bros). Dus als je dacht dat je uit-geharrypotterd was, dan heb je het mis. We nemen je de komende dagen overal in mee: de controverse rondom J.K. Rowling, Potter mania als fenomeen, de verfilmingen, volwassen Harry Potter-fans en waarom milennials zich nog steeds identificeren naar de Harry Potter-huizen. In deze aflevering bespreken we het eerste deel: Harry Potter en De Steen der Wijzen, dat trouwens door meerdere uitgevers werd afgewezen… Over Harry Potter als personage, zijn schoolspullen en zijn toverstafkeuze. Én over de foutjes die Rowlings continuity reader gemist heeft.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Merry Christmas! In between looking at houses to rent and packing up the Granger house in Oklahoma City, Nick and John put together this yuletide conversation about perhaps the most neglected of Rowling's influences, Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle. John was a reluctant reader, but, while listening to the audio book, reading the Gutenberg.com file on his computer, and digging the codex out of his packed boxes of books, the author of Harry Potter's Bookshelf was totally won over to Nick's enthusiasm for Castle.In fact, John now argues that, even if Rowling didn't read it until she was writing Goblet of Fire as some have claimed, I Capture the Castle may be the best single book to understand what it is that Rowling-Galbraith attempts to do in her fiction. Just as Dodie Smith has her characters explain overtly and the story itself delivers covertly, When Rowling writes a story, like Smith it is inevitably one that is a marriage of Bronte and Austen, wonderfully accessible and engaging, but with important touches in the ‘Enigmatist' style of Joyce and Nabokov, full of puzzles and twists in the fashion of God's creative work (from the Estecean logos within every man [John 1:9] continuous with the Logos) rather than a portrait of creation per se. Can you say ‘non liturgical Sacred Art'?And if you accept, per Nick's cogent argument, that Rowling read Castle many times as a young wannabe writer? Then this book becomes a touchstone of both Lake and Shed readings of Rowling's work — and Smith one of the the most important influences on The Presence.Merry Christmas, again, to all our faithful readers and listeners! Thank you for your prayers and notes of support and encouragement to John and for making 2025 a benchmark year at Hogwarts Professor. And just you wait for the exciting surprises we have in hand for 2026!Hogwarts Professor is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.The Twelve Questions and ‘Links Down Below' Referred to in Nick and John's I Capture the Castle Conversation:Question 1. So, Nick, we spoke during our Aurora Leigh recording about your long term project to read all the books that Rowling has admitted to have read (link down below!), first question why? and secondly how is that going?Rowling's Admitted Literary InfluencesWhat I want is a single internet page reference, frankly, of ‘Rowling's Admitted Literary Influences' or ‘Confessed Favorites' or just ‘Books I have Read and Liked' for my thesis writing so I needn't do an information dump that will add fifty-plus citations to my Works Cited pages and do nothing for the argument I'm making.Here, then, is my best attempt at a collection, one in alphabetical order by last name of author cited, with a link to at least one source or interview in which Rowling is quoted as liking that writer. It is not meant as anything like a comprehensive gathering of Rowling's comments about any author; the Austen entry alone would be longer than the whole list should be if I went that route. Each author gets one, maybe two notes just to justify their entry on the list.‘A Rowling Reading of Aurora Leigh' Nick Jeffery Talking about ‘A Rowling Reading of Aurora Leigh' Question 2. ... which has led me to three works that she has read from the point of view of writers starting out, and growing in their craft. Which leads us to this series of three chats covering Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith and the Little Women series by Louisa May Alcott. I read Castle during the summer. Amid all the disruptions at Granger Towers, have you managed to read it yet? How did you find it?Capturing Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle: Elizabeth Baird-Hardy (October 2011)Certain elements of the story will certainly resonate with those of us who have been to Hogwarts a fair few times: a castle with an odd combination of ancient and modern elements, but no electricity; eccentric family members who are all loved despite their individual oddities (including Topaz's resemblance to Fleur Delacour); travel by train; a character named Rose who may have been one of the reasons Rowling chose the name for Ron and Hermione's daughter; descriptions of food that