PotterWatch

thehpalliance: First vlog of the Body Bind Horcrux is up! ...

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 22:42:51 -0500

First vlog of the Body Bind Horcrux is up! Heather will be using youtube all month to go through the challenges with all of you. This is her introduction, including her goals for the campaign and why she was interested in project leading.

Beginning to Notice the Mind-Body Connection

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 22:42:32 -0500

thehpalliance:

One of the topics we are exploring this month is the connection between the mind and the body When we isolate our mind, body, and heart from each other, it is like a carriage driver trying to direct 3 horses who are all going in different directions from each other. For much of my adolescent life, I felt exactly that way- that my ambitions, dreams, reality, head, and heart were all speaking different languages and aiming for different things, causing much tension and unhappiness. Since then, I have done some integrative practices that have really helped me to unite these areas of what constitutes our being and our experience, and gotten them into alignment in a way that has made the ride a lot more easy, and a lot smoother. Having this awareness doesn’t mean that life becomes perfect, but it does allow a person to become grounded and centered in such a way that you can respond (not just react) to things that arise, with composure and grace.

I started yoga when I was about 15. My mother had a “yoga zone” tape (yes, tape) that she was practicing, and one day I chose to join her. I hated it! I couldn’t follow the motions as fast as they were doing on the screen, and I certainly couldn’t coordinate the breathing in and out with all those postures. I was frustrated with the whole practice, which kind of defeated the purpose! In the years that followed, with my busy high school life and the idea of college looming, I faced so many internal and external pressures to succeed. My mind was a giant whirlwind, and, seeking some reprieve from all the commotion, I decided to try meditating. It was the same story–my mind would not be quiet for the life of me! and I threw my metaphorical hands up in disdain and anguish. I would sit stiffly on the cushion as diligently as I tried out all those pretzely shapes–to no avail. I couldn’t get my thoughts to cease, and more importantly, I wasn’t attaining the peace and tranquility these methods seemed to promise.

As someone with a bit of a philosophical streak, it did not escape me that “trying” to meditate was useless and futile, and that the more you make a big fuss striving for peace and quiet, the noisier everything becomes, like a flock of chickens about to be fed. Then, around age 19, after trying out several different meditation centers and techniques, I got the following advice which has spoken to me ever since. It was to imagine my mind as a giant empty sky, and to allow all the thoughts to come and go like clouds. Any and all thoughts, without judgement. Not to ascribe “good thought” “bad thought” to each one, but just to notice them as they came, to welcome them, and to let them pass. The Buddhists have a metaphor about living your life as a room with “two doors always open” meaning that you let happiness in, but don’t cling to it, and that you similarly acknowledge and honor sadness and let it in, but don’t dwell or try to rush it out the door. It really helped me to learn to “go with the flow,” and I began sitting comfortably in a serene acceptance.

Likewise, my yoga practice also improved when I just “let things be.” I had more patience with the tapes (yeah, tapes again!), and I began being able to follow along with the movements in a way that was comfortable to me. Soon I began thinking the tape was actually going through the exercises pretty slowly! I began to love meditation and yoga because they both connected me to a different experience of myself–one in which I was no longer frantic and rushed and exhausted by possibilities, spread too thin and talking too fast and rushing around, but one in which I could be present in every moment and be more true to a more mature “me.” I really started embodying the Buddhist joke “don’t just do something, sit there.” I sat every morning and every night religiously. Last summer I even got certified as a yoga instructor! But to me, yoga and mediation are no longer necessary practices for me to be a “better person.” Rather, they are key tools for me to use and draw upon to realize and appreciate exactly who and how I am, right now, already. And to love that self for the good, the bad, the ugly… and the beautiful.

Your challenge today is to spend some time pondering the idea of a connection between your mind and your body. Is this something you recognize and respect in your daily life? Think about the ways you can incorporate more peaceful experiences, like through yoga or meditation, into your day to day life, and make a goal to spend a few minutes in quiet today.

Announcing the Body Bind Horcrux!

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 22:41:58 -0500

thehpalliance:

Petrificus Totalus–the Body Bind curse. Those who get attacked with this spell find themselves paralyzed and unable to act. They are cut off from the most fundamental part of themselves–the bodies that give their spirits life. Though we have never have been hit with that spell, many of us can relate to the same feeling of powerlessness in our own lives. Instead of magic that causes us to be disconnected from our bodies, we battle with a society that tells us that we don’t look the right way, or that we aren’t working hard enough. We let the world tell us we aren’t valuable, and over time we start to believe it. The truth is that our bodies are incredibly special–magical, even. Like J.K. Rowling said, “We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already.”

During the month of January, we’re focusing on how to recognize that power within ourselves, and how to think about and care for our bodies in the way they deserve. We’ll be focusing on a different topic each week this month. The four topics are:

Breaking Out of the Muggle Mindset – confronting head-on the messages in society that make us think our bodies aren’t good enough, discussing the importance of the connection between our minds and our bodies, and how to recognize this connection in day to day lives.

