Omens
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20
But Coelho was still a long way from world fame; he wrote his first novel "Hell Archives" (1982), it failed miserably, and then co-authored a second "Manual of Vampirism" (1985), also with little success. Then came "The Pilgrimage" (1987) but still this wasn't it for Coelho. Now I will have you know that I have written an unpublished novel, and that would have been it for me, but not Coelho. In yet another bizarre twist, he read a 1935 short story fable titled "The tale of two dreamers" by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. Guess what the two dreamers in Borges story dreamt about? Hidden treasure- Thus came "The Alchemist" in 1988.
So then Coelho became world famous? Hell NO! Only 900 copies were printed and they couldn't even sell all of them. "What are you talking about?" You would ask? YES, The Alchemist, the book that now holds the Guinness world record for the most translated book by a living author failed MISERABLY! That's a dark fact, like the darkness of a moonless night is a fact. In a rare demonstration of sheer bravado, Coelho wrote "Brida" (1990). Brida received good press coverage and for a brief period he was in the limelight. Guess whose attention he caught? Harper Collins, the big time American publishers. In 1993, 11 years after his publishing quest, Harper Collins printed 50,000 copies of Coelho's 'The Alchemist'. Well, the rest is over 70 Million copies and still counting, numerous awards and records, celebrity fans such as Bill Clinton, Will Smith, Madonna and ofcourse notoriety for one Paulo Coelho.
Mythical isn't it? What I find even mystical is the clear connections of Coelho's own life and the story of Santiago, the shepherd boy, who decided to leave his modestly comfortable shepherding life for his long time dream of treasure hunt in the Egyptian pyramids. His seeming success at reaching the foot of the pyramids after numerous self-defining encounters was so illusory; his real success was to come much later from a place that he had passed along the way to his 'pilgrimage'. You would say that when Coelho wrote "The Alchemist" It really was an oracle into his own life. But that's me, do you believe in that kind of stuff? Oracles? Omens? Revelations? There sure is a lot of them in the 'The Alchemist". And surely omens and revelations will be the language I speak today.
Enters my second protagonist; with Joyce Gikunda it's an actual first hand recollection. She is a fairly successful entrepreneur. A high ranking government pharmacist who quit her job to mix shampoo concoctions for resale at the back of her salon. In retrospect, she too will tell you that yes, the signs were right there from her childhood. Mystical providence would also have her end at what she was meant to do in this world – Beauty. Working with her was nourishment from an unfailing fountain, and drawing at my need inexhaustible knowledge. I say unfailing fountain because I view success in its most sublime definition as being fundamentally detached from worldly materialism; True success is an individual's ability to perpetually give from their ethereal wealth. (See my definition of success). Dr. Myles Munroe, recently deceased God rest his soul, would frequently be quoted as saying that many societies have lots of wealth in cemeteries.
"Give to the world as much of yourself such that you when you die you will have nothing else to give" Dr. Myles Munroe
Effective words being "nothing else to give" not "nothing to give" since you will still not be depleted. God given endowments have the uniqueness of increasing when freely given away. I would say that Joyce has three distinct Loves: The love of God, The love of Family and the love of beauty (which formed the scope of her work) and she prioritized them in that very order. She freely gave of all three. And this is where it would start to agitate me with tremendous awe and delight. Working with Joyce was like a sublime and emotional revelation, an influx of an apprehension that created very personal states varying from enthusiasm, ecstasy, trance, prophetic inspiration, awe and a surreal consciousness of a divine presence. Indeed, allow me to add that with only a faint glow for the religious, these insights may very easily seem bizarre and even sometimes similar to pure insanity.
You are likely to notice a substantial shift in my ideologies post my September 2010 meeting with Joyce. I am less inclined to rely on the fathomable by the logic of the human intellect, but by the divine spark of intuition and the glorification of God on universal truths. I am still a strong defender of the individual freedoms to constructing beliefs, customs and virtues and to the critical evaluation of dominant opinions, but I am now more conscious of the infinite malleability of the self and all of nature to the will of God.