make even somewhat questionable British cuisine sound tasty; and inanimate objects that have their own personalities (the old dress frame, which Rose and Cassandra call Miss Blossom, is voiced by Cassandra and sounds much like the talking mirror in Harry's room at the Leaky Caldron).But far more than some similar pieces, I Capture the Castle lends something less tangible to Rowling's writing. The novel has a tone that, like the Hogwarts adventures, seamlessly winds together the comic and the crushing in a way that is reflective of life, particularly life as we see it when we are younger. Cassandra's voice is, indeed, engaging, and readers will no doubt see how the narrative voice of Harry's story has some of the same features.A J. K. Rowling Reading of I Capture the Castle: Nick Jeffery (December 2025)Parallels abound for Potter fans. The Mortmain's eccentric household mirrors the Weasleys' chaotic warmth: loved despite quirks, from Topaz's nude communing with nature (evoking a less veiled Fleur Delacour) to Mortmain's intellectual withdrawal. Food descriptions—meagre yet tantalising—prefigure Hogwarts feasts, turning humble meals into sensory delights. Inanimate objects gain voice: the family dress-frame “Miss Blossom” offers advice, akin to the chatty mirrors or portraits in Rowling's world. Even names resonate—Rose Mortmain perhaps inspiring Ron and Hermione's daughter—and train journeys punctuate the plot.The Blocked Writer: James Mortmain, a father who spent his fame early and now reads detective novels in an irritable stupor, mirrors the “faded glory” or “lost genius” archetypes seen in Rowling's secondary characters, such as Xenophilius Lovegood and Jasper Chiswell.The Bohemian Stepmother: Topaz, who strides through the countryside in only wellington boots, shares the whimsical, slightly unhinged energy of a character like Luna Lovegood or Fleur Delacour.Material Yearning: The desperate desire of Cassandra's sister, Rose, to marry into wealth reflects the very real, non-magical pressures of class and poverty that Rowling weaves into Harry Potter, Casual Vacancy, Strike and The Ickabog.Leda Strike parallels: Leda Fox-Cotton the bohemian London photographer, adopts Stephen, the working-class orphan, and saves him from both unrequited love and the responsibility that comes with the Mortmain family.Question 3. [story of finishing the book last night by candle light in my electricity free castle] So, in short Nick, I thought it astonishing! I didn't read your piece until I'd finished reading Capture, of course, but I see there is some dispute about when Rowling first read it and its consequent influence on her as a writer. Can you bring us up to speed on the subject and where you land on this controversy?* She First Read It on her Prisoner of Azkaban Tour of United States?tom saysOctober 21, 2011 at 4:00 amIf I recall correctly, Rowling did not encounter this book until 1999 (between PoA & Goblet) when, on a book tour, a fan gave her a copy. This is pertinent to any speculation about how ‘Castle' might have influenced the Potter series.* Rowling Website: “Books I Read and Re-Read as a Child”Question 4. Which, when you consider the other books on that virtual bookshelf -- works by Colette, Austen, Shakespeare, Goudge, Nesbit, and Sewell's Black Beauty, something of a ‘Rowling's Favorite Books and Authors as a Young Reader' collection, I think we have to assume she is saying, “I read this book as a child or adolescent and loved it.” Taking that as our jumping off place, John, and having read my piece, do you wish you had read it before writing Harry Potter's Bookshelf?Harry Potter's Bookshelf: The Great Books behind the Hogwarts Adventures John Granger 2009Literary Allusion in Harry Potter Beatrice Groves 2017Question 5. So, yes, I certainly do think it belongs -- with Aurora Leigh and Little Women -- on the ‘Rowling Reader Essential Reading List.' The part I thought most interesting in your piece was, of course, the Shed elements I missed. Rowling famously said that she loved Jo Marsh in Little Women because, in addition to the shared name and the character being a wannabe writer, she was plain, a characteristic with which the young, plain Jane Rowling easily identified. What correspondences do you think Little Jo would have found between her life and Cassandra Mortmain's?* Nick Jeffery's Kanreki discussion of Rowling's House on Edge of Estate with Two Children, Bad Dad ‘Golden Thread' (Lethal White)Question 6. Have I missed any, John?* Rockefeller Chapel, University of ChicagoQuestion 7. Forgive me for thinking, Nick, that Cassandra's time in church taking in the silence there with all her senses may be the biggest take-away for the young Rowling; if the Church of England left their chapel doors open in the 70s as churches I grew up in did in the US, it's hard to imagine Jo the Reader not running next door to see what she felt there after reading that passage. (Chapter 13, conversation with vicar, pp 234-238). The correspondence with Beatrice Groves' favorite scene in the Strike novels was fairly plain, no? What other scenes and characters do you see in Rowling's work that echo those in Castle?