So I finished my 6th book by Paulo Coelho, and so far my least favorite :(
Least favorite because it was way too magical for me.
It is hard to believe that the story is based on Paulo's prilgrimage to Santiago of Compostela in Spain.
To summarise, Paulo vowed to undertake the pilgrimage after meeting a man whom he refers to in his writing as 'my Master', who inducts him into something called the Order of Ram (Regnus Agnus Mundi, or Rigour, Adoration, Mercy), a Catholic sect for the study of symbols (though efforts to verify its existence outside of Coelho's oeuvre have proved frustratingly futile). The thing is, Paulo is a member of the "Tradition" which is like an initiation to be a wizard, but he fails to accomplish his initiation by not receiving his sword, so in order for him to understand the reason why he hasn't accomplished that, he is requested to cross the 700 km Road to Compostela, starting in Roncesvalles, France. The Pilgrimage is concerned mainly with Coelho's efforts to locate a sword left by his Master somewhere on the road to Santiago a quest underlined by the appearance of a guide called Petrus who teaches Coelho various yogic-style Ram exercises. Along the way Coelho wrestles with his personal devil, who turns out to be a black dog named Legion, achieves a state of agape – or 'the love that consumes' – and foresees his own death. Quite how literally we're supposed to take all this is a moot point.
I thought the book was about his finding as he goes but as a normal person, instead, his finding is of a very mystical person. I thought the mystical appearance in his books were part of his style, but turns out this is something he actually follows, like a religion. The reading itself is good as always, but I just don't believe what he was describing as his real life experience. So if you take the book as a fiction it's ok.
Paulo's books are always full of good quotes. So here are a few that I liked it
"The boat is safer anchored at the port; but that's not the aim of boats"
“A disciple...can never imitate his guide's steps. You have your own way of living your life, of dealing with problems, and of winning. Teaching is only demonstrating that it is possible. Learning is making it possible for yourself”
“The busiest people I have known in my life always have time enough to do everything. Those who do nothing are always tired and pay no attention to the little amount of work they are required to do. They complain constantly that the day is too short. The truth is, they are afraid to fight the good fight”
“We always know which is the best road to follow, but we follow only the road that we have become accustomed to”
“I wept because I was re-experiencing the enthusiasm of my childhood; I was once again a child, and nothing in the world could cause me harm”
“When I asked you if you wanted to, I was not testing your courage. I was testing your wisdom”
“We are always trying to convert people to a belief in our own explanation of the universe. We think that the more people there are who believe as we do, the more certain it will be that what we believe is the truth. But it doesn't work that way at all”
These are the order of the RAM exercise taught by Petrus:
The Seed Exercise
The Speed Exercise
The Cruelty Exercise
The Messenger Ritual
The Arousal of Intuition (The Water Exercise)
The Blue Sphere Exercise
The Buried Alive Exercise
The RAM Breathing Exercise
The Shadows Exercise
The Listening Exercise
The Dance Exercise
Least favorite because it was way too magical for me.
It is hard to believe that the story is based on Paulo's prilgrimage to Santiago of Compostela in Spain.
To summarise, Paulo vowed to undertake the pilgrimage after meeting a man whom he refers to in his writing as 'my Master', who inducts him into something called the Order of Ram (Regnus Agnus Mundi, or Rigour, Adoration, Mercy), a Catholic sect for the study of symbols (though efforts to verify its existence outside of Coelho's oeuvre have proved frustratingly futile). The thing is, Paulo is a member of the "Tradition" which is like an initiation to be a wizard, but he fails to accomplish his initiation by not receiving his sword, so in order for him to understand the reason why he hasn't accomplished that, he is requested to cross the 700 km Road to Compostela, starting in Roncesvalles, France. The Pilgrimage is concerned mainly with Coelho's efforts to locate a sword left by his Master somewhere on the road to Santiago a quest underlined by the appearance of a guide called Petrus who teaches Coelho various yogic-style Ram exercises. Along the way Coelho wrestles with his personal devil, who turns out to be a black dog named Legion, achieves a state of agape – or 'the love that consumes' – and foresees his own death. Quite how literally we're supposed to take all this is a moot point.
I thought the book was about his finding as he goes but as a normal person, instead, his finding is of a very mystical person. I thought the mystical appearance in his books were part of his style, but turns out this is something he actually follows, like a religion. The reading itself is good as always, but I just don't believe what he was describing as his real life experience. So if you take the book as a fiction it's ok.
Paulo's books are always full of good quotes. So here are a few that I liked it
"The boat is safer anchored at the port; but that's not the aim of boats"
“A disciple...can never imitate his guide's steps. You have your own way of living your life, of dealing with problems, and of winning. Teaching is only demonstrating that it is possible. Learning is making it possible for yourself”
“The busiest people I have known in my life always have time enough to do everything. Those who do nothing are always tired and pay no attention to the little amount of work they are required to do. They complain constantly that the day is too short. The truth is, they are afraid to fight the good fight”
“We always know which is the best road to follow, but we follow only the road that we have become accustomed to”
“I wept because I was re-experiencing the enthusiasm of my childhood; I was once again a child, and nothing in the world could cause me harm”
“When I asked you if you wanted to, I was not testing your courage. I was testing your wisdom”
“We are always trying to convert people to a belief in our own explanation of the universe. We think that the more people there are who believe as we do, the more certain it will be that what we believe is the truth. But it doesn't work that way at all”
These are the order of the RAM exercise taught by Petrus:
The Seed Exercise
The Speed Exercise
The Cruelty Exercise
The Messenger Ritual
The Arousal of Intuition (The Water Exercise)
The Blue Sphere Exercise
The Buried Alive Exercise
The RAM Breathing Exercise
The Shadows Exercise
The Listening Exercise
The Dance Exercise
(From Farnham library)
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