Deidre O'Neill, known as Edda—Athena's great problem was that she was a woman of the 22nd-century living in the 21st and making no secret of the fact, either. Did she pay a price? She certainly did. But she would have paid a still higher price if she had repressed her natural exuberance. She would have been bitter, frustrated, always concerned about "what other people might think," always saying, "'I'll just sort these things out, then I'll devote myself to my dream," always complaining "that the conditions are never quite right." We women, when we are searching for a meaning to our lives or for the path of knowledge, always identify with one of four classic archtypes: Athena, who has been dubbed 'the Witch of Portobello' for her seeming powers of prophecy, disappears dramatically, leaving those who knew her to solve the mystery of her life and abrupt departure. Vertex is the culminating point of life, the goal of all those who, like everyone else, make mistakes, but who, even in their darkest moments, never lose sight of the light emanating from their hearts. The Vertex is hidden inside us, and we can reach it if we accept it and recognize it. Throughout the novel, Coelho’s words verifies the phrase: “How do we find the courage to always be true to ourselves—even if we are unsure of whom we are?”

Although Coelho, in an interview about the motivation for writing the book, noted he wanted to explore the feminine side of God, for me, its scope was even broader. It is a study into the personal and spiritual meaning of life, happiness and self-fulfillment in a society built on rules and conventions. Through a series of interviews, multiple characters explained their experience and connection to her. We uncover pieces of who she was through different perspectives. But did anyone really know her? All her life, she felt a constant void that continuously nagged at her soul. The biggest question she consistently pursued an answer to was this: who am I? That said, me as a writer, I also try to understand myself better, and the only way that I have to understand myself better is by sharing myself with myself, meaning, that I have to write and when I write, I understand what is inside of me in an unconscious level, then I think it is also part of the human condition to somehow divide your feelings with other people so you feel that you're not alone. The Witch of Portobello" is a daring response to an unconventional spiritual path. Living the RICH extreme opposing emotions of: the sensual and, the pure. The thin, the fat. The depressed, the enthusiastic. The believer, the naysayer. The wife, the divorcee. The saint, the sinner. The physical, the spiritual. The word witch is full of judgement and prejudice in the religious world. This story speaks to the courage it takes to leave the tribe, to wonder, to explore - without guilt, that which one is drawn to. YDSTIE: In "The Witch of Portobello," the main character is named Athena and she becomes a spiritual leader in the reemergence, I guess, of the ancient goddess religion. Tell us a little more about that tradition and why you chose to focus on it in this book.Coelho sets out a framework for thinking about Athena and our own lives through the the character Deidre O’Neill, a doctor also known as Edda and a teacher to Athena. The book talks about free love, a river which overflows its banks, which is above all the concept we associate with love, like desire, possession or betray.

I recommend The Witch of Portobello to any reader who seeks in life. For people on a quest for themselves and their spirituality. Here was a chance for the Church to do something really beautiful for my whole family, most especially my Mother, and they shut us out. Just like the people at the Inn who shut the door on Mary & Joseph when they needed a place to stay for Christ's birth. This is not a Church of love or compassion. It is a Church of fear, judgement, and exclusion.

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Discuss the world of magic versus the world of science or rationality—especially the belief held by many that, as Heron Ryan puts it, "anything science cannot explain has no right to exist." Where do you stand on this? While the underlying message of this book is exploring the answer to the question "What is Love?" (answer: Love IS.), I found the exploration of the feminine side of divinity, of God to be refreshing and timely in my own life. We have all heard stories of women in particular who possess "abilities." I call it intuition. But why can't we accept these things as natural and beautiful? And why can't we encourage girls and women to strenghten their abilities to serve mankind? And why does dogma seek to destroy the credibility of these gifts? Would Athena's life have been more meaningful, more useful, if she had, as Andrea McCain suggests, joined a convent and devoted herself to a life of service to the poor? Andrea McCain, actress—I was used and manipulated by Athena, with no consideration for my feelings. She was my teacher, charged with passing on the sacred mysteries, with awakening the unknown energy we all possess. When we venture into that unfamiliar sea, we trust blindly in those who guide us, believing that they know more than we do.

Amazingly, Coelho survived these horrific experiences. He left the hippie lifestyle behind, went to work in the record industry, and began to write, but without much success. Then, in the mid-1980s, during a trip to Europe, he met a man, an unnamed mentor he refers to only as "J," who inducted him into Regnum Agnus Mundi, a secret society that blends Catholicism with a sort of New Age mysticism. At J's urging, Coelho journeyed across el Camino de Santiago, the legendary Spanish road traversed by pilgrims since the Middle Ages. He chronicled this life-changing, 500-mile journey—the culmination of decades of soul-searching— in The Pilgrimage, published in 1987. Walk into any bookstore in the world and the odds are good, you'll find a volume by Paulo Coelho. The 60-year-old Brazilian-born author has written eight novels, two memoirs and several other volumes. He has sold nearly a hundred million books, and his works have been translated into 64 languages.

The Virgin (not speaking of sexual virgin): One whose search springs from her complete independence and everything she learns is the fruit of her ability to face challenges alone. Love is not a habit, a commitment, or a debt. It isn’t what romantic songs tell us it is-love simply is.………………….No definitions. Love and don’t ask too many questions. Just love.” Coelho uses a number of narrators to flesh out Athena's story, and these differing perspectives add a real depth to the story line. As a reader, you like some narrators and dislike others, which gives you the ability to take what you like from each and leave the rest, creating your own picture of Athena as you go. Love fills everything. It cannot be desired because it is and end in itself. It cannot betray because it has nothing to do with possession. It cannot be held prisoner because it is a river and will overflow its banks. Anyone who tries to imprison love will cut off the spring that feeds it, and the trapped water will grow stagnant and rank”

That is the central question of international bestselling author Paulo Coelho's profound new work, The Witch of Portobello. It is the story of a mysterious woman named Athena, told by the many who knew her well—or hardly at all. Among them:The work also expounds a selection of philosophies, which bear a certain degree of similarity to Coelho's teachings from previous novels and carry the characteristic imprint of his own ideas, as well as a citation regarding the ephemeral nature of desires, which appears in most of Coelho's novels. YDSTIE: Author Paulo Coelho joins us from Paris. His latest book is "The Witch of Portobello." Thanks so much. I am so disappointed in Coelho for this sub par work by an otherwise great writer who really presents the human condition from within the characters he creates, but failed miserably in this work. Never once did I sympathize or care what happened to Athena or Sherine or Hagia Sofia (all one person), and that is the worst flaw a book can contain. Insult was added to injury when all the other characters weren't any more significant to my senses. Coelho is the founder of the Paulo Coelho Institute, a non-profit organization funded by his royalties that raises money for underprivileged children and the elderly in his homeland of Brazil.