* Chapter 13, I Capture the Castle: Cassandra's Conversation with the Vicar and time in the Chapel vis a vis Strike in the Chapel after Charlotte's Death* Beatrice Groves on Running Grave's Chapel Scene: ‘Strike's Church Going'Question 8. I'm guessing, John, you found some I have overlooked?Question 9. The Mortmain, Colly, and Cotton cryptonyms as well as Topaz and Cassandra, the embedded text complete with intratextuual references (Simon on psycho-analysis), the angelic servant-orphan living under the stairs (or Dobby's lair!) an orphan with a secret power he cannot see in himself, the great Transformation spell the children cast on their father, an experiment in psychomachia a la the Shrieking Shack or Chamber of Secrets, the hand-kiss we see at story's end from Smith, love delayed but expressed (Silkworm finish?), the haunting sense of the supernatural everywhere especially in the invocation that Rose makes to the gargoyle and Cassandra's Midsummer Night's Eve ritual with Simon, the parallels abound. Ghosts!* Please note that John gave “cotton” a different idiomatic meaning than it has; the correct meaning is at least as interesting given the Cotton family's remarkable fondness for all of the Mortmains!* Kanreki ‘Embedded Text' Golden Thread discussion 1: Crimes of Grindelwald* Kanreki ‘Embedded Text' Golden Thread discussion 2: Golden Thread Survey, Part II* Rose makes an elevated Faustian prayer to a Gargoyle Devil: Chapter IV, pp 43-46* Cassandra and Simon celebrate Midsummer Night's Eve: Chapter XII, pp 199-224Let's talk about the intersection of Lake and Shed, though, the shared space of Rowling's bibliography, works that shaped her core beliefs and act as springs in her Lake of inspiration and which give her many, even most of the tools of intentional artistry she deploys in the Shed. What did you make of the Bronte-Austen challenge that Rose makes explicitly in the story to her sister, the writer and avid reader?“How I wish I lived in a Jane Austen novel.” [said Rose]I said I'd rather be in a Charlotte Bronte.“Which would be nicest—Jane with a touch of Charlotte, or Charlotte with a touch of Jane?”This is the kind of discussion I like very much but I wanted to get on with my journal, so I just said: “Fifty percent each way would be perfect,” and started to write determinedly.Question 10. So, I'm deferring to both Elizabeth Barrett Browning and J. K Rowling. Elizabeth Barrett Browning valued intense emotion, social commentary, and a grand scope in literature, which led her to favour the passionate depth of the Brontës over the more restrained, ironical style of Jane Austen. Rowling about her two dogs: “Emma? She's a bundle of love and joy. Her sister, Bronte, is a bundle of opinions, stubbornness and hard boundaries.”Set in the 30s, written in the early 40s, but it seems astonishingly modern. Because her father is a writer, a literary novelist of the modern school, do you think there are other more contemporary novelists Dodie Smith was engaging than Austen and Bronte?Question 11. Mortmain is definitely Joyce, then, though Proust gets the call-out, and perhaps the most important possible take-away Rowling the attentive young reader would have made would have been Smith's embedded admiration for Joyce the “Enigmatist” she puts in Simon's mouth at story's end (Chapter XVI, pp 336-337) and her implicit criticism of literary novels and correction of that failing. Rowling's re-invention of the Schoolboy novel with its hidden alchemical, chiastic, soul-in-crisis-allegories and embedded Christian symbolism can all be seen as her brilliant interpretation of Simon's explanation of art to Cassandra and her dedication to writing a book like I Capture the Castle.* Reference to James Joyce by Simon Cotton, Chapter IX, p 139:* The Simon and Cassandra conversation about her father's novels, call it ‘The Writer as Enigmatist imitating God in His Work:' Chapter XVI, pp 331-334* On Imagination as Transpersonal Faculty and Non-Liturgical Sacred ArtSacred art differs from modern and postmodern conceptions of art most specifically, though, in what it is representing. Sacred art is not representing the natural world as the senses perceive it or abstractions of what the individual and subjective mind “sees,” but is an imitation of the Divine art of creation. The artist “therefore imitates nature not in its external forms but in its manner of operation as asserted so categorically by St. Thomas Aquinas [who] insists that the artist must not imitate nature but must