There were no sacred issues; Mentor, Life couch, benefactor, boss, confidant, apprentice, mother, marriage counselor, friend, associate, protégé, guardian angel, employee; what I was to her, or she was to me, would be hard to noun; when I sat across her on that mahogany desk, she would rattle my prejudices, appease my anxieties, pacify my setbacks and venerate my victories. Some gems along our paths we carry with us to the end; from Joyce I will always remember that:
"The path will definitely be straight, steep and narrow, and the weather is likely to be unfavorable with occasional storms and even expectation of total darkness sometimes; and life is definitely going to knock you flat out a couple of times, but I need not worry, if I am keen I will see the crumbs, and when darkness comes, a sparkling silver lining. All I need do is take that first step of faith."
And it's that decision to take that first step, and the discovery of crumbs that compels my mind and urges my hand today; so join me on this journey of wondrous signs and hidden treasures.
The will of God:
In the beginning God willed everything into being. His will is sovereign. Therefore, it naturally goes that it must also be the beginning of everything in your life. In many situations the compulsion is to respond based on our experiences and wisdom, "such an approach will get you in trouble" Joyce would tell me, "Let's pray and see what God wants us to do." Even when you are certain of your decision take a moment to reflect. Where's God in what you are about to do? God has always been at work, for us, around us, in us and with us. It's His work and His call. We take neither the initiative nor ownership and especially not credit. You must never forget that.
"
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the lord: 'Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message.' So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. "Then the word of the Lord came to me: 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?' declares the Lord. 'Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.'" – Jeremiah 18: 1-6
What's with the clay? Let me begin by pointing out that it's the potter who finds the clay, it's the potter's initiative. God chose you before you did Him. Second, the clay has to be responsive to the potter, so that he can make any instrument of his choosing. And lastly, even when it has been made into say a vase, it has to remain in the potter's hand for the vase to be used to hold flowers, or to be sold for use. On its own neither the clay, nor the 'useful' vessel it becomes can be functional. Do NOT ever emphasis your usefulness, greatness, wisdom, judgement or choice – it's really not yours. You know this really is a pet subject of mine, there already is enough content on this
(Further Reading Recommended):
To help you discern God's will in your life I also highly recommend 'Experiencing God; Knowing and doing the will of God' By Henry T. Blackaby - Thank's Joyce for this book, I am reading it now for a third time.
It's a Calling:
Ever heard someone say this about what they do? What do they really mean? Life is a series of Journeys; the one Journey, and other many shorter ones. All journeys serve a purpose and answer a call. Blessed is he who sets out with this knowledge already, but that is usually the exemption, most of us will only be aware of this call midcourse, or never at all. So how do I know my 'calling'? Well, we've said it, seek the will of God; ever heard people say 'everyone is talented, you just need to know what your talent is'. God puts in each one of us a desire, a passion that consistently draws us to his purposes for our life; seek ye' first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you - matt 6:33' don't you ever call it an adage again, it's a universal truth. You will not bloom to full potential until you know your true calling, and you will only find your calling by doing what God put you on earth to do… HIS WILL. Call it a DREAM or a PERSONAL LEGEND, depending on what stage it is at; either still on your wish list or you are already living it. I got to give a warning here though, that it is also God's will that some find their talents, and others don't, that too serves God's unique purposes and ways.
Dreams:
My context of the word 'Dreams' will oscillate between its literal meaning and it's symbolic one representing our unfulfilled desires so just flow with me here, am sure you won't get lost. Dreams represent not only an outlet into one's inner desires, but also a form of communication with the 'Soul of the World' – as God is described in the Alchemist. Your talent remains a burning desire and constant pull of the heart until such a time as you yield to it. And when one yields then a Soul meets its legacy, a destiny is borne, the personality becomes legend. In the Alchemist, Coelho relates the story about the biblical Joseph's ability to read dreams, concluding that those who truly believe in dreams also have the ability to read them. By listening to the 'soul of the World', Santiago ultimately enters into communion with all of nature, including the wind and the sun, and he reaches a higher state of being.
In his most famous essay 'Nature' Ralph Waldo Emerson presents dreams (again literally and symbolically) as a medium of communication between God and man,
Dreams will enable us to see the extraordinary in the ordinary and perceive higher law. They compel us to use all our faculties far more than preciseness and infallibility. The poet, painter, athlete, sculptor, musician, and architect are all inspired of excellence conceived of their inner desires. The symphonist hears imaginary beautiful arrangements, the artists sees intensities of light, perspectives and shades and creates a masterpiece, the poet fancies spoken emotions, the athlete imaginings are relentlessly on the finish line; all of art and human performance thus represents nature and the will of God as distilled by the dreams (aspirations) of man to satisfy his desire for beauty/excellence. And what is this insatiable desire for beauty we have? Like truth and goodness, it's an earnest search of what's within us; it's an expression of God within us. Beauty is in its ultimate a catalyst to the realization of the infiniteness awe of God. A portion of this same infiniteness is innate in every man, in a calling that we only need to yield to, a universal calling to create beauty and awe in, with or from our lives.
