HARRY POTTER. THE BOY WHO LIVED, THE CHOSEN ONE

Today, The Weasleys have met Harry Potter, the boy who lived Lord Voldemort attack, the chosen one.

Before this special meeting, the family has been practising the Perfect tenses and how to create words and improve their vocabulary.

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Harry James Potter was a half-blood wizard, one of the most famous wizards of modern times. He was the only child and son of James and Lily Potter, née Evans, both members of the original Order of the Phoenix. Harry's birth was overshadowed by a prophecy, naming either himself or Neville Longbottom as the one with the power to vanquish Lord Voldemort. After half of the prophecy was reported to Voldemort courtesy of Severus Snape, Harry was chosen as the target due to his many similarities with the Dark Lord. This caused the Potter family to go into hiding. Voldemort made his first vain attempt to circumvent the prophecy when Harry was a year and three months old. 

More information: Pottermore

During this attempt he murdered Harry's parents as they tried to protect him, but this unsuccessful attempt to kill Harry led to Voldemort's first downfall. This downfall marked the end of the First Wizarding War, and to Harry henceforth being known as the Boy Who Lived.

One consequence of Lily's loving sacrifice was that her orphaned son had to be raised by her only remaining blood relative, his Muggle aunt Petunia Dursley. While in her care he would be protected from Lord Voldemort, due to the Bond of Blood charm Albus Dumbledore placed upon him. This powerful charm would protect him until he became of age, or no longer called his aunt's house home. 

Harry's time with the Durselys was harsh, but necessary. As the only known survivor of the Killing Curse, up to that point, Harry was already famous before he arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

On his eleventh birthday, Harry learned that he was a wizard. He began attending Hogwarts and was Sorted into Gryffindor House. 

More information: HP Lexicon

While at school Harry became best friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. He later became the youngest Quidditch Seeker in over a century and eventually the captain of his house's team, winning two Quidditch Cups. He became even better known in his early years for protecting the Philosopher's Stone from Voldemort, saving Ron's sister Ginny Weasley, solving the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets, slaying Salazar Slytherin's basilisk, and learning how to conjure a corporeal stag Patronus at the age of thirteen. 

In his fourth year, Harry won the Triwizard Tournament, although the competition ended with the tragic death of Cedric Diggory and the return of Lord Voldemort. 

During the next school year, Harry reluctantly taught and led Dumbledore's Army. He also fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, during which he lost his godfather, Sirius Black.

Harry played a significant role in many other battles of the Second Wizarding War. He, Ron, and Hermione hunted down and destroyed Voldemort's Horcruxes. During the Battle of Hogwarts Harry personally saw the deaths of Severus Snape and Fred Weasley and learned that Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Colin Creevey, and many others had fallen in battle as well. He encountered Voldemort and sacrificed himself, knowing that his doing so was the only way to destroy the fragment of Voldemort's soul inside him. 

In limbo, after Voldemort cursed him in the forest clearing, Albus Dumbledore gave Harry advice and background information on the Dark Lord. When told he could choose to live or to move on, Harry chose to live. After he awoke he confronted Voldemort and defeated him once and for all.

Harry was also notable for being the only known Master of Death, having united the three Deathly Hallows at the mere age of seventeen.

After the war, Harry became an Auror and helped reform and revolutionise the Ministry of Magic. At some point, he married Ginny Weasley, with whom he had three children: James Sirius, named after his father and godfather, Albus Severus, named after Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape, and Lily Luna, named after his mother and Luna Lovegood. He was also named the godfather of Edward Remus Lupin. 

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Harry was promoted to Head of the Auror Office at the age of 26 and would occasionally deliver Defence Against the Dark Arts lectures at Hogwarts. He later went on to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Harry was a near-spitting image of his father, having inherited his untidy jet-black hair. However, his almond-shaped startlingly green eyes were identical to those of his mother. 

Harry's physique as a boy was described as small and skinny, with a thin face and knobbly knees. This skinniness was due to his poor quality of life in his childhood. Despite the neglect he suffered, Harry seems to have grown at the same rate as James. When he was fifteen he was within an inch of James at the same age, and when he was seventeen he was exactly the same height his father was, and James was often described as tall.

Harry wore round-rimmed glasses, peculiarly similar to his father's glasses. During his time hunting Voldemort's Horcruxes, Harry's black hair grew shoulder length as was described when he saw his reflection in Malfoy Manor. This was due to his preoccupation with the hunt for the Horcruxes and his lack of interest in his appearance.

