Brida - Paulo Coelho
Lisa Byrnes
Book: Brida: A Novel
This is the story of Brida, a young Irish girl, and her quest for
knowledge. She has long been interested in various aspects of magic
but is searching for something more. Her search leads her to people
of great wisdom, who begin to teach Brida about the spiritual world.
She meets a wise man who dwells in a forest, who teaches her about
overcoming her fears and trusting in the goodness of the world; and a
woman who teaches her how to dance to the music of the world, and
how to pray to the moon. As Brida seeks her destiny, she struggles to
find a balance between her relationships and her desire to become a
witch. This enthralling novel incorporates themes that fans of Paulo
Coelho will recognize and treasure--it is a tale of love, passion,
mystery, and spirituality from the master storyteller.
Brida is Paulo Coelho’s third novel written in 1990, although only
recently translated into English and just released in Australia. It
tells the story of Brida, a young Irish woman on a quest for
knowledge and fulfilment following the path of magic. She seeks
out two teachers. The first, a man named Magus teaches the
‘Tradition of the Sun’ and helps her to face her fears. He
recognises Brida is his ‘Soulmate’, the other half of his soul. The
second teacher is Wicca, a woman who teaches the rituals and
knowledge of the ‘Tradition of the Moon’. Brida carefully
practices the rituals, studying tarot cards, keeping a candle
burning, and dancing to the “sound of the world”. She has
visions and begins to understand that she is a witch.
Paulo Coelho is a respected author and his books The Alchemist
and The Witch of Portobello are bestsellers, however, Brida is a
disappointment. The storyline is frustrating with not much
happening, the book mostly consisting of conversations between
the various characters and Brida. When Brida has a vision of a
previous life as a woman prepared to die with the Cathars in the
fortress of Monsegur in thirteenth century France, I thought,
“Here we go, finally something’s happening,” but then she’s
woken by Wicca and it’s back to rituals and chat.
The character of Brida is unsympathetic. She is incredibly self-
absorbed, using those around her to achieve her desires.
Wicca’s character is also difficult to warm to, with similar selfish
traits. Magus is a more interesting character and the parts of the
book written from his perspective are the most successful. The
fourth main character, Lorens, Brida’s long-suffering boyfriend
although likeable enough does not have any depth.
Of course, the main focus of the book is the world of pagan
spirituality that Brida embraces. The ideas Coelho expresses
are an “all roads lead to Rome” view of spirituality. Basically the
worldview is pagan with a sprinkling of Roman Catholicism.
There are many references to God and Jesus in the book, as
well as quotes from the Bible. These are mostly taken out of
context and used to lend authority to the statements being made,
which certainly do not conform to the Christianity we know. We
are told for instance “God had been a woman before he became
a man”, and that “it was impossible that [Jesus] had not also
known the love of a woman, which is why he sweated blood on
the Mount of Olives.” Coelho’s confused idea of Christianity is
most significantly displayed where Brida, contemplating the
crucifix in a church concludes that on the cross,
“[Jesus] had played his part, and shown to the world that, if
everyone played their part, no one else would have to suffer,
because he had suffered for all those who’d had the courage
to fight for their dreams.”
Throughout the book the emphasis is on Brida and what she has
to do or understand to achieve the enlightened state of a witch.
It is very much a works-based path to “God”. Interesting, on the
frontispiece of the book, the parable of the woman and the lost
coin is quoted from Luke 15:8-9,
“What woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of
them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search
carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls
together her friends and neighbours, saying, ‘Rejoice with
me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’”
In the context of the book, it appears that Brida is like this
woman in her search. However, the next verse says,
“Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over
one sinner who repents.”
So it is God who searches for us! This is the crucial difference
between Christianity and all other religions and philosophies. It is
God who seeks, God who finds, and God who rescues us
through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