Personal Legend:
To a select few, the mozarts, shakespaeares, Michelangelos, Lupitas, the Joyces of this world, who take that step of faith to live out their dreams, then dreams turn into something else, something amazing, even immortal – personal legends. Personal Legends serve as the only means by which an individual can live a satisfying life. In fact, the universe can only achieve perfection if all natural things continuously undergo a cycle of achieving their Personal Legend, evolving into a higher being with a new Personal Legend, and then pursuing that new goal. This concept, that the individualistic pursuit of a Personal Legend exists as life's dominant—perhaps only—spiritual demand, lies at the center of the unique theology of The Alchemist. Those who put off their Personal Legends, such as the crystal merchant, suffer regret and fail to experience the wealth and other favors that the universe bestows upon those who follow their Personal Legends. This pursuit, however, has its fair share of drama; so let's talk about some of these which include: (1) Resources: Omens and Nature, Mentors (2) Distractions: Complacency, Detractors, Fear, The Price (3) Grey Areas: The role of love.
The Omens
A couple of paragraphs earlier I made this statement about Joyce Gikunda ….. "..these insights may very easily seem bizarre and even sometimes similar to pure insanity." This was my intended focus for this essay, please pardon my digression, I got a little carried away by the preamble, but it was important that I grow this slowly into context. You are not likely to come across this in a 'principles of management' text, or on any credible list of 'factors of production', nor in any entrepreneurship course, probably the closest you are likely to get will be in a self-improvement text that's big on modeling as a path to success.
As a model for making weighty business decisions with implications running into a couple of a hundred thousand dollars sometimes, am certain that you too will find this insane, and yet I chose to model it, whether or not you would model it is a decision you will have to make on your own. Say we were considering hiring a unit manager, or a new brand, or a new outlet, these are major decisions. Joyce's foremost response was predictably resolute, 'let's pray about it.' And there would begin an anxious period of nothing but watching and praying. We would watch to see what would happen next. We would really be waiting for 'God to speak'. And we would wait until it happened, and then all due diligence would be done, but not before we 'heard from God'.
There's a fundamental shift here from what most people would ordinarily do, even the very religious ones; suppose you wanted to start a business in your town. You would take a survey to identify the needs and location. You would then draw up a business plan with both midterm and long-term plans for capitalization, marketing, inventory management, cash flows, and so on. To many people, including potential financiers, if the indicators were good, this would suffice. If you were religious you would probably take it a step further and ask God to bless and guide your work. Seems reasonable right? But not to Joyce; she would NEVER do it that way;
Truth is that there's not a single recorded incidence in the Bible in which God functioned as most people want Him to. When God came to Noah he did not ask, "What do you want to do?" He came to reveal what He was about to do. It really did not matter what Noah had planned to do, God was about to destroy the world. Similarly, God came to Abraham and spoke to him because He had a purpose to achieve through him – Build a nation for Himself. When He wanted to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah He did not ask Abraham what he wanted to do, it was only crucial for Abraham to know what God was about to do. This sequence is seen throughout the entire Bible; the Judges, David, The prophets, the disciples and Paul. When God was about to do something, He spoke to reveal his purposes and plans. So why do you go to God with what you want to do? We set about to dream our dreams of what we want to do and tend to make long-range plans based on priorities of our choosing, you should first seek God to know what He is doing and what role you can play in it. What's important is God's Plans not ours. Look at what the psalmist had to say about our plans and purposes:
The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart run through all generation – Psalm 33: 10-11
When we prayed, we would immediately begin to watch for what would happen next and prepare to make adjustments; if it was a decision on whether to hire or promote internally, we might suddenly start to see someone's star shining; they might hand in a good report, an anonymous client might give a compliment and so on. Believe it or not this would be the basis upon which we would take a decision. Initially I found it really absurd, Illogical and dangerous to base business decisions on mere hunches, coincidences and happenstances. But Joyce was persistent and consistent with it and in many instances than I can recall not, looking back in retrospect, those decisions were right on point. Even when they didn't turn out so well in the short-range, in the bigger perspective they would proof to be invaluable to the business. I know with certainty that Joyce was successful largely due to this approach in her dealings.
