Anabel (Mérida, Spain)
I don’t know if it is all written down, I don’t know if people write their story when they are born, or before, or while they are alive. But I am convinced that everything that happens in our life has a meaning, and that is why each moment has to be lived intensely. Because it is today that enables us to move ahead, break the ties, let life flow in all its freedom, and understand that loving the moment is what makes us happy. Loving what we see, what we touch, what we don’t understand, loving the unknown, what makes us anxious, the deep and the shallow, but loving nevertheless.
Beba (Islamabad, Pakistan)
Life is absolutely temperamental, and it eventually leads us down paths that we were not absolutely certain or enthusiastic about following. But what would become of us without these surprises? I make a toast to all that is absurd and marvelous that we will continue to come across at each step that lies ahead.
Iris (upon arriving at Santiago de Compostela)
When I reached Obradoiro Square, I wondered: why did I have to face so many difficulties? I joined the endless line to kiss the statue of the saint and it all struck me as absurd, except for catching up with some pilgrims that I had met on the way. Yes, it was all absurd, except the joy of having surmounted my limits and feeling a better person. Just as well that I did not walk like the others. Just as well that I decided to stop whenever the sun set, avoiding thinking about whether I was near a shelter or whether there was food available. Just as well that I ate a plate of lentils that upset me and obliged me to sleep at the foot of a mountain, in a place that I would never have known had it not been for that problem.
Just as well that I overslept and ending up having to spend the night under a star-filled sky. Just as well that I began walking when I felt like it and stopped when I wanted to, without anyone telling me is that was right or wrong. Just as well that I was alone, and so the moon treated me in a very special way. Just as well that I took the wrong turn four hundred times and ended up knowing places that nobody knew. On one of these detours I spent the whole day sitting in front of the door of a convent thinking about my vocation
It was because of so many absurd things and so many “just as well’s” that the whole thing was fun. Because before this my life had a goal, and from now on I will go on walking just for the pleasure of walking.
Maximiliano (Veracruz, Mexico)
Before a storm everything is silent and calm, although we can feel the smell of raindrops. Some days ago I was with a friend and his sister in Porto de Tuxpam. It was Carnival, everyone was having a good time, and right at the climax of the party the sky became filled with clouds, then lightning fell closer and closer, and the rain started. Everyone ran for shelter.
All of a sudden, as if there had been some mysterious communication among the people, we all returned to the street and discovered that the storm only contributed to the world being more fertile and the climate milder. Joy returned, although nobody quite understood why they were so joyful.
One of the most sublime moments that anyone can experience is to live through a storm.
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Hello Aditya,
and what about those who are willing to listen? I mean I’m not the one who needs to persue others about their “wrongness” and my “rightness” and when I see that the one side simply shuts down and is not able to hear different opinions or needs to argue and criticize, I let him/her be and do not initiate any further conversations of this kind unless I feel it is important to express myself.
Yet, what I was asking was how am I suppose to give my advice to my friends who come to me and are wiling to listen (if I keep in mind the limitation of my perceptions ….just as we discussed previously)????
Hihi, I like philosophy alot, but as a future “businesswoman” :D,at the end I always come down to “business” and look for possible solutions :) so if any of you have any ideas how to deal with this problem, please speak up :)
..and world is still turning :)
Hay Everyone,Paulo and staff!
Hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas and a great Newyear.. I’m off to Munich tonight for a week,,cant wait for the snow!! Hope france is welcoming to those old bones!!
Cya all when I get back on line sometime again soon(seeing as I work in my fav cafe/net place) he he
Kealan
Hmmmmm !
Hope u had a good night Deb ! I really liked one of the dilogues of M to Bond in the recent Bond Movie Casiono Royale ” Arrogance & self awareness don’t go togather Bond, let’s remove ego out of the equation” u r right even imagining that one has all the answers seems arrogant and it is so. About relion we have been told by people who told it thru their brain only but then we cosnider some of them as being able to use brain as opposed to most of us who are used by our brains. wonder what must be going thru Paulo’s mind when he reads all this stuff.
AVC is quite something to read, like u and angel … wonder where Mara has been all these days.
Aditya
A&D,
No not all of Paulo’s books or the bible, the other books!
Have a happy Christmas and trust in the subconscious it will lead you to your answer
K
I don’t have gmail and I haven’t been getting it, either. I just keep a copy in my inbox and click on it from there.
:) i was crying and crying…having to nuture this deep hollow inside for the longest time, an emptiness, a never ending dissatisfaction… i am supposed to be the ‘happy’ person the ‘optimist’ not the depressive….but i couldnt help it. the void in me increasing by the minute, a misery that surrounded me when nothing seemed good enough…making effort for things that mattered once seemed ‘absurd’… and then like always i turned in for a sign, a solution, an empathetic answer… ‘Allah please give me a direction’… there it was…like always making sense out of my thoughts :) it never fails…every new phase in my life…every terrain of my thought….every confusion every query in my mind…i find an answer through Paulo. He is God-sent for me…and i have always believed that. I just wanted to thankyou. for helping me grow as a person and understand life and myself… every step of the way :)
Hi,
Am wondering me and other users of gmail we did not receive this WOL,
…any problems with gmail?
We need to make sure that we will receive the next WOL on time as we used to.
I have been waiting for this release but it did not came out so I went to the website and I found it their. But, do you remember the talk that each day has its own luck elements and that it does not work except for that day?
Be Safe,
Suha.
