Order Warrior of the Light : A Manual from amazon.com.
By Paulo Coelho
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Harper Collins
Language: English
ISBN: 0060527978
Reviewed by Linda Berthelsen
The Manual of the Warrior of the Light by Paulo Coelho, revives the tradition of Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac, George Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour and Andrew Carnegie’s The Gospel of Wealth. It is actually a handbook or a primer of a code of conduct for the 21st Century Knight or anyone who works toward a higher good.
But the question quickly arises, “What is a Warrior of Light?” Who belongs to this new breed of chivalry, that answers the call of the ancients in today’s challenges? The answers to these questions must be found in a new paradigm of personal power and responsibility, where spiritual laws include the laws of men but are not limited by them.
The modern Warrior of Light bears no particular physical profile, no particular race, gender or origin. Today’s Warrior of Light lives in the heart. The true warrior transcends the physical nature of body, time and distance. This means that people of like mind have the ability to connect and unify efforts for good across the globe in any time and any place. Even a woman walking down the street might greet you as fellow warrior!
The old adage that “it takes one to know one” certainly applies to Warriors of the Light, but anyone has the opportunity to be one. Therefore anyone who wishes to become a Warrior of Light finds a home in the forces working for good in the world.
Manual of the Warrior of the Light not only inspires but instructs with precision. Coelho’s imagery taps into the warrior archetype, which animates this aspect of the reader’s psyche, and facilitates responsible application of the warrior in everyday life. The warrior image empowers the male aspect of human psyche to take action and to overcome the tendency to submit to ever-changing currents in the external world.
This book is not simply a little book of quotes and sentimental savorings, but a bible, primer, companion, friend, guide and shield!
This book is the perfect travel companion, which can transform the warrior’s heart into his or her home, regardless of where the body may roam.
The British publication has no flaws in translation or content. However, the jacket design could be brought more into line with traditional primer format. The British version feels more like a regular paperback novel than a handbook. The German translation however fits easily and intimately into a jacket pocket, where one can access this knowledge at any time during a Warrior’s day or night, when at home or on the other side of the world. The ribbon place marker adds a personal touch that validates the reader’s devotion to reading this book again and again. The German jacket illustration sends a clearer signal of the author’s intention to the mind’s eye than the American jacket. The Babylonian mosaic of a lion that adorns the German jacket symbolizes the power and majesty of the mind and an emblem of wisdom in action.
A more relaxing, yet nebulous scene on the cover of the English translation invites introspection, but a misty image of men in a boat does not capture the impact of the handbook’s lessons. There is nothing in the American jacket illustration that visually or tactually lends itself to re-reading, no ribbon marker, no lion or pocket fit.
But the English translation cleverly gives a synopsis, a one liner, if you will on the left page opposite each passage. When life races faster than a speeding bullet, the reader can catch a glimpse and set an intention. So, while the ideal version of this masterpiece is not yet in print, the essence of the message rings clear in the hearts of all who accept the challenges of being Warriors of the Light.
This book is very useful as a tool in rebuilding the Temple. Diximus!
Order Warrior of the Light : A Manual from amazon.com.
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