Paulo Coelho, the Brazilian author of bestsellers such as The Alchemist, The Valkyries and Veronica Decides to Die, comes from a powerful tradition of magic. He believes in angels and omens. Excerpts from an e-mail interview with Anupama Bhattacharya

Q: What basic philosophy do you try to express in your books?
My inner questions and doubts when facing the present moment. I see philosophy as something alive, something that changes according to our inner needs. But if I were to synthesize my work, I would say: live your Personal Legend, pay the price of your dreams, read the omens, awaken your feminine side, and dare to be different.

Q: How would you categorize your books?
Two of them are nonfiction (The Pilgrimage and The Valkyries). The rest are based on my various life experiences—but in a metaphorical and symbolic language. I believe that any artiste (or person) has only to share something that he has already experienced, regardless of whether the experience was in the symbolic realm or in the so-called 'reality'.

After the pilgrimage, I simplified my spiritual search a lot, and instead of searching for answers, I started to understand that life itself is an answer.

Q: In your book, The Valkyries, the protagonist is Paulo Coelho. Is this book autobiographical?
It is autobiographical, and everything stated there is true. To complement the question above, I used to think of guardian angels as something too 'simple', too 'naïve', till I realized that innocence is one of the best roads to God.

Q: Why did you write of yourself in the third person?
Because I wanted not only to discuss spiritual concepts, but also some important issues such as marriage. And I could describe my wife's thoughts only if I used a third person approach.

Q: Have you ever seen an angel? What are angels really?
Yes, I've seen angels. They are what everybody knows: messengers of God. Sparks of the Divine Light. But they use the most unusual ways to talk to us—through other people, for example.

Q: In The Valkyries, you have called yourself a wizard. Are you, in reality, a practitioner of magic?
Everybody is a magus-another important lesson from the Road to Santiago. The thing is: nobody accepts that she/he has gifts and powers. In magic, there are two traditions: the moon and the sun. The first is accumulation of knowledge and the second is revelation. In my youth, I used to practice traditional rituals, till I realized that I—and everybody—know everything. It is just an act of will to open ourselves to the Soul of the World.

Q: Carlos Castaneda also wrote of sorcery. Is there any similarity between your ideas and his?
Castaneda played a major role in my youth. As for the ideas, I tend to believe that the universal knowledge is accessible to anybody through faith. Castaneda concentrated his work on a more specific path.

Q: What has been the driving force in your life?
Knowing that everybody has a purpose. We know when we are closer to our goal by listening to our heart. So, my driving force is to fulfill my destiny.

Q: Does an author cultivate writing, or is he divinely gifted?
You need discipline and inspiration, rigor and mercy, earth and heaven. You need to have a clear goal, but you also need to allow yourself to be guided to get there.

Q: Today, most people are talking about transformation, astral travel, holistic healing, channeling. Do you think these are indications of a paradigm shift in humanity?
It depends. I also see people complicating the communion with God. The new paradigm includes Rigor and Mercy. But we cannot be stupid enough to think that this is all. Appendicitis needs a surgeon, not a holistic healer.

Q: The Alchemist has been the most popular of all your books. Which of your books do you personally think is the best?
I rate all my books A+, because I put the best of myself in them. That means my books are better than myself.

Q: Have you been inspired by any authors?
Yes. Castaneda, Henry Miller, William Blake. But, above all, Jorge Amado and Jorge Luis Borges.

Q: What role does a writer play in the society?
The same as a gardener or a taxi driver: do your job with love and enthusiasm, and people will be affected for the better.

Q: Your books portray a lot of sensitivity. Sometimes even pathos. A trend not often seen in many of today's New Age books, Which focus more on a feel-good, rose-tinted worldview. What makes you different?
I don't want to judge other people's books. My books only portray my experience, not my wisdom. First, because I am not wise—as I said earlier, everybody knows everything or nobody knows anything, because God is democratic. Second, because experience is all you have and must share. This is our reason to be here: to share. A book can act as a catalyst, making people understand that they are not alone. Several authors made me understand that, and I felt relieved during some critical moments in my life. A book can be a good companion. But it is up to each one of us to learn from our own experiences.