On close scrutiny of the scriptures, I begun to appreciate her insight into some very obvious biblical principles; our problem is that when the spirit speaks to us, we go into a long discussion and re-evaluation and arguments on whether that was just a coincidence. When God Spoke to Moses, what he did next was critical. After Jesus spoke to his disciples, what they did next was crucial. Moses made the same mistake most of us would make; he was skeptical after the burning bush, he went into a long discussion with God (EX 3:11-4:13) and that limited him for the rest of his life; Moses had to speak through his brother Aaron. In Luke 8: 5-15 Jesus told the parable of the sower and the seeds. The seed that fell on the good soil represented one who heard the word of God, retained it and produced fruit. Jesus warned "consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away."
If the Christian does not know when God is speaking, he is in trouble at the heart of his Christian life. How God speaks is however not the important factor; that he speaks is the critical point. Those that he speaks to always know it is God, and they know what he is saying. One truth that is evident throughout the bible is that God speaks to his people. In the Old Testament God spoke through: (1) Angels -Gen 16 (2) Visions - Gen 15 (3) Dreams - Gen 28: 10-19 (4) Urim & Thummim - Ex 28:30- also in the Alchemist (5) Symbolic Actions -Jer 18:1-10 (6) A gentle whisper - 1Kings 19:12 (7) Miraculous signs - Ex 8: 20-25 (8) Nature such as fire, clouds, wind, animals, birds, water and others
The Old Testament set very clear precedents on how God speaks to his people: each experience was unique to each individual. Moses had no precedents of a burning bush. He could not have said, 'this was my burning bush experience, my fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had theirs and this was mine' there were no prior experiences of God speaking like that. 
God wants our experience of Him and his voice to be personal so that we strive for a personal relationship with him as opposed to depending on a methodology or technique. You cannot follow 'the Moses methodology of a burning bush'. This also helps to be certain that it is God who is speaking. Every time God speaks, that becomes 'the encounter with God, for the listener". This is God's way of revealing himself, his nature and his ways to men.
Post the Old Testament, God changed tactic. For a brief period of 33 years, God became flesh and made his dwelling among men. In the Gospels, God spoke through Jesus. When the disciples and the multitudes heard Jesus, they heard God. Every time Jesus spoke, it was an encounter with God for all who heard him. The disciples would have been foolish to say, "Its wonderful knowing you Jesus; but we really would like to know the Father" and one of them Philip was really this foolish:
Philip said, "Lord, show us the father and that will be enough for us" (John 14:8) Jesus responded, "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'show us the Father? Don't you believe that I am in the Father and that the Father Is in me? The words I say to you are not my own. Rather it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work." John 14; 9-10
When we move from the Gospels to the acts and to the present, we quite often change our whole mindset. We live as though God quit speaking personally to His people. I will list several ways through which God still speaks to us:
- Holy Spirit: Your body is the Lords temple in which dwells the Lords spirit. Qualitatively you are God's likeness, but quantitively He is superior: God's spirits in you draws you to Him; it causes you to automatically seek Him. It reveals truth to you and convicts you of the guilt of sin, of righteousness and of judgement.
- The Bible: Study the scriptures, and watch for an encounter with God. Some verses will stick out, they will bear new meanings even though you had read them before and you will want to read them again; Take special note of such instances.
- The Church: The Church is the body of Christ in which Christ Himself is head. Apart from the Body you cannot fully know God's will for your relationship in the body. Every member needs to listen to what the other member is saying and depend on each other to understand and confirm what God is saying.
- Prayer: Your quiet time should be used for a two way fellowship with God. You speak to God, but even more important is God speaking to you. If your prayer life is primarily one way – you talking to God, its time you realized that what God has to say to you is far more important than what you have to say to Him. Sit, clear your mind and listen, and make it a habit. Eastern religions beat us nine to one on these. Meditation should be made a big subject in Christian sermons.
