Aleph by Paulo Coelho (2011)

Looks like it was time to read something spiritual. This was just asking the right spiritual questions for me.  I liked that the author was Brazilian and that this had been translated from Portugese and that most of the book took place in Russia. I understand that the novel is autobiographical, that Coelho was suffering from a crisis of faith and took on a three month journey, with the last leg being a trans-Siberian train ride. His job as an author gave him the excuse and opportunity, as he traveled to talk to his readers and sign his books. He felt the need for self-rediscovery and had a wonderful wife who let him go to discover on his own, when she felt she was impeding this process, plus she had her own art to get back to. In Russia he meets a Turkish girl Hilal - a promising young violinist, who is determined to travel with him. They are deeply connected, which she knows from the beginning, but he takes a while to realize. They experience things together, which heal both of them.

Turns out they were connected in previous lives and had to resolve what had happened those many years ago. This was the hardest part to listen to, as those times were so incomprehensible, and my blood just starts to boil when I hear what is done in the name of God. I understand that people were doing what they thought was right, but with the incredible damage they did to their fellow humans, I keep wondering about their karma in my view of the world - or even in theirs. I would like to think they burned in hell for their pious deeds, or spent many life times resolving their crimes against humanity.

I feel I have neglected my spirituality for a while, but then remember everything we do, every choice we make has some spiritual consequences. I once spent more time thinking about spirituality, about whether I am being the best person I can be. Seems that life has become so busy, that I have forgotten to take time to focus on that. I love to travel myself, and feel truly alive when traveling - each trip gives me the opportunity to grow and connect. I have lived a free flow life in many ways, and have found it mostly fulfilling, and this book made a lot of sense to me. As was written in the Amazon review: "Some books are read. Aleph is lived."