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Upon Harry's forehead, covered by his unruly black hair, was a scar shaped like a lightning bolt. The scar was a result of the failed, and famed, Killing Curse cast on him by Lord Voldemort when he was an infant. It burned painfully whenever Voldemort was near Harry or feeling particularly strong emotions, but this stopped after Voldemort's death and was reduced into an ordinary scar.

The Potters were an old and wealthy pure-blood family, descended from their founding patriarch Linfred of Stinchcombe. Linfred was given the nickname Potterer, which over the years was corrupted into Potter. 

The family took on the simplified nickname as a surname, thus leading to future generations calling themselves Potter. The Potters were also descended from the Peverell family, through Iolanthe Peverell. They are related to Ignotus Peverell, one of the three brothers that created the Deathly Hallows, who passed the Cloak of Invisibility down to his descendants as a family heirloom. 

More information: Screen Rant-The Events before Philosopher's Stone

The Gaunt family were also descended from the Peverells through Cadmus Peverell, another of the three brothers that created the Hallows, who passed the Resurrection Stone down to his descendants as a family heirloom, set in a signet ring. The Potters were thus indirectly related to the Gaunts as well, and by extension Lord Voldemort.

 

As the Potters were considered a pure-blood family, Harry was related paternally to various other wizards and witches through families like the: Blacks, Malfoys, Weasleys, and Longbottoms, as well as many other Pure-blood families.  

Harry's only known maternal relatives were the Evans and Dursley families, who were Muggles.

Harry James Potter was born to James and Lily Potter, née Evans, two members of the original Order of the Phoenix at the height of the First Wizarding War, only hours after his classmate-to-be Neville Longbottom.

More information: Screen Rant-The Plot

To keep them safe from Lord Voldemort, who had marked them for death after hearing of a prophecy regarding his downfall at the hands of a male child born at the end of July in 1980, Albus Dumbledore suggested they use the Fidelius Charm. 

The Potters had planned to make Harry's godfather Sirius Black their Secret Keeper, but on his advice, changed this designation to Peter Pettigrew, whom they thought would be less suspicious. In a terrible turn of fate, Pettigrew was a spy and Death Eater for Voldemort and barely a week later betrayed the Potter's and gave their whereabouts.

Lord Voldemort arrived at Godric's Hollow and murdered James and Lily. He murdered James first, who tried to distract the Dark Lord; unfortunately, he did not have his wand with him and was killed immediately. Voldemort then advanced on Lily, who died trying to protect Harry.

More information: Screen Rant-The Powerful Wizards Ranked

Rubeus Hagrid rescued Harry from the house, partially destroyed by Voldemort's faulty killing curse, and was given specific orders from Albus Dumbledore to take him to his aunt and uncle. As Hagrid left, he was intercepted by Sirius Black, a close friend of the Potters, who pleaded for Hagrid to give the baby to him, as he was the chosen guardian in the event of James and Lily's death.

Hagrid delivered Harry to Dumbledore and Dumbledore left a letter of explanation to the Dursleys, but they never relayed it to Harry. 

Instead, Harry spent the next decade of his life in their strict and miserable home without knowing that he was a wizard. At midnight on Harry's birthday, Rubeus Hagrid appeared in person to find out why Harry had not received his letter. He was infuriated by the Dursleys and explained to Harry, in spite of Vernon's obstinate protests, that he was a wizard, how his parents died, that Dumbledore demanded him to take Harry from the ruined house to his hated relatives, and that he was to be sent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

More information: Screent Rant-Harry Potter behind Scenes

Harry was guided further to his destiny when he was dropped off by the Dursleys King's Cross Station. Vernon helped Harry wheel his things to the platforms and left laughing about how Platform Nine and Three-Quarters hadn't been built yet. 

The family then drove off leaving Harry at the busy station all alone. 

With only ten minutes left until the train's departure at eleven a.m., Harry was panicking when he overheard a red-headed family complaining about the station being packed with Muggles and he noticed they had an owl with their belongings. 

He met Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley who were going to be his best friends in Hogwarts. The new students were greeted at the castle door by Professor Minerva McGonagall, who explained the four houses of Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, as well as the rules of the House Cup.

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McGonagall led the first years into a small room off the Entrance Hall and told them to wait until she returned. When she did, they were led into the Great Hall, where they were greeted by the rest of the students, and more importantly, a shabby wizard's hat on a small stool.