Hi Aditya,
Don’t get me wrong. I wholeheartedly believe in my soul’s existence. It’s just that when I read what skeptics say, regarding how maybe it’s just our brains that are doing all of this perceiving, I wonder how I could argue with their points from an empirical point of view, and then realize that I can’t…and that there is always the possibility that they ARE right. None of us really know anything for sure. And, it’s arrogant of people to think that they do, ya know? No pun intended. :)
That’s why I always had a problem with religions. :( Like Angel said, I’ve always felt the same…that everything we know in regards to religions, has come from the minds of men. Can we really trust men to tell us what Truth is? We can’t even trust men find their way on roadtrips because they never stop to ask for directions. :) Sorry about that sexist remark, I couldn’t resist! ;)
Yet, at the same time, I feel the Spirit within me and sense a knowingness and a connection with everyone and everything on this earth. I feel and believe that we are all one. It’s just when I give into the brain’s thinking processes that I get f**ked up, which is why I try not to go there anymore!! ;)
I had this really cool meditation once…never could get there again, but, I started my usual routine of imagining myself expanding larger and larger, to eventually encompass the room, house, city, country, earth, universe…..But, one day I started going through the expansion process, and suddenly instead of going outward, I snapped like a rubber band and instead went inward. And, amazingly enough….when I went inward….I kept going deeper and deeper, as I do when I expand outward to the Universe and I finally realized that when the sages have spoken about the world within us, they meant it literally! In the region of my heart is where I went, and it was infinite. And, while I was there, I could sense that anything and everything that ever existed was in there. Has anyone else experienced this, too??
Well, then, years later when I went to the museum of Holography in New York City, and first learned about holograms, I thought, ‘That’s it! That’s what we’re like!’ I was using the analogy of a broken mirror for a while until I learned about holograms, in which, on each hologram, in case you don’t know, any tiny little part, if you cut it off and look at it, you can still see the whole original image …like a mirror…how if you move it you can see the whole world in a tiny piece, as well as a large piece.
Then, later I read a book by Deepok Chopra and he was using the hologram analogy…and I thought, ‘Hey! I thought of that first!!!’ :) But, then I realized that we are all so connected and like that hologram, we will also come up with the same ideas, too, since we are all one, because of our collective consciousness.
OK, I think I digressed again, didn’t I? :( I don’t know where the hell I was going with any of this…!? Oh yeah….we are one…I do believe…but, I leave the door open for other ideas, too. :) I gotta go to bed! It’s really late!!
So have a good day or night, everyone! :)
-Deb :)
Hi Angel,
Ha! Yes! I know what you mean about encountering people who believe their Truth is the only Truth. I had a friend who would even go so far as to tell people ‘You believe, but I KNOW.’
And, yes, I often feel like I’m getting like that…especially as I mentioned earlier, in regards to my spirituality. :( I get comfy in the knowledge that I’ve got it all figured out and under control…and then something happens which throws me for a loop. Oh my GOD! I don’t have all the answers??!! Who knew?! ;)
It’s so unsettling, but I try to rest in the knowledge that only change is constant, now.
Take care!
-Deb :) Who’s got it ALL figured out THIS time! :) Hee hee!
The way I see it, it is inevitable that you will create an image of everything that you perceive.
This also means that you will create an image of
yourself, relative to your perception of everything
else.
As your knowledge develops, so do the images.
Gradually you create your own expanding and evolving
universe, and establish your own position in it.
No one but you can do this. It is not just the task of
scientists and priests, but the Great Work that has to
be carried out by every single human being.
Hence, learn as much as you can about everything and from every experience, whether painful or wonderful.
Explore all feelings, but be aware of your
reactions and the fact that you have preconceived
ideas and deeply seated fears that will
provoke your instincts of fleeing or putting up a fight.
Stretch your boundaries in every possible direction,
but do it slowly! There is no need to push. It is never advisable to dive headlong or swim too far in new and dark waters.
Compare every new experience with previous ones.
Arrange them in groups with similar characteristics.
Never accept a final form – be critical of your efforts, falsify and rearrange.
Don’t be afraid to tear everything down; if there is such a thing as a golden truth, it cannot be destroyed by your sword of reason.
Face your fears, overcome your sorrow and rebuild your
structure.
Redeem yourself!
Sorry for breaking into to u’r discussion.
Angel and Devil in one person:)
There is no need to ‘focus’ on others who are not willing to consider the fact that they may be wrong. u have realised it, move on from there. Developing a consistent self awareness has always been for few persons.
& Dear Deb ! what is the tormenting thought – that nothing is true ! that nothing can be trusted. ? Just remember u’r self. In all this brain interpretation stuff, one thing that remains is u, u’r self awarenss. At least u r true, u exist and u don’t need to ask any one else for it. Tomorrow even if, one by one all your sence organs are ‘switched off’ still u will remain. During dreaming also, u remain, only during deep sleep u become unaware of u’r own existance also. remember what socrates said about his apparent cheerfullness as he was slowly dying from the poison that was given to him ” In death only two things can happen either I cease to exist, in whcih case there is no problem for me any further, or else I continue to exist in which case this death is just another event” I don’t remember exact wordings etc, but this was the jist.
All the ‘masters’ have recommended only one cure for all ailmenet, turn your focus within, marvel at yourself. U exist, reason enough to celebrate. had u not existed the universe would not have been any diffrent.
Hey K,
thanks for your reply…hm sorry to disappoint you with my not very powerful mind :) you know I was not the one who came up with this angel/devil concept but Paulo and I just happened to borrow it from him ;-)
I am not the one to say whether Paulo follows a straight path from A to B now but as far as I know his path in past appears to me everything but straight ..but still who am I to say?
Hmmm, documents show…who wrote those documents? People like you and me with their own perceptions, interests, knowledge… I, personally, do not even believe in Bible or other historical documents…or better said I do not take them literally and always try to keep in mind that they were written “only” by people….
and science? well, to give a recent example of how “reliable without limits” science is a new knowledge that there are more than 9 planets in our galaxy…just few months ago and for many many years, pupils who circled in their multiplechoice exams as a correct answer – more than 9, were told to be wrong….
