Twelve Powers & Harry Potter: Enthusiasm/Zeal & Dobby

 

Enthusiasm: from the Greek, in and theos – in God, or the God within; eager interest,

 

zeal; inspired by God; eagerness, ardor, fervor; passion. 

 

Zeal is a joyous experience of oneness with Spirit, resulting in a continuing flow of energy to do God’s work.

 

When he was 94 years old, Charles Fillmore wrote the following affirmation: “I fairly sizzle with zeal and enthusiasm and spring forth with a mighty faith to do the things that ought to be done by me.”

 

Pretty good for 94!

 

I guess most of you have figured out my enthusiasm for the Harry Potter Series.  I do not claim to be an expert in all things Harry, but I can hold my own….

 

Henry Chester said, “Enthusiasm is the greatest asset in the world. It overwhelms and engulfs all obstacles. It is nothing more, nor less, than faith in action.”

 

Faith in what you are doing.

 

In many of the books I read, they are adventures in the mythical, there is ALWAYS a faith aspect to the journey by the heroine and hero’s in the story.  It’s really neat to be reading about a dragon as it gives its wisdom to another being and it is right out of Unity Speak!

 

As we continue our journey through the Harry Potter Series and the 12 Powers, remember, our powers are not something we need to create – we already have them.  They simply need to be recognized, brought forth.  We are all naturally enthusiastic.  We experience enthusiasm in a spiritual way as a deep sense of what the ancients called “harmony of the spheres” or “in tune with the Infinite.” 

 

In tune with the infinite.  Sounds like what we talked about last week as being in the flow, Divine Order; so, it comes as no surprise that Enthusiasm is often paired with Order and/or Wisdom.  These pairings are important, because as with all the powers, left alone they can become unbalanced.

 

Look at them for a minute – Life, Order, Wisdom, Love, Imagination, Understanding, Will, Faith, Zeal, Power, Strength, Release—can you see how concentrating on only one could be unbalanced?  How would that show up?  Too much Order, for example, might show as compulsions…

 

The word zealot comes from the root word zeal.  When our fervor, our passion, for something becomes unbalanced, so do we.  We need to combine our zeal, with Wisdom and be in the flow of Divine Order. 

 

True enthusiasm for what we do, and who we are, supports our goals and dreams.  Enthusiasm helps us enjoy every day. 

 

It helps us to stay in the game, to get off the sidelines, to be a participant instead of a spectator.

 

Enthusiasm helps us to follow through on relationships and projects that are worthwhile. Enthusiasm carries us forward.

 

Enthusiasm started Unity of Rehoboth Beach! Thank you for that!

 

Enthusiasm doesn’t need to create false excitement or drama.  It finds humor and excitement every day, in ordinary things.

 

True enthusiasm says, “I am glad to be who I am, and I am glad to be living the life God has given me!”

 

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.  Well,” she said, “I think I’ll braid my hair today.”  So, she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.  “H-M-M,” she said, “I think I’ll part my hair down the middle today.”  So, she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.  “Well,” she said, “today I’m going to wear my hair in a pony-tail.”  So, she did and she had a fun, fun day.

 

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn’t a single hair on her head.   “YEA!” she exclaimed, “Today, I don’t have to fix my hair!”  And she went out and had the best day ever!

 

Think about when you are not enthusiastic about something that you must do, a chore, maybe.  That lack of zeal for the chore also takes away the energy needed to do the work.  Now take that same chore and place some enthusiasm behind it and see how your energy changes….

 

I expect some forgotten chores will be completed after this Lesson!

 

SO I ask you, Are you glad to be living the life God has given you?

 

There was a young man who had become a paraplegic and then through a freak accident became a quadriplegic.  Someone asked him one day, “Doesn’t your physical condition color the way you look at life?  His response was, “Yes, it does, but I get to choose the color.”

 

What color are you looking at life?

 

Think about seeing someone you know who you haven’t seen in a while.  Sometimes you take notice, and say, “You’re looking great!”

 

What you are seeing is someone who loves what they do.  What you are calling ‘looking great’ is the glow of someone who is doing what they were born to do. 

 

What you were seeing was someone who is enthusiastic about who they are and what they do. 

 

You may not know it, but I LOVE what I do!  I love teaching. I love being with you every Sunday and interacting with you at Fellowship and during the week.

 

So, what do you love to do?  (Discussion.)

 

Harry Potter character we are looking at today is- Dobby, the House Elf. This explains Dobby

Read Chamber of Secrets, pages 12-13 and 176-177.

 

Dobby’s zeal, his enthusiasm for protecting Harry, almost gets Harry killed!  Because Dobby has not balanced this enthusiasm with wisdom and order.  Interestingly, the disciple that represents zeal had the same problem. 

 

His name was Simon the Zealot.  Sune Richards writes, “Simon the Zealot had been of the Zealot sect, a rebel party, heirs to the fighting spirit of the Maccabees.  They looked upon taxation as slavery, and though their purpose was a righteous one since they wanted no other rule but God, they had not learned the folly of using their zeal in the unrighteous way of violence. Simon, who represents a fiery zealot with a cause, did finally become gentle and loving through his associations with Jesus and the other disciples, and he made the ministry his life’s dedicated work.”

 

Once Dobby was released from his requirement to be a house elf, he could be who he really wished.  Being free to do or be something rather than freedom from something. Dobby was a free elf.

 

Dobby loved life, and he showed it in all he did.  He loved to work and collected his beloved socks with zeal.  He especially loved his socks when they were mismatched. He lived his free life with zeal, enthusiastic with what he loved and he showed it in every way he could.

 

If we could be free to be or do something rather than free from something, what would our life be like?