Harry knew who is Voldemort, the enemy of Hogwarts and he fought against him who has occupied the body of Professor Quirrell who doesn't accept being touched by Harry. Dumbledore then explained the reason why Quirrell could not touch him was that because Harry's mother had died to save him, granting him protection against Voldemort.

Harry's second year started out badly, and gradually got worse. Throughout the preceding summer, the Dursleys became so fearful of his newly discovered magical abilities that they locked away all of his school supplies immediately after his return home to them.

More information: Factinate-The Philosopher's Stone

Hermione wanted to research the Chamber of Secrets, an old legend of Hogwarts, so she talked History of Magic Professor Cuthbert Binns into telling the class about its origin.

Harry's third year started out almost as bad as the year prior, and gradually got depressing. Throughout the preceding summer, the Dursleys became fearful of his magical abilities getting exposed that they banned him from talking to the neighbours immediately after his return home to them.

Shortly before Christmas, the Weasley twins gave Harry their Marauder's Map, a magical document that showed every person's location within Hogwarts, what they were doing, and secret passageways in and out of the castle. 

Harry used a tunnel to sneak into Hogsmeade village, where he overheard a disturbing conversation that Sirius Black was his parents' best friend, as well as his godfather and legal guardian. Black was the Potters' Secret Keeper and he allegedly divulged the Potters' secret whereabouts to Lord Voldemort and murdered their friend Peter Pettigrew, as well as twelve Muggle bystanders. Peter left a finger to prove that he has been killed with the twelve Muggles.

More information: Factinate-The Chamber of Secrets

The Ministry publicly denied the Dark Lord's return and branded Harry and Dumbledore either liars or nutters in the press. Voldemort and his Death Eaters took advantage of this to operate in secret, while Dumbledore called for a reconstitution of the Order of the Phoenix.

Then reinforcements from the Order of the Phoenix, alerted by Snape, arrived to help aid in the battle. 

In the ensuing fighting, Sirius Black was murdered by a killing curse from his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, and fell through a mysterious stone arch. 

Harry pursued Bellatrix, using the Cruciatus Curse, but he was unable to kill her. Voldemort appeared, angered by the failures of his Death Eaters. For the second time, he attempted to fatally curse Harry, who was too transfixed to even defend himself, but Dumbledore's sudden arrival saved him. Voldemort then fully possessed Harry, hoping that Dumbledore would sacrifice Harry in order to kill Voldemort.

More information: Factinate-The Prisoner of Azkaban

Dumbledore explained to Harry the real reason why Voldemort tried to kill him as an infant. A prophecy stated that he was destined to defeat the Dark Lord, for he had powers Voldemort did not: the ability to love, something that the Department of Mysteries was trying to research in a locked room.

As the battle had taken place at one point in the famed Hall of Prophecy, many in the wizarding community including the Daily Prophet began to speculate about the relationship between Harry and that place, leading to, accidentally correct reports calling Harry the Chosen One, the one destined to defeat Lord Voldemort once and for all. Harry witnessed the death of Albus Dumbledore at the hands of Severus Snape. When Ginny announced that Dumbledore was dead, everyone appeared horrified. Lupin actually lost control for a moment, while Madam Pomfrey burst into tears and McGonagall was weak-kneed. 

Harry explained to everyone what had happened on the Astronomy Tower and when he was finished, they were all shocked by what he had said. Harry also revealed Dumbledore's apparent reasons for trusting Snape and allowing him a second chance.

More information: Factinate-The Goblet of Fire

Harry stayed at 4 Privet Drive for a time, but the Order of the Phoenix needed to evacuate him to the Burrow before he turned seventeen.

Harry soon became obsessed by the Deathly Hallows. He spent everyday brooding over the possibilities, forgetting about his responsibilities. 

With Harry's new found obsession with the Hallows, he became more and more withdrawn and listless. He came to believe that the Resurrection Stone was enclosed within the Golden Snitch bequeathed to him by Dumbledore. He also surmised that Lord Voldemort was abroad in a search for the Elder Wand. This obsession troubled his friends, and with the drop in Harry's attentiveness Ron's leadership qualities flourished.

More information: Factinate-The Order of Phoenix

As they escaped Malfoy Manor by Apparition, Bellatrix Lestrange threw a silver dagger to where they were Disapparating. Harry was initially relieved to realise he had managed to apparate to Shell Cottage with Ron, Hermione, and Dobby in tow, but was horrified to see the knife protruding from the elf's chest. Harry managed to lie him on the grass, where Dobby collapsed and died in Harry's arms his last words being Harry's name.