When it comes to that “sign theory” …. Einstein said once ” If facts do not fit theory, change the facts” Well, it was mentioned in different context but I might misuse this quote and interpret it also as an effort to manipulate facts…manipulation is kind of strong wrong but my English is not that good to find a better word for it…. and yes, Einstein was also „only“ a human being so at the end we have a pat situation – a word against a word …..which doesnt mean I consider this omen philosophy as something wrong…I’m just wondering
Dont get me wrong…I am not trying to offend you, Paulo or anybody here at this blog…I love Paulo’s books, except for two (which I somehow cant find in any bookstore) I’ve read all of them…and many of them more than once :) I just think/ or hope/ or guess that Paulo’s intentions were not to open this blog so he can read how great he is and how much we all love him but to offer his fans and readers a space where they can present their opinions about his books, discuss them, maybe also inspire and help each other on their own spiritual journey
…and the fact, that I happen to love his books, doesnt mean that I cannot be critical of him or have my doubts :)
wish you a nice day
Hi Aditya,
what a pretty name! I like that sentence “realities are as they are…unreal” that’s a really good one! :)
But then the whole work of psychologists is just a nonsense?! dont you think? I belong to those people to whom friends turn to when they have a problem and need to hear another opinion or look for an advice…well I know that no matter what I say, at the end my friends have to make their final decisions which I do not have to necessaraly be positive about…that all I can offer is my personal opinion….
…but now when as you said their reality is intepretable for them but not me how am I suppose to tell them my opinion about their problems or situations they are in if I am not able to interpret them correctly? If what I see is perceived only through my own limited, by many influences baised mind? This is a puzzle to me! :(
yes, determinists would say, what is supposed to happen, is going to happen ….so if I advise them incorrectly as a result of by my limited mind wrongly interpreted situation, and my friends happen to follow it, it means that it was supposed to happen so it did happen, right? Hm I dont know ….well solution might be to be quiet and offer them two ears to listen and two arms to hug…
..any ideas?
Have a nice day :)
Hello Debbie,
yes right! I almost drove myself insane with those questions lately!!!You expressed is just about right!! :) It got soo bad that even my good friends were asking me what was wrong with me as instead of usually energetic and bubbly ME, they had been meeting a serious, quiet woman. But I guess I am back on the track again and hopefully again a bit wiser, better and “happier” :)
I agree with your opinion about own personal truth….but important is to stress PERSONAL :) Just yesterday I finished reading one nice book (it doesnt make sense to recommend it since it is published only in my native language) which ended with a thought which was something like ” truth is for every person only what he explored/ found out himself on his own skin” I thought about it and myself for a while and I think that it somehow might be labeled as you put it ” own personal truth” However, this personal truth is only personal , thus relative and I think this is something crucial when dealing with others and their own personal truths :)
Unfortunately, I personally encounter quite often people who consider their truth to be the ONLY truth. And this is what I am soo afraid of. There is nothing more frightening to me than to get stuck with my own truth. Because to get stuck, at least to me, means to stop growing intelectually and spiritually.
And as I read those various books lately, I realized that I stopped growing! That I was unconsciously but slowly becoming one of those “who know better” ( not best but better). I realized that in previous one – two years, I read only those books that matched with my personal truth, books that more or less confirmed my own opinions, that comforted me. I interpreted everything in the frame of my own belief system. And I felt really happy and comfortable with myself:)
Yes, as a business student I am also often/ every day confronted with other perspectives yet, all my initiated discussions never went deeper as most of my friends and classmates do not ask such “stupid questions” such as ” what is a meaning of life? or what is truth? and why?” Most of such discussions never really challenged me/ never really satisfied my hunger for better, wiser wisdom. So I decided to challenge myself on my own and I ended up in the state of mind as I presented it here :)
And even though I have to say, I didnt really enjoy much these previous weeks, all that time I knew that there would come a day when this insecurity, this disillusion will be gone and I hoped I would learn something from it. And even though I am not quite sure, what was this lesson all about, I can say for sure, that I learnt one important thing so far.
I learnt that no matter how painful and uncomfortable it is, I should NEVER take anything as a sure thing. NOTHING. I should never take anything as an absolute truth, reality, as something definite. And that I have to learn to live with this newly discovered awareness and feeling of insecurity and discomfort that maybe everything is different. That maybe things really DO NOT happen for a reason and that maybe coinscidences really DO EXIST as oppose to statemets that everything happens for a reason and coinscidences do not exist :) …and I am slowly getting comfortable with this idea and feel again good in my own skin :)
For you this might be obvious but for me it is a new knowledge which I not only know in my head but also feel in every cell of my body :)
Wish you another silly and happy day :)
A.V.C.,
thank you alot for taking your time and writing me your very deep response:) Everything what you have said has very close to what I strive for even though I got lost lately. I guess I read too many books with too many various opinions and beliefs in previous few months. And what I needed and was looking for here was kind of a confirmation of what I “believe” or how I “perceive” the world. And you gave it to me in very kind and wise way.
There are not many people who are enough open minded to be able and willing to hear also other opinions and challenge themselves to at least admit and consider a fact that they might be wrong. Which I guess is quite understandable since it is not a nice and comfortable feeling to realize/ hear that what they believe in (for one reason of another) is/ might not be the truth. We all need confirmation for what we believe in in order to feel good about ourselves/ to feel secure what we do is right,etc. I guess we all need some kind of security, or something. And I suppose that’s the reason why people do not like/ hate and offend those with different opinions and why it is soo dammn hard to be different,to be an “outsider”.
Anyway, thank you very much for your comment, I appreciate it alot.
I guess the following poem says exactly what you meant, right?? :)
Without Love
Duty without LOVE creates annoyance.
Truth without LOVE creates criticism.
Worthiness without LOVE creates arrogance.
Education without LOVE creates contradiction.
Cleverness without LOVE creates caginess.
Responsibility without LOVE creates inconsiderateness.
Justice without LOVE creates hardness.
Politeness without LOVE creates hypocrisy.
Order without LOVE creates pettiness.
Knowledge without LOVE creates dogmatism.
Power without LOVE creates violence.
