Karen's comments (member since Mar 07, 2009)

Karen's comments from the Paulo Coelho group.

Harley wrote: "On page 217, Diedre O'Neill relates a discussion that her protector shared with her about the progression of humans through the ages.

"Human beings are still asking the same questions as their anc..."

"Human beings are still asking the same questions as their ancestors. In short, they haven't evolved."

Humanity has evolved, but then again I'm an optimist. However, there are some questions that are primal and eternal, and I'm sure they will remain that way. This is for good reason. While we travel through space and time writing the storybooks of our lives we are each evolving at our own rate. We are each asking the primal and eternal questions that we need the answers to in order to make meaning of our worlds. It is my greatest hope that humanity never ceases to ask the core primal and eternal question that make us thinking and feeling beings. This is part our our universal magical birth right. We are all on the wheel of life, learning, loving and hopefully reducing suffering, not creating it.

Harley wrote: "Diedre O'Neill says on page 213:

"The true teacher gives the disciple the courage to throw his or her world off balance, even though the disciple is afraid of things already encountered and more a..."

No, I cannot see myself following anyone without question. I have also learned a great deal from others and continue to try and share the path of unfolding knowledge with many, but the path of wisdom is shared by all not ruled by one. However, mentorship is a wonderful way to share and to grow. I feel that this book site and other blogs are a wonderful opportunity for sharing wisdom and uplifting myself and others I communicate with.

Harley wrote: "Athena says to Heron Ryan (p. 154):

"How many books have you got? Over a thousand, I'd say. But most of them you'll probably never open again. You hang onto them because you don't believe.... O..."

I think that books are to be read and then shared. This is why I belong to goodreads.com, bookmooch.com, and bookcrossing.com. I think I remember Señor Coelho saying that he limits his library to 400 volumes. I personally think this is a wise idea. I see no reason why I would ever personally need to house more than 400 volumes. Books are friends, and 400 is a very large happy party. I intend to keep circulating books and not hord them. I am against hording of any kind. Knowledge, joy, entertainment, food, stuff of any kind, etc.. things are to be shared. My hope is that I read and reread most of the books in my library and release them for others to enjoy. Sure some that I treasure do to the special experience I've had with them, or the info they hold that I can refer to I will keep, but surely not all of them. I want others to enjoy them. I also am so happy about the book-buddies I've met online. I've met some wonderful and interesting people. I am also so pleased that some of them are younger than me so I can share with them books that I think helped me to grow and heal. What a gift the internet can be when sharing is right at our finger tips. Reduce, reuse, and recycle! These are truly green, clean, happy and productive words.

Harley wrote: "Liliana says (p. 118):

"We don't believe that God made the universe. We believe that God is the universe and that we are contained in him, and he in us."

How profound! God did not make the univ..."
Right On! Well said! I so believe this!

Harley wrote: "Sherine says (p. 84):

"I don't see why I should bother to look for someone who never took the trouble to love me."

Sherine (Athena) made this statement before departing to find her birth mother w..."

Maybe the person who abandoned someone just didn't believe or love themselves enough to love someone else at a given time. Lives are filled with learning and longing. We should never give up on love and always answer the call for what we are longing for.
This of course takes courage from all in all directions, but I'm sure it is well worth it. I was blessed my parents were loving and caring, but I in turn was loving and caring back. We are not just entitled, life is give and take, a balance.

Harley wrote: "Nabil Alaihi says (p. 83):

"If all the words were joined together, they wouldn't make sense, or, at the very least, they'd be extremely hard to decipher. The spaces are crucial."

The spaces are ..."
I loved what you said about spaces. You really hit the nail on the head there my friend. I see that there are so many people who need to go, go, go. I wonder if the ever stop to be still. I love to just push the stop button, be still and just breathe. One of my favorite times is early morning here at the lake. If the lake is still and looks like a sheet of glass you can almost hear the world breathe and see the reflection of god's smile in the still water.

Harley wrote: "Nabil Alaihi says (p. 75):

"My way of approaching Allah—may his name be praised—has been through calligraphy, and the search for the perfect meaning of each word. A single letter requires us to d..."

