Isolation: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs (Book 3, Chapter 18)

In our continued quest to make meaning of suffering, this week, Vanessa and Casper tackle the theme of isolation in Chapter 18, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. Despite its brief length (just seven pages in my edition) it’s a chapter that packs a wallop. Full of big reveals about the Marauders, The Shrieking Shack, and Snape — it’s basically The Whomping Willow of chapters.

Get it, because The Whomping Willow also packs a wallop? Fine, okay, the joke wasn't a big hit. (Get it? Because the whomping willow hits people? I'll just stop.) 

At the beginning of this episode, Casper asks whether we can find hope in isolation. He draws upon popular figures like Nelson Mandela and Eli Wiesel, who were able to turn their own nightmarish situations into social change and empathy. But Vanessa cautions us against always trying to find the "good" in suffering. She reminds him (and us) that there are many people who never make it out of the darkness:

“Only the survivors get to write the books.”

— Vanessa

Of course, it turns out you can either be wise or be good at the 30 second recap. This week, Vanessa was only one.

Well, we can't all be Hermione Granger (no matter how much we want to be *cough*). 

There was a lot to discuss in the theme conversation: Sirius' false imprisonment, Lupin's werewolf-ness as a metaphor for disease, and Peter Pettigrew's life as Scabbers. 

This is our first time diving into Peter Pettigrew, the villain of Prisoner of Azkaban. (Though we're open to the argument that the real villain of this book is Snape.) Was Peter lonely as Scabbers? Does he have any options now to redeem himself, or has he condemned himself for the rest of his life? In our video trailer for Sorcerer's Stone we asked the question "Can You Forgive Petunia Dursley?" This episode, we came up with a parallel question: "Can you Pity Peter Pettigrew?" 

“I don’t want to live with the assumption that people are just evil – even in Pettigrew there’s something good.”

— Casper

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Resources and Recommendations — There are a lot this week!

• Casper's opening story this week was about Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who was detained for fourteen years in Guantanemo Bay without ever being charged. We highly recommend his book, Guantanamo Diary. 
• Also in his story, Casper made a passing reference to Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Before divinity school, I had no idea who Bonhoeffer was. It turns out he was a pretty rad dude! (And by 'rad dude' I mean a man of radical integrity.) For those who are unfamiliar: Bonhoeffer was a German theologian who tried (and failed) to assassinate Adolf Hitler. His Letters and Papers from Prisoner, written before his execution and published posthumously are a modern classic.
• In talking about Lupin's isolation, Casper cites a study that says that loneliness is a higher cause of mortality than obesity. You can read more about that in this Boston Globe article. 
• During our sacred practice, Vanessa and Casper discuss the invisible beauty of the world around us. Specifically, they marvel at the stories behind city plans and architecture. If you're into that kind of thing, you might be interested in the podcast 99% Invisible. 
• Here's an article about those cool nuns who are building a chapel to block the path of a gas pipeline.
• Finally, Vanessa's favorite scene from Men and Black II.

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This week's Florilegium: It was planted because I had come to Hogwarts               Even I don't understand

You can listen to the episode to hear what Vanessa and Casper interpreted between these quotes, but what do you see? 

Remember early when I said that our question of the episode was "Can You Pity Peter Pettigrew?" I lied. The real question of the episode was "What would Dumbledore's drag name be?" The best answer so far was from @noahds17 who said "Lemon Drop." Think you can do better? Tweet us your answers (and keep it clean folks)!

This week's voicemail was thanks to Keeley Harris. Next week we're reading chapter nineteen, The Servant of Lord Voldemort, through the theme of Mercy. Have a good week, ya'll!

Rivalry: Gryffindor Versus Ravenclaw with Hank Green (Book 3, Chapter 13)

Before we launched our podcast, when Harry Potter and the Sacred Text was just a twinkle in our eye, we would sit around and talk about The Vlogbrothers. 

If you're not familiar with the project, The Vlogbrothers is a YouTube channel where Hank and John Green create videos that are nerdy, funny, earnest, and often political. Over time, they have built an internet empire based around youtube channels, educational tools, charitable foundations and fan conventions. They even have their own podcast, Dear Hank and John. Through their work, they've cultivated a group of fans who are passionate about learning, social justice, and un-ironically loving the things that we love. When we first started brainstorming Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, we often talked about Hank and The Vlogbrothers as a model for the kind of work we want to do. 