A vision from Voldemort helped Harry realise that the third Horcrux, whilst unbeknownst to him at the time, Ravenclaw's Diadem, remained at Hogwarts.  

Harry, Ron, and Hermione set out on their final mission to return to the school and obtain the diadem, inadvertently tripping the Caterwauling Charm upon Apparating to Hogsmeade and thereby alerting the waiting Death Eaters to their presence. Due to the trio being under the Invisibility cloak, however, the Death Eaters resorted to unleashing Dementors into the streets to try to force the intruders out of hiding. Once the trio arrived at the Shrieking Shack, they witnessed Voldemort order Nagini to kill Snape, as he believed that Snape was preventing him from being the true owner of the Elder Wand. Dumbledore was the previous owner of the wand, and as Snape killed him, Voldemort believes with Snape's demise, he will finally gain true mastery of the wand.

 

Before he died, Snape gave Harry memories to view in the Pensieve and asked him to look into his eyes. Upon returning to the castle, Harry saw the corpses of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks near Fred's, and he felt devastated. He left his friends behind to use Albus Dumbledore's Pensieve, welcoming the time in another's head to distract him from what was happening in his own.

More information: Factinate-The Half Blood Prince

Harry also learned that Snape was, all along, with Dumbledore because he loved Lily Evans, since before they started school. 

It was clear that Harry's life span had always been determined by how long it took to get rid of the Horcruxes, and that it was an elegant plan not to waste any more lives but to give the tasks to the boy who had already been marked for death, and whose death would not be tragic but simply another blow against Voldemort. 

Heavy of heart, Harry courageously slipped off on his own to carry out this dreadful task. He felt ghostly as he strode through the castle's empty halls, feeling as if he was already dead.

When Harry and Voldemort faced off for the last time, Harry tried to tell him this and about the other mistakes he had made. Harry also asked him to feel some remorse for his actions, which Voldemort instantly rejected. Voldemort cast the Killing Curse, and Harry countered with the Disarming Charm. The Elder Wand refused to attack its master, and the Killing Curse rebounded, destroying Voldemort once and for all.

More information: Factinate-The Deathly Hallows

The trio visited Albus Dumbledore's portrait, and along the way he explained everything to his two best friends. Harry decided to prevent the Deathly Hallows from ever being reunited again by keeping the Cloak of Invisibility, leaving the Resurrection Stone where it lay in the Forbidden Forest, and returning the Elder Wand to Dumbledore's grave, but not before using it to fix his wand.

When Voldemort destroyed the piece of his soul residing in Harry, Harry lost the ability to speak Parseltongue.

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.
 

Harry Potter

HERMIONE GRANGER, SHREWDNESS & INTELLIGENCE

Today, The Weasleys have met one of the most popular characters of Hogwarts, the Muggle-born Hermione Granger. Before this, they have been practising Past Simple and Past Perfect tenses.

More info: Past Perfect

 

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Minister Hermione Jean Granger was a Muggle-born witch born to Mr and Mrs Granger, both dentists. At the age of eleven she learned that she was a witch, and had been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

She began attending Hogwarts and was Sorted into Gryffindor House. Hermione possessed a brilliant academic mind, and proved to be a gifted student in almost every subject that she studied.

Hermione had lots of bushy brown hair, brown eyes, a bossy sort of voice that would become slightly shrill when she was angry, and -as a child- rather large front teeth.

Hermione never gave much attention to her appearance, and usually hid her potential to be extremely pretty under her bushy hairstyle and a large pile of books, which she kept slung on her back. She generally wore her school uniform under her robes. Otherwise, she dressed casually.

More information:  Pottermore

Hermione first met Harry Potter and Ron Weasley aboard the Hogwarts Express. Both boys found Hermione unfriendly and somewhat of an insufferable know-it-all. Later, her eagerness to please her professors and her constant correct answers reinforced their initial impression. However, in spite of the cool relationship between the three, Hermione stepped in to take the blame from Ron and Harry after they had saved her from a troll on Hallowe'en. Harry and Ron were surprised, but grateful and the three quickly became friends.

In her second year, Hermione played a crucial role in the discovery of the Chamber of Secrets, before falling victim to the basilisk unleashed upon Hogwarts following the opening of the Chamber. 