Honour without LOVE creates pride.
Possession without LOVE creates acquisitiveness
Faith without LOVE creates fanaticism.
Laotse
A.V.C.,
I understand what you’re saying, as I believe in and see the duality of existence, as I mentioned in the ‘prayers’ discussion. I’m also aware of the search for the Unified Field Theory.
And, even though I believe in the feeling of love and hope, yet don’t expect, that science will someday prove its existence and fully explain our reality, I noticed you mentioned that nothing that can be felt is true, yet, went on to state that we have ‘the ability to sense love.’
Well, in physical form, our only way to sense things is through our nervous (sensory) system. As I’m sure you’re aware, scientists have found areas in the brain that when touched, produce feelings of euphoria, along with other emotions. So, how can the feeling of love even be trusted if we are using our sensory organs to feel it?
I think about how even when we are astral projecting, we are still connected to our bodies, so, can that even be trusted?
It’s just a thought that plagues me, continually. I know that life is paradoxical and can never be explained, so I don’t expect anyone to have an answer for it.
But, does anyone have anything to add to this tormenting thought?
Nigina ! HI !!
There would not be any person sane & true ! who has not thought of killing him /herself, at least once. I don’t know what precisely u’r situation is. But just hold on. See, the universe can be unjust too, was it not so while cricifying Christ. Universe may or may not conspire to help us as per our defination of help. Let’s trust the universe to know better than us. Let’s try with all our might, live just another day, say that word ‘fight’ once more. Don’t get depressed if the universe does not grant u u’r wishes. if u belive in God or universe or something other than u’r own mind then know that it knows, it ‘sees’ it cares !
paulo may have written but then again may not be, i simply could not resist this time. so be it. U keep up the good fight and manual of Warrior of Light by paulo is a good place to begin once again, universe may or may not help. why should we depend on it.
Aditya
Robert Frost (1874–1963). Mountain Interval. 1920.
1. The Road Not Taken
TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 20
Hi,
I absolutely agree with your ‘professor’ that truth is relative. That is what makes this earth the exciting, wonderful and intensely scary place that it is. It is finding the courage within you and living by this maxim that can truely affect the quality of each moment you live and help to lift away the weight of ‘the opinions of others’ that normally control our every move.
Watch the children who have not yet learned to act in conformity and see the true beauty in life. Tis AM over here in Eire your writing has lifted my day.
thank you
T
Nothing that can be thought, felt or said can be true.
Every perceived fact can only be interpreted in the light of other perceived facts.
If you think about it, you will find that every single fact in this world has its opposite representation.
As soon as you stumble across anything that appears to be “true”, challange yourself to find the opposite viewpoint. You might not like it, but it exists.
When the two opposites have been identified, try to find a harmonizing third.
Continue this process by identifying the next opposite fact, which will then be found on a “higher level”.
This process can be carried on forever. It is the only available process of exploring this world, scientifically or spiritually.
Little by little you will recognize certain recurring principles in this chaos; the laws of nature.
The drive in this process is the search for the ultimate truth, the “uniting third” of all. The scientists vision of a Grand Unification Theory. God of any religion.
This truth is beyond our reason, since we can only perceive of that which can be divided.
Still, we have been equipped with a very delicate instrument to detect the equilibrating forces flowing between opposites. It is an instrument superior to reason: the ability to sense Love.
Therefore, use reason as far as you can, accept the guidance of Love (though it is sometimes quite severe), and realize that only he is happy, who desired the unattainable.
Angel n the Devil,
With such a powerful name I would think that you would have a much more powerful mind,,#
Seems to me that you have yet to grasp the nature of Paulo’s work. He follows a straight path from A to B..
Not that I am interested in informing you of things that I have learned, but it is well documented in history and in a scientific manner how we rely on omens to show us the way.
Anyway, if you search for the truth you may not find it. But if you read every book I’m sure you will.
K
A & D In One.
It is not a question of us getting what u mean; it’s is more like do U get what U mean.
Yes my reality ( present reality, have u noticed the realities too keep changing as we are exposed to more inputs from environemnt, I see a snake at a distance, take suitable precaustions as I cautiously move forward then laugh at myself when I see that it was not a snake but a rope which had just moved in a strong local wind current) My present reality and yours may be diffrent, but for me I am the focus, u’r reality is not interpretable by me, only mine can be interpreted by me.
Have u wondered, if since childhood I see blue as u see green then it’s not easy to detect this diffrence , u must be familiar with pwople who r colour blind, the fact that they are colour blind comes to notice only during cleverly designed tests. so realities r as they r.. unreal …
about signs : not only signs, for those who can ‘see’ the whole life story of yours is an open book both past and future.
Ultimately there is not much point in going after signs etc unless it happens to be your hobby. What is required is to have a goal, not very rigid but a goal nonetheless and then relentlessly pursue the path. Rest will be taken care of ! and who gives a damn even if it’s not.
So dear Angel & D … u r in some Business school !!! hmmm. good that u r here, get your freinds also here or somewhere near paulo & spirituality. Business needs to change its perspective from ‘Maximising Profits’ to ‘optimising profits’ and that can happen when we have business leaders who are well evolved spiritually too.
this is a blog, so …..
aditya
Hi Amanto,
Yes, I was in a bit of a good mood yesterday, thanks for noticing! ;) Isn’t it funny how we can feel and sense each other on the internet? I’m always amazed by that, how, our consciousness and presence always shines through whatever we do. :) I suppose the smiley faces, too, are a dead giveaway! Ha! :) And the laugher. :) Ok, so it’s not such a mysterious thing after all. ;)
Angel woman! :) I know exactly how you feel about needing to talk to people like this. And, I agree with you about and understand what you are saying…regarding how all of our perceptions are different. It’s always bothered me, too. The only conclusion I ever came to with it all is that whatever a person believes to be Truth, will be Truth for them. It’s about finding your own personal truth. Granted, we are so connected to, though, and affected by others that my truth might step on your truths’ toes, and through communication, we might be able to come to a compromised reality that fits both of our worlds.
