Dear reader:
I have been on this journey since 20 March, this being the way I chose to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of my first pilgrimage on the Way to Santiago. This has taken me to three different continents (Europe, Africa and the Far East) and has enabled me to come into direct contact with thousands of readers, since the moment I decided that it was impossible to celebrate anything without their presence.
At Puente de la Reina I held my first autograph afternoon without any “official planning”, and since then I have managed to combine some organized meetings with other absolutely spontaneous ones. All these autograph-afternoons were followed by parties where together we commemorated the meaning that the path holds: encounters. To commemorate, celebrate, discuss, dance, and respect the mystery of life, but at the same time to understand that we are not alone in this mystery and that we need to share our enchantment with other people who understand our way of thinking.
On 19 April I created this blog together with Paula Braconnot, so that all these experiences could reach beyond physical space and enter virtual space as well. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Paula for her professionalism, love and dedication, which overcame all the technical difficulties.
My next stop before going back home will be Germany, where I will attend the World Cup as guest of FIFA. As I don’t think I will be able to say anything new about football, today I am bringing these texts to an end. Any comments will be most welcome, so that we can perfect the idea of having a blog for occasional conversations.
On 22 June, God willing, I shall be returning to my point of departure, the old mill in the Pyrenees, and right after that I go back to Brazil.
Every two weeks I send a newsletter to interested readers. Whoever wants to receive these can register a
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On one of my first stops on this pilgrimage, I found myself in a village in Spain. There I wrote the text below. I believe that, no matter where we come from, we can always reach far beyond what we imagined. This is the example that Francisco gave us, the example we should follow.
I dedicate this path to my readers. Many thanks for the support you have all lent me, and for the nights that I spent reading your messages, which always encouraged me to proceed on my journey. The meaning of the path lies in people, and we always see the world better when we allow the mystery of our encounters to be unveiled. As the last sentence in The Pilgrimage says: “people always turn up when they are expected.”
Paulo Coelho
I am having coffee on the terrace of the hotel looking on to a castle, a gigantic castle in this little village with few houses in the province of Navarra, Spain. Night has fallen but there is no moon. I am repeating by car my pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the first time I traveled this road.
The village where I find myself, however, is not part of the route, which passes about 19 kilometers from here. I planned to visit it, and here I am. Five hundred years ago a man called Francisco was born in this place. He must have played a lot in the fields that surround the castle. He must have swum in the river that runs close by. The son of rich parents, he left his village to complete his studies at the famous Sorbonne in Paris. I imagine it was his first long journey.
Francis was athletic, good-looking, intelligent and envied by all the other students – except one, who came from the same distant Spanish province and whose name was Ignatius. Ignatius said to him: “Francis, you think too much about yourself. Why don’t you dedicate yourself to thinking about other things, like God, for instance?” I do not know why, but Francis, the most handsome and bravest student at the Sorbonne, is convinced by Ignatius. They get together with other students and found a society which is the laughing stock of all the others, who even write on the door of the room where they meet: Society of Jesus. Instead of feeling offended, they adopt the name. And from that moment on, Francis begins a journey without return.
He goes to Rome with Ignatius and asks the Pope to recognize the “society”. The Pontiff agrees to meet the students, and in order to stimulate them he gives his consent. Francis – who was deadly afraid of ships and the sea – sets off alone to the Orient, imbued with what he considers to be his mission. In the next ten years he visits Africa, India, Sumatra, the Moluccas and Japan. He learns new languages, visits hospitals, prisons, cities and villages. He writes many letters, but none – absolutely none – makes any reference to “tourist” spots in these places. He comments only on the need to bring a word of encouragement and hope to those who are less privileged.
He dies far from the village where I now sit having my coffee, and he is buried in Goa. At a time when the world was immense, distances were almost insurmountable and people lived at war, Francis thought that he should consider the world as a global village. He overcame his fear of the sea and ships and solitude, because he was aware that his life had a meaning. While traveling through the Orient, he does not know that his steps will never be forgotten and that all he has planted will bear fruit; he is doing all this because this is his personal legend, the way he has chosen to lead his life.
Five hundred years later, in the city of Ahmedabad in India, a teacher asks his pupils for a biography of Francis. One of the boys writes: “he was a great architect, because all over the Orient there are schools he built and that bear his name.”
Antonio Falces, who directs one of these colleges, tells me he heard two people chatting:
“Francis was Portuguese,” said one.