Which is all to say, we were like, whatever, kind of excited to have Hank Green on the show this week.

(DON'T TELL HIM. WE'RE TRYING TO PLAY IT COOL.)

Oh, and did we mention he loves Harry Potter? Swoon.

He even writes songs about it.  Double swoon. 

Hank opened our episode with a story about rivalry, our theme for the week. He took us back to middle school and introduced us to a character from his past, Aaron the Puncher. We won't spoil the punchline (sorry, had to), but its a story about bullying, growth spurts, and power dynamics. 

But even before we got started with Hank this week, there was a huge development in the pod. During the 30 second recap, Casper let it slip that he has a thing for Cho Chang! Juicy, right?! 

Can someone create a timeline of Casper and Vanessa's crushes? I feel like things are going to get interesting. 

And over the course of the episode, Casper, Vanessa, and Hank did nothing but fall deeper in love with Cho. Vanessa even blesses her at the end of the episode, and says that she's the perfect example of what a rival should look like. 

This week's spiritual practice was Sacred Imagination. It's our last Sacred Imagination for a while - next week we're switching over to Havruta. Here's the passage Casper chose: 

Hank did a wonderful job in his first ever Sacred Imagination. He and Casper both imagined themselves into Lupin and talk about what it must be like to be a surrogate father to Harry. 

“I was feeling: I’m going to let Harry down right now, because his classmates are still terrible — and he’s gonna know that they will do these terrible things to him. That’s what hit me, was like, ‘I now have to let you know the bad news that it wasn’t these supernatural awful creatures. It was in fact, awful creatures that are human.’”

— Hank, in his Sacred Imagination response

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Resources

• When talking about productive rivalry, Casper mentions a book, Team of Rivals, about President Lincoln's cabinet.
• Some bullying resources:
  • https://www.stopbullying.gov/
  • Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning
    • "Prior to the Columbine school shootings in 1999, no state had legislation addressing bullying in schools. Since 2000, more than 160 new state bullying laws, or revisions to current laws have been passed or revised; all states currently have laws concerning bullying in schools."
  • Not in Our Town

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In this week's voicemail, Kathy Kavanaugh helps us think about the difference between optimism and hope. Thanks Kathy! 

Join us next week, when we'll be reading chapter fourteen, Snape's Grudge through the theme of imagination. See you then kiddos. 

Optimism: The Patronus (Book 3, Chapter 12)

We like to pride ourselves on knowing the Harry Potter series fairly well. Like, on the scale from J.K. Rowling herself to your grandfather who thinks Harry Potter is "poisonous pagan tomfoolery," we'd probably rank in around an 8.5. But, if there is one chapter we know better than any other, it is chapter 13 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Patronus.

What you hear in this episode is our first deep-dive into the chapter. We sound pretty knowledgeable, right? But that was just the beginning — then we took the chapter on tour to Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. We re-read this chapter almost every day for a week, excavating new questions, finding new characters to bless, and somehow consistently being bad at the 30 second recap! Even your prejudiced grandfather would be impressed. 

But in all seriousness, thank you so much to everyone who came out and read this chapter with us. It was such a pleasure to gaze out on your beautiful faces and meet you after the show. Words can't do justice to the massive amounts of fun we had, so here are a few photos: 

In just a few short weeks, we'll be heading out on the East Coast leg of our tour. We'll be in New York at the Fourth Universalist Church on July 16th, in Philadelphia at PhilaMOCA on July 17th, and in Washington D.C. at 6th and I Synagogue on July 18th. Together we'll be getting to know Chapter 17, Cat, Rat, and Dog, through the theme of trust. Come join us!

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Did you know that Casper co-founded an activist organization, the UK Youth Climate Coalition?  In 2009, he led a delegation to the UN Climate Talks in Poland, and again to Bonn and Copenhagen. He opens our episode with a story from that time. 

This week in our 30 second recap, Vanessa isn't up to her usual standard. But it's not her fault — she gets a a bit of a frog in her throat, which impedes her usual speed and precision. In the episode, Casper says that she sounds like she has a rat in her throat, which makes no sense and is disgusting. Sure, he's making reference to the book. Scabbers is a key character in this week's chapter. But, have we forgotten Trevor? Trevor is a toad and is always getting lost... perhaps he was lost in Vanesssa's throat? 

