I arrive at Santiago de Compostela, this time by car, to celebrate my pilgrimage twenty years ago. When I was in Puente La Reina, I had the idea of holding afternoon book-signings without any elaborate preparations: just calling the next town where we were going to spend the night, ask them to put up a notice in the local bookstore, and be there at the appointed time.
It worked wonderfully in the small villages, but it did take a bit more organizing in big towns, like Santiago de Compostela itself. I enjoyed these unscheduled meetings; I found that labors of love are best performed in the spirit of improvisation.
Santiago is now in front of me, with the Atlantic Ocean a few dozen kilometers beyond. Nevertheless, I am determined to go ahead with my improvised book-signing afternoons, since my plan is to spend ninety days away from home.
And since I have no intention of crossing the ocean right now, should I take a right (Santander, the Basque Country) or a left (Guimarães, Portugal)?
Better let destiny make the choice: my wife and I enter a bar and ask a man who is drinking his coffee: right or left? He says with some conviction that we should go left – perhaps thinking we were referring to political parties.
I telephone my Portuguese editor. He does not ask me if I have gone crazy, does not complain about being informed at the last moment. Two hours later he calls me back to say that he has contacted the local radio stations in Guimarães and Fatima and that in 24 hours I can meet my readers in those cities.
Everything works out fine.
And in Fatima, like a sign, I receive a present from one of the people present at the book-signing – the writings of a Buddhist monk called Thich Nhat Hanh, with the title “The long road to joy”. From that moment on, before I continue on this 90-day journey across the world, every morning I read the wise words of Nhat Hanh, which I summarize below:
1] You have already arrived. So, feel pleasure at each step and do not worry about things that you still have to face. We have nothing before us, just a road to be traveled at each moment with joy. When we practice pilgrim meditation, we are always arriving, our home is the present moment, and nothing more.
2] For that reason, always smile while you walk, Even if you have to force it a bit and feel ridiculous. Get used to smiling and you will end up happy. Do not be afraid of displaying your contentment.
3] If you think that peace and joy always lie ahead, you will never manage to achieve them. Try to understand that they are both your traveling companions.
4] When you walk, you are massaging and honoring the earth. In the same way, the earth is trying to help you to balance your organism and mind. Understand this relationship and try to respect it – may your steps have the firmness of a lion, the elegance of a tiger and the dignity of an emperor.
5] Pay attention to what is going on around you. And concentrate on your breathing – this will help you to get rid of the problems and worries that try to accompany you on your journey.
6] When you walk, it is not just you that is moving, but all past and future generations. In the so-called “real” world, time is a measure, but in the true world nothing exists beyond the present moment. Be fully aware that everything that has happened and everything that will happen is in each step you take.
7] Enjoy yourself. Make pilgrim meditation a constant meeting with yourself, never a penance in search of reward. May flowers and fruit always grow in the places touched by your feet.
The next text will be posted on the 9th of May.
P.S: Dear reader,
During this journey, that is filling my soul with very interesting experiences, one of the most magical moments comes every night when I read the comments posted on this blog. Even though I can’t answer all of you, I want you to know that it’s very important to me to know that I’m not alone on this path. Thank you so much for your support and for the words and ideas that are now engraved on my heart.
Paulo Coelho
{ 38 comments }
thank you,Gabriela Tomicki ,for such a beautiful note.i admit that i am inspired by you as much as i was by the guardian angel who showed me this path.go bless!
Dear Paulo,
Great website. I wasn’t going to make a comment, however, after reading the above entry, well….I suppose that it just got me.
I remember walking a part of the Camino de Santiago, on a winding path thru a forest. After walking for many days something was troubling me, I can’t even remember what it was now!! I thought of this monk Thich Nhat Hanh, when he said that “to walk on God’s green earth is a miracle”….I was also thinking of the writings of a famous magician as a delighted in the sounds of that place.
It wasn’t long before I again saw how incredibly beautiful the forest was. Continuing with just the thought, “I’m walking on the Camino” I felt such a great peace, I felt blessed and your article has again brought that to me. (or me to that…) :-)
Best wishes on your new journey,
John.