There’s also the situations that can’t be changed, too, though, such as one that my husband is always fond of pointing out. If a person wants to win the lottery, for example, and if they truly believe they are going to win…their belief is competing with millions of others who might be feeling the same way, but they’re not all going to win. So, maybe there is an official Truth out there, and only time and testing will show whether your beliefs will really manifest as Truths. ??
And then there’s will power. Is it really just will power that drives our beliefs to become reality? Do people with stronger wills force their energy on situations to make them work in their favor? Or, is will power the face of God guiding us along our predestined path?
I think it’s a combination of destiny and free will, but who I am to say? :) It’s all just a calculated guess…but, it’s so much fun to play this guessing game.
Whenever I see signs and feel strongly about them and then they do end up bringing me to places that I felt it was leading me, it strengthens my belief in signs, and in my faith in God. But, does that mean that it’s because these signs really are there for that purpose? I don’t know. And, I guess we’ll never know until we meet our maker. Or, is that just my belief? :)
When I was really young, I nearly drove myself insane with such questions, and realized that I had to let it rest. My mind would hurt too much!! :) So now I just enjoy the ride. I float along, and enjoy the scenery of the great mystery of life as it passes. But, sometimes I have to stop to go pee. :)
Wishing you all a silly, yet, peaceful day. :)
-Deb ;) Who believes everyone should make a concerted effort to have more fun each and every day! ;)
Hi Deb,
I am trying not to laugh aloud b’coz am in office!
Very nice.. I think u are in good mood today. Melancholic air is gone??
Have a nice Day dear Warriors Of Light…
Thanks for your replies ladies but….why is there almost always this BUT???
one of my most beloved professors said in his first lecture to us, his students: “as an objective academician I do not believe in truth. Truth is relative.” And to be honest, with this sentence he got me and “I fell in love with him” Anyway, I just wanted to say with it that I also kind of believe that objective / one/ universal truth does not exist, only subjective one. The one which we personally see and perceive. And since we all are so different, have different experiences, prejudices, beliefs, the reality each of us see is subjective and never be/ cant be objective, true, real, absolute. In other words, we only see what we want to see and are capable of seeing within our own limited framework in our mind which is shaped by many influences (religion, parents, personal tradegies, etc)
Has it ever happened to you that you and,for instance your friend, had met a person and after that person left, you exchanged opinions with your friend about this person, and it was as if you talked about two different persons? that you both perceived him, saw totally opposite qualities in this person? Not different but opposite! I think this example demonstrate my point.
But what I am trying to get to with this “introduction” is Paulo’s belief in signs. I absolutely agree with Paulo’s opinion that we should do what makes us happy and not what is expected/ prescribed to us by society, parents etc. No doubt about it. And of course, I am aware that we as free human beings always have a choice and only we are responsible for our lives. As Sartre noted once” we are condemned to freedom”. Exciting yet scary :)
However, this “sign theory” and faith in own personal legend is something which “bothers” me. Isnt it maybe so that Paulo interpret what he calls signs in the way he wants them to be? That we all “Paulo’s followers” see and manipulate reality so that it fits to our belief? That we see what we want to see and not as it is(which are not capable of seeing anyway)? I know we will never know what would have happened if we hadn’t followed the sings but still…I just wonder, what makes Paulo so certain about his faith in signs and personal legend. I know at the end, we just have to make choice – either believe or not and I would like to make a right choice:)
Hm I dont know if you get what I mean and how I mean it but hopefully yes. And I apologize for my loong message but since I study at the business school, I do not get a chance to have such “intelectual” conversations with anybody except that professor I mentioned at the beginning, so I hope you dont mind if I try to discuss it with you guys here.
I wish you all a beautiful day :)
to Angel and Devil,
I think that once you become aware of the power
in your choices, nothing can really make you
blind again… and I think that if it wasn’t
Paulos books it would be the words from someone
else or a lesson from life you’ve learned at some
time.
I can’t say you shouldn’t take it seriously
because serious things happen. People make choices
that makes their families turn away from them
and they are left alone and that must hurt.
But among 6 milliard humans on earth,
no loneliness could last forever if you don’t
want it to…
Take care,
Josephine (- studying the lessons of life)
To the Angel & Devil in One Person: Ha! Yes…Paulo has cursed us with the Truth! And, as someone once said, ‘The Truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable!’ ;) I’m such a chicken, too!;) You’re in good company, because I think most of the world is afraid of following their Truth…following their Bliss. Maybe if we all holds hands together, we can jump into the stream of consciousness, and not be afraid. ;) Just don’t drag me down if you start to drown because I can’t swim very well. :)
And Shalini, I want to be near you when we all hold hands because it sounds like you know how to swim! :)
Love to all! :)
-Deb :)
The religion we are introduced to thru the religious institutions are mostly corruted by them. The priests of the religious institutions are mostly politicians in disguise. Just look at all the unholy things that have happend in the name of Holy religion. As u have said it Deb, u have to go thru tons of chaff to discover an ounce of nectar, but then so it is. The highetst religion remains u’r own conscience as was for Zesus or Buddha; fine tuning our intellect so that we can distinguish the voice of the angel from voice of the devil within remains our challenge, i feel.
And about experiences, brain and science. All expereinces must necessarily be interpreted, must come thru the brain and as science develops, better understanding of brain will result. An explaination that an ‘out of death’ experinece occures ( it actaully flows thru ) a certain are of brain does not take anything away from the experince itself or from death. U, the observer, observe the observed ( the physical world, expereinces , …) thru the instrument called mind which is housed in the material brain. Brain is within the recah of scientists as it is physical. let’s all have faith.