“Of course he wasn’t. He was born and buried here in Goa,” answered the other.
They are both wrong, and they are both right: Francis came from a small village in Navarra, but he was a man of the world, and everyone considered him a part of their own people. Nor was he an architect specialized in building schools, but, as one of his first biographers says, “he was like the sun, which cannot move forward without spreading light and heat wherever it passes.”
I think of Francis: leaving here, traveling the world, making the name of this little village known in so many places that many people believe it is his surname. Facing his fears, giving up everything on behalf of his dreams – may this inspire and serve as an example to me, who studied in one of the colleges of the so-called “society of Jesus”, or S.J., or Jesuit schools, as they are known.
Here I am in the village of Javier. Both Francisco and Ignatius, who hailed from another small village called Loyola, were canonized on the same day – 12 March 1622. on that morning a banner was hung on one of the walls of the Vatican:
“Saint Francis Javier worked many miracles. But the miracle of Saint Ignatius was even greater: Francis Javier.”
Hi mr.coelho;
I live in Iran.I love writing & I always think you’re the best in that.You know I love you’re writings & the way you think about the world & people.Write & write for us…thanks
“Wish you luck”
You’re friend:
Farnaz
dear mr. coelho,
greetings from the philippines! just bought your book: the warrior of the light yesterday 04.09.07. hope to bring this tome in my future photographic pilgrimages and spiritual journeys. hope to meet warriors of the light along the way too.
peace and more peace…
filipino pilgrim
Dear Mr. Coelho,
I have read every book that you have published and everything of yours on ipod, i love listening to your works while i am working. The Warrior of the Light has become a way of life for me. I have read many books in my life but none that hit that certain part of me, that part that brought chills, I realized that there are others out here that feel the same way. I try to live my life in an honorable way, its hard sometimes especially as a business owner, you can be lead astray so easily in these times, but i always remember THE WARRIOR, that lives in me. Thank you for awakeing my sleeping warrior. I would love to meet you, who knows what lays before me. be safe sandra brownlee
Hi Mr. Coelho,
I hope you could visit us here in the Philippines. You have numerous fans here and I’m sure you’d find lots of interesting people and things here. Please don’t ever give up writing coz your books have been an inspiration to a lot of people. More power and God Bless!
Angel
dear mr. paolo coelho
yer works are very inspiring makes me want to write stories lol…
i was fascinated about yer life..i salute u,,can u plz pay a visit for yer fans here in philippines??it would be a great privilege and experience to have chance to mee you…
we’ll be waiting here lol…take care always…
Dear Paulo,
First of all thank you so much for existing! One day i decided to leave my small city in Rio Grande do Sul and travel to London which had been my dream for as long as i can remember and i am just glad i got to do make it true.
During my journey i got to see you. It was a hot summer afternoon at Bookers bookshop in London during one of your autograph meetings in 2003. I was astonished by seeing how many people and from so many different countries were there waiting to see you just like me. We spent hours just talking about this beatiful person which inspired us all.
I cannot remember right now how many people were there but i remember there was a queue which started at the entrance and followed the next three or four floors (maybe five?!)
Thank you for writing so beatifuly and for inspiring people from all over the world.
Your stories make the world a better place because they bring people together.
Dream girl
Dear Mr. Paulo Coelho,
I am Bessie Cecil, hail from a small village in India.
Your books reflect me…..
I want to meet you
Bessie Cecil.
Paulo Coelho,
10 years ago I was blessed with a gift, The Alchemist. Today I am reading La Bruja de Portobello. Its as if you know exactly when to publish a new title. You have been such a great influence in my life, in fact it is because of you and your remarkable literary work, that I have been blessed with the courage and stamina to progress and continue walking my path. I am one of your biggest fans, which I am certain you have millions. I dont know where I would be in my life without you and your work! I would like to take this opportunity to Thank You, and most of all to wish you God’s blessings, love, light peace and happiness.
I have read all of your books and I have read the alchemist at least 50 times. Can not wait to see what is in store next!
Que dios te bendiga..
hoy y siempre.
Diamelin lopez
Orlando, Florida
Dear Paulo Coelho,
Sometimes I would want to give up.
Because, although I’m learning, giving and receiving so much
on this path, I’m still often so tired. OK, so there’s still work to do. Yes, I know. And then I read you, and it becomes softer in me. I feel there’s time, there’s support, and that I can (could) accept whatever…
But there’s a lot of disappointment. A lot. In me.
