Introducing the Paulo Coelho Read Along of 'The Valkyries'.
Heaven's Angels on Motorcycles
“Anyone who has read The Valkyries will know this book is very different from The Pilgrimage, The Alchemist, and Brida”. Paulo Coelho.
Welcome to The Valkyries, the fourth book in our Paulo Coelho Read Along. I agree with Paulo when he says this book differs from the three previous titles we have read together. For starters, its central characters include a roving tribe of biker girls who wander around the Mojave Desert in search of spiritual pilgrims- who this case happen to be Paulo and his wife, Christina.
On the other hand, there are some important themes in The Valkyries that we have become familiar with in the previous three books:
Spiritual Seekers undergoing initiation
Sacred rites of passage
The inner female
Moments of enlightenment
Rituals and Wisdom
And as in the case of The Pilgrimage, Paulo is putting himself in the role of the main protagonist (in the third person) and employs his favorite fictional tools: Magic Realism and Active Imagination. You can read my post on this topic here.
This is a pilgrimage of a different sort. In the desert Paulo explores aspects of the human condition simultaneously: His inner female, his relationships with women, and the nature of love. Potentially this is one of Paulo’s best books and very few reviewers over the years seem to have grasped the full impact of what he is discussing here. The two themes are interwoven and draw the reader into a subconscious reality that has little to do with the plot of the book.
I hope you will take the time out to join me this month on a gritty inner journey, where it will certainly get hot!
The Plot Summary:
This is a modern-day adventure story featuring Paulo’s supernatural encounter with angels – who appear as warrior women and travel through the Mojave desert on their motorbikes. Haunted by a devastating curse, Paulo is instructed by his mysterious spiritual master to embark upon a journey – to find and speak to his guardian angel in an attempt to confront and overcome his dark past. The Valkyries is a compelling account of this forty-day quest into the searing heat of the Mojave Desert, where Paulo and his wife, Chris, encounter the Valkyries – warrior women who travel the desert on motorcycles, spreading the word of angels. This exotic spiritual odyssey is a rare combination of truth, myth, imagination and inspiration. Ultimately it is a story about being able to forgive our past and believe in our future.
Reading Timetable:
Each week this month I will be adding a commentary before we read the following pages below. At the end of each commentary, there will be the opportunity for you to add your comments, thoughts, and reflections with the rest of the Paulo Coelho Read Along community. We’re looking forward to sharing this read and deepening our appreciation of Paulo’s work through your contribution.
Main characters:
Paulo - the author as himself.
Chris - Paulo’s wife.
Gene - A member of the order of RAM, and a friend of J. He is younger than Paulo but for a moment is his teacher and the one who introduces Chris to the ways of the Spirit.
Valhalla - The leader of the Valkyries and a teacher who will lead Paulo through various trials to find his Guardian Angel.
Rotha - The youngest of the Valkyries who is the instrument to assist Paulo and Chris to break free of the past.
(Page numbers will vary based on the edition you are reading and the section names are mine.)
Week One: Wednesday, May 1st, Pages 1 to 52.
Including scenes: Prologue, Looking for Angels, The Desert, Danger, Gene, The Second Mind, Here and Now, The Hotel, Magic Space, Salt Lake, The Horizon, Naked, Recovery, Spirits.
Week Two: Wednesday, May 8th, Pages 53 to 111.
Including scenes: Teaching Chris, A story, A map, Fourth Process, Looking for the Valkyries, Passion lost, Gringo Pass, The Valkyries, My name is M.., Curiosity, The Nymphs, Valhalla, Talking to her Angel, An old pact.
Week Three: Wednesday, May 15th, Pages 112 to 156.
Including scenes: The Terror, The Pact is Broken, The Play, Eleven Trips, Revelation, A New World, Waiting, Preaching, The Ritual that Demolishes Rituals, Golden Canyon, A New Pact, The Salutation.
Week Four: Wednesday, May 22nd, Pages 157 to 212.
Including scenes: Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Changing Places, Death Valley, Frontiers, Death is an angel, Time for Truth, More Channeling, A Bet, Calling to his Angel, Meeting his Angel, Our Lady, Epilogue, Author’s note.
We are in for one hell of a ride through the Mojave Desert with some radical women, so hold on tight!
“I have won important things for myself, but I'm going to destroy them, because I tell myself they have lost their meaning. I know that is not true. I know they are important, and that if I destroy them, I'll be destroying myself, as well.”