I always wondered what’ll be our lives after death. Do you have any imagination how it’ll look like if I may ask you?
I don’t think about this. But when I will be in front of this gate, I want to tell to the doorman: I lived my life fully.
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In your books you have mentioned that “One should listen to their heart..” But how to recognise the voice of heart , how can a child distinguish between black and a white when he is taught that black is white, while white is black? How can you recognise your real mentor, who could enlighten your soul? How can you distinguish between your soul mate and someone to whom you are lured?
Only through expericience and intuition. You need to push aside rational explanations from your acts and think outside of the box of “security”.
Dare to dream and see where this dream will lead you : this is where you will find the whisper of your heart’s voice.
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My question is, can you tell us more about this quote of the day, “Anyone who gives help also receives help and needs to teach what he has learned?” How can we share the light we’ve found with people in our lives who may not have found their own path yet?
Firstly by trying to understand why they are acting the way they are. Before judging if a person is or not in their path, first we need to understand why they thread in the current path they are threading.
Of course, if a person is unhappy and they let you know about this – then you can actually say what you think. But remember, while giving your opinion you need to leave very clear that you are doing this out of love and nothing else.
The best way to reach someone is by letting them know that they have reached your heart first.
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Have you ever felt that – without regret – you have chosen and are on the wrong path, and though you wish to be free of it, abandoning this road will cause much more chaos and hurt than staying on it?
I had moments in my life that I absolutely knew that I was in the wrong path. For instance, when I became an executive for a record company.
My paycheck was good, I had a women I loved next to me but… something vital was missing.
For a time, I had the impression that if I let go, I would cause much hardship for us. But inevitably the situation got unsustainable. I was truly unsatisfied with my life and started to notice that my soul was dying in the process.
I decided then to leave my job and travel for 6 months across Europe with Christina (this was back in 1982). This initial travel enabled me to encounter my master in Germany, then Amsterdam. From this moment on, I focused on trying to get as close as I could to my calling: being a writer.
Mind you – it took an extra 4 years to actually be able to tell a story – my pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella ( The Pilgrimage).
So – in order to answer your question: yes, I walked a path that wasn’t mine. I felt scared to leave this path that I knew so well. But the moment I stepped out, it turned out that all the demons I expected to face weren’t there at all. I had hardships of course, but all was worthwhile – because my soul was alive.
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What does fate have to do with our Personal Legend?
There’s an important difference between blind fate and the path of the personal legend. When we speak of fate, man’s free will is absent: we are merely puppets in the hands of a cold and distant puppeteer.
In the case of personal legend, there’s the dimension of mission. This means that the person has to actively wish to thread down the path that will enable her to flourish. It is a difficult path, there are many obstacles, but it’s the person’s choice. There is always the possibility for us to turn our backs to our personal legend.
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The reason I’m writing, is regarding your recent youtube video in which you asked who are the people who support the most.
There was a person who always supported me through everything – my grandmother. She passed away almost a year ago. But somehow I still feel that she is there for me somehow. Like she was watching over me and guiding me. Do you think it’s possible? Do you believe that there is somehow a way she could still be here for me?
Yes, I believe in presence of our loved ones and how their memory affects us all our lives. I even published a story about the death of my father-in-law and the “sign” we all received from his presence. You can read it here.
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I have loved all your books I have read so far. I read Zahir recently & found the situation you talked about a husband & a wife relationship, like two rail tracks, together but distant, so true. I could not understand clearly though that what do u think should be done to avoid making this relationship so monotonous. Can you clarify that? What are your views on what is Marriage?
How to keep our relations out of monotony is a very personal thing.
In regards to the situation you mention in The Zahir, what enabled the main character to finally re-live his passion for his wife was her absence.
In more general terms, private space is crucial in every relation.
I will quote here one of my favorite writers, Khalil Gibran, on the subject of marriage since I think he expressed really beautifully what marriage is:
“You were born together,
and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings
of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the
silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love.
Let it rather be a moving sea between
the shores of your souls.
…
And stand together, yet not too near together.
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress
grow not in each other’s shadow.”
What is your vision about free online distribution?
For me internet is a way of being in touch with my readers and this contact has been priceless. I really enjoy having a direct contact, with no middle-men, with my readers.
In regards to online distribution, I have also always been very clear that I don’t consider pirating as “stealing” at all. I see this as a way of enabling the circulation of information and entertainment.
That’s why I created Pirate Coelho and constantly spoke about the necessity of changing our view about free online distribution.
You can read the speech I gave at the Frankfurt Book Fair, to have a more in depth grasp of what I mean.