Aditya
i feel truly blessed to have stumbled across such a place where that makes me feel like i’m not alone. it’s a feeling that i’ve been struggling with lately because i’ve recently moved to a new country quite different from my old home.there were times at the beginning when i felt truly lost and not having old , familiar faces to remind me of who i was and where i stood in this world, i began to lose myself. i truly doubted myself but i sat down and read the alchemist once more and i found that i was able to extract from it many things that i had not seen before for instance santiago too, found himself in a strange place after selling his sheep but he chose to see himself as an adventurer and so do i. i constantly had to remember to live in the present(it was much easier but dangerous to live in my past that i knew and loved) because as the caravan driver said ‘live in the present and u’ll be a happy man’. i guess what i’m trying to say is that i belive that every thing happens for a reason. there’s a reason that after living in one country for all my life i had to move to an entirely different place and it is so hard but it’s all about how u choose to face life and it’s the choices u make that define who u are. u are NEVER defined by other people’s action, words or demands unless u allow yourself to be.THE MEANING OF YOUR LIFE IS WHAT U WANT IT TO BE. and with that i say till next time folks and God bless.
Dear Paulo, and al the other readers ;-)
A little more then a year ago, I receive a copy of 11 minutes for my birthday. A dear friend whom i worked with at the time had already read the alchemist, and thought 11 minutes would be a nice gift. And so it was, after that i bought the Zahir and the devil and the girl, that made a big impression on me. It really was a good book to read and i just couldn’t put the book aside. The zahir is still waiting to be read, because after that there wouldn’t be a book left of Paulo to read. Last birthday i received a gift certificate and i decided to complete the collection, so i went to the bookstore and ordered them. After a few days they came in and i could watch with stars in my eyes how my book collection grew with great books. And now i can start with the zahir :-D Yeah!!! When i’m through with the zahir and the rest, i’ll post a new reaction ;-)
For Paulo, Keep writing great books, and for the readers keep reading them :-)
Greetings Maaike
Hi,
I am just as big fan of Paulo as all of you guys, and I loove Paulo’s books more than anything. However, have you ever had a feeling that Paulo and his books are like a curse? That your life would be much much easier if you didnt read his books at all?? I mean, at least I get such feelings from time to time …and as you correctly assume, most of time I regret I’ve read his books when I have to make important decisions and in advance I know that my choices will not please many of for me important people and that I am going to suffer alot…how do you deal with such situations? and do you ever doubt Paulo’s philosophy?
I am kinda in very skeptical mood lately and I even doubt myself :) that’s a reason why I ask ….I was not raised in any religion, but I do not consider myself an atheist … I read alot and I’ve got a feeling that the more I read (from philosophy, beletry, history to psychology), the more complicated and complex everything appear to me (or how Socrates said ” All I know is that I know nothing)..
I am trying my best to find my own way, my own religion but as I said, it appears to me that the more I know, the less I know and less I believe in anything including my own “perceiving”…and to be honest, it doesnt make me feel any comfortable or happier….
well and maybe all this fuss is only because I am such a chicken and cannot make my final decision regarding following my dreams vs living nice and comfortable life :)…and maybe I am a typical example of those people mentioned in the Alchymist, who are almost one step from achieving their dreams and suddenly get scared and give up …I would be very grateful for any insights or comments…thanks
PS I dont know how about you guys, but the link to that Pirate Coelho really put a smile on my face…It shows once again Paulo’s integrity and makes me admire him even more :)
I, like you, happen to believe that everything is set up before someone is born. It doesn’t just have to be in spiritual context, but also as well from a materialistic point of view, and simple physics rules, one can see that everything is connected since the very first start of our universe. For each reaction there is an action.
I admire your writings Paulo. I read The Alchemist, The Fifth Mountain, The Zahir, The Valkyries and. Eleven Minutes.
I enjoyed Eleven Minutes the most.
And I am looking forward to read the Piligramage and Veronica Decides to die.
Keep on inspiring us.
Thanks Deyan for you comments….
And, Aditya, your comments are interesting regarding spirituality and religion. I’ve always felt, as mentioned, that you don’t need religion, but even when I wasn’t subscribing to any one religion, I guess I was. I sort of investigated as many as I could and tried to filter out the morsels of Truth in each and tucked away bits and pieces. I ended up with a conglomeration of beliefs, that I suppose could constitute a religion. ;)
I wonder if we ever really can get away from religious beliefs completely? My husband and I were just discussing this last night. He was brought up without any religion. His mother was brought up Catholic but got disillusioned with religion after dealing with ornery abusive nuns and molesting priests, and became a self-proclaimed athiest. She told her son that she refused to bring him up in any religion and wanted him to have the freedom to find his own, as an adult, if he so chose to do so.
It left my husband to have to figure out things for himself and although he’s a very good, spiritual person, he finds it so hard to believe anything that man says about God and questions everything to the extreme. He would like to believe in something, but his intellect fights his faith. I understand how he feels as I do the same, but not to the same degree, and I attribute it to the early brainwashing I got through my own religious upbringing.
We are always discussing how science continually finds new information regarding our brains and how all of this stuff that we think of as spiritual – hearing, seeing spirits and guides, having near death experiences, etc., could just really be experiences of the brain. I am aware that this could be the case, and so try to always take everything with a grain of salt.
But, the most interesting thing that we’ve discovered is that at the end of his mother’s life and on her deathbed, she was crying out for God.
Paulo,
Last time you seemed very understanding re your work circulating on the net.
NOW I see that THIS Pirate site is blocked for readers.
Your latest action seems more congruent to me.
Ildiko
Hello all,
If you took everybody’s story and compared it all in one big reading session I’m sure you would find that everybody’s story would follow some flowing life stream that runs through every human. Some call it God, some Allah and some say its because we are all part of the same race.
As the warrior knows, it is a simple yes or no that can change everything. It is this yes or no that make us choose life. We cannot sit in the balance we must choose. Some do it right, some do not. It is this question that drives some people crazy, to drugs and alcohol or to living on the streets..
Hi ! Deb !