Dear Paulo,
Since I read your books my life has changed completely.Before I was always impatient and wanted to know exactly what will happen next day, in one year.I lived in the future not in the present.Thanks to your books, I calmed down, now, I am only a bit impatient as I know everything happens for some reason.I enjoy the present and try to live every moment of my life happily.The setting of your books,the desert made a great influence on me.I bacame curious how it is, what feelings it brings to the surface ?One week ago I had the opportunity to see the desert in Qatar. I laid in the sand, closed my eyes and thought of Santiago.I listened to the wind and felt myself to be extremely free, happy. Cant describe that feeling. I was glad to experience it on my own after reading your books.Thats how much you changed me. The experience I have I could share with many people and by this you helped not only to me but to many other people too.We need you very much.I wish you joy, happiness and love through your whole life.
The more I try to make sense of my own Odyssey, the more the notions of time and relevancy seem reapproaching. As you move through your journey you become multiple personalities, emerging one into other. In a way, we are folding, unfolding, and refolding our own being in ways that appear significant to us at that very moment. As we are gazing into the world through the kaleidoscope pattern of our own being, we are living the myths of multiple humanities. And this realization all encompassed in the particle of now is most beautiful to me.
With greatest admiration for your courage,
Dasha
Dear, Paulo Coelho
Adabz :) (means Hello in Urdu Language)
I am Fatima… And you are there In Fatima Too..
Your words have mystical power to keep on touching my soul deep down inside.
Giving me more hope and to tell you the truth Hope has always dominated my life :)
I am curious, curious about what lies beyond my reach. I love human soul because everyone has something to offer, something to teach.
In my world, there are no boundaries to fascinations.
Mr. Coelho your words put a smile on my face and made me think from different dimension and always take me to another tangent in life’s journey of self discovery.
so just want to say to you a very simple word with all my heart and soul
“Thank You ”
Your words are the vibration of life.
Time goes on. People forget…people need to be constantly reminded and you do that by your repeated come backs…then its a matter of whether you live to satisfy yourself or you live to satisfy others…keep a balance between the two.
Keep making the difference and be on the journey of self-discovery forever…. Mr. Paulo Coelho in your life journey do you have any plan to visit my part of the world also that’s Pakistan? And When?
ps : waiting for your more comments about the equation 0=1. ( i mentioned about this equation in my last response to `The tempest is approaching` )
Warmest Regards,
Fatima Saeed Khan.
Mr. Coelho,
Thank you for your amazing writing. Whenever I find a spark of magic in one of your stories I hold on to it for a very long, long time. Life is an incredible journey thus we should search within our soul and make the most of our existence in this world.
Thank you, again
Kasia
Paulo,
What a wonderful treat to read your blog of this adventure!
Some of the simplest things we read often have the greatest impact. It almost brought tears to my eyes when I read, “If you think peace and joy always lie ahead, you will never manage to achieve them.”
I have spent many years missing a lot of peace and joy because I thought I would find them when this was finished, or I reached some goal, or if I could make more money. What a shame and I almost feel tears coming again as I type this.
Hopefully, this will help me change my attitude. Thank you.
I also love the suggestion of smiling as you walk. One of the most interesting things is the change on the faces of others, when we smile as we walk. Even the countenance of coworkers changes when I smile as I walk through the office. Unfortunately, they are sometimes surprised by my smile. That also makes me sad, but gives me hope that at least I now realize this and feel some emotion.
Thank you so much, and I especially love that your writings stir emotions within me that I have grown accustomed to not feeling. I am a better person for it.
May God bless the remainder of your trip.
Stan
“Today is a gift, that’s why it’s called ‘present’”.
My guide, my Pole Star, thank you for being there…Shine forever…
With Love;
Hande
Hello Paulo and all friends around the world!
I just found out about your TRIP, Paulo ~~ Good luck and We all with YOU~~
I’ll be happy to receive emails and become friends with people who search, love, make mistakes and keep going UP!
PolinaJ
the_only_desires@yahoo.com
Hallo Paulo!
Da ich mich derzeit auch auf einer Pilgerreise befinde :-) – 20 Kilometer Reisegeschwindigkeit, allerdings per Rad- und nicht in Frankreich oder Spanien, sondern am nahen Fluss und im Leben, möchte ich dir ein Ereignis schildern, welches mir gestern zugefallen ist. Ich lese gerade deine jüngsten Gedanken und mache mich über die fehlenden Vokabeln im Dictionary her, als der Wind mir ständig die Blätter vom nahe Stuhl weht. Ich sage ihm er solle das sein lassen, er aber weht weiter. Plötzlich ein sehr heftiger Windstoß, drei Blätter deines Buches “Pilgrimage”, das neben mir liegt, werden mir mitten ins Gesicht geblasen. Es sind die Seiten des Boten. Da musste ich wirklich lachen und radelte dankbar an den nahen Fluss.