I do have one question about your book The Alchemist. The person who referred it to me is a LT. Col. in an Army over in Pakistan and said how you discribed the desert life was very much so. How did you know? Was it through experience? Curious… He has read the book 10 times now.
I had been to Egypt before writing The Alchemist. But to be honest with you much of the inspiration for the description of the desert came to me from tales of the Desert Priests, the Bible and of course Arabic tales.
Truth can be easily recognised as long as your heart is open to it. Hence of the miracle of literature – and my constant effort in letting myself be guided by it.
Why did you write a book in which the main character is a serial killer?
The main theme of the book is manipulation of dreams, which is, in my eyes at least, one of the most vile forms of violence.
Therefore the very decor of the Festival is quite aggressive and Igor’s presence only magnifies this.
But to be honest, this is type of answer that I can only give once I wrote the book. The moment I was in the story, this seemed to me to be the natural way of telling this specific tale.
Some choices are made and only afterwords can we actually understand them.
In the “Manual of the Warrior of Light”, you mention the I Ching. Do you use the I Ching and would you recommend it to the warriors of light?
People wrongly think that the I Ching is a book of divination – it is actually a book of action. That’s why, when you ask something, you need to be very precise in your question and very subtle in your interpretation.
I use the I Ching very seldom – but when I do, it is only for questions that I consider as being at the thresholds of my life. I recommend then this book to warriors, but only in very specific cases: when they know precisely their questions and when they are conscious of the fact that after their question, they need to act and no longer ponder.
What do you try to do in the moments that life doesn’t submit you to any challenges and your soul is craving for inner silence?
In my personal case, I enjoy walking, doing archery, spending time with my loved ones.
Moments of rest are normal during the battle – when these moments coincide with our longing for rest, you have to welcome them. This way you can concentrate on the most pleasant aspects, but this doesn’t mean that you are not on your guard. At any time you need to be ready to draw your sword and fight the good combat.
I’m an italiens girl… I’ve always had a doubt about the correct pronounciation of your surname… so, i was wondering whether you could answer to this question.
Of course, the correct prononciation in portuguese is [ˈpau̯lu ˈko̯eʎu].
But I don’t consider this very important – as long as the message passes across I am satisfied!
What is your view of Gothic culture? How do you feel about what you see and what you know of “goths”?
I think the Gothic aesthetics is quite beautiful… For me today’s goths have followed the path of the English romantics : tumultuous passions, bottomless despair, irruption of the strange.
In a consumerist society, this clan sets itself apart – as if a reminder of another world, or another aim.
I’ve read “The Witch of Portobello” lately and I’d like to ask you a question: What made you write this book?
I wanted to understand the feminine face of God in this book – and moreover how some women are sacrificed for their freedom.
What is your Personal Legend? Is writing it? Did you listen to your heart at a young age, and lived through your Personal Legend?
Yes – my personal legend has always been, since I’m a teenager, to be a writer. I didn’t pursue it though for quite a long time.
I was a lyricist, an executive in a record company and an editor – before I finally made the choice – at the age of 40 – to follow what truly gives me enthusiasm. It was the pilgrimage to Saint James that enabled me to finally recognize my path – and give me the determination to actually follow it.
Many times we need to compare things, situations and people in order to decide what is best for us. Do you consider that in most cases this is a positive attitude that enables us to grow or it is a negative thing – especially when we base our judgment in what others think?
It all depends on the context: if we make a decision that is based solely on what other people tell us, we may be straying from what we truly desire and want. But if we are able to listen to our souls – keeping of course a channel open to others – then we are able to grow and walk in the direction of our dreams.
What is the best way for anyone to move on?
By not forgetting the road that has lead us there. But this memory should never be a stop sign in our path : it should be a reminder that most things can be overcome.
How do you stop sadness?
By welcoming it and living it intensively for a determined amount of period. In my case I give myself three days to be completely submersed in this feeling.
Once I’ve let sadness pay me a visit, then I kindly ask it to leave. Sadness is then satisfied and leaves.
From my understanding of reading all of your books, you believe that sex is some type of a gateway to God, sex is not a sin, sex is encouraged, etc. But also, you have written in your books that Jesus was ‘conceived without sin’, I know that it’s from the bible, but doesn’t that also suggest that sex is sinful?
Sex is never sinful as long as people are treated with dignity and the moment is apprehended in its sacrality. Concerning the “immaculate conception” – it is metaphor, a symbol that expresses the embodiment of God in our material world. The fact that Jesus was “conceived without sin” refers to God’s untainted descent to our world.
Sex is this sense – refers to our material descent. Unlike Christ’s.
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