Why am I writing this? And to you? Maybe to feel that you also know disappointment. And that still you, I, we live. I guess I’m encouraging myself by writing this to you.
Thank you.
And, believe.
C.
Dear Mr Paulo,
I have read “The Alchemist” and now I am reading “The Zahir”.
I would appreciate your vision on the readers and make themselves so confidence about the real world through their dreams. I will be a great fan reader of yours in near future as I found myself in both the books.
I wish you may have many more inspirations to fabricate many more genuine writings to our pleasure and thought provoking.
Good Luck!
Dawson P
Dear Mr. Coelho,
First I would like to thank the Great Spirit for creating a person like you, who is able to inspire so many people to understand that we are all created by the one hand and that we should all work hard in making the world a better place not just for ourselves but our brothers and sisters all around and for those that will come after us.
The Alchemist has inspired me to understand that we can all make our dreams come true.
I am now reading the pilgrimage and that has inspired me to make the pilgrimage to Spain. I want to read all your books because there are many messages and things to learn in life.
Mr. Coelho you have become one of the greatest writers of our time. I hope people from all over the world will read your books and understand the we were all created with Love and that we all need to Love one another just as the creator Love us. Thank you.
Anthony
hi mr. coelho,
would there be a chance for you to come and visit the Philippines?
Kaye
I’d like to say THANK YOU.
My life is beautiful and I’ve learnt to appreciate it much because of your work. Thanks a lot for your courage, insight and devotion to love, life and mankind. I’m truly glad for your existence.
[quote comment="1582"]Do u need me to translate this mail into English?
[quote comment="1326"]Saya menyukai tulisan-tulisan Anda. Saya sudah membaca “The Alchemist”, “Gunung kelima” (Fifth Mountain), “Di tepi sungai Piedra saya duduk dan menangis”, dan saya sedang membaca “Zahir”. awalnya saya blm mengenal anda, namun, ada seorang teman yang pernah memberitahu kepada saya bahwa “The Alchemist” adalah buku yang harus dibaca. lalu saya pun membelinya. tak terasa lembar demi selembar terbaca. padahal saya agak susah sekali membaca tulisan panjang. karena menurut saya membosankan. namun, setelah saya membaca buku tersebut, tak terasa saya bisa menghabiskannya dalam waktu hanya beberapa jam. Tulisan anda yang mengalir itulah yang membuat saya mampu membacanya sampai tuntas. dan anda menggunakan kata dan kalimat yang sederhana.
saya menyukai alur ceritanya. sangat sederhana namun mendalam.
BIla anda berkunjung ke Indonesia, bisakah saya bertemu Anda? saya sangat suka menulis, dan saya ingin belajar dari Anda.
Saya menginginkan agar surat saya ini dibalas oleh Mr. Paulo Coelho. dan benar-benar ditujukan untuk saya.
teriring hormat saya,
Yenny Hardiyanti[/quote][/quote]
It would be really nice of you… :)
Do u need me to translate this mail into English?
[quote comment="1326"]Saya menyukai tulisan-tulisan Anda. Saya sudah membaca “The Alchemist”, “Gunung kelima” (Fifth Mountain), “Di tepi sungai Piedra saya duduk dan menangis”, dan saya sedang membaca “Zahir”. awalnya saya blm mengenal anda, namun, ada seorang teman yang pernah memberitahu kepada saya bahwa “The Alchemist” adalah buku yang harus dibaca. lalu saya pun membelinya. tak terasa lembar demi selembar terbaca. padahal saya agak susah sekali membaca tulisan panjang. karena menurut saya membosankan. namun, setelah saya membaca buku tersebut, tak terasa saya bisa menghabiskannya dalam waktu hanya beberapa jam. Tulisan anda yang mengalir itulah yang membuat saya mampu membacanya sampai tuntas. dan anda menggunakan kata dan kalimat yang sederhana.
saya menyukai alur ceritanya. sangat sederhana namun mendalam.
BIla anda berkunjung ke Indonesia, bisakah saya bertemu Anda? saya sangat suka menulis, dan saya ingin belajar dari Anda.
Saya menginginkan agar surat saya ini dibalas oleh Mr. Paulo Coelho. dan benar-benar ditujukan untuk saya.
teriring hormat saya,
Yenny Hardiyanti[/quote]
Hello Mr. Coelho
I have been reading u since i was 17…5yrs have gone by…
Thank you so much for helping me not forgetting my dreams..