- Manchmal ist es in mir leer und obwohl ich die Liebe suche und lächle, geht das Gefühl nur sehr schwer weg. Auch der Daumen gibt wenig Auskunft, über den Zustand. Hast oder hattest du das auch?
Ich wünsche dir auf deiner Reise weiterhin gute Gefühle und Gedanken und
May love always be your guide in every moment of your life.
Alles Liebe
Hubert
Hi Paulo,
I’ve just read the pilgrimage and really enjoyed it. I learned alot that was a unique experience and thank you for telling us about it. Just wanted to ask u if I can do the RAM exercises too, or it may hurt without a guide?
I would be very happy to read your answer.
it’s a pleasure for me to read your comments… even my whole life is a pilgrimage… i need to walk on and on, to believe in me and to “conquer” every day mi faith… there are a lot of monets in which isuffer for a lot of things… and everytime i read some wise words i feel better…
good travel mr Coelho… and enjoy your life always more and more…
Dear Magician Paulo,
Thinking about the beautiful words of Your latest text and reading replies of people from all over the world, all warriors of light discovering their paths and letting You know how much Your words guide them on their ways and support, i realized that i could not be what i am now if not YOU.
That was the point of my life when the magic of “present” moment and spontaneous decision changed my life, and it was You who like an Angel helped me to return to my genuine path at the time when my wings forgot how to fly. That was the moment when courageously entering unknown returned me to myself, and Your belief in me as an artist made me feel through some particular part of my life Divine love and MY path again; You returned me on it when challenges almost made me think about turning aside. For this, i thank You and this magic will always live in my heart.
I have learned a lot and all these experiences make me brightly see how the world is similar to the garden with branching out roads. Life is like a labyrinth where we are faced with different puzzles while looking for the way and the light at the end of the road. But we should also remember that every puzzle is here to remind us something. Sometimes we look for the key for happiness so long… untill one day we realize that it has been already put in the keyhole and everything is within you. But you must be brave enough to make a turn and open the door. And we are all magicians in each moment, as how incredible is to realize that each moment is a door into endless potential possibilities and they are all WITHIN us.
A way with the heart is probably not a road of continuous self analysis and mystic flight; it’s a way of attracting all the joys and sorrows of the world. And just LIVE them. Because we all came here to express ourselves in the most fantastical and joyfull ways, to do something that can’t be done anywhere else in the universe… to dare to experience as much as possible, so at each moment we just need to follow the intuition that will lead us to our fullest realization and discovering our path. It seems to be so easy, but often we loose this trust to ourselves.
Now nothing will be able to put me away from my path and my personal craziness as life is to be lived with passion, and guided by heart’s sensations and strong heartbeat.
I got a lot of lessons from Your wisdom, Paulo and now i do walk this path with constant smile. As finally, nothing matters but divine love.
If we are alive at this moment, then nothing may be bad. Losts, breaks, fears, quarells, fallings are all just illusions. And when i realized that we are all totally free in everything, there stays only the genuine joy and sparkling smile, because when we are free and alive, everything is possible. All the branching roads are in front of you… The depth of your belief in tragedy or injustice is the sign of your ignorance. As what a caterpillar considers to be the end of the world, the Master calls a Butterfly.
And we are all Butterflies in the free flight here – each with a different ornaments, but all to make the world more beautiful and to fill the flight with joy.
May each of warriors of light, facing no matter what challenges just always stay themselve .
And may God bless You, Paulo for this light that You opened to the universe. Somehow we live at the time when people do need to return to their true paths and leave any conventions. To stay true to your heart – this is the most important thing You taught the world and this changed lifes of millions, including mine when i returned to my path and present moment doing what i feel like doing. Perhaps still being a child, those connections to my genuine essence have been always alive and i managed not to loose them. Except one moment in past when i was ready to turn aside and my way was crossed with Yours magically. And returned me :) Though i have still a lot to be revealed on this path and this is the joy of life itself. When you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And may we all be children, and we all will enter the kingdom of God.
Thank You, Paulo for Your constant wisdom and magic of walking the path! And may Your way be full of spontaneity and soaring in joy :) There is only one journey- Going inside yourself and follow the instincts. That’s where true wisdom and joy manifest themselves.