She was recovered from her petrification under the care of Madam Pomfrey, with the assistance of Professor Sprout's Mandrake Restorative Draught. 

The next year, Hermione was granted permission to use a Time-Turner from the Ministry of Magic to facilitate her volition to study far more subjects than was possible without time travel. Later in the year, she and Harry would use the Time-Turner to rescue Sirius Black from the Dementor's Kiss as well as Buckbeak the hippogriff from execution.

More information: HP Lexicon

During her fourth year at Hogwarts, Hermione became an advocate for the better treatment of house-elves, forming the association S.P.E.W. She also helped Harry prepare for the Triwizard Tournament. In her fifth year, she was the driving force behind the creation of Dumbledore's Army. 

Later in her fifth year, she fought alongside fellow D.A. members in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and in her sixth year, she fought in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower.

Hermione played a significant role in many other battles of the Second Wizarding War, as well. She fought in the Battle of the Seven Potters, alongside the Order of the Phoenix. She and Ron both decided not to return to Hogwarts for their final year of studies, instead choosing to accompany Harry on his quest to find and destroy Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes.

More information: Screen Rant

Hermione then fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, as well as destroying Hufflepuff's Cup, a Horcrux with Ron Weasley, using a basilisk fang found in the Chamber of Secrets, then opened by Ron imitating Harry saying open in Parseltongue.

Upon turning eleven, Hermione was surprised to learn that she was a witch and was invited to attend Hogwarts. She eagerly accepted and took to studying magic even before she began her first year at Hogwarts, learning all the set spellbooks by heart and even managing to perform a few spells successfully.

In addition to the texts set by the school, Hermione brought with her several other books for reference and to further her understanding of the wizarding world.

Hermione enjoyed her years as a pupil at Hogwarts, and took assignments, classes, and school rules very seriously. She was often described as the brightest witch of her age. Her favourite subject was initially Charms, and later Arithmancy. The only areas of study that gave her trouble were Flying and Divination.

More information: Factinate

Hermione was a couple of weeks away from turning twelve when she boarded the Hogwarts Express, where she met Harry Potter and Ron Weasley while helping Neville Longbottom find his pet toad, Trevor.

The friendship between Harry, Ron and Hermione was solidified when, on Hallowe'en, the three were forced to confront a mountain troll, which had been let into the school by Professor Quirinus Quirrell.

Before her fourth year at Hogwarts, Hermione spent much of the summer holidays at the Burrow with Harry and Ron, sharing a room with Ginny Weasley. With the other Weasleys, excluding Molly Weasley, they attended the Quidditch World Cup in August.

Following the death of Cedric Diggory, the Ministry of Magic refused to accept Harry and Dumbledore's claims that Lord Voldemort had returned, and the Daily Prophet labelled them either liars or nutters. 

However, Hermione and Ron believed Harry and defended him against the criticism of doubtful classmates. Though occasionally Harry vented his frustration at them, Hermione and Ron stuck by him. 

They also wanted to become members of the reconvened Order of the Phoenix but were not allowed to because they were under-age. 

Hermione helped exterminate 12 Grimmauld Place, which served as headquarters for the Order, and was immensely relieved when Harry was acquitted of the charge of having used under-age magic. 

Also before returning to Hogwarts, she and Ron learned that they had been appointed prefects for Gryffindor house and received badges. She took her position very seriously.

During the funeral of Albus Dumbledore, Hermione was comforted by Ron and cried on his shoulder. Afterwards, Harry told them about his desire to drop out of Hogwarts to hunt Horcruxes, which were the key to defeating Lord Voldemort. 

More information: Huffington Post

Despite his protests, Hermione and Ron promised to forgo their seventh year of school in order to assist Harry. Before leaving the school, Hermione was able to Summon books about Horcruxes from Dumbledore's office, where the late headmaster had kept them after the subject had been banned at Hogwarts.

Hermione began planning for her journey with Harry and Ron immediately. She Summoned books about Horcruxes from Dumbledore's office so as to learn how to destroy the items. 

Concerned for the safety of her family, she altered her parents' memories to make them think they were Wendell and Monica Wilkins and sent them to hide in Australia, no longer aware of their original identities, the existence of their daughter, or anything she had told them about Harry.

 

She also withdrew all of her savings at her building society account, in event of a need for Muggle money.

Hermione then joined with the Order of the Phoenix in the operation to remove Harry from 4 Privet Drive before his 17th birthday, taking Polyjuice Potion to become one of the seven Potters.

