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Mastering Lessons, Realizing Dreams - The Alchemist
By KWiz | March 18, 2007
In the book The Alchemist, the author, Paulo Coelho, suggests we all encounter signs along our individual journeys that somehow communicate to us which way to turn - to the right or to the left, to go straight, to stand still. It is a “fable” that explains how those signs appear in the life of a young man named Santiago. Publisher’s Weekly (from Amazon.com) says, “[the book is] full of specific wisdom…about becoming self-empowered, overcoming depression, and believing in dreams. The cumulative effect is like hearing a wonderful bedtime story from an inspirational psychiatrist.”
It’s a quick read; I read the book in several hours. I plan to read it again this summer. Why? Because I need a bit of encouragement to be reminded that
“…before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up. It’s the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, one ‘dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.’”
The Alchemist
in The Alchemist
I’ve heard more than one preacher say that when God has called you to a thing, He makes it easy for you to accomplish. I don’t mean to come down on those preachers, but it’s just not true. In fact, in making such a claim, we forget about those biblical characters who were called who all experienced difficulty in doing God’s will, such as Abraham, Moses, Naomi, Esther, Jesus… I wish it was true that with God’s call comes with ease, but what would we learn along the way? How would we gain strength to endure? How would we grow? It just doesn’t make sense. But here’s the hope:
“Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And every search ends with the victor’s being severely tested.” (emphasis mine)
The Alchemist
in The Alchemist
Notice, in seeking that to which we are called, we will, as long as we stick to it, become victorious. And as we become victorious, we will be able to help others along the way. Why is this so important? As the alchemist tells the protagonist of the story, the boy on his journey,
“No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it.”
The Alchemist
in The Alchemist
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Topics: Personal Development, Spiritual Growth |
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March 18th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
Wow KWiz, I think synchronicity is really walking with me today! Several hours ago, I added The Alchemist as one of my favourite books at StumbleUpon. I first read this book over ten years ago and it was published almost twenty years ago. It’s funny how I could remember the title of that book and not the gazillion others that I have read over the years. It’s message must still linger in my subconscious…
And indeed I’m still learning the lessons about how dreams don’t fall into our laps necessarily. I’m so glad you emphasized that difficulties in achieving our goals can really just be viewed as ‘tests’. Perhaps to evaluate our conviction to what it is really believe we want?
Great post! I am delighted to be reminded of this fabulous book. I am going to read it again, asap!
On another note… I’ve read other works by Paulo Coelho, namely The Fifth Mountain. It’s a story about a man who struggles with his faith in God. A great story!
March 20th, 2007 at 12:23 am
Hi Camille,
I’ve recently seen some of his other books in one of my colleagues offices and I promised myself that I’d get around to reading them. So much to do! That’s why it’s great being a teacher - I get 10 weeks off during the summer to try to do some of these things!
I’m most definitely going to look up The Fifth Mountain!
March 20th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
I find Paulo Coelho’s books inspirational.
March 20th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
Hi Jackal,
I plan to read more of his work this summer.
March 21st, 2007 at 12:03 pm
hello,
I work for Paulo Coelho’s publisher and I discovered your blog whilst doing my daily duties… which include digging through hundreds of Google searched pages for Paulo related stories.
Seeing as you are interested in his work – I thought you might be interested to know that Paulo has set up a new blog here: http://en.paulocoelhoblog.com/witch-of-portobello/
Hope you get a chance to take a look some time – and maybe pass the link on ?
Many thanks for your time.
Kate B