be accomplished in ‘imitating nature in her manner of operation'” (Nasr 2007, 206, cf. “Art is the imitation of Nature in her manner of operation: Art is the principle of manufacture” (Summa Theologia Q. 117, a. I). Schuon described naturalist art which imitates God's creation in nature by faithful depiction of it, consequently, as “clearly luciferian.” “Man must imitate the creative act, not the thing created,” Aquinas' “manner of operation” rather than God's operation manifested in created things in order to produce ‘creations'which are not would-be duplications of those of God, but rather a reflection of them according to a real analogy, revealing the transcendental aspect of things; and this revelation is the only sufficient reason of art, apart from any practical uses such and such objects may serve. There is here a metaphysical inversion of relation [the inverse analogy connecting the principial and manifested orders in consequence of which the highest realities are manifested in their remotest reflections[1]]: for God, His creature is a reflection or an ‘exteriorized' aspect of Himself; for the artist, on the contrary, the work is a reflection of an inner reality of which he himself is only an outward aspect; God creates His own image, while man, so to speak, fashions his own essence, at least symbolically. On the principial plane, the inner manifests the outer, but on the manifested plane, the outer fashions the inner (Schuon 1953, 81, 96).The traditional artist, then, in imitation of God's “exteriorizing” His interior Logos in the manifested space-time plane, that is, nature, instead of depicting imitations of nature in his craft, submits to creating within the revealed forms of his craft, which forms qua intellections correspond to his inner essence or logos.[2] The work produced in imitation of God's “manner of operation” then resembles the symbolic or iconographic quality of everything existent in being a transparency whose allegorical and anagogical content within its traditional forms is relatively easy to access and a consequent support and edifying shock-reminder to man on his spiritual journey. The spiritual function of art is that “it exteriorizes truths and beauties in view of our interiorization… or simply, so that the human soul might, through given phenomena, make contact with the heavenly archetypes, and thereby with its own archetype” (Schuon 1995a, 45-46).Rowling in her novels, crafted with tools all taken from the chest of a traditional Sacred Artist, is writing non-liturgical Sacred Art. Films and all the story experiences derived of adaptations of imaginative literature to screened images, are by necessity Profane Art, which is to say per the meaning of “profane,” outside the temple or not edifying spiritually. Film making is the depiction of how human beings encounter the time-space world through the senses, not an imitation of how God creates and a depiction of the spiritual aspect of the world, a liminal point of entry to its spiritual dimension. Whence my describing it as a “neo-iconoclasm.”I want to close this off with our sharing our favorite scene or conversation in Castle with the hope that our Serious Reader audience will read Capture and share their favorites. You go first, Nick.* Cassandra and Rose Mortmain, country hicks in the Big City of London: Chapter VI, pp 76-77Question 12. And yours, John?* Cassandra Mortmain ‘Moat Swimming' with Neil Cotton, Chapter X, 170-174* Cassandra seeing her dead mother (think Harry before the Mirror of Erised at Christmas time?): Chapter XV, pp 306-308Hogwarts Professor is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

durée : 00:47:23 - Affaires sensibles - par : Fabrice Drouelle, Franck COGNARD - Aujourd'hui dans Affaires sensibles, un héros, Harry Potter, et sa créatrice, JK Rowling. - réalisé par : François AUDOIN Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

این قسمت با فضایی شروع می‌شه که بیشتر شبیه شلوغی قبل از عروسیه تا آماده شدن برای جنگ با ولدمورت. همراه با خشایار، امید، ملیحه و ایاز دربارهٔ روزهایی حرف می‌زنیم که هری، رون و هرماینی در خانه ویزلی‌ها بین تدارک‌های عروسی بیل و فلور گیر افتادن؛ تدارک‌هایی که به نظر می‌رسه بیش از هر چیز، تلاشی‌ان برای عقب انداختن یک خداحافظی خطرناک. در این فصل بررسی می‌کنیم چطور پشت ظاهر عادی زندگی، نقشهٔ نابودی هورکراکس‌ها شکل می‌گیره، چرا «غول پیژامه‌پوش» فقط یک شوخی ساده نیست و چطور سکوت‌ها و حفظ ظاهرها، خودشون بخشی از تنش داستان می‌شن.آنچه در این قسمت می‌شنوید:شروع و اسم فصل00:00:00نگرانی مالی ویزلی00:05:07احساسات هری به جینی00:16:03سوگواری پیش‌دستانهٔ هرماینی00:21:10اقدام پیش‌دستانهٔ رون00:30:53جزئیات اتاق رون00:32:50خوانش کتاب00:42:26هورکراکس‌ها00:46:30رابطه هرماینی با کتاب‌هاش00:54:39اومدن خانوادهٔ دلاکور01:00:26حمایت‌های شما و کلام آخر ما01:03:06اجراکنندگان: ملیحه، ایاز، امید، خشایارمترجم: حسین غریبیراوی: آرشیدا لاریآهنگساز: علی خانیکپی‌رایت: Warner Bros and J.K.Rowlingارتباط با ما: podcast@wizardingcenter.com (توییتر و اینستاگرام)