 

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The Battle of Hogwarts soon resumed, and Hermione fought Bellatrix Lestrange alongside Ginny and Luna, despite being hindered by using Bellatrix's own wand against her. When Bellatrix nearly killed Ginny, Molly Weasley took over the fight and killed Bellatrix.  

Hermione witnessed Harry's final defeat of Lord Voldemort, and she and Ron reached him first, overjoyed. Hermione survived the battle relatively unscathed, only suffering minor injuries and burns she received from entering the Lestrange's Vault shortly before the battle.

Following the Second Wizarding War, Hermione went back to Hogwarts to complete her education. She later found employment with the Ministry of Magic, furthering the cause for the better treatment of house-elves.

Afterward she was promoted to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She eventually married Ron Weasley and together they had two children, Rose and Hugo. Hermione became the godmother of Harry and Ginny Potter's eldest son James. She had become the Minister for Magic.

More information: Glamour

Mudblood and proud of it.

Hermione Granger

THE NAVAJO NATION, NIZHÓNÍGO AŁHÉÉHOSIILZĮĮD

The Grandma driving across Navajo Nation

The Beans are in New Mexico. They're visiting the Navajo Nation and they're going to visit Arizona and Utah, too. 

They arrived last night after they had flown from San Diego. The family is excited because they're going to discover on of the most ancient and incredible cultures: the Native American. They arrived to Alburquerque with a lot of luggage because they had bought lots of souvenirs in San Diego. The Grandma was a little sad because she had said goodbye to Maverick, her handsome friend and the family decided to go to the hotel quickly because they had had a tired flight and they wanted to rest a little and review some English grammar, especially, the Past Simple Passive and the Past Perfect. 

The Grandma was also talking about earthquakes and volcanoes, two things that she adores and admires like incredible natural forces. She has also talked about classic films which she also loves.

More information: Passive Voice (Past Simple)

Today, The Beans are travelling to the Navajo Nation across the Route 40 by their Harley-Davidson, the last presents that The Grandma has bought for her lovely family. They are going to sleep in Navajo tents because the Navajo Community has invited them to share and know its incredible culture. 

More information: Past Perfect

Tomorrow, the family is going to discover the importance of this community during the WWII and one of their most amazing ceremonies: The Blessing Way.

More information: Past Perfect vs. Past Simple

We must not forget the Navajo customs and traditions which are unwritten.  Long before the Europeans arrived as newcomers, the Navajo people were living according to the laws, the rules, and the prayers taught to them by the Holy People, laws that brought order, beauty, peace, and harmony to the People and their world.

Nelson Gorman, Jr., Preface of the Navajo Code

The Blessing Way or hozhooji is a ceremony to awaken one to natural order, hozho; choosing constructive and life-affirming choices; healing from intentions and decisions that destroy oneself and others. 

Cristina Bean arriving to a Navajo home

To explain the blessing way, spiritual-cultural concepts are translated from the Dineh language into appropriate English descriptions to convey universal health and healing concepts from Dineh oral tradition.  

Navajo ceremonies do not require a conversion process of taking away the precious child within the natural order, and replacing this spiritual SELF-identity with a deficient self-image that has to be re-mediated to some desired end state of progress. Once awakened to the natural order, we begin living the loving way, hozhooji: literal translation of the blessing way ceremony as translated by my paternal aunt. It is a way of living in reverent revolution, of making decisions that are constructive and life affirming.

The four phases of the blessing way ceremony is a healing process that leads to curing. These two main ceremonies offer protection from contaminants like the maladaptive emotions of hate, jealousy, anger, guilt, fear and toxins from the environment.

More information:  Navajo Nation Government

Five major ceremonies: As five-fingered people, this corresponds to five major ceremonies that every child in the world could benefit by.

-Blessing Way: the blessing way honors the divine feminine as a nurturer.

-Protection Way: divine masculine as a protector-provider.

-Purification and cleansing: numerous with specific names for specific purposes.
 

-Spiritual renewal: a nine-day ceremony for spiritual renewal.

-Journey to spirit world: the ceremony for a person on their journey to the spirit world.

The Beans visiting the Navajo Nation

A blessings way Ceremonial Change Process teaches why and how to make life-affirming choices, rather than death-producing choices.   

