Paulo Coelho "Brida"

I read the new Paulo Coelho book "Brida" (Jāņa Roze publishing house, 2010). The author did not disappoint. I am glad I bought it. A story about a year in the life of an Irish girl that changed her view of the world, its order and herself. A story about the search for one's Other Half and the development of inner Gifts.

The habit of reading with a pencil in hand, formed since my student years, meant that a series of quotes crystallised that gave me pause for thought.

"Sometimes we begin a journey solely because we do not believe in the path we have chosen. And then everything is very simple - we only need to convince ourselves that this truly is the wrong path. Whereas when everything begins to go smoothly and the path seems to open before us as if of its own accord, we are overtaken by fear of going further."

I liked the author's insight about the special state of a telephone conversation. I have thought about it more than once but previously could not put it into words. Working for several years in telemarketing, there were moments when I understood that I could sense my conversation partner better over the phone (undistracted by the image, by details that divert attention), feeling their mood, state of mind, doubts, hesitations, hidden anger or disappointment, joy or satisfaction.

"For millions of years people conversed only by seeing one another. And then suddenly, in less than a century, the concepts of 'seeing' and 'speaking' were separated. It seems to us that this is normal, a natural order of things, but we don't even notice what a great impression these changes have left on our reflexes. [...] When speaking on the telephone, we involuntarily enter a state very similar to a magic trance. Our mind tunes to a different frequency and becomes far more sensitive to the invisible world. I know some witches who always have paper and pencil to hand when speaking on the phone; during a conversation they are given to scribbling down on the sheet whatever comes to mind. At the end of the conversation it turns out that the incoherent scrawls are symbols from the Moon Tradition. [...] Pay attention to the eyes of people in your presence who are speaking on the telephone. There is something to see in them."

"A woman usually searches for her Other Half; men want to gain power. But neither the one nor the other wants to learn - they simply want to achieve what they have set as their goal. [...] to learn anything, one rule must be remembered - one must be humble."

Looking back on my school and student years, I now understand how much I lacked this humility. I had everything - purposefulness, willpower, stubbornness, imagination, a good memory, abilities - but something like humility was sorely lacking. But perhaps that can only be understood with the passage of years. The main thing is to remember it now, when continuing to learn something new.

"God is a Word! Be careful! In any situation in life, and at any moment, think about what you say! [...] God manifests in many ways, and the Word is the means of expression He uses most often. Because the Word is the vibration of thought. You make accessible what was previously only energy. [...] The Word has more power than many rituals!"

Oh, how we sin by saying "never, never" or "I have nothing to lose" or "one and only".

"Do not try to explain your feelings. Live with a full heart and protect what you consider God's gift. If you feel you cannot bear a world where living is more important than putting everything in its proper place, renounce magic."

"...it is not the desire to explain something that drives us forward, but the will not to stop."

"If you want to understand something, throw yourself into it completely!"

This one is good - "There is nothing in the world that is completely wrong [...] Even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day!"

"No person in this world has ever been or will ever be different from others. [...] self-deprecation was the cruellest expression of human egotism - it is the most destructive way to proclaim oneself as different."

"You pay too much attention to people [...] They are only your mirror."

These last two insights are very significant. I believe they operate fully only in a healthy society. Unfortunately in Latvia that is not the case. People are too preoccupied with the cult of their "self". About that mirror too - it is right: have you noticed that if you are unhappy and grumpy, it is easiest to lash out at the unkindness and rudeness of those around you? All your negative emotions are reflected back in the people around you.

"...all people recognise their Other Half by one sign - by the sparkle in their eyes."

"...start wearing absolutely everything that is in your wardrobe! [...] Everything that carries even a little of our energy must always be in motion! [...] The clothes you once bought are part of you, and they represent a certain moment in life. For example, the moment when you rejoiced in the world and went to a shop to buy yourself a gift. The moment when you needed to regain your balance after some hurt. The moment when you were convinced of the need to change the order of things. Clothes are a direct reflection of your experiences in matter. It is one of the bridges between the visible and the invisible world. At the same time, some garments can also cause harm - if they were intended for someone else but ended up in your hands."

Such musings about one's wardrobe, especially for me as a woman who likes to think about what to put on and where. The good old wisdom - love it, use it, or throw it out!

"That which is on the outside is far harder to change than that which is on the inside."

"...people engaging in sex know they are dealing with a force that reaches its highest degree in the moment when control over oneself is lost. Making love, we give the other permission to merge not only with our body but also with our personality. In this act the pure forces of life meet, and they are not subject to us - therefore we cannot conceal our true nature. The image we have created of ourselves no longer matters. A masquerade, witty answers, the skill of maintaining self-respect - none of it matters any more. In sex it is extremely difficult to deceive the other; here everyone is as they truly are."

"It does not even matter whether you aspire after wisdom or after the pleasure that the force of sex offers; this experience is always complete."

"Nothing in life happens by chance."

"Never stop doubting. When you stop doubting, consider that you have stopped on your path. And then God arrives and overturns everything - that is the way He controls His chosen ones. [...] never allow doubts to paralyse your actions. If a decision must be made, it must be made, even if you are not sure or convinced that this decision is the right one."

"The Devil dwells in detail."

"The art of witchcraft is merely one of the ways of drawing closer to Higher Wisdom - any other occupation can do the same, as long as a person devotes themselves to the work with heart and soul."

In his works, and in "Brida" as well, Coelho philosophises about the common information field, or the World Soul. If a question arises, then somewhere there is also an answer. He also speaks about suffering - that each of us determines our own measure of suffering. When this measure becomes full, the suffering ends. And there too is the answer to how and whether one can survive the departure of a loved one.

"Remember - the most direct path to God is prayer. The second most direct path is joy."

"...if two men loved the same woman, hatred between them was far preferable. Otherwise everything could end with her having no one left."

"Never be ashamed! [...] Accept what life offers you, always stretch out your hand and drink from the cup placed before you. Taste all the wines - sometimes a sip will suffice, other times you will need a whole bottle. [...] Only one who has tasted bad wine can recognise a good one."

Reading the book, I realised that years of experience - travelling through various countries of the world, savouring the warming rays of the sun, the cold morning dew on grass, wine at a luncheon table, the dancing flames in a fireplace, desert sands, feeling the cold white stone steps leading up to a church hundreds of years old - can all be recalled and physically felt through the text of a literary work. Just the same with the pain of parting, the joy of being together, doubts, insecurity and the triumphant cries of the soul upon achieving what was intended or feeling satisfaction in work done.

"I will remember you all my life, and you will remember me. Just as we remember an evening sunset, rain on windows and all those things that are always ours because they cannot belong to us."

If you are a fan of P. Coelho's writing, this would be the book to read and place on the home library shelf alongside "The Alchemist", "The Witch of Portobello", "Maktub" and others.