You know Andy Mills from such podcasts as “The Daily” from The New York Times, “The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling” from The Free Press, and most recently, the award winning show “The Last Invention” about the Al revolution from his new company ”Longview Investigations”.We discuss wether or not Al has a soul, human-robot babies, why some of the founders of the technology think we need to stop it like, now, and what does connection with humans look like in the age of machines.Over the weekend, we were all consumed by the events in Sydney, that sadly seemed inevitable. The Australian Jewish community is so small, as is the Chabad family, and almost everyone in these two groups knows someone that was affected. In days like these, Jews are often advised to lay low, keep their heads down, and not draw too much attention to themselves. Do we really need to celebrate publicly? Maybe replace that star of david necklace with something a little less conspicuous? In light of that, we share two videos of two different celebrations right here in NYC. The more we try to kill us, the louder we sing. Happy Hanukkah! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit askajew.substack.com/subscribe

Happy Hanukkah! You know Andy Mills from such podcasts as “The Daily" from The New York Times, “The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling” from The Free Press, and most recently, the award winning show “The Last Invention” about the AI revolution from his new company Longview Investigations”.We discuss wether or not AI has a soul, human-robot babies, why some of the founders of the technology think we need to stop it like, now, and what does connection with humans look like in the age of machines.Over the weekend, we were all consumed by the events in Sydney, that sadly seemed inevitable. The Australian Jewish community is so small, as is the Chabad family, and almost everyone in these two groups knows someone that was affected. In days like these, Jews are often advised to lay low, keep their heads down, and not draw too much attention to themselves. Do we really need to celebrate publicly? Maybe replace that star of david necklace with something a little less conspicuous? In light of that, i'll share two videos of two different celebrations on Substack that I attended right here in NYC. The more we try to kill us, the louder we sing. Happy Hanukkah! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit askajew.substack.com/subscribe

در این قسمت همراه با خشایار، امید و فرزانه وارد یکی از تلخ‌ترین و در عین حال سرنوشت‌سازترین لحظه‌های «یادگاران مرگ» می‌شیم؛ لحظه‌ای که فرار هری و همراهانش به پایان می‌رسه و تازه ابعاد فاجعه روشن می‌شه. از سقوط ناگهانی هگرید در باغ و انتقال هری به خانهٔ تد و آندرومدا، تا رسیدن به لانه و شمردن تلفات شبی که قرار بود امن باشه اما به تراژدی تبدیل شد. دربارهٔ مرگ هدویگ، جراحت جرج و شوخی تلخش و مرگ مودی حرف می‌زنیم و نگاهی هم می‌کنیم به رویای هری؛ جایی که ولدمورت مستاصل به دنبال پاسخی برای رفتار عجیب چوب‌دستی‌هاست. این فصل، نقطه‌ایه که جنگ واقعا چهرهٔ خودش رو نشون می‌ده و ما همین‌جا درباره سنگینی این لحظه و پیامدهایش صحبت می‌کنیم.آنچه در این قسمت می‌شنوید:شروع و اسم فصل00:00:00حمایت‌های شما00:04:57تانکس‌ها00:07:01وضعیت روحی هری00:17:40رفتن به «آشیانه» و صحبت‌های لوپین و هری00:29:13بحران جانشینی دامبلدور00:36:54نایس‌بازی هری00:40:47نکات ترجمه00:45:15خوانش کتاب00:52:32بی‌اعتمادی همه به هم و واکنش هری00:56:00مرگ مودی01:05:32نقش ارتش دامبلدور در شکست ولدمورت01:13:03شکنجهٔ الیوندر توسط ولدمورت و نکات پایانی01:16:47پایان‌بندی01:22:59اجراکنندگان: امید، خشایارمهمان: فرزانه ابراهیم‌زادهمترجم: حسین غریبیراوی: آرشیدا لاریآهنگساز: علی خانیکپی‌رایت: Warner Bros and J.K.Rowlingارتباط با ما: podcast@wizardingcenter.com (توییتر و اینستاگرام)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comThis is a hot one! Pamela Paul — longtime editor of the New York Times Book Review, author of nine books, current writer-at-large for the Wall Street Journal — tells Nancy and Sarah about her unceremonious exit from the New York Times, where she had been an Opinion columnist. What happened? Well, it's a long and juicy story, one that includes a J.K. Rowling column, a “lot of dishonesty and fear,” and an email dispatched in the middle of the night, a story that caused Nancy's and Sarah's jaws to literally drop. (It's on video!) Paul joined the Opinion section in 2022 to “create space for liberal opinions that had been snuffed out,” the thorny topics most journalists in 2020 were afraid to write about — and might still be. “It's really unsettling when an Opinion section is afraid of opinions,” says Paul. “You cannot pretend culture out of existence.”Also discussed:* How were things inside the New York Times in 2020? “Really awful.”* George Will, 2014: “Victimhood [as] a coveted status that confers privileges.” NYT 2020: “Hold my beer.”* “You've lost the room…”* We are not finished talking about the defenestrations of Times' James Bennett, Bari Weiss, Donald McNeil Jr….* New York Times readers are smarter than we give them credit for.* Props for Jesse Singal, Michael Powell, whoever Pamela's editor was at Opinion, whose stand-up-ness makes Nancy tear up* “The truth is a motherfucker.”Plus, tasty bits in the hotbox: a Disneyland for Netflix grown-ups, the 1000-page book about revenge and justice you should be reading, a new old-skool medical drama, and much more!Aren't you tired of the paywall yet? Become a paid subscriber. we told you…