We can understand a Dineh ceremonial change process within the context of Indigenous Science.  The strategy is to set up the optimal conditions for remembering and awakening to the oneness of creator. In healing ceremonies we affirm our holiness and wholeness. Dineh spirituality is the science of light-love-life-nature in one integrated concept.  The will-to-love, peace, beauty and joy within our Affirmative thinking system and within the universe is called hozho.

More information: Discover Navajo

The Navajo creation story speaks about the people traveling through four worlds into the current world from the place of emergence within the four sacred mountains.  This represents the concept that there is one mother of us all because our body is composed of earth.

The word for mountain is the same word for spiritual strength.  Every child is born through the water and through the birth canal.  The element of fire is our temperature and we inhale and exhale with the creator’s holy breath.  This air originates from the physical sun and radiates to the trees where we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide.

The miracle of life that we call photosynthesis is what Navajos call the creator’s holy breath.  We are instructed to use this holy breath for speaking living words that heal.  This is why our medicine people are called singers.  They sing a person back to balance, harmony with creator, themselves and others within the natural order.

The journey through the four worlds was required to restore balance and harmony from misusing life energy for destructive and death-producing choices.  There is a consequence in violating the natural order.  This is not punishment, condemnation or judgment, just consequence and a message to correct the out-of-balance life condition.

More information: History

I grew up knowing it's wrong 

to have more than you need. 
It means you're not taking 

care of your people.

Native American Navajo Proverb

WASHINGTON DC: I HAVE A DREAM

Martin Luther King

Yesterday, The Poppins studied the order of complements in English syntax and the difference between Because and Because of. They also did some exercises about Past Simple and Past Perfect and read a new chapter of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.

More information: Because-Because of

After this work, they listened the beautiful Isa Poppins’ speaking about Love Birds and they talked about different themes with the idea of preparing the next exam.

The family is in Washington where The Grandma wants to visit The Lincoln Memorial and evocate Martin Luther King Jr., a person who she admires with all her heart.

More information: Conjunctions

Today, they’re going to visit the Potomac Park and Georgetown University in the morning; The Tomas Jefferson Memorial in the afternoon and The Smithsonian Institution (aka Jeffersonian Institution) where they’re going to visit Temperance Brennan (aka Bones) and her scientific team in the evening. 

The function of education is to teach one 

to think intensively and to think critically. 

Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

THE HOLMES, BRITISH STYLE

Leo Messi

The Holmes have been continuing their visit to London. They’ve been in the British Museum; climbed Tower Bridge and gone to the Tower of London. They have driven by bus and by taxi and they’ve sailed through the Thames.

They are intensive days and they are taking profit of everything when they visit these emblematic places.

Yesterday, the family went to the Emirates Stadium to watch a football match between Arsenal and FC Barcelona. The Grandma was very happy with the final score and to celebrate it, she invited all the family to drink and dance in a private party in 221B, Baker Street where they were talking about Past Perfect and sharks, playing to guess characters and remembering Rosa’s TV appearances.

More information: Past Perfect Exercises

Today, the family has continued its English classes studying some passive forms and practising with a PET exam example.

More information: The Passive

Tomorrow, they are going to read another chapter of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and continue with passive forms.

More information: PET Samples

Arsenal, we're on your side
Our love we can not hide
Our hearts are open wide
To cheer you along the way

CLUE & SYMBOLOGY

Clue

Yesterday, it was a difficult day for The Collins Family. Something strange happened in Downton Abbey, in the library with a candelabrum while the family was enjoying the party.

The Police's report is still opened and they think that there’s a relation between the strange case and the popular family. Although all of them could demonstrate their innocence with solid alibis, this hasn’t convinced the Police who continue the investigation. For other hand, all members of the family continued their English lessons. Once they finished the official summary, they’re dedicating these days to review all knowledge in a higher level.

Montse Paris talked us about synaesthesia and later, the best news arrived from M. Carmen who has passed her B1 exam in the EOI. All the family is plenty of joyful because of this.

Today, the family has continued its consolidation classes reviewing Past Perfect, Comparative, Superlative and Social English and talking about Antoni Gaudí’s works.

Tomorrow, the family is moving to Downton Abbey to choose its furniture and in the evening they’re going to get a plane to travel to French Guiana where they will board in a shuttle space direction. It seems that Eva is very sad after Alf leaving and they want to meet him again. Finally, we’ve talked about Mozilla Firefox and its components: AdBlock and Video Download Helper.

More information: Antoni Gaudí's works

There is always a history.

Richard Castle