Again Paulo Coelho and a journey to begin
Last year i got two nephews, one boy and a girl. The girl is from my brother, the boy his from my sister in law. The boy was born with a very uncommon problem, both kidneys where blocked and couldn't expel urine. When he was born, the doctors in one hospital decided that they couldn't do anything. After we received those news we just pressed them in every way we could and they opted for a placing three catheters, one in each kidney and one in the belly, and sent him overnight to another hospital. In the morning i went to to pick my brother in law and take him to the other hospital. He was talking to a friend on the phone while i was driving saying that there was almost no hope, the best change for the boy was peritoneal dialysis until he reached 12kg (two years) so he could receive a kidney transplant. I just remember driving without looking at the road and passing a lot of red signs, i wasn't thinking anymore. When we got to the new hospital the new wheren't any different. I had to stay outside and we where talking over the phone. After these news i was so desperate that i made a promise, to go to a sanctuary in Fatima, but not by highway, in pilgrimage, it's 250km. Just after this i got a call, one of the kidneys was starting to work and after 1 hour or two also the other one. Today he's a very big boy, very quiet and nice, with a lot of temper. He only has one kidney, but apart that, he's fine.
Paulo Coelho has been haunting my life in the last months. I even wrote about him before. The guy is just like a course to me. I kept bumping into him everywhere. So i decide to buy one of his books, The Alchemist. I have chosen this one because i don't like alchemists. Now i know that the guy that invented modern chemistry was an alchemist also. I like to think that modern science is capable of providing me a reasonable set of tolls and theories for the universe. Of course, they are only valid as a model that is verified against a given set of rules and conditions. New models can exist and i can even have my own model. And for strange things quantum physics is just strange enough (just look at the light), and for the sense of being relativity is just enough (just look at the time). Light has strange properties, even reduced to a single photon, can walk all possible paths at the same time between two points, and because light has a constant speed, if you change time changes with you. How more mystical can one get.
One of my other interest his history, specially related with my mode town, Guimarães, and the Knights Temple. I have been interest in those for years. I chased their castles and followed their paths in south of Portugal. I also talked here about Alentejo. One of the new addictions was the theories behind the "Da Vinci Code", specially the part connection of the Holy Grail with the Knights and the Virgin Mary. The family of our first king was from Burgundy, he was a knight in the order, some of his sons where grand masters. When the order was dissolved in Europe, it continued in Portugal, just changed to the Order of Christ. The flags in our ships are the order's coat of arms an you can relate them to the plant of Salomon Temple. I have been talking again about those matters in the last week. In Guimarães there is square called "Praça de Santiago", Santiago is Saint James. The legend says he brought to Guimarães before he died in Compostela a statue of a virgin that he placed in pagan temple in that square. I imagine you can see a representation of that in our crest, notice the crowns. The Burgundy knights made camp in that square and guarded the image. Also, after some years the favourite daughter of Afonso Henriques, our first king, married and went to Burgundy again, to the palace where the first Arthurian books where written.
We also fought in the name of Santiago. There are some portuguese paths of Santiago, one that passes through Guimarães, Amarante, Lamego, Viseu, Coimbra and Tomar. All those towns can be related to Templar Knights. Tomar and Fatima are also very close. Tomar was the order's headquarters until the 1834. After we got Freemasons and a more constitutional monarchy.
In Portugal we are a very strange bread of catholics, in a great part of our churches, specially the older ones, the main altar does not depict an image of the crucifixion, but an image of Mary, Jesus is on the side. If you come here in May, specially before the 13, you will see people worshiping Mary everyday. In the night of 12 there are the most participated processions in many town and villages. Most of them started just by people gathering on their own to pray. The church came after. There are rumours, not proved, that Freemason where part of this phenomenon. The paths of Santiago are also the paths of Fatima, just in opposite direction of Compostela, if you come from the north, but following the Templar Knights path of war.
So, after all of this o started to read Paulo Coelho. The guy just haunted me too much. The last drop was when coming from Alentejo. We just sopped at a service station to fuel and bite. The shop was just full of his books. The service station was in Fatima. The Alchemist starts with a pray to Mary, the first one i learned and was thought to say before bed. Well, he his Brazilian, not a big deal. The book is about a quest. The treasure is both physical and mystical and heś found in place of the beginning only after the journey made her purpose. Make the main character find love and wisdom.