This audible clip from Erik Qualman's #1 Bestselling book The Focus Project dives into why real rest matters, and whether that cup of coffee is truly boosting your alertness.   5x #1 Bestselling Author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman has performed in over 55 countries and reached over 50 million people this past decade. He was voted the 2nd Most Likable Author in the World behind Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling.   Have Erik speak at your conference: eq@equalman.com   Motivational Speaker | Erik Qualman has inspired audiences at FedEx, Chase, ADP, Huawei, Starbucks, Godiva, FBI, Google, and many more on Focus and Digital Leadership.   Learn more at https://equalman.com

Today, Erik sits down with David Hoppe. David is the founder and managing partner of Gamma Law, a firm focused on emerging legal issues in media and technology. He is an experienced international transactional lawyer with expertise in video games, esports, blockchain, digital assets, and immersive technologies. Over his nearly 30-year career, he has advised global clients on financing, licensing, and regulatory matters. David is also a frequent speaker on legal trends shaping the tech and entertainment industries.   Topics Covered in this Episode: Big AI lawsuits are here, with billion‑dollar payouts over using stolen content to train models. AI "answer boxes" are stealing clicks from websites, similar to how Google once hurt Yelp's traffic. Large AI companies are paying some publishers for data while still fighting older copyright complaints in court. There's real copyright danger when AI spits out content that is almost identical to the original, including images with old watermarks. Entertainment brands worry that letting AI change their main characters could weaken or confuse ownership of their IP. In schools, using AI too much can hurt students' ability to think deeply, read long texts, and solve problems on their own. Virtual worlds and the metaverse raise new questions about what "private property" and "privacy" mean online. If a chatbot encourages someone to do something dangerous or illegal, the company could face serious legal trouble. Letting AI write legal documents is risky because it can invent cases and laws that do not exist. One of the best current uses of AI in law is sorting and summarizing huge piles of documents for big cases.   Connect with David Hoppe: Website: Gamma Law Facebook: Gamma Law Twitter/X: GammaLaw Bsky: Gammalaw.bsky.social‬ LinkedIn: David B. Hoppe   Is there a guest you want Equalman to interview on the podcast? Do you have any questions you wish you could ask an expert? Send an email to our team: Equalman@equalman.com   5x #1 Bestselling Author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman has performed in over 55 countries and reached over 50 million people this past decade. He was voted the 2nd Most Likable Author in the World behind Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling.   Have Erik speak at your conference: eq@equalman.com   Motivational Speaker | Erik Qualman has inspired audiences at FedEx, Chase, ADP, Huawei, Starbucks, Godiva, FBI, Google, and many more on Focus and Digital Leadership.   Learn more at https://equalman.com

When life feels unbearably dark, even a single spark of hope can change everything. In this vulnerable solo episode of Mirror Talk: Soulful Conversations, I share a personal story of nearly giving up—and the small, unexpected moments that pulled me back toward the light.Drawing wisdom from Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl and the early struggles of author J.K. Rowling, we'll explore how meaning, micro-movements, and honest connection can become lifelines. You'll also discover practical tools—like grounding exercises, gratitude practices, and micro-promises—that can help you build hope that lasts.If you or someone you love feels close to the edge, this episode is a gentle reminder: you are not alone, and tunnels do end. Crisis resources are included in the show notes.Your transformation begins the moment you decide to look within.Let this book walk with you.

