By Bernie Bell.

The Halloween window display at Eerieorums in Kirkwall includes The Sorting Hat

Quite a lot of people are now against J.K. Rowling – but I was thinking of how the Harry Potter books got children and young people reading – many of whom might have had no interest in reading, otherwise.

Also, they contain a lot of good ideas.  For example – the idea of being able to laugh at what frightens you – when Prof. Lupin releases Boggarts from a cupboard and trains his pupils to replace the frightening Boggart with something they can laugh at – that’s a very sound approach to needless fears.

Years ago I worked with a lass who was terrified of her Supervisor.  So much so that when he told her off, she’d panic and was unable to defend herself.  I advised picturing  him naked, sitting on a toilet.  It worked!

Another very positive idea in Harry Potter is that of conjuring up your Patronus – when frightened, replace the fear with what makes you most happy  – your best memory or feeling.  A very sound idea indeed.

I deployed this strategy recently when needing to clear my mind of something.  I replaced the disturbing images with images that make me happy – a young Starling discovering the water dish in front of our house,  then discovering the berries on the cotoneaster bush. Then  Blackbirds joining the Starling,  feasting, while Sparrers replaced him in the water dish – they enjoy it so much!

Children and young people – or grown-ups too – reading the Harry Potter books will absorb these ideas, maybe without even being aware of doing so, and thus spread positivity, right round the world

Whatever you think of the person who wrote them, in many ways the Harry Potter books are A GOOD THING!