PASSIONATE WITCH
Witches are often depicted as wicked old women with wrinkled skin
and pointy hats, clothed in black or purple, with warts on their noses
and long claws like fingernails. They typically ride through the air on a
broomstick as in the Harry Potter universe and are supposed to have
dealings with the Devil or evil spirits. On the contrary, Paulo Coelho,
a celebrated Brazilian author in his mesmerizing novel Brida,
attempts to portray witches as essentially good humans of normal
appearance, whereas witchcrafts as one way of being close to the
supreme wisdom.
The story concerns a young Irish girl called Brida, who is born with a
little magic ability and desires to find answers to some of the
questions regarding the hidden meaning of life. She yearns to see the
parallel universe that surrounds us, the unseen forces, the wisdom of
nature, the mysteries of the tradition of the sun and the moon.
In her pursuit of knowledge, she meets people of great wisdom. They
teach her now to communicate with the soul of the world to recognize
her true love; and above all, to discover about herself.
The first person who acquaints her with the power and mystery if
magic is a mysterious magician, Magus. He teaches her the lesson of
‘the dark night’. It enlightens her that every moment in life is an act of
faith and it is up to one to fill it with snakes and scorpions or with a
strong protecting force.
Wicca, a practitioner of modern witchcraft, guides her path through
the Wicca pagan tradition. She teaches her to dance on the ever –
present vibration, i.e.., the sound of the world. She directs her how to
follow the tradition of the moon that involves performing ancient
rituals and learning the wisdom of time. Her extraordinary
experiences include traveling in time, her past reincarnation,
reception on the invisible world.
Coelho, with his philosophical brilliance, guides the readers that it is
through love that God reveals himself to mankind. He poses
fundamental moral questions like who we are, what is our purpose
and what is our place in the world. Despite of the repetitive feel, his
eloquent narrative has power to cast the spell of his intellectual charm
and enlightens the reader about the essential wisdom on the path of
life.
DR. NAVRAJ SINGH SANDHU
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