After reading this book i was out of my mind. I just couldn't think about anything else today. I also had to find something, my quest, my Holy Grail, my question, whatever. I knew that if i found the question i will knew the answer. Then i remembered it was too soon. I had to make my journey first, one that i promised before. I had to go back the path of Santiago until i reached Fatima. Santiago is the name of the character and Fatima the love he found in his journey through the desert.
How more mystical can this become? Must walk and see...
Paulo Coelho has been haunting my life in the last months. I even wrote about him before. The guy is just like a course to me. I kept bumping into him everywhere. So i decide to buy one of his books, The Alchemist. I have chosen this one because i don't like alchemists. Now i know that the guy that invented modern chemistry was an alchemist also. I like to think that modern science is capable of providing me a reasonable set of tolls and theories for the universe. Of course, they are only valid as a model that is verified against a given set of rules and conditions. New models can exist and i can even have my own model. And for strange things quantum physics is just strange enough (just look at the light), and for the sense of being relativity is just enough (just look at the time). Light has strange properties, even reduced to a single photon, can walk all possible paths at the same time between two points, and because light has a constant speed, if you change time changes with you. How more mystical can one get.
One of my other interest his history, specially related with my mode town, Guimarães, and the Knights Temple. I have been interest in those for years. I chased their castles and followed their paths in south of Portugal. I also talked here about Alentejo. One of the new addictions was the theories behind the "Da Vinci Code", specially the part connection of the Holy Grail with the Knights and the Virgin Mary. The family of our first king was from Burgundy, he was a knight in the order, some of his sons where grand masters. When the order was dissolved in Europe, it continued in Portugal, just changed to the Order of Christ. The flags in our ships are the order's coat of arms an you can relate them to the plant of Salomon Temple. I have been talking again about those matters in the last week. In Guimarães there is square called "Praça de Santiago", Santiago is Saint James. The legend says he brought to Guimarães before he died in Compostela a statue of a virgin that he placed in pagan temple in that square. I imagine you can see a representation of that in our crest, notice the crowns. The Burgundy knights made camp in that square and guarded the image. Also, after some years the favourite daughter of Afonso Henriques, our first king, married and went to Burgundy again, to the palace where the first Arthurian books where written.
We also fought in the name of Santiago. There are some portuguese paths of Santiago, one that passes through Guimarães, Amarante, Lamego, Viseu, Coimbra and Tomar. All those towns can be related to Templar Knights. Tomar and Fatima are also very close. Tomar was the order's headquarters until the 1834. After we got Freemasons and a more constitutional monarchy.
In Portugal we are a very strange bread of catholics, in a great part of our churches, specially the older ones, the main altar does not depict an image of the crucifixion, but an image of Mary, Jesus is on the side. If you come here in May, specially before the 13, you will see people worshiping Mary everyday. In the night of 12 there are the most participated processions in many town and villages. Most of them started just by people gathering on their own to pray. The church came after. There are rumours, not proved, that Freemason where part of this phenomenon. The paths of Santiago are also the paths of Fatima, just in opposite direction of Compostela, if you come from the north, but following the Templar Knights path of war.
So, after all of this o started to read Paulo Coelho. The guy just haunted me too much. The last drop was when coming from Alentejo. We just sopped at a service station to fuel and bite. The shop was just full of his books. The service station was in Fatima. The Alchemist starts with a pray to Mary, the first one i learned and was thought to say before bed. Well, he his Brazilian, not a big deal. The book is about a quest. The treasure is both physical and mystical and heś found in place of the beginning only after the journey made her purpose. Make the main character find love and wisdom.
After reading this book i was out of my mind. I just couldn't think about anything else today. I also had to find something, my quest, my Holy Grail, my question, whatever. I knew that if i found the question i will knew the answer. Then i remembered it was too soon. I had to make my journey first, one that i promised before. I had to go back the path of Santiago until i reached Fatima. Santiago is the name of the character and Fatima the love he found in his journey through the desert.
How more mystical can this become? Must walk and see...
Comments
I think you get it straight because it is a Portugese soul in it. And I feel that more simbolic way. Do you know what is strange to me? That when Paulo have been here in Armenia, he said that he feels the soul of Alchemist here as well. Here and when he is at home and nowhere else. It seems strange to me... I need to discover that...