Nourishing the Body – making sure we’re respecting ourselves by putting in things that are positive, wholesome, and good.

Getting Active! – learning to take care of our bodies physically, but also making sure we are exercising and growing our minds and spirits.

De-Stressing – recognizing the importance of listening and responding to the needs of our bodies, and how to maintain a sense of balance.

There will be many ways for you to engage in the battle with the Body Bind Horcrux this month. First, check the blog each day to read posts by our amazing guest bloggers who will be sharing their wisdom about the body. Each blog will end in a daily challenge that you can try, and by working on all of these challenges together, by the end of the month we’ll have come to a healthier understanding of ourselves. Second, follow our YouTube channel. I’ll be video blogging all month about my experiences with these challenges. You can share your own stories, too, by posting video responses. Third, join the discussion on the ning–we’ve set up a discussion forum just to talk about this horcrux. Feel free to blog there, too, and tag your posts with “bodybind.”

So, today’s challenge: I’d like you to take a little time today and think about an area you want to focus on this month–an area that you know you need help with. Maybe you have a negative body image you want to correct, or maybe you eat too much junk food. Maybe you push yourself too hard and never take time out for self-care. Identify what needs improvement, and make a goal of working on it this month. Personally, I have a few goals. I want to exercise more and be more active (including taking my dog Neville on more walks). I’m also really excited to learn more about the ways our mind and body are connected, and to learn more about the practice of mediation.

Service Day was awesome! Thank you to the students and teachers...

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:53:38 -0500

Service Day was awesome! Thank you to the students and teachers who signed and everyone who made Service Day happen. Here’s a video of our efforts.

Livestream Announcing the 2nd Horcrux – Wednesday, December 1st at 8:30 pm EST

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:44:34 -0500

Livestream Announcing the 2nd Horcrux – Wednesday, December 1st at 8:30 pm EST:

thehpalliance:

You’ve done amazing work fighting the starvation wages horcrux, and now it’s time to begin our battle against a new foe. Join us on our livestream channel on Wednesday, December 1st at 8:30 pm…

Shiny gold labels? Whatever could this mean?

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:49:56 -0500

Shiny gold labels? Whatever could this mean?

Andrew Slack is taking on the Colbert Report in his quest for...

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:19:00 -0500

Andrew Slack is taking on the Colbert Report in his quest for fair trade chocolate! Comment, like and share this video on Facebook, Twitter, what have you, so that we can get the HPA on the Colbert Report!

The Harry Potter Alliance: "I am a member of a real life Dumbledore's Army, ask me how I am fighting real Horcruxes."

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:14:14 -0500

The Harry Potter Alliance: "I am a member of a real life Dumbledore's Army, ask me how I am fighting real Horcruxes." :

thehpalliance:

At 8:30 pm last Thursday night, the first members of Power of Love, the University of Florida Harry Potter Alliance chapter arrived at our local theatre, petitions, wands, and flashlights in hand. I handed out little badges with the above quote to our members and gave them a short speech about how…

Our inaugural donation!

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 23:36:28 -0500

Our inaugural donation!

Lumos Party

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 23:31:45 -0500

The Swampscott High School HPA Chapter hosted a Lumos Party in Salem for the Midnight Release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. It was awesome and a total success as we gathered 58 signatures for our petition. Whoo!

It was at first a little scary, sitting at our little table and waiting for people to approach us. Our theater said that we could petition so long as we didn’t go up to people in line. Before everyone was released to go into the theaters we got a grand total of two signatures, both of which were people in our chapter who we had drawn out of line to sign the petition. I started to fear that these signatures would be the only ones we got. We returned to sitting vigil at our table and Taylor began to bridge the gap of telling anyone who made eye contact with us all about the Harry Potter Alliance. The trick turned out to be just opening your mouth and letting the words flow because, generally, after the first five words people were either interested or not. We met some pretty awesome people and got the first donations to our chapter, which was really exciting!

I think the night was a success and that 58 signatures was awesome, but Potterwatchers, we need more! Put in a Facebook status the link to a petition and if you have somehow escaped signing until now, DO IT NOUAHHWW! http://dft.ba/-fairtrade spread this petition where ever you go! There will be more news coming shortly about what else you can to to help this cause, stay tuned.

Check it out guys, I put together a video of our Lumos Party!

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 23:09:59 -0500

Check it out guys, I put together a video of our Lumos Party!

Check out the HPA video made by the New York Times!

Sat, 20 Nov 2010 12:10:42 -0500

Check out the HPA video made by the New York Times!

Light Up Our Theaters for Fair Trade!

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:38:59 -0500

Tonight is the night guys!!

I hope you all are riddikulusly excited right now!

