By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept - Paulo Coelho

I just love this author. I always have. I’ve decided to dive into his novels again with the intention to read them all. This doesn’t mean I will, but I would like to, and I honestly can’t say that about any other author.

It was a few weeks ago while browsing in chapters that I was struck by Eleven Minutes - because it was in the wrong place. I’d already read it years ago, and at the time I thought I understood it well and remembered it had inspired me to believe that some sort of enchantment exists in the real world, and that maybe dreams can and do come true. I thought that I must read it again to remember how that felt.  Then, a few weeks later, I discovered the post about The Zahir and wanted to read it. And, of course, I also want to read the most recent novel, Aleph, which looks amazing.

So off I went to the second-hand bookstore to find something by this author. When I got there my options were: By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept or The Fifth Mountain. Both intrigued me but I went with the first, partly because I looked through it and saw a section about the Virgin Mary.

The story takes place in the 90s in the mountains of France. Two friends who’d been in love many years before, reunite, and converse, “when the wine loosened their tongues”, about love and God (and Goddess).  The agony of deciding between following her heart, or staying wise and learning from previous mistakes, is a theme for Pilar, a young woman bent on reason. But her companion (a religious/spiritual man) has different ideas and believes the heart should be followed and opened, regardless of the outcome, that roads are meant to be travelled, and that we should all let ourselves be guided by our chosen faith in life and the “heart’s eye”– the more we do this, the easier it and life becomes. {It’s all nice, but I sensed early on that someone was going to get hurt - probably her – hence the name of the novel  - not, I Married My Dream Guy Had Two Kids and Lived Happily Ever After.  Although...when it was all said and done, it could have been called this.  It’s not a sad story at all – just one with purpose and meaning.}

If I had to spell out my favourite parts I would have to rewrite the entire book. Each paragraph, sometimes sentence, unfolds beauty and truth - with a sprinkle of experience, so I sensed. I would recommend this or any other novel by this author, trustfully. The only thing I would like to note is that the author’s focus, from what I’ve read so far, is not usually on character development. If you go into his novels for the experience, you’re bound to get something good out of them and enjoy the ride.

Here are a few favourite quotes:

“I was there because suddenly life presented me with life.”

“I’ve sacrificed my dreams in the name of a larger dream – a peaceful soul.”

“What is the Other? The Other is the one who taught me what I should be like, not what I am.”......“From the moment that I ousted the Other from my life, the Divine Energy began to perform its miracles.”

“Some people always have to be doing battle with someone.”........ “But the worst part is that they cannot present the play by themselves, so they begin to invite other actors to join in.”

“Love is a trap. When it appears, we see only its light, not its shadows.”

Great post by Paulo Coelho

http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2012/05/16/in-search-of-my-island-1/

Fifty Shades of Grey - E L James

I won’t need to read another romance novel. EVER.  I don’t think I have to reiterate why. Leave it to a woman to bring this kind of satisfaction.

What kept me interested (other than the sheer novelty of endless, uncensored sex) was the curiosity as to why the author would write about a sadomasochistic - or BDSM - relationship, her intention, and why all three novels are so popular.  Was it for pleasure, based on experience, for profit, shock, healing, or did she wish to put forth some other meaning?  And why do these novels resonate with the often repressed female psyche so much? Usually this subject matter is accessible only in horror novels, such as in Anne Rice’s novels, where it’s been hiding for so long, and subtly in harlequin romances.

The two main characters hold their own – Ana, the submissive literary college grad, and Christian, the millionaire - or was it billionaire - DOM. Their relationship is touching, intimate, believable (well...sort of!?!), humorous at times, and the sex is.....well....you’ll have to read.

What I liked:  Ana’s thoughts from her inner goddess, stream of consciousness, and subconscious (the idea of this, not the actual dialogue which could have been less surface at times).  Except for certain ones such as “my subconscious figuratively glares at me over her half-moon specs “, or “if he were more normal he wouldn’t like you.” Even her mother’s voice speaks truth to her: “men are literal creatures, Ana.” I also liked the back and forth emails between Christian and Ana; they just got funnier closer to the end, especially the subject, ensuring I will be reading Fifty Shades Darker. 

What I didn’t like:  the cheesy addressing to each other by the main characters as Mr, Miss, and Sir (!?!). I also didn’t like the idea of Ana having to do as she’s told by Mr. Grey (Sir). This roused some irritation in me. This would make anyone want to be unruly.

I still have a few chapters and two more novels to get through, but I’m getting the idea of the pain-pleasure principle, sort of, especially since the first spanking (which was odd) and the rouse of positive and negative emotions which followed.   Hopefully I will understand this all and the characters a little more in the next two novels. I’m looking forward to them.

P.S. I’m a little surprised by some of the reviews out there. It seems the trend is to degrade these novels as the latest desperate-housewife-mommy addiction. Not all mommies are desperate, quite the contrary, and I find many of these reviews more disrespectful than the material in the novel they are attacking, which is not. I think the title should have been awakening the goddess to reflect this.

The Twelfth Insight - James Redfield

The Twelfth Insight gave me respite from my daily stresses and worries, and I looked forward to bedtime each night so that I could, in a sense, meditate with it, falling into a peaceful slumber after.

I loved The Celestine Prophecy in the 90s. When I saw this newest novel by James Redfield, I grabbed it, excited to find out what he had to say about our world and spirituality today. It was not disappointing – I will definitely reference it again to evoke some of the insights and spiritual practices which I found inspirational.

As in Celestine, synchronicity (waves of information unfolding each minute) is a focus – and it is encouraged to master and maintain this - but from here the author moves on to the protection, connection, purpose, and the opportunities which arise for us to take part in others synchronicities in a positive way.

A few fun practices (my interpretation from the novel):

Synchronicity is preceded by the intuition to act or do something. It may be very spontaneous (drops in your mind), but if you go with the flow, synchronicity will follow, letting you know you’re on a path.

Intuition is different from ego and logical self-talk in that it is not instructive, but that you can envision or feel yourself doing something and it feels good. There should be an elevation in energy and then an urging to take action.

Spirituality is a neutral realm - no one owns it and no one has the ‘correct’ version. The novel points out the importance of all religions and the wisdom we can gather by not being closed or biased to a certain belief system – and the magic of sharing our experiences and truths.  

Some of my spiritual truths:  everything is connected and of the same material, just in individual patterns ~ there are ways to connect to higher realms (I have no idea what they are, but I like to practice ;) ~ and spiritual experiences are likely to be similar in nature – the human condition.

Reading this novel also influenced me in a way I can’t describe – I was in a better mood and more relaxed after reading even just a few pages. Life is not always this way, but I enjoyed the ride.