This podcast is absolutely amazing. It helps me through dark times and it always reminds me that the Dersly’s house is only for the summer, and Hogwarts is always around the corner. Keep up the great work!

Like it says they mean well and are filled with love and equality. At times there’s long tangents about social justice and whatever the political climate of the US is. They give ridiculously huge spoilers. Chapter 5 I think of POA(book 3) they give just an absolute bombshell of the ending of the series. I’ve read the series in middle school so it’s been a while so I don’t remember everything. Don’t listen if you’re reading for the first time. Not to mention I listen to like 6 other podcasts and every other one I listen to is longer by an hour or two. They will have a 25 minute episode with 8 minutes of advertisements. It’s literally atrocious. Again they’re both very sweet people and mean well. Don’t listen with intent to listen to Harry Potter content. It’s really aggravating when you don’t recall the ending but they have no issue spoiling the whole series. We get it you’re literary people. No reason to decimate the whole series to just make a little point that’s unnecessary.

This podcast has been a companion of mine for years. It’s reinvigorated my love of the Harry Potter series. I’m grateful for the time and thought that has gone into it. And I look forward to reading the series again and again. But I’m disappointed in the way the podcast is ending. The hosts’ strong bias against Rowling that has only increased as the podcast has gone on (and now seem to mention it each episode). With the hosts having the same ideologies, there has never been a balance other than casting anyone that may disagree as fundamentally bad. As someone that is more centrist, I avoid the preachy attitudes of MSNBC and Fox News. But it feels like a MSNBC echo chamber more and more each week. In the hosts’ final act of defiance against Rowling, they have now decided to end the podcast and sever all connection to a wonderful series. It’s disheartening that they aren’t able to find any middle ground and feel like they need to toss the entire Harry Potter series by the wayside.

I’ve been a listener of HPST since the beginning and it’s gotten me through the good, the bad, and the every day. Vanessa, Casper, and Matt are such important people in my life because they have the gift of connection and that’s such a valuable gift to possess because it is meant to be shared with others. I’m still hoping to go on a pilgrimage one day to connect with them in person. As a therapist I help people retrain their brains everyday, and this podcast helps me retrain my brain and makes me feel like I’m reading something different whenever I pick up on of the 7 books. Keep reading, keep listening. Always.

Thanks for making this podcast a thing.?!.?!.?! From Autumn.?!.?!.?!.?!.?!!!!!!!! To Vanessa and Matt.?!.?!.?!.?!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vanessa, Matt, Casper & team - You have ruined me for all other Harry Potter podcasts. I tried to listen to others but keep coming back to Harry Potter and The Sacred Text because....you guys are gold. You make me think about things in a deeper way and help me reminise in such a meaningful way. I appreciate that you keep the focus on the theme of each episode. Molly Weasley is my favorite character but I'm sending a special blessing to...Madam Pomfrey. With all of the injuries throughout the series, she always has her hands full and gives the best care without judgement. Thank you for this podcast! I am starting over from 2018. :-)

It’s a shame that Not Sorry Productions doesn’t live up the the intersectional feminist values they posture about and profit from. Silence is violence.

After listening to each episode, I feel a little bit better about life and challenged to be a better version of myself. I love rereading Harry Potter and listening to this podcast for new ideas & understandings!

I love the show, don’t get me wrong. But there is another review that someone left that I totally agree with. “My only complaint is that Matt and Vanessa together can get too dark and gloomy, feeding off each others darker inclinations.” I liked how Casper kept the mood light and fun. I’d love to see him back on the show.

Could we get a food podcast with just Vanessa and Matt please

I can’t believe I haven’t done this already, but I have been listening since the very beginning, and wow has this podcast seen me through a lot of hard times and growth. It is my go to comfort show, a way to continue engaging with the Harry Potter series with fresh eyes and some necessary distance from its author. To Vanessa, Casper, Matt, and all of the wonderful contributors - thank you for the company through all of these years.

I love this podcast!!! I have no words for how amazing it is. It really makes you think when they break down these books.

Longtime listener and patron here! This show is a balm in a painful world. Thank you for your insights, hopes, fears, wonder… a magical experience, and I’m so grateful.

I started off 2023 by attending a live show of this podcast, and then proceeded to get caught up. If I had a Time Machine, I’d go back to my 2016 self and tell her to start listening to this podcast. I really could’ve used their guidance and insights over the last several years. But better late than never

Amazing buuuuuuuut i do not like all da discussing

Warms my heart and gives me the strength to be a better person.