Casper, who doesn’t have any animals in his throat during his recap, is free to make detailed observations like “Lupin is nice.”

And is Lupin nice in this chapter? In their theme conversation, Vanessa seems to disagree. She wonders why Lupin starts his Patronus lesson with a Boggart. She thinks that Lupin should let Harry master the spell first before confronting him with a Dementor (real or otherwise). This leads to a whole conversation about how Boggarts work exactly, and Casper makes an analogy between Boggarts and trauma: 

“Things don’t have to be real for them to be frightening.”

— Casper

Bringing the conversation back to our theme for the week, optimism, the two wonder how optimism can help us confront big issues like trauma:

“You have to be hopeful that a good conversation will change things, but you can’t just be hopeful that things will change.”

— Vanessa

For their penultimate Sacred Imagination practice of the season, Casper selected a juicy passage about the Dementor's Kiss:

“You exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you’ll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no...anything. There’s no chance at all of recovery. You’ll just — list. As an empty shell. And your soul is gone forever... lost.”

— Remus Lupin, on the Dementor's Kiss

Vanessa and Casper wonder if Lupin is projecting his own fears on this image, and discuss real-world equivalents of the Dementor's Kiss, such as Alzheimer's disease. 

They end the episode, as always, with blessings. Vanessa blesses Hermione for not telling Lupin's secret to Ron and Harry. Casper blesses Harry for his tenacity with the Patronus charm, and getting up after being knocked down so many times. (Because earlier in the episode, Casper compared Hermione's role in this story to that of Cassandra Agamemnon, I thought these allegorical representations might be appropriate for this week.)

Cassandra by Anthony Frederick Augustus Sandys. Before 1904. Source: The Studio (October 1904): 13

Sisyphus by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt. 1870. Source: The Tate Collection

Next week we're reading chapter thirteen, Gryffindor Versus Ravenclaw, through the theme of rivalry. Tune in for a special guest story by Hank Green! Our voicemail this week is thanks to Dave Lawson. Don't forget to buy tickets for the live tour: harrypottersacredtext.com/live-show

Duty: The Firebolt — With Father Jim Martin (Book 3, Chapter 11)

Vanessa opens this week's episode with a story about when she was a spiritual care chaplain intern and prayed with a dying, devoutly Christian woman. For Vanessa, an atheist, the idea of praying made her squeamish. But, because this woman was dying, because it was her job, because it was her duty, Vanessa prayed. 

In order to be accredited, hospitals must have chaplains on staff. According to the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations: "Patients have a fundamental right to considerate care that safeguards their personal dignity and respects their cultural, psychosocial, and spiritual values." 

In her story, Vanessa explores the idea that duty gives us clarity of purpose and aligns with our values.

“There are moments where duty is just a good pair of boots you can step into, in order to do a job well.”

— Vanessa

In this chapter they also discuss Hermione's decision to tell on Harry about the Firebolt, and that Harry feels a sense of duty to avenge the death of his parents. 

“It feels like your love is at stake; if you don’t [avenge someone], it says you didn’t love the person but that can’t be right.”

— Casper

You can also listen to this week's chapter to get a sense of how awesome Vanessa and Casper think that a blood battle between Sybill and Minerva would be. (Who would YOU bet on?) 

This week we practice Sacred Imagination in Hagrid's Hut after learning from the amazing man himself (no, not Ignatius, but Reverend Jim Martin) a Jesuit priest and author of such books as "The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything" and "My Life With the Saints". He has met Stephen Colbert, who is tied with Rev. Martin as the best Catholic alive, so that's awesome.

This week's episode is sponsored by Verizon Go90. Next week we are reading Chapter 12, "The Patronus" through the theme of optimism. Our voicemail this week is thanks to Sophia Charan. 

Escape: The Marauder's Map (Book 3, Chapter 10)

This week, Vanessa and Casper read chapter ten of Prisoner of Azkaban, The Marauder's Map, through the theme of escape. Casper set the tenor of the episode with his opening story, in which he read the below tumblr post about Harriet Tubman. If we didn't already have a Harry Potter podcast, we would consider making a podcast about Harriet Tubman. At the very least, we can spread the gospel: Harriet Tubman was a capital-B-Badass and you better recognize.

via that wonderland we call tumblr

Inspired by this beautiful internet artifact, Vanessa and Casper asked some new questions:  Why do Fred and George give Harry the Marauder's Map? Where does that generosity in them come from? Are the Dementors slaves? And should they be treated ethically? Listener Jessica Harmon responded with some interesting thoughts on Twitter: 

This season, Casper and Vanessa have been trying to be more cordial in their 30-second recaps — to varying results. A little bit of competitive raillery came back into play this week and Vanessa somehow was able to insult Casper by comparing him to the Wizard of Oz.

