Paulo Coelho’s “Brida” presents the idea of soul mates in a creative, beautiful, and romantic way. He describes a light in the eye, a glowing light above the shoulder, and a special connection. In this story, human souls are depicted as small parts divided from once larger beings.
As with many of Paulo’s books, this one follows a character on a search — a quest for knowledge, her craft, and most of all love. It was an enjoyable read. The story follows Brida’s search for her gift as a witch — not in the typical sense, but as someone who respects God, the earth, and the universe. It also explores her journey toward finding her soulmate, who was already present.
One of the main themes of the book is soul mates, seen as that sparkle in someone’s eyes. According to the story, all of us are fragments of specific larger souls divided and scattered throughout the world. This idea helps explain the intense spiritual connections people sometimes experience, like love at first sight. It’s a beautiful concept. Sometimes you remain with your soulmate, and other times they bring happiness for a brief, intense period before moving on. It’s an intriguing exploration.
Imagine the world originally containing 10 large souls. To create more life and populate the world, these 10 souls were split into millions of smaller pieces scattered everywhere. Now, 10 becomes 1,000,000,000. Each of those smaller soul fragments once belonged to one of the original large souls. According to the story, these smaller souls long to reunite with their original larger soul.
Over time, it’s natural that these smaller souls will encounter others that belong to the same original soul. When this happens, it’s described as “love at first sight” or a feeling of having known each other forever, sometimes even recalling past lives. The connection feels undeniable and magical. Many people have experienced meeting someone and immediately connecting on a higher, spiritual level.
Things can become complicated, especially in romance. There isn’t just one piece of your original soul in the world — one soul was divided and spread around. So, it’s possible to meet more than one soulmate. What does that mean?
According to the story, only a magus or a witch who has awakened their magical gifts can see the shoulder light indicating a soulmate. For others, the way to recognize it is through the heart. Brida’s mentor advises loving with all your heart, saying “you can see a sparkle in the eye if you are open to love, even without magic.” Whether or not the person is your soulmate, when you love wholeheartedly, you have loved and been loved in return. That in itself is a blessing.
Of course, love can also bring pain and challenges, but that is part of life’s rhythm — the mysterious music and magic of living. Enjoy it, because these moments don’t last forever.
I appreciate how Paulo Coelho provokes thoughtful reflection with this story! I highly recommend reading “Brida.” It is a beautiful book, as are all of Paulo’s works.
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