Hello I’m Evangeline and I’m a huge Harry Potter fan I just loveeeee this Harry Potter podcast so thx for making it your awesome and amazing 🤩 I loveeeeeeeee Harry Potter Tysm!!! From:Harry Potter fan73991. ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

A fun way to reread a favorite series and to learn about contemplative practices. My only complaint is that Matt and Vanessa together can get too doom and gloomy, feeding off each others darker inclinations. It can get depressing and I’m here for fun and meaningful, not depressing! Nothing wrong with their personalities, they just don’t balance each other well, in my opinion. Casper’s lightheartedness makes a big difference. I’m glad he’s back!

For how much they bash the creator of these books, it’s wild how they are choosing to still engage with them at all. Doesn’t matter your opinion on the author as a listener, it seems very problematic that the hosts personally seem to have many issues with Rowling but are still creating content and likely making some kind of money off talking about her work. If they really had such a big issue with her, you’d think they’d find a different body of work to spend so much time on. Comes off as very hypocritical no matter how you cut it.

If you are interested in Harry Potter and/or the practice of treating texts as though they are sacred, this podcast is for you! I have been listening to this podcast for years, and I have listened to every episode at least once, if not two or three times each. It just keeps getting better. The first half of the series is hosted by Vanessa and Casper, and the latter half by Vanessa and Matt. Vanessa is the sassy cool Aunt that I want to be BFF’s with. Casper is the cheerful spiritual friend who always has the best joke or advice. And Matt is probably the most intelligent and kind person on the planet. All three hosts have a beautiful unique perspective, and offer intelligent insights and thoughts on Harry Potter and how we can apply the lessons we learn there to our own lives. They also have a rotating cast of delightful guest hosts, which is always a treat. Every time I listen to this podcast, I glean something from it. It makes me think critically about the role literature plays in my life, and how I can become a better person through the stories I engage with. I look forward to new episodes every week, and hope someday to be able to see an in-person live show or go on one of their pilgrimages! Listen to this podcast- it will make your life better!!! And a huge THANK YOU to the team that creates this!! 💛

Vanessa, Casper, Matt and various lovely guests have carried me through so many points of my life over the past 4 years I’ve been a listener. They are thoughtful, funny, engaging, so clever, and inspirational. Dip in for a random listen, or power through all 12 (and counting) seasons, you will not regret it. Special hat tip to my fellow Hufflepuff and proud atheist, Vanessa, but hugs to everyone on the team

I wish I could rate you infinite stars. This podcast has saved and changed my life so many times in the past 4 years!! Casper, Vanessa, Matt, AJ, Ariana and every one else who works on this podcast are absolutely amazing and make this a one of a kind experience every episode. I love you all so much please never stop making these, they’re one of my favorite things ever <3 THANK YOU. Blessings to you all. -Kia PS. Please do a live show in Ann Arbor Michigan (shoutout Matt) !!!

I love this podcast and listening to it during my commute. Of course I love all things Harry Potter, but this podcast goes beyond Harry Potter. If you think about it it’s not truly about Harry Potter, it is a podcast about meaning-making. They go over a theme in every episode and use the Harry Potter chapters to dive into those themes. You come out of each episode pondering philosophical questions about life in general. It’s also a great way to get a quick recap of each Harry Potter chapter.

Just about my favorite podcast ever. They have such valuable insights into life and Harry Potter. This is the perfect before work or after work podcast.

Five stars for modeling to your listeners the value and practice of deep, rigorous contemplation. I listen less for the Harry Potter of it all and more for the pleasure of hearing good-hearted people develop their capacity, as well as mine, to make meaning, embrace truth, and become more sensitive to this world. I recognize in the hosts’ words the experience of finding new corners in my own consciousness. My world is richer in part because of how this show has taught me to make it so.

This is one of my favorite podcasts and it truly helps me think about how to live a kinder and more connected life. It provides solace during difficult times, thoughtfulness when facing confusing questions, and some good laughs along the way. It is always my #1 podcast recommendation.

I don’t typically write reviews but felt motivated to write one regarding your podcast. I love Harry Potter and I generally enjoy listening to your podcasts. You have helped me see deeper meaning and interpretations of the text that I had never seen. For that, I am grateful. However, bringing politics into the discussions have been a real turn off. The hosts seem to forget that not everyone that listens to the podcast is left-leaning. I’ve tried to listen with an open mind but at times I feel insulted by the hosts because I don’t necessarily agree with them politically. Please remember the diversity of your listeners and be respectful to everyone.

I sincerely hope Collette can join the pod again in future episodes. Her thoughts were a lovely addition to what Matt and Vanessa bring each week and I would love to hear more from her!

This podcast holds space for both intellectual, spiritual and emotional responses to the HP text. This podcast finds fun for the dedicated HP fan, but also a space for anyone spiritual (even those non-believers out there!). As in all good spiritual interpretation, they use the text as a starting point for talking about what it means to be human.