“You are the technicolor that sweeps in when we arrive in Oz. I liked the black and white part though.”

Our spiritual practice this week was Lectio Divina and our randomly selected sentence was: 

“But what if I’d given Harry to him, eh? I bet he’d’ve pitched him off the bike halfway out ter sea. ”

— Hagrid

This sentence made Casper talk about adopting a child (!!!!) and made Vanessa wonder about the things she could have done differently in life. Casper helpfully pointed out that, perhaps if Vanessa had made some different decisions down the line, maybe she could have been a Hungarian gymnast. 

you're welcome. 

Casper's been very busy traveling this week. While in London, he held our first ever listener meet-up and it was a great success! They all did Lectio Divina together and took this adorable photo. More meet-ups are coming down the pipeline along with our tour next week. If you're in Seattle, Portland, or Los Angeles, check our Live Events page for show and meet-up details. 

Casper isn't the only one having fun. In this week's episode, Vanessa recommended that Harry take up a "creative writing practice" to help him find inner peace and quiet. This isn't a recommendation pulled out of thin air — Vanessa and Ariana have both started writing romance novels as a self-care practice. It is, definitively, the best thing they’ve ever done. It's the perfect escape. We highly encourage you to try it yourself and, if you do, send it to us. We want to read every juicy detail. 

Next week we're reading chapter eleven, The Firebolt, through the theme of duty. We'll be joined by special guest, Jim Martin, who is going to teach us a little more about our practice of Sacred Imagination. 

Frustration: Grim Defeat (Book 3, Chapter 9)

This week, Vanessa and Casper read chapter nine of Prisoner of Azkaban, Grim Defeat, through the theme of frustration. The chapter itself centers around a harrowing quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Drama (!) arrives when the dementors show up and Harry faints, falling off his broom and plummeting to the ground. That’s what the chapter’s about, but this week’s episode…well, it isn’t really. This isn’t because Vanessa and Casper have no idea what’s going on in the chapter (um, have you heard their recaps? They’re obviously experts) but because this week’s theme led us beyond the main story line. We got deep. We got esoteric. We quote Macbeth. All in a day’s work, my friends.

The first esoteric box we ticked? You guessed it, Latin grammar. Casper and Vanessa battle it out over how to properly pluralize the word Patronus. Is it Patroni? Patronuses? Or, as my autocorrect would have me believe, Patroness? Usually Vanessa is our resident Hermione, but Casper pushed up his glasses this week and informed us that it all depends on what declension the word is:

Vanessa and Casper often employ elaborate hypotheticals in their explanations. This week was no exception and they were in particularly fine form. Here are a few of the very specific hypotheticals that they trotted out this week around the theme of frustration: 

• "...kind of like Sir Cadogen, or like 'I tried to open the door this way, but it's a pull door and there's a sign that says pull door, but I was still pushing.' I do that all the time." (Casper)
• "When does frustration become a signal of injustice, and when is it 'my foot is itching and they won’t let me unbuckle my seatbelt because we haven’t reached altitude'?" (Vanessa)
• "When I'm frustrated, it’s because my expectation was different from reality, and now I have a choice how to react…Maybe if I’m caught in the rain be like ‘isn’t it lovely to be caught in this warm summer rain and I could be in a country music video if only I didn’t have to try to get to the doctor’s office in five minutes time." (Casper)

a rare photo from Casper’s country music singer days. (I literally taught myself photoshop for this, you guys, so you better enjoy it.)

Following our obsession with the esoteric this week, Casper and Vanessa spend a lot of time talking about Sir Cadogen. Before we started this season, I don’t think I could even tell you who Sir Cadogen was, let alone muse about how his ‘bravery’ and bravado farcically reflect Gryffindor’s values, all while annoying the bejeezus out of them. Why is it that Seamus Finnigen finds him so annoying? How is that he takes his job so seriously and is so bad at it? What can he teach us about injustice? We got real deep with Cadogen. Vanessa ends the episode with the revelation that maybe she could be more “Cadogen-y.”