The road is smooth and free, so why do people throw rocks before themselves ? The life we want is not merely the one we have chosen and made. It’s the one we must be choosING and makING.
For this pilgrimage You have left the city of comfort, Magician, and go into the wilderness of Your intuition. What You discover is wonderful. What You discover is Yourself :)
And just think, how many people are in a journey with You and how fantastical is the fact that we all discover ourselves !!!!!
It is magic and happiness !!! :)
It’s where we go, and what we find there, that tells us who we are.
The wind and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators.
Know Your limits. Not so that You can honor them, but so that You can smash them into pieces and reach for the infinity of freedom :)
Love and thank YOU,
Dasha
Dear Paolo and everyone else reading this. Some time ago I have read a book from the Dalai Lama about happiness. He sais that all materialist things cannot make us really happy. Also, when we have achieved someting, we can be happy for some time, but after a while, we return to our previous or normal state of mind. He sais inner discipline gives inner contentness, which gives inner happiness. Happiness is probably important to everyone. And I am convinced, that our striving for happiness, also causes a lot grief. But that is not the real happiness. The real happiness is shared with others, and it takes inner discipline to communicate with people you are a bit doubtful about at first. Dalai Lama actually states to be open towards everyone. As you may know, the Dalai Lama has had a long education into Tibetan Buddhism. I wonder if you, Paulo, have ever met him. I think Buddhism has interesting ways of thinking about issues. Especially the peaceful way of approaching matter applies to me.
Love to everyone, John
Dear Mr. Coelho,
You are arriving in Bulgaria today and I’m happy to find out that your next posting in this blog will be from my country :) I will not see you at the book-signing, because I didn’t participate in the radio contest but I hope to meet you anyway :) It would be really wonderful to run into you during your visit so that I will have the chance to tell you how much I admire you and love your books :) I owe you gratitude and a big hug for all the joy and light you have brought in my life and I really, really want to see you :)))
Dear Mr. Coelho, have a nice and sunny stay in Bulgaria :) I hope you will enjoy your visit here :)
Best Regards,
Dimka :)
Dear Master Paulo, and blog-mates!
Reading everyone’s comments I realise with great pleasure and a sense of pride that we are all part of the same “community”. Isn’t it wonderful? I can clearly see what our Master is doing. This blog is for OUR benefit, just as much as it is for the Master’s own. Can you all see now that we are not alone?Sir, you have brought us all together, the souls of many different countries and cultures, from all corners of this magic World.
I think you have achieved your goal, Mr. Coelho, and this is indeed the work of a genius. A literary genius and a loving father who embraces us all.
A word for Shubhankar Adhikari, who seeks guidance to fulfill his dream: dear friend, (and I hope that Master Coelho will agree with me), by expressing your wish to become a writer you’ve already set yourself on that path. Whether you have the gift or not is a matter for you to find out, and you will, soon. Should you listen to what all famous writers say, the first thing to do is “read, read, and read again”. Only through studying and analysing other writers’ work ,you can achieve this “gift”. You need not only a vivid imagination, and good insight into the human “self”, but also determination and willingness to sacrifice a lot of your time and energy in learning how it’s done. You are already on the right path. At eighteen, a world of opportunity lies ahead of you. The road is treacherous (every road is), but filled with miracles. You will find friends who support you and others who let you down on the way.It’s all part of the experience. You could use Mr. Coelho’s books as your guide.I often do that, especially when I lack that certain dose of courage needed to overcome difficult moments. On a more practical dimension, you could study literature, and a bit of knowledge of psychology and communication will also help.Life experience is another thing you need, but that comes along, as you go. And remember the words of the Master, about the Universe that “conspires” to bring together all the elements that will help you along your path!Good luck to you all out there! Life itself is a pilgrimage with lessons and morals. It is what one does with the lessons that counts. When you’re down and out, you start again,never give up.
Thank you Mr. Coelho for inspiring us all. I see myself as one of your “followers” in many respects, and try to help the ones around me in similar ways. I believe that the good side in all of us should always prevail. I also understand that, in order to know the right path, one must recognize the wrong one. Telling the difference is a skill that requires wisdom. Sharing that wisdom with others is a gift of unconditional love.Thank you for that.
Warmest wishes to you, Master Coelho, and to all my brothers and sisters out there.
Gabriela Tomicki
Dear Sir,
I am also following your revisioning pilgrimage.
The Alchemist is the first ever novel I read.And I recommend
it to many others.It applies to all and to every field of an individual.