I absolutely love this podcast, as it teaches its listeners to examine the texts they love so dearly through an educational and critical lens. I find the topics the hosts cover so interesting, and truly enjoy how open ended and extensive their discussions are. The only reason I gave this podcast 4 stars is because one of the hosts sometimes gets on my nerves. Vanessa, I absolutely love you and I find the points you bring up so thought out and engaging. You make me think through what you say and help me have a more immersive experience with this podcast. I am not writing this to be negative or to make you feel bad, but rather to give you some constructive criticism. I find the way you argue with your co-hosts’ points to be a little bit condescending and self-righteous at times. I think trying to be more curious about why your co-hosts disagree with you before arguing your point might really help. All in all, I love your podcast and I hope this feedback was helpful!

I have been listening to HPST since 2017 and my life has been enriched by the thoughtful conversations between Vanessa, Casper, and Matt, and all their guests over the years. I also took the online course offered by Vanessa for books 3-7! I am very grateful for the opportunity this podcast has provided to invite spiritual practices and philosophical conversations into my life via a beloved childhood series. The episodes are the perfect length, and always get me thinking. I look forward to it every week! Still!! Check it out! ⚡️

HPST is an amazing podcast. I started listening to it not a log time ago but I’ve all ready decided that I LOVE it It dives deep into chapters of the Harry Potter books and talks about more than just what happens in a chapter. I don’t know what I would do with out it. From the potter lover who is 10.

I’ve been bingeing this podcast for months, and I’m finally caught up. I was unsure about the religious / sacred aspect of this at first, as someone who is very much not religious, but the sacred practices are my favorite part. I often think about the theme or lessons explored throughout my day and find myself applying them to my life. Thank you, Vanessa, Casper, and Matt!

The Harry Potter series are so good and this podcast was so much fun and the ideas that they had we’re just like this is so true this like this did happened here. It just opened a whole nother world in my mind, so yes, and I would definitely recommend listening to this podcast I gave this five stars, so yeah, you should listen to it.❤️❤️❤️

HPST came as a recommendation from a friend as something to listen to as I started becoming a runner. This was in 2019 and I have been HOOKED ever since. Harry Potter has always been a HUGE part of my life and HPST was literally the perfect way to incorporate it into my adult life. Discovering this podcast could not come at a better time. HPST has been a huge part of my a self care routine through many difficult moments in my life over the last 4 years. Hearing the voice and words of Vanessa, Matt, Casper and all the guests over the years is like my title says…life changing. I have become so much more reflective about my own life, how I navigate through the world and the gratitude I have for these people and the work they do is literally indescribable. If you are stumbling upon this podcast, you’ve just uncovered the most precious gem. You won’t regret a single moment spent with this incredible team.

My review was because I called out Vanessa, in her ability to understand and apply rigor vs exegesis. I challenged her understanding of both rigor and theology, then boom my review was gone. Rigor is showing a precise and accurate solution to the problem being assessed. Being precise and accurate can oppose each other, as much as, support each other. Anyone who has studied higher forms of math and science understand rigor; in the same way a Theologian understands exegesis and eisogesis. Rigor is not feeling and/or emotional relation. Vanessa is using Eisogesis not rigor or exegesis, she’s reading into the text to find what she wishes or thinks. Eisogesis expresses the readers own subjective thoughts rather than the meaning (Exegesis). Exegesis is a legitimate interpretation right out of the text or as it reads out of text which conveys the writer(s) meaning. So what are you using to examine the text in relation to your ‘quasi-religious’ view of yourself and mankind? It’s a simple question, any first year theology or philosophy student will tear through your thoughts. Just as any first year math or science student will tear through your proofs to find the meaning or answer. I’m not a smart person, yes I have higher degrees in the various subjects above but I don’t have all the answers. However, I’m not sure what you’re trying to convey outside your own personal experience in relation to the text which I’m conflicts with the pod-commercials you do and episode 1 of the 2nd season where you try to define your method. It feels like a Sunday Sermon at a Fundamentalist Protestant church where the pastor tries to relate new ancient text to today’s society. Except Jung and Joseph Campbell proved this is not possible. Both of you being part of Christian religion, you might be headed in the right direction if you apply Campbell’s thought of every society developing their own myth to understand the world around them. I think that’s what you’re doing but don’t call it Rigor because it’s not. The incorrect use of language confuses really subjective people, meaning those who don’t learn to earn the knowledge- meaning, those people who are easily swayed to think one way or another based on a pundits biased position. Just see Fox News and MSNBC or hit up you local church, as they try to take a myth ‘religion’ from another culture and time to apply it today. All we end up with is confusion and calling the same God by how many different names which causes persecution. It does nothing but lead to wars, borders and more divide instead of uniting and working together towards a common ground in understanding one another. Although, the pod is easy to follow, critical thinking should be inspired not told. This is where you’ve missed the point- inspiring others to think for themselves. Confrontation done with diplomacy and out of respect achieves more than brainwashing millions with outdated ideas belonging to other times and cultures. Sadly, it just doesn’t make churches or countries wealthy and superpowers. The far eastern cultures are closer to the answers than those who come from the west. I should know a little, sadly I am an American who has studied all over the world from East/West Europe to Africa to the Middle East all the way through Asia and back to the US. What I’ve discovered Our arrogance will forever be our ignorance…