- Circumstances, Nature and the environment around you; (Finally, here we are, welcome to the mystical, the magical, the signs and wonders of all universe laid bare for us to discern)
Further reading of Experiencing God by Henry T. Blackaby recommended
Omen Wikipedia definition: an omen (also called portent or presage) is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. People in the ancient times believed that omens lie with divine message from their gods. These omens often include natural phenomenon.
Is nature really ridden with secret coded messages from the divine to man? I think a more critical look at the connection between divinity, nature and humanity is necessary.
Is nature really ridden with secret coded messages from the divine to man? I think a more critical look at the connection between divinity, nature and humanity is necessary.
Nature:
Man is prone to thinking that he makes, in real fact, man only discovers; Electromagnetism, radioactivity, aerodynamics, geostationary orbits, all are expressions of natural existence that man has only learned and imitated in his 'creations'. Nature is made to conspire with spirit to emancipate us, the inanimate world proceeds from the same spirit as the body of man. It is a remoter and inferior incarnation of God, a projection of God in the unconscious. In the same token it is feasible that there exists superior incarnations of the same spirit. Man's understanding of the importance and meaning of nature is essential to his achieving the insight into God that is available to all. The failure to recognize nature results in distance from God:
The broad scope of the universe and man's position in it are not a matter for human intellect, they are understood by the divine spark of intuition. Emerson saw that there was no way to explain the recognition of some universal truths in the natural. "We know truth when we see it . . . as we know when we are awake that we are awake," he wrote in 'The Over-Soul.' The presence of these universal truths in nature is not a matter in dispute; Newton himself, among many others, learnt the universal Laws of gravitation from God's nature, and at nature's own prerogative in a dropping apple. Wouldn't we distinguish this as an announcement by the 'over soul' by revelation to man. Similarly, so is the direct communication from the divine mind to the minds of men through a channel called nature.
And just like we noted that God speaks in a personal manner to individuals, Emerson wrote of the need for each man to think for himself, to trust in his own ability to understand, evaluate, and act. He warned his audiences and his readers not to give up their freedom as individuals in their understanding of nature. In other words, whereas it maybe common belief what a black crow portends, or an owl or a black cat, these generalizations do not bear much weight. Each Individual must endeavor to decipher instantaneously and individually each moment presented by nature. A glowing Sunset could be a display of God's majesty to one man, but a memory of Love to another. A star announced Christ to Wise men from afar, making gentiles the very first people to acknowledge Christ, whereas the Jews failed to see that same Christ even in His triumph over death. The intellectually, morally, and spiritually independent individual maintains his ability to come to a direct understanding of the world around him and of his place in it and in the universe. In solitude, in the presence of divinity, either immersed in nature or in worship or meditation, we are elevated to an all-pervading communion with God. 
I like the silent church, when am left to God and my own thoughts, before the service begins, better than any preaching. Nature is designed to afford man comprehension of God. Human expressions and constructs such as language, architecture, and even morality are based upon and reflect the forms and laws of nature, and consequently also provide evidence of and insight into God.
The motif of omens as accorded to us by nature serves a dual purpose in the pursuit of personal legends. For one, omens offer guidance on our journey and reassure us that God has endorsed his journey. In the Alchemist, omens make up part of the universal language of the world and everytime Santiago taps into this language he always finds the meaning in his environment. For example when the stones Urim and Thummim drop from Santiago's pocket, Santiago chooses to consider the event an omen. In doing so, he continues to feel that the universe conspires to help him, and he finds meaning in the seemingly random event. Omens also serve to demonstrate our spiritual growth. The omens that we are bound to experiences will grow in relevance from being small, limited events to important visions that affect many lives. 
That our omens become more and more important signifies that we are getting closer to understanding the pure language of the spirit of God.