A few things to remember:

Check in with your ride and be sure you’re all squared away
BRING FLASHLIGHTS/ELETRIC CANDLES/CELLPHONES
Try for flashlights rather than cell phones because they will be more obvious
Remember: it’s gonna be totally awesome!

For anyone not coming tonight or going to another theater, enjoy the movie wherever you see it. And for those coming tonight, see you there!

—-Any questions owl or email, swampscotthpachapter@gmail.com

Portkey Locations... err rides!

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:52:10 -0500

So for those of you going to the midnight release at Cinema Salem here is the ride plan:

Going to the theater

Dennis Averin- Dennis Averin and Jackie Thomsen

Caroline Carr- Caroline Carr, Katie Samiljan, Maggie Upham, Sami Curren, Katie Coffey and Michelle LaConte.

Aristana Scourtas- Aristana Scourtas, Taylorlyn Stephan

Shauna Gorham- Shauna Gorham, Meg Wynne and Lillie Goldman.

Going home

Emily Walls- Emily Walls, Aristana, Katie Coffey and Michelle LaConte

Sami Curren- Sami, Taylorlyn and Dennis

Jackie- Jackie, Shauna and Lillie

Maggie- Maggie, Caroline, and Katie S.

If you are going, but are not on this list, or there is some other error, email us or tell us here. For the way there, be sure to contact your driver to make sure you find out when and where you will be picked up. You should get to the theater between 10:30 and 11 but earlier is fine. I (Emily) think I will be there close to 9 so don’t worry about being too early!

What we will be doing there is called a Lumos Party. We will bring petitions and information about the Harry Potter Alliance and try to get people to support fair trade. Be sure to bring a flashlight or cell phone so we can shine a light on the need for fair trade. If you want to know more about the Lumos Party there will be a livestream tonight, at 8 here.

If you are not going to the midnight release at Salem or are going another time click here to find out if where you are going is hosting a Lumos Party, if so, that’s great, bring a flashlight and support the chapter running that. If not, and you want to host a Lumos Party, let us know and we’ll help you set one up. It basically entails bringing some pamphlets and petitions and setting up a table at your theater.

-The weapon we have is love!

Lumos Parties!

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 07:54:16 -0500

Lumos Parties!:

Hi Potterwatchers!

If you are headed off to see the movie, check this link to see if there is a lumos party planned. No? Want to host one? That’s awesome! Basically what you will be doing is promoting the Harry Potter Alliance and trying to shine a light on fair trade and the Starvation Wages Horcrux. Encourage everyone you know to bring flashlights (or candles, but flashlights seem safer). If there already is a Lumos Party be sure to bring your flashlights and show your support for the chapter hosting the event!

Questions? Drop us an owl or an email at swampscotthpachapter@gmail.com!

-The weapon we have is love!

Join us on Livestream Tuesday, November 16 at 8pm EST!

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 07:44:31 -0500

Join us on Livestream Tuesday, November 16 at 8pm EST!:

thehpalliance:

Hi everyone! It’s Deathly Hallows Part 1 week! Are you excited? I’m practically squirming out of my chair as I type!

I hope that when you attend the movie, you are gong to host a Lumos Party. What’s a Lumos Party, you ask? It’s your opportunity to shine a light on fair trade by bringing candles or a flashlight, along with the

thehpalliance: In the first vlog of the Deathly Hallows...

Sat, 13 Nov 2010 10:24:01 -0500

thehpalliance:

In the first vlog of the Deathly Hallows campaign, Andrew and Kate head to the post office to send real letters about fair trade to Warner Brothers. Letters are great because their physical presence shows that we have a lot of dedication and interest in fair trade. Each letter you send earns 50 points for your house! If you film a video of your letter-writing experience and upload it to youtube as a video response, that will earn you an additional 100 points.

The Petition!

Sat, 13 Nov 2010 10:23:38 -0500

The Petition!:

If you haven’t yet, sign the petition! Make Time Warner chocolate fair trade!

One of the videos we were going to play at the X-block, if...

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 23:02:39 -0500

One of the videos we were going to play at the X-block, if you’re curious about the HPA or why there was a weird guy in a chair on a beach.

Rides!

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 19:34:00 -0500

Hi Potterwatchers!

I wanted to start up a rides list for next week’s movie (SQUEEE!!!!)

So leave us an ask or just email us (swampscotthpachapter@gmail.com) if Tumblr is a bit confusing and let us know if you have a parent who can drive and how many you can fit. We’ll then add you to this list:

Way to the theater:

Way back home:

Emily’s Mom:

3 people

Once we have a more robust list we will start assigning people to cars. So leave an ask or email us, if 1) you have a parent who can drive, 2) how many they can fit, 3) which way (or ways) they can drive, and 4) if you need a ride. We will try to make this into an organized list and make sure everyone gets there and back okay.