I dont know why I choose it among a vast range of options.I
believe this book itself contains the answer.
The second book I am reading nowadays is The Zahir.
The reason for its selection is that it resembles my name, although
both are different.As I am going through it I am realising that,
that too had a reason.The answers to many questions I am
searching for found in the book.Miraculously it matches my thoughts.
I had gone and going through the experiences given in the book,
although I am not married and just becoming 25 years old.
I am unable to explain my position.Your book is the proof
for me that I am not thinking and reasoning alone as I am.
Thank you!
Keep walking and inspiring others.
Take care,Sir.
Zaheeruddin Zia
Raipur,C.G.
India.
Dearest Master Coelho
Thank you for your wonderful books and the inspiring knowledge that come from within you. I have just finished reading The Alchemist (for the 4th time) and I spend all weekend telling every soul I met abt your brilliance. I got to work that Monday only to find mail from your office (not an every day occurence) – I know that was no co-incidence!
I read The Pilgrimage (twice) some time ago, my favourite part being the end… where your guide was waiting for you – I read that page over and over again. It gave me so much pleasure, I felt as tho I’d been on that entire journey and abt to be rewarded for my troubles.
And now you once again give us the pleasure of that journey. In many ways, we’re all making this journey with you, thank you for giving us this opportunity.
with love and appreciation
Ranjeethom Naidoo
South Africa
Dear Mr. Coelho,
The opportunity this allows me to share your eyes & your heart with my words is a powerful feeling. I write you amidst a journey of my own in search of buried treasure. A few years ago I was blessed to have been given a book of yours that helped interpret my dream and set my path before me. It was during my travels around the world on a “Semester at Sea” that I was given this book. It was a gift from a girl with whom I fell in love and traveled this world hand-in-hand. It was through this girl that I was invited to share the language of the universe for the first time as well. Our love was magical and meant to find both of us when we crossed paths. That very voyage of discovery was merely a door left partially open for my life to find; it was your wisdom that gave me strength to push its weight wide-open to a world I had never known existed.
I realize that I am only twenty-one years old, and so I know that much of my road has yet to be traversed. I have kept this dream alive inside me though, and each day find myself one step closer to my purpose. There have been times in which I discovered fear & loneliness & doubt, but your story has granted me a flame of hope that to this day burns brightly. Your books, your stories have filled my life with a joy & eagerness to live each moment passionately. I am just that – a passionate person. Your wisdom has shed light in corners of my heart I had not known existed, and for that I continue to be grateful for a mind & soul such as yours to be in this world. You truly are a Warrior of the Light.
My name is Daniel and I am a college student attending Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona in the USA. I am over 3,000 miles from my home, my loved ones, my flock, my mother & my father. I miss them dearly, but I assure myself they are well with me each morning the sun rises. I guess you could say that I am crossing a desert of my own out here (the Mojave Desert), but this sand & drought will never suffocate my hope and steal my thirst for adventure. Indeed, my life is quite a story excitedly waiting for the next page to turn. As you once said, there is in fact a treasure out there for me; although I have yet to find it, your love & strength & example continues to help my ship stay afloat in even the greatest of storms. Thank you.
I wish you the best on your return to Santiago. I look forward to joining your words, your soul on this journey so that I too may capture a small taste of each step you take into the “present” moment. God bless you, Warrior of the Light.
Love,
Daniel,
A fellow dreamer.
listening to you here and now on rai3
..walking around
..present..a present..
..a pleasure
luisa
any word coming from you is strangely true…how?this is just not my experience.
i want to be an writer like you.can you please guide me?i am 18,and have a dream that i can die for.your reply will make a huge difference,i promise!
Hi Paolo,
I just want to tell you that i love you!!! :)
Over the years, your words kept reaching out to me, touching my soul. And through all the difficulties of this path i travel, you have in some ways become a treasured companion, a mentor and a friend. I can’t begin to explain how your words have saved me and helped me get back on track, to continue with life, fight the good fight, and once again live with hope. Your light and warmth shines and I hope everyday you are reminded of how your life is a blessing to a lot of us who journey on this path with you.
I don’t know what it is about you, exactly. Maybe it’s the wealth of experience that you share or your finding wisdom in the ordinary or maybe it’s your simple but sincere efforts to embrace and live life. I just know your heart resonates with love and your soul with light. And being touched by that, i also feel profound love overflowing within me, and i hope it is not presumptuous of me to think it is lighting up my soul as well. :) I imagine you being like fire, igniting all the lives you touch. And I thank you for that!!