The hosts and guests on this podcast are all so thoughtful and caring and committed to really living in (and by extension, constantly creating) a world of love and justice. Every single episode encourages me to introspect on my relationship with the chosen theme, evolve my understanding of how it shows up in my life and that of others, and move forward in my relationships with more intention and curiosity around it. This podcast makes me laugh, cry, and feel so much gratitude for those involved in its creation.💜 Thanks for your great work, cannot recommend this show (and all Not Sorry Productions podcasts) enough!!

Harry Potter, and the Sacred Text is the podcast that got me into Podcasts. It brought my obsession with Harry Potter, my love for deep conversations, and passion for spiritual growth together in one beautiful place. 💕💕💕

No, really - I recommend this podcast to everyone, solicited or not! I binged the first few seasons and look forward every week to the next chapter. Insightful, intellectual, comical at times, thought-provoking, mindful, fun, engaging, and comforting…The guided reading practices the hosts lead us through each week are conducted in such an approachable, easy-to-follow way, and the conversations unfailingly lead to a deeper understanding of myself, humanity, and help me genuinely consider how I navigate life. You don’t have to be a Harry Potter reader or fan, nor follow any religion (I’m a solo pagan witch) to get value from this podcast or other elements of the body of work that make up this exceptional company. Thank you for the great work you do!

I am a senior in college about to graduate and I started listening to HPST as a high school senior! In that time this podcast has helped me grow so much and has truly (I hope) helped shaped the kind of woman I am turning out to be. The thought provoking conversations which challenged me to think about how I show up in the world and the inspiring message of this podcast with its dedication to deeply caring about humanity I believe has changed my life for the better. I always wanted to be like Hermione Granger when I first read Harry Potter as a ten year old and now, at twenty-three I just want to be like Vanessa Zoltan. She is not only hilarious, and incredibly smart, but a feminist icon. I absolutely love Casper (miss your laugh) and Matt (king of etymology and being so pure and wise) as well. Every week I feel like I am tuning in for a riveting conversation with my highly intellectual fully adult much wiser than me friends and I have so much to learn from their perspectives. This podcast brings joy and peace to my life every single week! I genuinely have begun to rely as a way to make meaning and find beauty on a regular basis and that has added so much value to my life. 10/10 recommend!!!!!! <3

Y’all. Don’t walk, run! To listen to this. Cathartic, beautiful, moving, insightful, funny, joyful. Yes please.

HPST has taught me so much about life, the world, and how to be in both. I’m not religious and yet it’s gotten me through the two hardest periods in my life and makes me a better, more thoughtful person. I loved the first read through with Vanessa and Casper and am enjoying the second read through with Vanessa and Matt even more. Thank you for this wonderful podcast!

This is my favorite podcast team bringing thoughtful dialogue to one of my favorite stories of all time. This beautiful look at my favorite text moves me each week. Like chatting with your closest friends, this team inspires me, motivates me, and helps me interpret pop culture texts in the most meaningful way.

Both the first read through and the current feature amazing hosts, meaningful conversation, and critical reading practices for a beloved and increasingly complicated-to-love series.

I DON’T LIKE THIS

Been meaning to write a review for several years! This podcast is wonderful, even for those that may not be Harry Potter fans. It takes a special bunch to take something so specific and turn it into a universally relatable conversation with complexity and nuance. Vanessa, Matt, and Casper are delightfully thoughtful, compassionate, funny, and wise. As much as I miss Casper’s electric wit and humor, I’ve been enjoying Matt’s superpowers of observation, reflection, and sensitivity. I also had the joy of attending a live show in 2019 and loved the energy of this community. Thank you so much for a magical podcast, you make the world a brighter place and I’m so grateful to you all :)

I take a pause on podcasts for 4 MONTHS and all of a sudden CASPER IS GONE! WHAT HAPPENED?! I might stop listening if you don’t bring him back. Or at least I won’t listen to any new episodes. Sorry, but without Casper I have lost interest. Still love you guys though.🤪 Also - 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 ⚡️ 👓

This is a fun podcast with a spirituality side. Love it!

Great podcast. I’ve always loved the Harry Potter books. This podcast provides an interesting and thought provoking way to read through the books.

Please have Hannah and Marcel back on!! I love the depth they bring to the conversation.