Yes, Harley. What you said about writing is so true, and that is why you do it well and with such joy and sharing, because you do it from a place of spirit. When you write you are in a state of flow and you have let go of you critic so that through your writing spirit and joy are shared.

Harley wrote: "Athena says (p. 50)

"Yes, when I dance, I'm a free woman, or, rather, a free spirit who can travel through the universe, contemplate the present, divine the future, and be transformed into pure en..."

Dance is truly freeing. I love to dance. I may or may not be considered "good" at it, but I love it, all different forms of dance. I think that we to frequently judge how we appear or think we appear to others. In order to freely dance with abandon and joy we need to let go of the ego and old tapes and flow freely. When I'm dancing with out a care I feel like I'm floating. It is a wonderful release to just be, be in my body, and feel my body and spirit in the flow. Dance gets people out of their minds and allows us to get in touch with ancient primal muscle memory.

Harley wrote: "Athena tells the priest (p. 33):

"I'm only happy when I think that God exists and is listening to me; but that isn't enough to go on living, when nothing seems to make sense. I pretend happiness ..."

People are affraid to admit to the masks they wear. If you know they exist and work with them instead of against them, then you are living a more awake life. It's not always easy to do one's personal work, but it is essential. Sure we all might wear masks from time to time but it is our duties to shed them, dig deep, and find the joy that is our birthrights.

Harley wrote: "Karen, you mentioned prophetic dreams. In December 1972, I was keeping a dream journal and recorded a dream about my getting married to a short woman who spoke a foreign language. In January 1973..."
That was truly a sweet dream about meeting your wife. I thought I'd share my prophetic dreams, but I'd rather keep them to myself in the form of media.

Harley wrote: "On page 7, Heron Ryan says:

"Then following the advice of my grandmother, I'll place an open pair of scissors on my bedside table to snip off the end of the dream. The next day, I'll look at the ..."
The only thing that I wonder anbout dreaming is what causes us to dream. Sometimes I dream other times i don't, it's just the luck of the draw. But, no I usually seem to finish my dreams. I think a couple of times I've willed myself to sleep and go back to the same dream.

Harley wrote: "The opening paragraph reads:

"No one lights a lamp in order to hide it behind a door: the purpose of light is to create more light, to open people's eyes, to reveal the marvels around."

Are you h..."
No, I usually do not hide my light. Instead, one of my goals in my forties has been to always not burn so bright that I cannot see the other beautiful shining lights around me and also feel and appreciate their warm glow. Collective energy is a beautiful thing.

Harley wrote: "On page 18, Samira Khalil, the mother of Athena, says:

"Can a name affect a person's life? Time passed and the name stuck."

Samira is referring to the fact that her adopted daughter Sherine gave..." yes, I think it might have something to do with shaping who you are. The name Karen means pure and chasted. However you can't know the light without the dark and that is always the tricky part. At one part of my life I realized that I was not able to accept my birth name and I unoffically chaged my name to Tana. Tana is the goddess of the universe in the ancient Italian religion, stregheria. I went by the name Tana for 5 years. I loved it and it severed me well. I returned to using my birth name because I finally felt comforable with it. It is also intersting that I was as they say my parents love child, not really planned but conceived in love. Interesting that they name me a name meaning pure and chasted.

Harley wrote: "On page 11, Deidre O'Neill says:

"Everyone's looking for the perfect teacher, but although their teachings might be divine, teachers are all too human, and that's something people find hard to acc..."

I would say that this is an excellent quote from this book and I should add it to my quotes section. People fequently guruize a teacher and that is probably why I did not become a new age workshop leader or spiritual teacher for a living. I also in my heart don't feel that you can package and sell spirut, all you can do is share it in a clear, kind, respectful and loving way. I can't say that I have really been disappointed by a teacher, a spiritual teacher or mentor, rather that the teacher and/or myself grew apart and moved on. That happens and it is always for the best. I do believe in the phrase "when the pupil is ready the pupil will find and seek out the teacher." But when the pupil is done then they should be wise enough to move on. Some things, beliefs, or philosphies at the moment feel like the end all a be all, but they are just bits of wisdom moving through us. Any item or concept over sold or used might really just be snake oil. There are no cure-alls we must all chop wood and carry water ourselves to learn life's many lessons.

