In the Desert:: Presence and Absence

In 2003 the 5th Harry Potter book was coming out. 

I was woefully unaware of the phenomenon that Harry Potter had become at this stage. I only knew that my wife, who had just started her teaching career, was very plugged into young adult literature and told me this was a big deal. The book release date was right around her birthday, so it felt like the right idea to wait in line and purchase the book on the first date it was released. 

As a 21 year old male, with no children, I was a bit of an oddity in the line to purchase Harry Potter:The Order of the Phoenix.
No scarf. 
No wand. 
No lightening bolt scar on my forehead. 

I was really out of place and struggling to put all these pieces together. When I got to the front of the line the woman who was behind the counter remarked on how much she appreciated that I had worn my "Harry Potter glasses." 

In my lifetime I am 98% sure if the comments that I am receiving are compliments or insults. Very rarely do I ever have to decide between saying "Thank You!" or "Shut Your Face."

Over the next several years I figured out this was meant as a compliment and I jumped feet first into the world of Harry Potter. I'm no expert, but I can hold my own in the Harry Potter universe. 

One concept from the books that I find most interesting is horcruxes.

For the uninitiated, the lead villain in the books has placed portions of his very soul in physical objects around the world that make him immortal until they are all found and destroyed. You can kill his body, but he's preserved by these horcruxes. 

I think it's a fascinating concept to fragment yourself in order to save yourself. If you place enough of the core of your being around the world you can continue to function in the world and attain a demented sort of immortality. 

I think there are a lot of parallels to this concept in our own lives and this concept is one that we're going to be looking at this week as we continue our look at "In the Desert.." and the wilderness experiences of our lives. What are our temptations to fragment ourselves for survival and can we ever hope to unite them all back together again?