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Resources

• Our voicemail this week is from Camyrn Kessler in Austin, Texas. She sent in her message on May 3rd, after the stabbings on the University of Texas campus. The Washington Post reported the events.
• When talking about Cadogen (of course) Casper compares mental health care to imprisonment and Vanessa talks about how mental illness is socially constructed. If you want to read more about the institutionalization of mental health, may we suggest Michel Foucault’s Madness and Civilization? Or Erving Goffman’s Asylums? Both are classic texts in sociology.

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“‘He’s a complete lunatic,’ said Seamus Finnigan angrily to Percy. ‘Can’t we get anyone else?’”

Our spiritual practice of the week is Lectio Divina. Vanessa and Casper spend more time talking about Sir Cadogen (I promise they talk about other things…like the unsubtle stalking of Head Boy Percy Weasley, and Snape’s reprehensible pedagogy) and Vanessa quotes Macbeth. Here’s the full soliloquy that she excerpts:

poetryfoundation.org

This week's blessings go to esteemed professors Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall.

Next week we're reading chapter ten, The Marauder's Map, through the theme of escape. We’re only two weeks away from our live tour (pardon us while pinch ourselves repeatedly)! We released individual tour posters last week on social media. If you live in one of the cities we’re visiting, it sure would be jolly good of you to share them. And if you haven’t bought your tickets yet, what are you waiting for?! A personal invitation? Well this is it. You’re invited and we can’t wait to meet you!

Desperation: The Flight of the Fat Lady (Book 3, Chapter 8)

This week on the podcast, Casper and Vanessa read chapter eight of The Prisoner of Azkaban through the theme of Desperation. With the rest of the third years off to Hogsmeade and Harry stuck in the castle, things do feel pretty desperate to our young hero. Casper and Vanessa mull through his tête-à-tête with Professor Lupin, Hermione's deep dislike of Divination, and why Oliver Wood is such a drama queen.

• Nobody is that surprised about Oliver Wood, to tell the truth. Casper has been insisting that he's a queen for a long time.

Our story for the week comes from Casper's time living in Berlin. Above, a picture from that era. (No, not the picture of Oliver, above that.) Doesn't he look so handsome and European? Casper tells us about a trip he made to Berlin's Holocaust museum, and a letter he encountered there. The letter was written by Hannah-Helene Goldberg, thrown from a train on her way to Auschwitz. Casper reads the whole letter in the podcast, and you can read it for yourself here:

Source

Throughout the episode they consider the question: How do you prevent desperation from going hand and hand with isolation? Casper introduces the idea of 'desperation tunnel vision' and Vanessa talks about the loneliness that goes along with that. In her explanation, she mentions a speech from Joe Biden, the entirety of which you can watch here:

“I have to tell you. I used to resent people. They’d come up to me and say, ‘Joe, I know how you feel’... I knew they meant well. I knew they were genuine. But you knew they didn’t have any damn idea.”

— Joe Biden

Vanessa has ruffled a few feathers in the past few episodes by taking a harsh stand against Snape. However, in this chapter, he is actually decent towards Lupin - brewing a potion to deal with Lupin's mysterious illness. Thus, Vanessa is forced to admit that he can be kind of 'classy.'

This week is our last week with the spiritual practice of PaRDeS. Next week, we'll be doing Lectio Divina. For PaRDeS, Casper selects the below quote from the our beloved poltergeist, Peeves. The Fat Lady's painting has just been torn up by Sirius Black, and Vanessa and Casper talk about the nature of shame, body positivity, and domestic violence.

“Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn’t want to be seen.”

— Peeves

Our blessings this week are for Neville's grandmother and Professor Flitwick. Did you even remember that these who were in the chapter? Can you guess who blessed whom?  

Next week we're reading chapter nine, Grim Defeat, through the theme of frustration. Our donor of the week is Mikhela Ungerleider and our voicemail this week is thanks to Sara Cochennet.

Finally, don't forget about our upcoming live tour! It's only a month away. (Pardon us while we run around like chickens like our heads cut off...) If you are in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia or Washington D.C., we will be coming your way! You can see dates and buy tickets on our Live Events page. We can't wait to see your beautiful faces!

