Paulo Coelho is perhaps one of the most influencing authors of our years, and for some generations before. He's probably the busiest author I've ever come across. He doesn't stop sharing his gift, whether through his works or through his thoughts.

Talking about teachers in life, he's probably one of those people you would happily point at as being one. Always positive in his message, is one of those authors that manage to touch people's minds and encourage them to be the best they can be and do as best as they can do with what they've got, in an everything-is-possible attitude. Truth is that, to succumb to despair, there's always time in life.

The Alchemist is about being aware of the omens in life, basically applying logic and work to intuition. It's about flowing with change instead of resisting change, it's about being brave and stepping outside your comfort zones and boundaries and learning so much more in the process. It's about following your dreams, no matter how challenging they may appear.

The story is beautifully woven, with action and thrill and an exquisite way of describing very clear scenes, landscapes and ambiences. That's what a masterful author does.

This documentary by Ovidio Salazar and Matmedia Productions doesn't illustrate the book but it does cover one of the subjects in the book where magic and philosophy blend: The Alchemy of Happiness.

Another trait characteristic of all masterful authors is their ability to change complete landscape, time, gender of protagonist, subject, and one of the many examples by Mr Coelho we could point at is Veronika Decides To Die, which was also adapted to the big screen and starred by Sarah-Michelle Gellar.

A prolific author that combines his work on novels with his blogs and his interaction with his fans, is also known for liking very simple things in life, like a good meal, a nice scenery and good company.

Yes, I can agree with Mr Coelho's idea of happiness and like I, millions in the world. Like the 6,964,773 fans on his Facebook Fan Page. Not bad at all for an author, looks like people is indeed reading now more than ever before, and that's always a good sign...

In ALEPH what we find is the search for our light within. The warrior of our soul, the place in which we know and fear does not win the battle.

'Facing a grave crisis of faith, and seeking a path of spiritual renewal and growth, Paulo decides to start over: to travel, to experiment, to reconnect with people and the world. On this journey through Europe, Africa, and Asia, he will again meet Hilal--the woman he loved 500 years before--an encounter that will initiate a mystical voyage through time and space, through past and present, in search of himself. Aleph is an encounter with our fears and our sins; a search for love and forgiveness, and the courage to confront the inevitable challenges of life.' (Synopsis by waterstones)

It was presented to the British public this Autum of 2011, and the author is still engaged in interviews around this title.

It would be one of those Christmas presents (if you celebrate Christmas or other type of signaled time around this time of the year) that one would do to oneself. After all, love starts with the self, doesn't it?

But, in the meantime, and if you are still new to this author, and wish to get acquainted with his work and his personal philosophy of life, which breaths of several streams of thought, do not hesitate to visit his official website, in several languages, his blog, his Facebook Fan Page, and even on Myspace he used to publish material. Always a good read, always a positive message, and in thought-provoking sentences.

Below you will find all the links to his official sites, including the Blog of Warriors of The Light.

The concept of NOW has been philosophied with and developed into theories for the achievement of happiness, or a blissful state of the mind and an optimus functioning level of the body, by many ancestral religions or beliefs, especially Middle Eastern and from the Far East.

Mr Coelho achieves the substantially different perspective to the usual belief extracted from other streams of thought, it makes of the NOW as the Present encompassing the ever present teachings of the Past and being aware of the consequences of our now in our Future, whilst enjoying the now, finding peace in the now. It makes sense...

OFFICIAL SITES:

paulocoelho.com
wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Coelho
paulocoelhoblog.com
www.facebook.com/paulocoelho
warriorofthelight.com

'Love never dies of natural causes. It dies because we don't replenish its cup'__Paulo Coelho