O Aleph

by Paulo Coelho

love is the only thing that will save us, independent of any mistakes we may make. Love is always stronger.

‘ANYONE WHO KNOWS GOD CANNOT DESCRIBE HIM. ANYONE WHO CAN DESCRIBE GOD DOES NOT KNOW HIM.’

We are always in touch with it, it’s only routine that prevents us from feeling

Love is beyond time, or, rather, love is both time and space, but all focused on one single constantly evolving point – the Aleph.’

The Universe goes through many mutations and carries the past with

‘Love always triumphs over what we call death. That’s why there’s no need to grieve for our loved ones, because they continue to be loved and remain by our side. It’s hard for us to accept that. If you don’t believe it, then there’s no point my trying to explain.’

‘Your mind must be in harmony with the Universe. Your body must keep pace with the Universe. You and the Universe are one.’

Path to Peace flows like a river and because it resists nothing, it has won even before it has begun. The art of peace is unbeatable because no one is fighting against anyone, only themselves. If you conquer yourself, then you will conquer the world.’

he could learn to overcome his inner enemy as well.’

‘Where have you been?’ is not an empty question. Anyone asking it is also saying ‘I missed you’, ‘I want to be with you’, ‘I need to know what you’ve been up to’.

‘No, you’re not paying the price for anything. Neither am I. Remember what I said on the train, about how we’re experiencing now everything that happened in the past and will happen in the future. In this precise moment, in a hotel in Novosibirsk, the world is being created and destroyed. We’re redeeming all our sins, if that’s what we choose to do.’

As always happens when we’re focused on what

we want, things begin to slot perfectly into place.

‘We can never wound the soul, just as we can never wound God, but we become imprisoned by our memories, and that makes our lives wretched, even when we have everything we need in order to be happy.

‘I free myself from hatred through forgiveness and love. I understand that suffering, when it cannot be avoided, is here to help me on my way to glory. I understand that everything is connected, that all roads meet, and all rivers flow into the same sea. That is why I am, at this moment, an instrument of forgiveness, forgiveness for crimes that were committed; one crime I know about, the other I do not.’

‘I forgive the tears I was made to shed, I forgive the pain and the disappointments, I forgive the betrayals and the lies, I forgive the slanders and intrigues, I forgive the hatred and the persecution, I forgive the blows that hurt me, I forgive the wrecked dreams, I forgive the still-born hopes, I forgive the hostility and jealousy, I forgive the indifference and ill will, I forgive the injustice carried out in the name of justice, I forgive the anger and the cruelty,

forgive the neglect and the contempt, I forgive the world and all its evils.’

also forgive myself. May the misfortunes of the past no longer weigh on my heart. Instead of pain and resentment, I choose understanding and compassion. Instead of rebellion, I choose the music from my violin. Instead of grief, I choose forgetting. Instead of vengeance, I choose victory. ‘I will be capable of loving regardless of whether I am loved in return, Of giving even when I have nothing, Of working happily even in the midst of difficulties,

holding out my hand even when utterly alone and abandoned, Of drying my tears even while I weep, Of believing even when no one believes in me.’

“he goes and is not afraid”.’

real life, we tend to see ourselves as separate beings, but the Universe is only one thing, one soul.

Let us drink together anyway. Let us concentrate all our efforts on achieving Perfection through the imperfect gestures of everyday life.

as we travel on, we are constantly destroying and rebuilding ourselves and who we are.

However, when we turn round and come face to face with our destiny, we discover that words are not enough.

‘We should always be prepared for attacks by the enemy and be capable of looking into the eyes of death so that death may light our path.’

like different rivers flowing into the same lake, where they meet and are transformed into a single love that becomes rain and blesses the earth.

‘Then be glad that no one can control you. Celebrate the fact that you were brave enough to risk your career and set off in search of adventure, and find