Everyone talks about your book “The Alchemist…” i havent read it till now( and i still love the way you write…without actually knowing the measures by which i should measure you)…. May be the time has not come yet.. because everytime i set out to buy it.. something stops me..
May be i have yet to realise the right moment…
But i did read “down the river piedra…” it was your first book i read and it has been with me till now… (I stole it actually because i had started reading few pages and i had to finish it… but i didnt have the money….but i don’t regret it…)i have shifted so many places..because i do not have a home.. my belongings packed, opened, repacked.. thus it is torn and the last page is completely gone…
but this has made it more important to me….
everytime i read you.. it gives me hope….
that i should not quit my dreams….
I always wanted to become a writer…
I dont know whether i will succeed or not…
but that is all i want… because words are all i have…
and i feel i have so much to say…
not for the sake of saying.. but… speak of love and hate, speak of dreams and visions, war and peace, of demons and gods…..
Thank you for coming into my life when i needed you the most….
I dunno whether this all is making sense….
But i hope to see you some day…
I live in nepal… a small country landlocked and poor( improvished by the decade long war going on here between the Maoists and the government.. there is a ceasefire now and they have agreed to form a united government now but things are not good still)… and dreams are hard to take care of here… where one has to think of how to survive and take each day as it comes…
But i keep saying to myself… if there is destiny, if there is god…Which i think is… inside all of us…(i have no religion) and if in time we cross eachothers path… i from my hearts of hearts want to see you and talk to you….
I believe each of us… who has posted here and also those who have not.. we all are our own legacy… we all carry our own lights… and thank you for being one such light which rekindles those which are about to extinguish…
And I hope to see your new posts too…
Take care my dear writer….
I know there is a reason your works, Paulo (may I call you Paulo), are making their way into my life right now. I read the Alchemist and mailed it to a friend. I’ve read Eleven Minutes. That’s all.
But the other day I found the Warrior of the Light poem on a blog called Now is Wow. That took me to another site, more comments, another blog.
That poem is shaking me by the shoulders. Wake up!
I am not living my life in full alignment with my dreams. I am a spontaneous person. I do shine and smile and love each moment, reach out to strangers, follow my heart. But I see now that in spite of all this, I am still shrinking back from a huge section of MY DREAM and the life I could live…were I to find a bit more courage.
You are giving me courage, dear Paulo. And so are all the warriors leaving comments on your blog. Kelly, Ontario Canada
Saya menyukai tulisan-tulisan Anda. Saya sudah membaca “The Alchemist”, “Gunung kelima” (Fifth Mountain), “Di tepi sungai Piedra saya duduk dan menangis”, dan saya sedang membaca “Zahir”. awalnya saya blm mengenal anda, namun, ada seorang teman yang pernah memberitahu kepada saya bahwa “The Alchemist” adalah buku yang harus dibaca. lalu saya pun membelinya. tak terasa lembar demi selembar terbaca. padahal saya agak susah sekali membaca tulisan panjang. karena menurut saya membosankan. namun, setelah saya membaca buku tersebut, tak terasa saya bisa menghabiskannya dalam waktu hanya beberapa jam. Tulisan anda yang mengalir itulah yang membuat saya mampu membacanya sampai tuntas. dan anda menggunakan kata dan kalimat yang sederhana.
saya menyukai alur ceritanya. sangat sederhana namun mendalam.
BIla anda berkunjung ke Indonesia, bisakah saya bertemu Anda? saya sangat suka menulis, dan saya ingin belajar dari Anda.
Saya menginginkan agar surat saya ini dibalas oleh Mr. Paulo Coelho. dan benar-benar ditujukan untuk saya.
teriring hormat saya,
Yenny Hardiyanti
We don’t give ourselves enough credit for what we have experienced while on our journey through life, or prehaps do not spend enough time thinking about what we are experiencing.
I have only just discovered your writings and feel that I was led to them by a desire to find something fruitful with much meaning. Thank you for being there to fill that void.
Alex
Ever since I read The Alchemist, I finally had the desire to pursue my dreams. I mean, I always ignored what I wanted to do in life.. but your words, Mr. Coehlo, have a way of reaching into my soul and makes me realize things I’ve never thought of before and things that I’ve always denied. Thanks for opening my eyes and my heart for the endless possibilities a man can achieve. Thanks for making me realize that I have a gift that I denied for too long..