Harley wrote: "On page 7, Heron Ryan says:

"Then following the advice of my grandmother, I'll place an open pair of scissors on my bedside table to snip off the end of the dream. The next day, I'll look at the ..."
As for dreams, most of the time I enjoy them. I tend to reflect on them by how I feel when I awake from them. I have had a few prophetic dreams and I that has also been quite interesting. I get a kick out of them, but try not to over interpret them. Many of my dreams are in movie format which has always been really neat.

Harley wrote: "The opening paragraph reads:

"No one lights a lamp in order to hide it behind a door: the purpose of light is to create more light, to open people's eyes, to reveal the marvels around."

Are you h..."
I'd say that for the most part I have not been one to hide my light (positive energy or spirit, abilities, talents or enthusiasm) in this life. I think birth order might have a bit to do with it. Being the first of two children, the eldest child is expected to pave the way, go forth and persever, and so I have, sometimes with greater ease occasionally with difficulty. However, if you are a natural extrovert I think it is key to be aware that others might wish to live through you. This can be done in a positive and proud way or a vampiristic way. My family was proud of my achievements, my ex-husband was the vampire. There is light, but there is always dark. A dear friend of mine explained it best when he said to me, "you have a very large energy, you are a ball of fire that many think they want. They think they can have you for their own. They try to stick you in their pocket and keep you for themselves, until you finally burn a large hole through it and are free again." My advice is that one should always know if one is dancing for the joy of it, an audience or a puppet master, what the music is and how fast it's playing. It's also good to remember that it is not always neccessary to be dancing at all. I feel truly blessed that I have found a dance partner that I can waltz or free style through life with.

Right on, brother harley! Cheers, Karen

Harley wrote: "Back to The Pilgrimage: Here is a quote from Coelho (p. 218):

"... people who consider themselves to be wise are often indecisive when command is called for and rebellious when they are called up..."

Yes, this is a tricky one, easier said then done. My take on that is as follows, when we are too stuck in our heads, too intellectual, we feel we have all the answers, but can we sort through those answers and react as needed. When we feel we have all the answers we think of surrender to take in other ideas as a weakness not a form of wisdom. We may not even be able to surrender to listen to our still, small voice inside, our spiritual guide. Getting stuck in the mind, our the ego of the mind is a big trap.

Harley wrote: "Here is another quote from Conrad Rudolph (p. 38):

"... the pilgrimage is an intensely internal experience in an intensely physical context in which the journey, more than the destination, is the ..."

Yes, it is internal and eternal. That is what makes it so much more than whatever the body goes through, and what makes it all worth the effort. That is why I could endure any physical or emotional pain during and after my bad marriage and divorce, because my spiritual self was so strong. It could not be broken. When I had the most massive outer-body experience I ever had with a teacher of mine floating in a hot tub in Maui it was amazing. I was floating in the hot tub, my teacher's hands under my back and we were vocalizing. My heart became way bigger than my body, I was a large glowing field of energy. I was light as a feather, and I was free floating in an ever-expanding universe of peace and love. I feel so blessed to have experienced that in my life. I'm not really afraid of death because I often think that it might be the same feeling I had that day in Hawaii. Boy, after you experience that, you are humbled. You realize how tiny you are in relation to the universe.
I'm sure that what happened to me in Hawaii was akin to what Señor Coelho describes as the "blue sphere experience." I've described it a bit for you but I really can't even put in all into words.

Harley wrote: "Even though I have finished reading the Pilgrimage, my journey is not done. I continue to explore the idea of pilgrimage through another book. Here is a quote (p. 36):

"Your mind first stops lis..."

I know I had culture shock returning to New Jersey from Hawaii. When I returned from Hawaii I wasn't the same and niether was life. My ex-husband struck out at me and three years later we divorced.

That's an excellent question. Why don't you send the question to the author at his main website or through goodreads.