Humor: The Boggart in the Wardrobe (Book 3, Chapter 7)

In this episode, Casper and Vanessa (with the help of the amazing Dr. Chloe Angyal) discuss the power of humor. Humor is how we amuse ourselves, it can be found in satire where we try to reassert our power, it is a sign of intimacy; but then it can get mean. Where is that line? I'm 18,000% sure that Snape does not understand where that line is because he is willing to kill sweet, little Trevor in order to amuse himself. Not funny, Snape. Animal torture is a sign of sociopathy, just FYI. 

Do we mock the things that we hate most about ourselves? Is Snape mocking Neville because he sees himself in Neville? DO WE CARE? 

Casper and Vanessa also wonder about pedagogy at Hogwarts. They think maybe it isn't research based. 

In this week's episode we do PaRDeS, thinking about Hermione and her time-turner. What in our lives feels like a gift, but is actually not so grand?

Don't forget to vote in this week's 30 second recap challenge. Vanessa is currently (as of 5/9/17) in the lead, and she is writing the post this week, so she'll just say it: if you're a feminist, you will vote for her. 

This week's episode is brought to you by Bombas and Spotify's Showstopper. Next week we're reading chapter 8, the Flight of the Fat Lady, through the theme of desperation. Our donor of the week is Andrew Stairs and our voicemail this week is thanks to Duke Lambert.

Forgiveness: Talons and Tea Leaves (Book 3, Chapter 6)

This week on Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, Vanessa and Casper tackle chapter six of Prisoner of Azkaban through the theme of forgiveness. 

As promised in the episode, here's a sparknotes summary of the chapter to make up for Vanessa and Casper's mediocre 30-second recaps. Well, a sparknotes link isn't exactly what they promised. They promised a wikipedia link, but apparently wikipedia doesn't go into that much granular detail on the Harry Potter books. It's the world's loss really. (Are you procrastinating something important? Step up to the plate, give a chapter by chapter summary of Prisoner of Azkaban on Wikipedia!) 

How do you extend forgiveness while continuing to hold people accountable for their actions? This question takes Vanessa and Casper from talking about Hippogryph's pride to Hagrid's willingness to see his own faults. From Charleston South Carolina to Nazi Germany. 

Casper and Vanessa touch on the complicated case of forgiveness during the events surrounding the Emanuel African Methodist Church shootings in 2015. After the shootings, many members of the families of those murdered were quick to extend forgiveness to Dylann Roof, the shooter. At the time, much was made about this act of forgiveness. To read some different takes on the issue, here's some reading:

Hatred and Forgiveness in Charleston by Matt Schiavenza

Why I Can't Forgive Dylann Roof by Roxanne Gay

Related to this conversation, they discuss whether punishment can go hand and hand with forgiveness — specifically in relation to Draco Malfoy. 

“Hogwarts is raising a monster in Draco Malfoy, and that is in part because he’s never held to any standard.”

— Vanessa

For PaRDeS, Casper selects the below quote from the ridiculous and magnificent castle character, Sir Cadogan. If you've managed to forget him, Sir Cadogan is a painting that helps the trio find the Divination tower on their first day of classes.

“Draw you knaves, you dogs!”

— Sir Cadogan

This week's blessings are for George Weasley and Parvati Patel, but you'll have to listen to the episode to find out why!

Next week we're reading chapter seven, The Bogart in the Wardrobe, through the theme of humor. Watch out for a story by an exciting special guest!  Our crowdfunder donor of the week is Hannah McGinty and our voicemail this week is thanks to Selina Mahmood.

Finally, don't forget about our upcoming live tour! It's only a month away. (Pardon us while we take deep breaths into a paper bag...) If you are in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia or Washington D.C., we will be coming your way! You can see dates and buy tickets on our Live Events page. We can't wait to see your beautiful faces!

Foresight: The Dementor (Book 3, Chapter 5)

This week on Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, Vanessa and Casper tackle chapter five of Prisoner of Azkaban through the theme of foresight. It's a chapter full of introductions — we meet both Professor Lupin and dementors for the first time. (In the episode, Casper calls dementors "specters of doom," which, if nothing else, would be a great band name.)  

Look at this handsome dog. Specters of doom beware.

Last episode, Vanessa and Casper talked extensively about ice cream, but this week they went a different way — they talked extensively about chocolate. Why is Lupin carrying chocolate? Does chocolate actually have magic in it? If so, did Vanessa come down too hard on Dumbledore in the last book for offering Ginny Weasley hot chocolate? (Of course not, Vanessa is never wrong.) 