Thanks for your blessings ( I include myself in all ). Amazing how mysterious things in life can be. Just felt like sharing with you a conlcusion which is with me presently ( may change, who knows ). Spirituality will culminate in religion if pursued sincerely. Spirituality without religion is too dry, and at the same time a religiousity which is not founded on spirituality is incomplete. Nurturing the roots of spirituality will bear the flower of religion. Of course these r my views only and may be subject to refinements as evertyhng else in my life.
Aditya
Dear, Debbie
Don`t feel useless – your last post gave me ideas and inspiration, but I am sure it is or it will be in help of someone. What we do always matters.
With love and hope,
Deyan
Strange, after having the files on youtube in my favorites for months, they’re not in there. I don’t see them when I do a search either. I know they didn’t get many views while they were on the site. I was really hoping to talk to other fans about the chat (which was truly remarkable).
Hello dearest Paulo. There is something I have been wondering about since your audio chat in October. Your answer to one question revealed that you only write books in February. I was wondering what is the significance of the month or is that usually just when the spirit moves you to begin a new novel?
By the way, in case anyone here hasn’t heard the magnificent audio chat, go to youtube.com and type in Paulo’s name and sort by date, you should find about five parts of the interview there.
Dear Paulo and Fellow Bloggers,
Today is the day of the Immaculate Conception, and I wish to share a story.
For years now, I have been so intent on considering myself ‘spiritual’ and not ‘religious’ that somewhere along the way, I began to lose faith in the existence of the saintly icons of my Catholic upbringing.
And I have recently begun to feel dead inside.
Two weeks ago I was at a spiritual healing center with my son and while there, I was drawn to a book on the bookshelf called ‘Divine Interventions’. The writing is kind of lame and corny, but, the stories in it ignited tiny sparks within me. The ones that attracted me the most were the ones about the Virgin Mary and, especially about Our Lady of Guadalupe.
I have been feeling as if she is around me, and it occurred to me that she may be trying to guide me and felt she needed to tell me something.
Last night before going to bed, I walked past the calendar and saw something written on it for today and was surprised to see that today is the day of the Immaculate Conception – the day that Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego and told him to build a church where she stood back in 1531. This was the story that inspired me the most!
I have been talking to her in prayer and meditation lately, and, today she informed me that it was her voice that saved me from killing myself as a teenager, which I spoke about in the past on this blog. The woman’s voice that I heard said that I shouldn’t kill myself because my mission wasn’t complete…because I had to have children someday.
Well, I find it interesting that she has come back into my life at this time, as I am about to end my tenure of being a full-time Mother – an occupation that I have struggled with for the past 17 years.
When I was a child, I watched as my grandmother raised her six kids, then take care of her husband who had Alzheimer’s Disease, then contract the same disease herself and die in a nursing home on Christmas Eve.
I have been witnessing my own mother following in her footsteps – she raised her children, and now has Alzheimer’s and is slowly slipping from this world.
As a result, when I became a mother, a kind of depression set in. I began asking ‘Is there all there is to life? You raise children, forget who they are, then die?’
At one point, I got really depressed when the kids were young and I was contemplating going out into the world…getting a full-time job and doing something more worthwhile and productive. But I had a dream in which Jesus spoke to me telepathically. He showed me a wagon wheel with many spokes and pointed to the hub and told me that I was like the hub of the wheel and that my job as a mother was just as important – that the family would fall apart if it wasn’t for me being the center of it and holding the spokes together.
I trusted in his wisdom (of course!) and felt better about my role as a mother.
But now my time is coming to an end. My children will always need me in some respect, I am sure. But, my role is changing. I’m excited, yet, feeling lost at the prospect of having to forge a new identity. I had finally convinced myself that my role as a mother was the most important role I could fufill and I’m beginning to feel useless now.
I feel like, in some ways, that my life is just beginning. I look at my mother who continually forgets who we all are now, though, and I’m just so sad about that. It reminds me of one of the lame poems I wrote when I was younger entitled, Family Album. I’ll embarrassingly share it here.
Black construction paper pages
Filled with musty memories
Sepia-toned related faces
Filled with sadness, hope and glee
I turn the cracking pages gently
Lost in reverent thought
Of those who’ve formed and came before me
With knowledge of me not.
Implied upon the sallow faces
I sense an ‘unbeknowing’ state
and laugh – as I’ve resumed their paces
and mourn my inevitable fate.
So, the moral of my long, drawn out story is I need serious psychological help. Ha! :) No, no, that’s not it.
I guess I’m feeling compelled to share my stories with everyone because it helps me to feel like I’m contributing something worthwhile to the world. I have a lot more love left still to give and I thank you, Paulo, for having this venue for me and for all of us, in which to share it.
I feel that Our Lady of Guadalupe endorses this place.
May we all be filled with the love of God and for all of our mothers on this day of Divine worship.
God bless you all,
Sincerely,
-Debbie :) The mournful one today.
Hello all, this blog has certainly reached its extent of sharing ideas. id like to share my thoughts overall, something which has come to my attention.
Sadly Paulo i gave my copy of the Alchemist to my ex fioncee and when i asked to claim it back, he refused to give it to me. That saddened me terribly, becuase that actual copy was special to me because iv held on to it for a few years now and wished to hand it to my children in the future.
But you have taught us to be a warrior of our own path, and your words will be spread toward the generations to come so i will gladly replace the copy and allow it to spread amongst those close to me.
‘the reader has the floor’ is a great approach for your current blog and i found that all entrants share the same defiance in shaping their paths. The interpreted signs of life have to be in control of the observer to ensure that they symbolise what has been written. The unexpectancies of lifes uncertainties are definetly causes of our hopes and the strength of our dreams.
They make us say in heart: “Take me anywhere; through darkness and light and i shall be ready for all that approaches me”
Again, the warrior of ones light is being apart of a destiny foretold. With each individual suffering the same, experiencing pain but then realising why and finding a better place to belong.
