Set on a road to self realization, we follow acclaimed Brazilian writer/author Paulo Coelho in The Pilgrimage, into thejourney that led to the inspiration and eventual writing of his world famous book The Alchemist. Set in the road to Santiago, a famous road between France and Spain that has been a pilgrimage route for centuries.
After almost being initiated into the Order, Paulo Coelho is sent to Santiago by his Master, whom believes he has yet, more to learn about life and the simple things that it has to offer. Paulo Coelho begins his expedition by being tested with endurance and fear. Petrus is introduced as his leader through his pilgrimage. Paulo Coelho is instructed by Petrus to listen to him in every turn, no matter what.
Trying to collect his thoughts and feelings, while almost being tricked by a supposed demon, Paulo Coelho comes across a handful of events that remind him that simplicity holds greater power over all. As his journey with Petrus continues, he is faced with his worst fear that comes in the shape of a vicious dog. He conquers his fear with unknown powers that manifest in him as if by magic.
As he begins to open up and start his inward journey, he is aided by a series of exercises that make his transition into the sphere of the unfamiliar much easier. The following is the progression and description of the exercises, written in order, which Paulo Coelho must undergo in order to make his mind shift and his spirit fly. To read an excerpt of this book go to The Pilgrimage.
The Seed Exercise
Kneel on the ground. Get in the fetal position. Relax and breathe calmly, closing the eyes. Little by little perceive yourself as a tiny seed. Comforted by the earth getting into a deep restful sleep. Let your fingers move, then your arms until your whole body wants to sprout. Stretch your arms out and try to reach for the warmth of the sun, when you can’t take it anymore, scream and open your eyes.
The Speed Exercise
Walk for twenty minutes at half the speed as you normally walk. Pay attention to the details, people and surroundings. The best time to do this is after lunch. Repeat for seven days.
The Cruelty Exercise
Every time a thought comes to mind that makes you feel bad about yourself, -jealousy, self- pity, hatred and so on-dig the nail of your index finger into the cuticle of the thumb of the same hand until it becomes painful. Concentrate on the pain, because it is a physical reflection of the suffering you are going through spiritually. Repeat this until the thought has left you.
The Messenger Ritual
Sit down and relax completely. Imagine a billow of fire to your right. Then quietly order your subconscious to show itself, try to keep it alive. Now imagine another fire to your left. Say the following words, “May the power of the Lamb, which manifests itself in everything and everyone, manifest itself also in me when I invoke my messenger”. When the conversation ends say these words, “I thank the Lamb for the miracle I have performed. May my messenger return whenever he is invoked, and when he is far away, may he help me to carry on my work”.
The Arousal of Intuition (The Water Exercise)
Make a puddle of water on a smooth, non-absorbent surface. Look into the puddle for a while. Then begin to play with it, without any particular commitment or objective. Make designs that mean absolutely nothing. Do this exercise for a week. It begins to manifest your intuition.
The Blue Sphere Exercise
Sit down and relax. Feel how good it feels to be alive; begin to sing a song from your childhood. Imagine your heart growing, filling the room with a shining blue light. Begin to sense the saints from your childhood being close to you. Picture your saints approaching you placing their hands on you. Feel the blue light penetrate and shine like a river from your house eventually enveloping the world. Come out of the trance. Feeling the blue light continuing to spread.
The Buried Alive Exercise
Lie down on the floor and relax. Imagine all the details of your burial carried out tomorrow. Only thing is that your being buried alive. Picture the lowering of the casket and the worms crawling on your body. Tense up all your muscles. Try to get out and until you can’t take it anymore, scream and push the coffin open.
The RAM Breathing Exercise
Expel all the air from your lungs. Inhaling slowly raising your arms up high. As you inhale concentrate on allowing love, peace and harmony with the universe to enter your body. Hold the air you have taken in arms raised for as long as you can. When you exhale say the word “RAM”.
The Shadows Exercise
Relax completely. For five minutes study the shadows of people and objects around you. For the next five minutes, continue the exercise but begin to focus on a problem, looking for all the wrong solutions for the problem. Finally spend five more minutes thinking of the correct solutions, eliminating one by one until the right one remains.
The Listening Exercise
Relax and close your eyes. Concentrate on all the sounds around you as if it were one big orchestra. Little by little try to separate each sound. Concentrate on each one. Eliminating the other sounds. When you do this exercise every day, you will hear voices. They will be voices from your past, present and future. Knowing your messengers voice will help in this exercise. Do this exercise for ten minutes.
The Dancing Exercise
Relax and close your eyes. Bring up a song from childhood and let one part of your body follow the rhythm of that song. After five minutes compose an internal melody based on the sounds all around you and dance with your whole body. Try to memorize the imagery coming into your head. Do this for 15 minutes.
Book Stats
The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho
Paperback 263 pages
Harper Collins Publishers, 2000
ISBN# 0780061687457
Ingrid Calderon - Guilty of contributing Jazz and Rock 'n' Roll articles for Muzikreviews.com , Examiner.com.
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