Also, Casper gives a few tips for how to have a hard conversation:

1. prepare yourself
2. let the person know what's coming
3. make sure you're talking in a safe space
4. say everything you mean to say
   • Bonus hot tip from Vanessa: try not to say more than you mean to say

Our sacred practice this week was PaRDeS, with the lines: "The cold went deeper than his skin. It was inside his chest, it was inside his very heart." We dug up this quick cheat sheet for those who want to try PaRDeS at home. 

Our video trailer for this season was all about Lupin, dementors, and how to cast a patronus. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out below. 

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace and Bombas. Next week we're reading chapter six, Talons and Tea Leaves, through the theme of forgiveness. Our crowdfunder donor of the week is Ashleigh Gilbertson and our voicemail this week is thanks to Catherine Gilbert. Check out our live tour dates and tickets under Live Events. 

Hospitality: The Leaky Cauldron (Book 3, Chapter 4)

Vanessa and Casper explore the theme of hospitality in chapter four of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. They consider the ways in which Hermione is diplomatic, fight about ice cream, and grudgingly admit that maybe Percy has the right idea for once. 

Throughout the episode, Casper tells tall tales from helping run a Bed and Breakfast with his family while growing up. Meanwhile, Vanessa gives ten points to Gryffindor for how generous Hermione is towards Crookshanks. 

“That is really crucial to hospitality — we can’t control who comes in the door.”

— Casper

A quick correction! Vanessa quotes her favorite book, Jane Eyre, when talking about why Hermione is so admirable. At least she's tries to. The sentiment was pretty much the same, anyway. Here's the correct quote:

“principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour ... If at my convenience I might break them, what would be their worth?”

— Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë

This episode, we engage in a new spiritual practice, PaRDeS, which was introduced to us at the end of Season Two by Rabbi Scott Perlo.  We dug up this quick cheat sheet for those who want to try PaRDeS at home. 

Next week we're reading chapter five, The Dementor, through the theme of foresight. This week's voicemail is thanks to Abigail Smith. Don't forget to vote in the 30 second recap! 

Secrets: The Knight Bus (Book 3, Chapter 3)

Vanessa and Casper explore the theme of secrets in chapter three of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. They discuss the sketchiness of Cornelius Fudge, throw some shade at Stanley Shunpike and contemplate the role of socio-economic status in the wizarding world.
 

During the course of the episode, Vanessa tells a story about being saved on the Los Angeles freeway in 1998. After some research, it turns out that service still exists and is actually called the Freeway Service Patrol. Thanks, Los Angeles!

 Our story this week, was told by Jack Bird, The Director of Muggle-Wizard Relations at the Harry Potter Alliance. Jack tells the story of how he came out as trans, and what it felt like having that secret. His conversation in the studio with Casper was so fun, we released the full interview as a bonus episode. 

Jack Bird looking adorable in the studio.

Next week we're reading chapter four, The Leaky Cauldron, through the theme of hospitality. This week's voicemail is thanks to the young Lyla Quinn. If you want to take the audience survey, you can go to panoply.fm/survey.

Family: Marge's Big Mistake (Book 3, Chapter 2)

Vanessa and Casper explore the theme of family in chapter two of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  Casper starts the episode with a hilarious story about his mum appearing naked in the newspaper when he was a kid. 

“And suddenly there, on page three of a national British newspaper, is my mother, completely stark naked.”

Unfortunately, none of these people are Casper's mum, but you get the picture. 

Throughout the episode they discuss why Vanessa loves her dog so much, the age old question of nature vs. nurture, and the muggle magic of alcohol.

This is Vanessa's dog Rory. You'd be a crazy dog lady too if you had such a lovable pup.

Also, fun side note: When we uploaded this episode to iTunes, we (ahem, Ariana) accidentally labeled it as "Book 2, Chapter 3." It's been fixed for any new downloads, but if you're one of the few who downloaded it with the incorrect label... congratulations! You are the proud owner of something that no longer exists and that no one will ever have again! Savor the glory. 

Next week we’ll be reading chapter three, The Knight Bus, through the theme of secrets. Be sure to check out the Live Events section above to buy tickets for our live tour this summer! 

