Feb 24, 2009 01:46 PM
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(Updated Feb 26, 2009 02:31 PM)
Dreams, symbols, signs, and adventure follow the reader like echoes of ancient wise voices in "The Alchemist", a novel that combines an atmosphere of medieval mysticism with the song of the desert.
With this symbolic masterpiece, Coelho states that we should not avoid our destinies, and urges people to follow their dreams, because to find our "Personal Myth" and our mission on Earth is the way to find "God", meaning happiness, fulfillment, and the ultimate purpose of creation.
The book tells a tale of a Young Shepherd, who happily lives in Andalusia, Spain with his Sheep until and unless he heard the voice of the **SOUL OF THE WORLD!
A voice that inspired the boy to leave away his sheep and travel all the way from Andalusia to Giza, where the pyramids are located in search of his treasure! In his journey, Santiago (the boy) sees the greatness of the world.
However, by the end of the novel, he discovers that "treasure lies where your heart belongs", and that the treasure was the journey itself, the discoveries he made, and the wisdom he acquired.
The soul of the world keeps guiding him on his voyage in different ways… sometimes as a Gypsy Astrologer, or an Old King or as THE ALCHEMIST!
Message of the Book
Are you wondering what this Soul of the World is? The soul of the world is the common language that each and every thing, living or non-living uses to communicate. Birds, Animals, stones, Rivers, Wind, Desert, Sea and last but not the least, YOUR HEART and THE GOD.
Everybody has his/her own treasure to reveal, all you have to do is to realize your dreams, listen to your Heart, Listen to the soul of the World!
The boy’s dream was a treasure, but it can be anything that you can be envious of. And **WHEN YOU WANT TO WANT SOMETHING, THE WHOLE UNIVERSE CONSPIRES SO THAT YOUR WISH COMES TRUE!
It doesn't matter if you're searching for buried treasure, or for love, or for the secret of turning lead into gold. It doesn't matter if you die trying, never reaching your goal. It doesn't matter if you don't find what you're looking for, once you get there.
What matters is what you've brought with you on the way, and what you've learned along the way, the people you meet, the hardships and heartaches you go through, the lessons your experiences has taught you.
Recommendation:-Especially to those who like to read the philosophical literature…But I feel, everybody should read it. To those, who like to read Osho's Literature--- Must read!
Not recommended to: -TERRORISTS! I know what your dream is… ; P
Conclusion"The Alchemist" is a novel that may appeal to everybody, because we can all identify with Santiago: all of us have dreams, and are dying for somebody to tell us that they may come true. The novel skillfully combines words of wisdom, philosophy, and simplicity of meaning and language, which makes it particularly readable and my fav book..
to finish with, I must say, After Osho's literature, if there was any book that enslaved me, It was THE ALCHEMIST!