در این قسمت از پادکست لوموس همراه با میلاد، خشایار، ملیحه و مرضیه وارد یکی از پرهیجان‌ترین و سینمایی‌ترین فصل‌های کل مجموعه می‌شیم؛ شبی که آسمون بریتانیا پر از «هری پاتر»‌های قلابی می‌شه. دربارهٔ نقشهٔ عجیب و جسورانهٔ محفل برای نجات هری، لحظه‌های بامزه و تلخ تغییر چهره‌ها با معجون پالیجوس و تبدیل شدن هر کدوم از دوستانش به نسخه‌ای از او صحبت می‌کنیم. بعد سراغ حملهٔ ناگهانی مرگخوارها و مرگ هدویگ می‌ریم. همین‌طور واکنش عجیب چوب‌دستی هری در برابر ولدمورت و لحظه‌ای که ورق کاملا برمی‌گرده رو بررسی می‌کنیم. این فصل، مجموعه‌ای از آشوب، شجاعت و ضربه‌های احساسیه که توی این قسمت با هم مرورش می‌کنیم.آنچه در این قسمت می‌شنوید:شروع و اسم فصل00:00:00خداحافظی هری با خانه شماره ۴ خیابان پریوِت00:03:46هدویگ و هگرید00:16:05بزرگ شدن و تغییرات شخصیتی هری00:20:34اومدن اعضای محفل برای اجرای نقشه00:26:47هفت پاتر00:31:05هگرید آخه؟00:39:02صدای مخاطب: روزبه00:42:00لحظه‌های جالب فصل00:49:32خوانش کتاب00:58:21مرگ هدویگ و تغییر نحوه فهمیدن مرگخوارها توی فیلم01:01:49استن شانپایک و تاثیر اقدامات وزارتخونه روی اون01:07:26لحظه‌های جالب فصل01:09:50اومدن ولدمورت و واکنش چوبدستی هری01:14:04پایان‌بندی01:24:08اجراکنندگان: خشایار، میلاد، مرضیه، ملیحهمترجم: حسین غریبیراوی: آرشیدا لاریآهنگساز: علی خانیکپی‌رایت: Warner Bros and J.K.Rowlingارتباط با ما: podcast@wizardingcenter.com (توییتر و اینستاگرام)

This audible clip from Erik Qualman's #1 Bestselling book The Focus Project explores how exercise strengthens not only the body, but also your focus, mood, and overall mental health.   5x #1 Bestselling Author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman has performed in over 55 countries and reached over 50 million people this past decade. He was voted the 2nd Most Likable Author in the World behind Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling.   Have Erik speak at your conference: eq@equalman.com   Motivational Speaker | Erik Qualman has inspired audiences at FedEx, Chase, ADP, Huawei, Starbucks, Godiva, FBI, Google, and many more on Focus and Digital Leadership.   Learn more at https://equalman.com

In this week's episode of The Case For, Jim and Chris dive deep into the foamy, sugary mystery of Butterbeer – from its first mention in Prisoner of Azkaban to its billion-calorie domination of Universal's theme parks. Along the way, they track the near-miss Disney deal, J.K. Rowling's taste-testing power, and exactly why Len Testa is currently horizontal. It's a sweet, strange, and slightly sticky journey through theme park history. FEATURE • How Butterbeer evolved from J.K. Rowling's books to real-world theme park phenomenon • Disney's early plans for a Harry Potter mini-land – and how the deal slipped through their fingers • Universal's long development process, the top-secret taste test in Scotland, and why the drink became a runaway hit • The many forms of Butterbeer across the Wizarding World, from frozen to fudge to the notorious cream puff HOSTS • Jim Hill – IG: @JimHillMedia | X: @JimHillMedia | Website: JimHillMedia.com • Chris Cox – IG: @magiccox | X: @bigcox | Website: magiccox.com FOLLOW • Facebook: JimHillMediaNews • Instagram: JimHillMedia • TikTok: JimHillMedia SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at Patreon.com/JimHillMedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey – Strong Minded Agency If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

