God's Mother Nature

Paulo Coelho caught my attention with his best-selling book, The Alchemist. But wanting to taste his contemporary work and not the classic, I have chosen his more recent work The Witch of Portobello.This had been another part of what he calls 'Literary pilgrimage'wherein he infused morality and spiritually with his works.

The theme of the book is about the feminine side of God.That God is not really in heaven but dwells among us here on Earth and manifested by Nature. Instead of the instituted doctrines of the church, God can be praised by chanting and dancing. The heroine of the story, Athena, communed with God through her pagan ways. She always saught how to be closer with God, through the churh, by reaching the vortex and even by calligraphy. In reaching this goal, she was labelled as a witch, a godess, a priestess and even the spirit of Hagia Sofia, the Great Mother.

The book hinted that the modern world is not yet prepared to such 'Cult of the Mother'.When the group of Athena attracted many supporters,conservative and religious sects repressed their group.It turned out so bad that Athena's custody to her son had been questioned. Her mission will be completely ruined if gossips will overwhelm what she preaches.In the end, she needs to 'die' so that the controversy will subside and the road for the Mother will be cleared.

In the book Sophie's World, this other side of God was also mentioned:

It was an ancient Christian and Jewish belief that God was not only a man. He also has a female side, or 'mother nature'. Women too are created in God's likeness. In Greek, this female side of God is called Sophia, which means wisdom.

'Sophia' or God's mother nature had certain significance both for Jews and in Greek Orthodox Church throughout the Middle Ages. In the west she was forgotten. But along came Hildegard. Sophia appeared to her in vision, dressed in a golden tunic adored with costly jewels...