the witch of portobello

I got the chance to get a copy of Coelho's new work - "The Witch of Portobello". I was expecting a different read and I guess I actually got what I wanted. You see, the book (I havent read everything just yet) has a concept similar to that of a documentary where a series of interviews attempts to reveal what you need to know about the main character in the book.

I consider it an interesting read and a lot of questions brew up in my head. It seems that the books I have encountered lately, Say this and Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" have this tint (I couldn't think of a better word) of the Sacred Feminine. Is this a fad? a trend? or an enlightened view?

Never be afraid to ask. And so I get to ask questions from two persons I like to interact with. One is my English professor in the university and the other is a Jesuit scholastic.

Me: What is this movement that seems to be very prominent in the works of Coelho in "The Witch of Portobello" and, say Brown in "The Da Vinci Code"

Fr. Cris: Divine Feminine Thought has many variants. Some may be accommodated in the Christian Faith, some are just plain and simple New Age. In the spirit of discernment, we should sift through them and find where and how God reveals Him/Her Self.

Ma'am Arlene: Yes, I've heard. That the movement: Divine Feminine / Mystique. The tartan cult shows that.

Me: As I have studied world myths and mythology in college, I also observed that there is that shift in power from the female to male. Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Japanese, and Greek to name just a few have this shift of power.

Fr. Cris: Concepts about deity evolve. Its highly anthropological and sociological. It is so much conditioned by the languistic development that happens in the civilization.

Me: Ok. So will there come a time where the Roman Catholic Church will also experience that "change" or "shift"?

Fr. Cris: A closer and deeper look at the history of the church reveals that it does develop. It adjusts with the development of thought. Theology changes emphases according to how human history unfolds. The normativity of Christianity rests in the Incarnation of God, thus making humanity share in Divinity itself.



I got to finish the book. It just isn't the usual Coelho book you read. Some stronger flavor I just can't point at.