Further Reading on 'NATURE':
Mentors:
Along our Personal Legends paths, certain persons will come into our lives to play the important role of introducing or guiding us through some of the concepts and principles of the search. These could be someone you work for or with, could be this blog, could be someone in church, or your teacher. They may appear only briefly or for a prolonged period, it could even be your life partner. In the Alchemist, Melchizedek would be the apt example; he tells Santiago about personal legends, the soul of the world, and Beginners luck. He also gives Santiago two magical stones, Urim and Thummim, which represent "yes" and "No" respectively, to help guide him on his journey. By his own account, Melchizedek plays a role in the lives of everyone who pursues his or her personal legend. He essentially motivates people to continue pursuing their personal legends in times of doubt. Even when Melchizedek is not physically present, the magical stones he gives Santiago help him to remain hopeful and focused as he pursues his persona legend. Such is the power of the Gems that we receive from our mentors; they stick with us reminding us of the call. I know I will carry with me the gems from Joyce for a lifetime. For us Christians, the living Christ Jesus is the ultimate mentor, 'the way, the truth and the life'. Missing a chance to recognize, and acknowledge such mentors in our lives is missing the band wagon. Keep good company, and most importantly DO NOT miss out on eternal life, ACKNOWLEDGE CHRIST, and follow his ways – Eternity is really that simple.
THE STRAIGHT NARROW PATH - THE DETRACTORS:
Acronym of mentors:
24Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ….27The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir , didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?" 28"An enemy did this," he replied. The servants asked him, "Do you want us to go and pull them up?" 29 "No," He answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 let both grow together until the harvest. At the time I will tell the harvesters; first to collect the weeds and tie them up in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn" Matt. 13:24-30
As you sow as your seed and follow your personal legend, weeds will sprout up too; cynics, outright opposers, and even more frightening, hypocrites who pose as supporters. Be wary of them and act cleverly without jeopardizing your 'crop'.
Materialism:
Like Santiago's Sheep who seek only food and water, some people will content themselves with their material desires and social acceptance. Accordingly, they lose the ability to appreciate certain aspects of creation, and tend to miss out on many opportunities to true happiness because of their limited perspectives. Watch that you do not fall victim to the attachment of transient worldly possessions and desires. 'Seek ye' the kingdom of God… and all these things shall be added unto you'
Comfort zones and the Rat Race:
Do not become complacent and give up the pursuit of your personal legend. Although some people are really good men and are devoutly religious, they fear pursuing their dreams sometimes for such flimsy reasons as thinking that they will have nothing to live for once they have achieved their dreams. The crystal merchant in The Alchemist wishes he could make his pilgrimage to mecca but has such fears. He takes no pride in his conservative approach to life, but feels rooted in his ways. Life will present numerous examples of such irredeemable characters. Their fate must be avoided and serve as examples of unfulfilled lives
Further Reading on the Rat Race
Religious Laws, methods and traditions:
'When you see the Buddha, kill the Buddha' – Buddhism proverb. No direct form of instruction can allow someone to connect with God's will. Instead each student must teach and transform himself by listening to his own heart and to his environment. We briefly broached this when we explained the personal encounters with God. The Englishman in The Alchemist focused too much on his books; the alchemist believed that he had not reached the point in personal development that would allow him to be the alchemist's protégé. Knowledge gained from books and blogs (he he he) can be useful, but one should not rely on it solely and unconditionally. True wisdom comes from experience, which one must earn through action.
Further Reading
Fear:
"We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it's our life or our possessions or our property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand." Paulo Coelho in the Alchemist
This quotation also raises the notion that a person should have no reason to fear anything if he recognizes that he plays a role in something greater than his own life. The camel driver speaks these lines to Santiago from experience, having lost all of his possessions when a flood destroyed his orchard farm. We must acknowledges, that the same hand that writes a person's life story also writes the history of the world. In other words, each person's life plays a part in the larger world around him, and the camel driver suggests that God dictates that part. This realization doesn't prevent a person from suffering tragedies, but if the person recognizes that his tragedy serves a higher purpose, he has no reason to fear any loss. This insight becomes important to Santiago as he faces challenges later in the book, particularly as he learns to stop fearing failure and to trust in the omens he sees. Fear is stifling, and stands out as the principal obstacle to true happiness for millions of people; we must strive to make it irrelevant even in the face of death if you faithfully pursue your dreams.
The Price:
"What you still need to know is this: 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, as we say in the language of the desert, one 'dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon. Every search begins with beginner's luck and every search ends with the victor being severely tested."
