Brida is the story
of one woman’s search for magic – for meaning in life, to find a way to love
others, and how to relate to the world. Set in Ireland (read the introduction –
I’m not sure if this is a true story or not), Brida tells us about the spiritual journey of the main character,
Brida. She sets out looking for a path to follow. She finds the Tradition of
the Sun, which in turn leads her to the Tradition of the Moon, commonly known
as witchcraft. As she learns the secrets of the tarot, practices ceremonies and
ritual dances, and learns to listen to her soul in an effort to awaken her
Gift, Brida struggles with the difficulties of trying to pursue one path in
light of vague lessons and a personal desire to remain free to choose any path.
The story culminates with her Initiation into the Tradition of the Moon. She
learns to combine both male power (the Tradition of the Sun) and female
transformation (the Tradition of the Moon) into Wisdom that helps her to
understand that we can’t understand the world.
Brida is a great
story in places, but it didn’t grab me like The
Alchemist. Personally, I think the idea of magic and tarot cards and
rituals are fun, but I have a hard time accepting them as reality. While I can
relate to her story – especially the part about not wanting to limit herself to
one path when there are so many other potential paths to take – I never really
felt connected to the story the way that I did with The Alchemist. Brida goes through personal struggles, deals with
disappointment, and has difficulty making decisions – everything from normal
life that people can always relate to – but I was never really grabbed by a
sense of pathos. I never got pulled into the story. I can relate to her, but I
couldn’t relate to the book. What is the shape of the overall story? What is
her primary struggle and why do I want her to overcome her challenges? There
was too much emphasis on the magic and the rituals, and not enough information
about Brida’s life, so I felt it lacked direction and connection. However,
Paulo Coelho is still an amazing author, and it was a fairly quick read, so I
would still recommend it if you find it lying around somewhere.
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