Again, as I think of you, i feel my heart sincerely overflowing with love. I don’t know if I can express it enough. I know I’m just one of your millions of readers but, still, it wouldn’t hurt to say it again, I love you Paolo!!
Love,
Aleli
Life is a constant journey to be lived through with death as its destination and new journey.
Knowing that we are all connected through often strange and inspring tales and storys. Just knowing that right now a butterfly flapping its broken wing in vanuatu is changing the world’s history and living its destiny is comforting.
You and everything has helped me to see this and is helping me on my journey, thanks.
I am with you on this journey. I am continually grateful for the illumination your writings have brought into my life. Magic is everywhere!
With love,
Sophia
This, like all my encounters with your writing and journey is a comfort to my soul.
I could list many things that you have done and written that have warmed my heart and tested my nerve. But I shall simply thank you sincerely for three things; helping me to re-awaken the dialogue with my heart, reminding me that the way I experienced the world as a child was not mere fantasy, and for opening my eyes to the signs that I was always aware of and now follow with courage and faith.
My life is richer for having read your work. Thank you.
Simon Godsell
Guerreiro da Luz
Amazing that this blog started just as I am reading “the road to santiago” again. It again inspires me, and the inspiration is even stronger in combination with the blog. It’s good to be reminded of the fact that when we have a hard time, looking back on that later, we can see its gifts.
Also I am amazed that you talk of RAM so much. Except for the meditation school I am with, I’ve never heard anyone (from “the west”) talk about RAM. It makes me wonder whether RAM you talk about is the same as RAM we practise.
As you want to be reminded of the fact that you donot walk this Path alone, so you remind us (your readers). Thank you.
Love,
Carla
This morning while writing to you there was an interruption and the site was overridden and my writing was lost.
This made me consider what I’d say to you if I only had one opportunity.
The selection is easy.
For years most nights I wake hearing the Lord’s Prayer and the Hail Mary and since reading the Pilgrimmage I also now hear three words: ‘Rigor, Adoration and Mercy.’
While I sense understanding of each word I feel there is a depth or link between them and that is what I long to see and know. How can I know RAM?
Now I have asked my one question and add that last night I had the beautiful experience of remembering myself as a very young child whose eyes longed to see the patterns between the stars and to know where the wind and waves began and ended and how old was the sand and did my ancestors walk on the same sand before it came to Australia.
My pull to understand RAM comes from the same fascination to know reality beyond one dimension.
It is a joy to have the wisdom of two Masters on one site.
walk gently Christine
It is a joy to find the wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh & Paulo Coelho together.
Dear Mr Paulo,
those were the words of great wisdom which saints of all parts of the world have always spoken. When shall we ever really going to follow what is written by Thich Nhat Hanh and his likes? Why do we make life so difficult for ourselves, always.
When will that piligrim within me arise?
Regards
Your articles from “Warrior of the Light” always seem to arrive in my email at the right time – over the years I have come to veiw them as mysterious reminders from an angel along the path.
I have also found myself engaged in what I call the “Great Conversation”, and it’s not easy to explain what I mean sometimes, even to myself. Perhaps travelling is my way of meditating – I take my questions on the road, and there I often find my answers. I thought of your words when travelling across Nebraska last summer, wondering what to do with my life.
I stopped in a little town called Cozad, and had a coffee in a diner that faced the electronic billboard of the First Bank & Trust Company. Glancing at it to see what the time was, or perhaps the temperature, I was stunned instead to see it broadcasting, in red letters: NOW – THE JOURNEY – IS – THE – REWARD. I was so amazed I pulled out my camera, and photographed this sequence of words, flashing over and over in the hot, dusty street.
“I let my life be guided by a strange language that I call “signs”. I know that the world is talking to me” you wrote.
Thankyou, once more.
Lauren Raine
Dear Pilgrim:
Sitting in the sun on a hot Shanghai day, my mind wanders to the possibility and joy that would fill the heart that may share the privilege of walking at your side for this journey.
Alas, you have anticipated this desire felt by so many who follow you and true to yourself you have graciously provided a virtual path for us to follow. Thank you for sharing as you have done since the publication of your first work. What a legacy of sharing you shall leave behind…
Your safe travels will be in my prayers. May you think to offer a prayer for those that follow you at an appropriate and special point on your journey. I’m sure our Universal Source has a special place for your prayers just as we have a special place for your inspiration.