این‌بار همراه با امید، میلاد، خشایار و ایاز ماجرا رو از دل یکی از خاص‌ترین لحظه‌های شروع کتاب دنبال می‌کنیم؛ شبی که خانهٔ شمارهٔ چهار خیابان پریوت درایو برای همیشه پشت سر گذاشته می‌شه. در این قسمت درباره تصمیم سخت خانوادهٔ درزلی برای ترک خانه، حضور اعضای محفل برای اسکورت، و مهم‌تر از همه گفت‌وگوی غیرمنتظره و انسانی دادلی با هری صحبت می‌کنیم. نگاهی می‌ندازیم به تغییرات ظریف شخصیت‌ها، لایه‌های احساسی این خداحافظی عجیب و این‌که چرا همین چند جملهٔ ساده می‌تونن یکی از به‌یادماندنی‌ترین لحظه‌های دنیای هری پاتر باشن.آنچه در این قسمت می‌شنوید:00:00:00گزیدهٔ این قسمت و شروع00:02:47آخرین لوموس با درزلی‌ها00:04:20طرح محفل برای محافظت از درزلی‌ها00:09:55هری ناجی00:16:01خوانش کتاب00:19:33فرجام دادلی درزلی00:28:36تربیت ورنون و پتونیا00:33:40تغییر شخصیت اسنیپ در فیلم00:45:07صدای مخاطب00:49:00بیرون و درون00:56:07ورنون و حکومت01:08:57پیام شما و کلام آخراجراکنندگان: ایاز، امید، میلاد و خشایارمترجم: حسین غریبیراوی: آرشیدا لاریآهنگساز: علی خانیکپی‌رایت: Warner Bros and J.K.Rowlingارتباط با ما: podcast@wizardingcenter.com (توییتر و اینستاگرام)

Today I'm joined by Warren Smith, a teacher and filmmaker. He created a viral video challenging a student to explain why they believed J.K. Rowling was a bigot. It sparked a national conversation and ultimately cost Smith his job. We talk about that fallout, compare our experiences on college campuses during the height of wokeness, dig into Trump's attempts to reshape elite universities, and explore what might actually fix higher education. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this vulnerable solo episode of Mirror Talk: Soulful Conversations, we explore what it means to be a dark horse—the underestimated soul carrying unseen baggage from trauma, betrayal, or painful experiences. Through heartfelt storytelling, real-life examples like Oprah Winfrey, Michael Phelps, and J.K. Rowling, and practical steps to release resentment, Tobi Ojekunle invites you to lay down your burdens and step into your brightest life.What You'll Learn in This Episode:How to recognise the hidden baggage and grudges weighing you downReal-world stories of transformation from public figures who turned pain into powerPractical, soulful steps to release resentment and reclaim your futureWhy forgiving isn't weakness, but freedomEncouragement for every “dark horse” to rise and thrivePower Quote from the Episode:“Letting go doesn't erase your past—it opens your future. You are not your trauma. You are the possibility waiting to unfold.”Call to Action:✨ If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who might need the reminder that their story isn't over. Tag me on Instagram @MirrorTalkPodcast and let's keep the conversation going. Don't forget to leave a review on your favourite podcast platform—it helps this soulful community grow.Listen on your favourite podcast platform: ⁠https://lnkfi.re/mirrortalk⁠Don't forget to subscribe, rate, share, and comment. Thank you!CONFESSIONS is now available: https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/confessions-book/ Thank you for joining me on this MIRROR TALK podcast journey. Please subscribe to any platform and remember to leave a review and rating.Stay connected: https://linktr.ee/mirrortalkpodcast More inspiring episodes and show notes are here: https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/podcast-episodes/ Your opinions, thoughts, suggestions, and comments are important to us. Please share them here: https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/your-opinion-matters/ Could you support us by becoming a Patreon? Please consider subscribing to one or more of our offerings at http://patreon.com/MirrorTalk All proceeds will help enhance the quality of our work and outreach, enabling us to serve you better.We use and trust these podcasting tools, software, and gear. We've partnered with amazing platforms to give our Mirror Talk community exclusive deals and discounts: https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/mirror-talks-recommended-podcasting-tools-exclusive-discounts/