The desert with its harsh conditions and tribal wars, symbolizes the serious difficulties that await anyone in pursuit of their Personal Legends, but also serves as an important teacher to Santiago during his journey to the pyramids. As the Alchemist puts it, tests are an inherent part of all personal legends, because they are necessary to create spiritual growth. The desert's silence, emptiness and monotony test Santiago more than the desert heat. As Santiago learns, however, even the desert, despite appearing barren, contains life and the soul of the world. Santiago begins to understand his environment and to see the signs of life in what seems to be a wasteland. Eventually he learns to recognize all of creation in a single grain of sand, and in the greatest test he faces during the book, he finds he is able to enlist the desert in his effort to become the wind
Further Reading on the role of Suffering:
Grey Areas - The Role of Love:
This is an area of huge dichotomy; whereas I have inferred in a previous essay that procreation is the gist of life, I have also become aware of, and remain open to, other divergent opinions. In the Alchemist, Coelho initially presents Love not as goal but an obstacle to Santiago achieving his Personal Legend and must be delayed or ignored altogether. With the wool merchant's daughter earlier on in the book, we note Santiago's love acts as the only thing that makes him want to stay in one place forever. This desire stands in direct opposition to the journey he must complete in order to fulfill his personal legend. In marriage sometimes spouses have to let go of their dreams for the sake of the family; My mother quit her job to raise us, to this day I have never made up my mind, given the way life turned out for her, whether that was a prudent decision or not. Many women have to struggle with this or in the least harbor some qualms about it. Honestly I really do not know about this one…… you can expect an essay in the future.
It's no doubt that Love can be a very real distraction, but many people still continue to hold the view that Love is necessary in the pursuit of true happiness as presented in traditional illustrations of romantic love. This dilemma plays itself out in The Alchemist when Santiago meets Fatima at the desert Oasis. Coelho takes a shot at a middle ground by arguing that the only time it will not be a destruction is if it allows you to be who you were meant to be. Fatima understands that she must allow Santiago to travel in pursuit of his dream, which in essence makes Love important but secondary to pursuing one's personal legend. As the alchemist tells Santiago, His love for Fatima will only survive if he continues living out his personal legend so that he will have no regrets later.
Fatima is defined by her beauty and her willingness to wait for Santiago while he pursues his Personal Legend. We hear nothing of her own Personal Legend except her statement that her ultimate goal is to love Santiago – which makes you wonder whether Coelho is suggesting this as the real 'Personal Legend' for women; her primary duty at Al-Fayoum oasis is to fetch water from the well. She is quoted as saying 'she realizes that men must leave the women they love for long periods, implying her willingness and wish to have Santiago go to pursue his personal Legend. She is confident that he will return. Coelho's vision of Love is distinctly completely free from possession. Although he does seem to downplay the importance of Love as compared to the pursuit of Personal Legends, Fatima's kiss serves as the final image of the book, suggesting that Love remains necessary to live a contented life, and effectively portraying Coelho's own indecisiveness on the issue. Let's see what the scriptures say about this:
I want you to be free from concerns. A man who isn't married is concerned about the Lord's concerns-how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the world's concerns-how he can please his wife. His attention is divided. A woman who is not married or who is a virgin is concerned about the Lord's concerns so that she can be dedicated to God in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the world's concerns-how she can please her husband. I'm saying this for your own advantage. It's not to restrict you but rather to promote effective and consistent service to the Lord without distraction. 1 Corinthians 7: 32-35
The Bible does not explicitly call for celibacy but Christ and Paul did express that the ability to remain unmarried to serve God more fully is a gift, but were also keen to note that marriage keeps us from sin. Christ himself did not get married, and Paul too did not take a wife. It is however known that the majority of the Disciples of Christ were married; including St. Peter, to whom the Roman Catholics, who practice celibacy of priests, consider to have been the first Pope.
Jesus replied, 'not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others-and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it." Mathew 19:11-12
Further Reading on the role of Love in life
I remind you once more that conformity is passive, while openness to intuition is part of an active, dynamic process. Reliance on tradition fixes, values and understanding, prevents growth. Intuition on the other hand is a force of intense flux and will always results in the ever-higher perfection of man toward Godliness. If I spark spontaneity and intuition in just one soul, then I shall no longer touch earth with my feet, I will no longer be bound by this ephemeral state.
References:
· 'Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God' (2001)- Henry T. Blackaby & Claude V. King
· The Alchemist (1988) Paulo Coelho
· 'Nature' (1836) Ralph Waldo Emerson
To Joyce & my dear Lintons colleagues – 'life without passion is not worth living' Estee Lauder – keep the passion, it was great to have shared the dream.
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