Cassiopaean Sandbox > Books

Paulo Coelho

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lux12:
,,The Winner stands alone'' would be useful thing to read.

My first was The Alchemist and it probably arrived within my slightly awakening at teenage days.
I liked this citation:

“We are travelers on a cosmic journey,stardust,swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.”

Aya:

--- Quote from: Zadius Sky on April 23, 2012, 10:22:36 PM ---Just wanted to mention that Coelho published his latest book, entitled Aleph, which is another one of those journeys about self-discovery and dealing with the "traps" of routines and the disconnection from the Divine. It is one of his autobiographical novels (the others were The Pilgrimage and The Valkyries). This book is a consideration on the questions when one faces a crisis of faith: "Are we where we want to be, doing what we want to do?"
--- End quote ---

I read “Aleph” in beginning of the year. Honestly, it was one of the weirdest autobiographical novels I have ever read.

In the beginning of the story, he describes Aleph as “the point at which everything is in the same place at the same time.” Then, he experiences entering to Aleph with this young girl for couple of times in a train on Siberia Railway. He also experienced doing “the ring of light exercise” with the girl where both happened to return experiencing a past life, which he warns in the end of the book that the use of this exercise can lead to dramatic and disastrous consequences... Overall, the book left me wondering if the author was experiencing the past life for real or if he was imagining. I also did not understand what “Aleph” was throughout the entire book. Moreover, flirtatious/energy draining encounter for time to time between the author and the girl left me a big question mark. Although there are some great sentences by the author - which made me think about life deeply - in this book, however, there were too many things the author  did that left me confused.

Personally, it turned out one of the least favorite books from the author because I found it little too strange. I wonder if somebody else read it what they thought of his experiences.

Biomiast:
I have read Alchemist some time ago, and after that I went back to the book because it was such a beautiful story. The original outline was from Rumi's story, but he filled in between remarkebly well. It was my first encounter with alchemy and I was very interested.

As for Aleph, I haven't read it, but to give some context, Aleph is the first letter of Arabic language and is considered as symbol of beginning and everything in the Eastern traditions. Yunus Emre has a poem about knowledge where he says:

The meaning of Four Holy Books
Is appearent in an Aleph,
You cite the Aleph, mullah
What is the meaning of It?

Probably it is considered as a divine attribute of God being the First and Everything.

My two cents, fwiw.

Zadius Sky:

--- Quote from: Aya on April 24, 2012, 05:11:00 AM ---I read “Aleph” in beginning of the year. Honestly, it was one of the weirdest autobiographical novels I have ever read.

--- End quote ---

Thanks for your review, Aya. I'm just about done with this book, and while reading first few chapters, the authors gave great insightful sentences (a few touched me personally), like you said, but as I read along, it was getting way too awkward.

It's just basically a experience about being cooped up on the train on the Trans-Siberian railway for 2 weeks, and some "experiences" of being in a state of Aleph and there were "tensions" between the passengers and the girl, and so forth. It's supposed to be a "journey" of spiritual awakening and "claiming your kingdom" (meaning the soul). From the first impression, it have to do with the author's unresolved past-life issues with the little girl, and about forgiving and love, but really it showed the author's strong lust for the girl. It's also adultery, wouldn't it? I am wondering how his wife would react to this book. He could be having a mid-life crisis.

I was surprised to see the author's nature: obvious character flaws and how "willingness" he shared about that, and he even comes off as a bit of a narcissist and an egoist. And, here I am, thinking how I admired his works over the years...


--- Quote from: Aya on April 24, 2012, 05:11:00 AM ---He also experienced doing “the ring of light exercise” with the girl where both happened to return experiencing a past life, which he warns in the end of the book that the use of this exercise can lead to dramatic and disastrous consequences...

--- End quote ---

I felt skeptical about that "exercise" but he was right about one thing. Anything with "imagining" a light of some form does bring "dramatic and disastrous consequences." It kinda like being a "beacon" for those nasty critters.


--- Quote from: Aya on April 24, 2012, 05:11:00 AM ---Moreover, flirtatious/energy draining encounter for time to time between the author and the girl left me a big question mark. Although there are some great sentences by the author - which made me think about life deeply - in this book, however, there were too many things the author  did that left me confused.

--- End quote ---

I am more inclined to agree with you. The first few chapters were interesting because his "insightful sentences" and foods for thoughts," but the rest was just awkward to read.

As for Aleph, reading his experiences actually reminded me of some of T. C. Lethbridge's observations in his The Power of the Pendulum where walking through certain places that had certain "vibes."

Iron:
Although when I read The Alchemist it brought tears to my eyes many years ago, for being such a beautifull story, this is the same person that on a TV show claimed that he could end the drought here in Brazil, he just did not do it because it would be against free will, or something to this effect.

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