So perhaps, the ability for a person to be patient is a golden key for a blessed personality.
i look forward to reading more of your work, your my number 1 author.
thankyou
Thanks Paulo for making ur books available for downloading.
I always like to read a book as it is. In all my favourite books, i love everything, it’s cover picture, smell, and underlining my favourite lines…
In my copy of ‘The Alchemist’ i underlined all my favourite liness… Once i completed reading, i handed over that to my sister, then her turn and she also noted her favourite lines… Now there are very few lines unmarked.
last weekend while roaming through the town i found Paulo’s books in the street for a minimal cost.( Paulo’s books are not costly eventhough it’s contents are so precious!)
But these books were just photocopying of the original ones. I found ‘ Like the flowing river, Zahir, alchemist etc to name few. But i decided i will buy the original ones only..
this can be added to flowing like a river..one of the best books i have ever read in my life by u..
anyway thinking abt things i find telling abt this is my way through a poem..
all of u can see the poem on my blog(the poems title is sea)!!
hope ull read dear paulo
vishesh
The book “The Alchemist” set me off on a long journey. One which began years ago with an overland journey from Greece, through Turkey, Syria, Jordan and on to Egypt.
It led me to walk the Camino de Santiago. Then, following my dream of living in Italy, I moved home from Australia to Rome without knowing a soul in this city. I have now been here for 3 years.
And shortly before embarking on the Camino de Santiago again this year, in thanks for all I had been given in life, I was inspired to create a website called On the way to Santiago to share stories, reflections and images of my journey with the rest of the world. In doing so, I realized the one abiding dream I’ve had since I was a child: to write and to be read.
I thank you, dear Paulo, for inspiring me to find the courage to take these steps and to have faith in the universe conspiring to make these dreams come true.
And I thank God for the invention of the internet, which has allowed me to reach and meet so many people, who have also shared their journeys with me.
Best wishes
John
HI ALL
U’r commnet Abby has sent me pondering, truly what is the point in gaining something if we keep on thinking on the things we kept losing. Even if we don’t think, the sense of loss, the pain does not go away so easily. Somehow all wisdom seems to desert me in times of need, when I am undergoing something intense ( both good & bad ), unless I am able to remeber the advise of the old wise man from Alchemist ( lesson learnt as one tries to balance a spoon while enjoying the world ) , maintaining an awareness of the wisdom seems to be the key, for me. Interestingly, sumiran or remembrance is supposed to be the key, as told by Kabir, Nanak and ya Paulo too.
with love & gratitude for all & yes for paulo, for providing the platform from where I love to launch my days.
regards
Aditya
Hey Paulo,
In an ironic twist of fate, my boys just informed me that the pirate software used on one of those peer to peer sites also now has an upgraded version for sale. My son asked his friend where he could buy it, and his friend said he just found it online and downloaded it for free-using the same pirating software! ;) Ha!
Perhaps the company is doing it as a joke…I don’t know the details, but it certainly seems to be one of those karmic ‘what goes around, comes around’ type of situations. ;) Isn’t that a hoot?!
Love,
-Deb ;) Who will be back with more comments soon, I’m sure. ;)
I havent words to start..cause I’m in emotions..I dont want to say you how mach books of your’s I’ve read..I just want to embrace you!! cause you help me!! it’s really so!! You know I’m just writing this words and there are tears in my eyes..Im so far from you..but at the same time you are near me..I dont know maybe now you are tired from our letters..but I think, I hope that you can answer to all of us, I think that you read this letter..I want to say a lot of words..but its not so important..cause you already know what I want to say you..If only I could share all my feelings which are in my heart!!!..or could give my heart to just listen it…
There was very difficult period in my life..I want to kill myself but..I am alive..till now..and now you help me to stand on my feets, i want to pass the way..i want to find myself.
yes I’m in Tajikistan..its very far from Spain..but I feel like the Santiago in Alchemist that all univerce will help me..if only I want to do something..everything will help me – this is the main (from book), to my mind!
Warm regards..sorry for my mistakes..if you have time..can you answer me? I know that I’m not first who ask you for answer..
Nigina.
I have recently read The Alchemist and The Pilgrimage and enjoyed both books with my whole being. They were truly food for a hungry soul. Thank you Paolo Coelho!!! I was wondering if bloggers who have read other Paolo Coelho books could recommend their favourite ones and maybe write abit about why those books are special to them.
Thanx!
Sincerely,
Boë
Dear Paulo,
I am grateful for being able to feel connected with everybody through your words. Excerpts from The Fifth Mountain and Warrior of Light has been circulating in our corporate website, from friend to friend; and encouraging them to stand tall living near the center of disaster – the massive mudflood from reckless mining work.
Now my friends and I are waiting for your next book to be published in Indonesia – I learnt that it’ll be Eleven Minutes; but what we expect the most is The Pilgrimage (I wonder if the Indonesian publisher had difficulties with the copyright or translation?)
God bless you, Paulo. Love to everyone.
Paulina
Indonesia
Dearest Mr. Coelho,
First time dropping by here with no expectations of being noticed nor being read, especially by you.
I honor the smell of the pages of a good book. I work in a library, its not surprise.
But if through the internet, your wisdom can reach out to many souls
If through the internet, your kind words can make a heart smile
Then, there nothing wrong to it.
The universe evolves. It has transformed into a digital era. But its still the same old universe connecting souls like connecting dots.
I found Rumi through the internet. After 5 months reading him on the net, I just bought my first Rumi book yesterday. It was victory for me. The ownership satisfaction.
Maybe those who have read your books through the internet, will be lured to bury their faces into the paperback pages.
In the world we’re living in, if we keep on thinking on the things we kept losing, what’s the point of gaining then?
So, everything is a win – win situation. You might lost a reader, but you’ve successfully gain one right now. (”,)
Much love and respect.
Abby Latif from Malaysia
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