God bless you.
Aubrey
The comments are marvellous…
Well,i’ve read all Paulo’s books,and they’ve all taught me how to face obstacles in life..Paulo’s words touches my soul and take me away from the world i live..It let me see life amazing and fanatastic!!How i wish i’ll meet you oneday and discuss with you thoughts about this cruel life which you’ve let me see it beautiful…i’m reading “like the flowing river”which reached Lebanon before a month,and i feel revealed by each word i read!Whenever i feel lost,and everytime i’m furious,dismayed,i remember your deep words which let me feel overwhelmed,and let me struggle inorder to find myself and reach to my”personal legend”
Thank you…
Sevana
i like the website..
[quote comment="1299"]is there any difference with readers’ name printed in black and blue ?[/quote]
dear Jo,
yes there is a difference:
when people leave their comments, they have to write their name and mail address.
They also have the possibility to leave their website – for those who have website, blogs, their name becomes blue.
The blue color means that there is a link.
best
is there any difference with readers’ name printed in black and blue ?
Every time I am troubled your words seem to find me… I never go in search of your books, they just seem to appear! The help me find my way, and in my first experience with reading your books I believe it saved my life. After reading the Alchemist, I remebered most the boy handing all of his goods to someone who offered to help him cross the desert. I was faced with a similar situation weeks after reading this book, and only at the last moment remembered the boy and decided not to proceed. It later turned out the ‘other’ person had very bad intentions for me and it was only the sign that I received from this book that saved my life! Thank you Paolo…
Keep sending me these messages please…
Hi Paulo,
I always wonder why you wrote Alchemist. About a non-muslim boy who falls in love with Muslim girl. It makes me feel good being a muslim girl though…..
I got friends who don’t like your book. Just because you write a feel good story. But I know millions of people need your book. If not all at least one of them.
Thanks from all my heart.
Suraya
Hi Paulo,
I am feeling elated for just wrting this to you.. Your writings are wonderful… you have touched my life in many ways.. have made me think beyond… you writings.. always remind me to think beyond the horizons & gives me hope to dream.. may be some day I will find my destiny & purpose of existence..
I have read Alchemist several times.. every time I read I am inspired several times more than i was when i read it first time..i have read all of your english transalated books except for eleven minutes & Veronica decides to die.. i would read them too …
You words move me everytime i read them.. this blog is just a boon for me for a fan of yours some where in a distant land India to write to you.. and tell you are a teacher to me .. though i have never seen you in person… I keep wishing all time that some day I would get to see you in person.. talk to you.. ask question and just feel your presence ..
Waiting to meet you someday .. please come to India …
I am currently reading the pilgrimage. I just finished reading the Zahir in a five day period. I also have read the Alchemist. I sense that all your books speak of a journey. I keep hoping everyday that I will also discover more of my own journey. I find that you are able to apply to a variety of personalities and a variable age group. Of course all who live find themselves at some stage of their journey and through your books can identify with it. I also have started to believe that the reason for life is to travel a journey, to learn and to complete certain tasks. When the lesson is over we receive our grade. Some of my days are also a disappointment. While discovering my own journey I can not neglect to see the innocent born and suffering death without the option to journey, learn and grow. The innocent child or baby who dies from cancer or abuse by the parent…What is the meaning in that? What lesson is there to learn for that life itself? Is it that the innocent and young are to die only to become a lesson to the rest of us? How can children who have not developed our degree of intellectual thought, complete their journey and understand their reason for existence before their journey ends at an early stage. The days that I witness the imbalance of the world, those days are the ones when I mostly question my own purpose for existence.
Still in a pink cloud from completing the Camino I was meandering around the Madrid airport looking for a book to read that might be in English. I came across Paulo’s, “Like a Flowing River.” It was the light I needed for the journey home…it was the source I needed to melt back into reality…it was a gift from the Universe. Thank you.
what do you think Paulo?
God is working trough us,yet still we wait for him
can you divide actiond done by Him and the ones done by us? are his good,and ours bad?
what do you think?
l`amore e`vita
tutto qua
I just popped on and noticed (and was surprised to see!) that this blog was still up and running! Was wondering if anyone here knew about Paulo’s Warrior of Light blog, and if not, wanted to extend the invitation to join us there! :)
http://paulocoelhoblog.com/warrioroflight/
-Deb :)