Best,
- V
So, feel pleasure at each step and do not worry about things that you still have to face.
There is such magic and power in words. These words that transcend. There is such comfort and reassurance in words. These words that transform.
All around me there are signs and I feel something emerging. I am restless and today as I read those words…..I am reminded yet again…that sometimes…I just need to be still.
Left or right…..there is always something emerging! This time left had flowers and fruit grow in its path.
In Love & Light
Thea
There is nothing more important than the present moment. That’s the only one that matters, really, as any decision / action taken is what will determine ONE potential future amongst millions of possibilities.
All the more good reasons to be vigilant for signs on the path to the Light, as our common ultimate goal is the Ascension.
Muito obrigado, Merci pour tout,
Gilles
“always smile while you walk”
I have learnt this since the new year, from walking to and from work in the early mornings. I used to think it a chore, but then I realised if I smiled, I was uplifted, and the mornings became brighter. Now I smile, and sometimes even sing, on my way to work and home from it, and it makes my day, especially when someone smiles at me in return. Everyone should smile, because no matter what is happening in your life, no matter how many troubles and worries there are going on about you, there is always something to smile about, even if it is simply because you are alive :)
Thanks alot for taking the time to summarize Paulo, i particularly like #5,6 & 7.
And good luck on your next book signings
Once again, thank you for your words. I’ve continually found something in your postings which relates, in a very timely manner, to my life. Peace and joy are indeed our traveling companions. Its unfortunate when we try and leave them behind, or make them some sort of destination. That’s the magic we can feel every day.
Thanks for this reminder in particular.
Much Love,
b
Dear Sir….
The most wonderful things happen at the spur of the moment. When u do something spontaneaously and it works out well the satisfaction is crip and well recieved. I wasnt always a person who believed tht the fact tht like is unpredictable is a good thing. But someone once told me tht it is and in this unpredictibility lies the wonder of life……Tht it is wonderful……
SOmetimes it turns red, with hope and passion and love…….
sometimes sanguine with rage and hurt and anger.
Life has many mnifestations……it is in every emotion experienced, every tear shed, every smile shared and every hug spared……and in every step along the road. I think to myself at times……..much like Elijah in The fifth Mountain……why did this happen to me? and i curse life, and destiny and everything tht has brought me to the moment i cannot fathom. and then i realise tht wht i feel is mostly wht i allow myself to feel, a direct result of the power i allow other ppl to have over me, to influence me so….to move me to smiles or tears…….and then i think life is a great teacher, there is a lesson in everyone of its lectures……being a keen student is the only requirement.
These words of wisdom are so simple and so stark in their aptness tht it should be almost difficult to not follow them……but alas…….the simplest paths i find, are the most hard to trod upon.
Right or left? any will do…..as long as u explore both possibilities…….the decision is difficult……..seeing it though is the easy part………
“Labours of love are best performed in the spirit of improvisation” How true……how true indeed. But for some, the labour of love is a tedium in vain……lost are these labours on some…….cast away into oblivion…..
Wishing i could attend one of those book signings……
Regards,
……ekta.
How beautiful are the writings of the Buddhist monk, Master Coelho! Thank you for sharing that with us all.
The Road to Santiago is never the same; the path that takes you to your final destination , the path you thought you already knew, brings you together with new people, you find yourself walking on new ground, new avenues filled with new experiences. New thoughts and ideas come to your mind…what memories come back to you from your first pilgrimage?
My African skies are still filled with thunder and lightning, and we are awaiting the much-needed rain. The lightning strikes the horizons and the rain passes by, having given the earth only a few drops of water, teasing its thirst.Vicious wind has chased the clouds away, and we are left only with the eternal hope that the day will come.
Hope is what makes us all look forward to tomorrow. May your tomorrow be filled with excitement and joy, and love. And indeed, Master Coelho, don’t forget to keep smiling…
Affectionately,
Gabriela (African Warrior of the Light)
Those are very, very beautiful and true words that celebrate the magic of the only genuine moment “present” , which however forms not only our life paths but the history of universe as well. The spontaneity and follwing the heart at this exact moment lets it be absolutely magical and unrepeatable :) And in this we are similar to creators- writing our own fairy-tales…
Thank You, Dear Magician for Your constant spirit of light and wisdom that reaches into the heart of every reader and helps us all to percept pur lifes much more brigther and deeper.
love,
Dasha
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