Mercy: Owl Post (Book 3, Chapter 1)

Vanessa and Casper dive into Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with the theme of mercy. Thank you to everyone who donated and made this season possible! We are incredibly grateful for all of your kind contributions and kind words along the way. 

Vanessa opens the season with a story about her battle with clinical depression. She explains what it felt like to go on medication for the first time, and the essential support she received from her best friend, Kim. Vanessa was incredibly lucky to have Kim, but not everybody has someone they can turn to. If you ever feel like you are alone and struggling with mental health problems, we recommend reaching out to amazing services like Crisis Text Line and The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

In this episode, Casper and Vanessa discuss Ron's difficulty with telephones, Errol the owl, and return to the spiritual practice of Florilegia. Throughout the episode they consider the question: how much does intention matter when offering mercy? 

This week we're sponsored by Squarespace and Blue Apron. This week's voicemail is thanks to Jenn Radtke. Be sure to check out the Live Events section above to buy tickets for our live tour this summer! 

Special Edition: The Live Show

It was a great night! Our first ever live show. For those of you who couldn't make it, here is a chance to listen to us discuss the last chapter of Chamber of Secrets through the theme of Freedom with special guests Melissa Bartholomew and Nick Bohl. Thank you to all of you who came and we look forward to getting to more cities soon!

Wrap-Up: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

In this week's episode we talk about some major themes that we saw throughout the book. They make sure to finally get around to talking about that minor character of, Harry Potter. Casper and Vanessa each give a 30 second recap of the entire book and offer final blessings for the entire novel. 

Special Edition: Owl Post and Rabbi Scott Perlo

Join us this week as we talk to Rabbi Scott Perlo and he introduces us to a new spiritual practice, called, Pardes. We also listen to some voicememos to catch up on owl post. 

Rabbi Scott Perlo left his beloved waves of the Pacific Ocean for Sixth & I, but you’ll find him returning to surf or dive any chance he gets. Scott’s travels and experiences as a rabbi have been eclectic and have blessed him. Scott had the honor to be the first rabbi of the Professional Leaders Project and Moishe House, a founder of the Ma’or Beit Midrash and CreateHavdallah, rabbi of Adat Shalom in West L.A., and rabbinic intern at IKAR and Beit Warszawa in Warsaw, Poland. He received his Undergraduate Degree from University of Pennsylvania and his ordination from the Ziegler School at the AJU in 2008.  His greatest love is to teach and learn with other fellow travelers; Scott looks for spiritual partners, wherever they are to be found.

If you can't get enough of Rabbi Perlo, here's a great video of him, talking about ritual. 

Love: Dobby's Reward (Book 2, Chapter 18)

This week, Casper and Vanessa discuss where they see love in the last chapter of Chamber of Secrets. Together they discuss the connection between love, memory, suffering and why parents take their babies to the zoo. They are joined by special guest, Professor Stephanie Paulsell, to discuss and introduce a new (to us- not in the world) spiritual practice--Florilegia.

This episode's voicemail is thanks to Katie Bowers.  

Host your own Fundraiser!

We had a lovely time watching, "Sound of Music" and raising money for two organizations that mean a lot to us. We recommend that you try this at home!

Change it up to how you see fit, but here is one version of what to do: 

1) Pick an organization that you care about (the IRC, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU are three of our favorites.

2) Pick a movie that you love (we recommend Order of the Phoenix) and invite some friends over to come and watch, and donate! 

3) Set a goal! Try to raise twice what you think you can!

4) Have friends each bring a treat of some kind.

5) Make a game of watching the movie. Boo every time Umbridge is on the screen. Clap whenever you see Fred and George; make something fun and community oriented about it.

6) Give a few plugs to remind people to donate. They can donate on their phones, or in cash that you can type in. Have them write the amounts on a scrap of paper anonymously, and you totalize as you go!

7) Keep your group appraised of your progress! 

8) You will have had fun, been together, raised some money! 

Heartbreak: The Heir of Slytherin (Book 2, Chapter 17)

Vanessa and Casper explore the theme of heartbreak in chapter 17 of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. They discuss practical jokes, juvenile delinquency, and the symbolism of Fawkes' tears. Throughout the episode they consider the question: What's the difference between heartbreak and soul-break?

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace and this week's voicemail is thanks to Helen Valencia. Next week we'll be reading chapter 18, Dobby's Reward, through the theme of love.