Notesale: Turn your study into money

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There are some books that go beyond being special
...
I’d like
to add one more, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
...
He sets off to find a treasure by the pyramids in Egypt that is spoken of in a
reoccurring dream
...
Along the way, he finds
out that his journey is about discovering his Personal Legend, touching the Soul of the
World, and learning what love is really about; as well as getting the loot
...
“The wise men understood that this natural world is only an image and a copy
of paradise
...
God created the world so that, through its visible objects, men could
understand his spiritual teachings and the marvels of his wisdom
...
And, learn as he did, “I’m an adventurer,
looking for treasure
...
Leafing
through the pages, he found a story about Narcissus
...
He was so fascinated by himself that, one morning, he fell
into the lake and drowned
...

But this was not how the author of the book ended the story
...

“Why do you weep?” the goddesses asked
...

“Ah, it is no surprise that you weep for Narcissus,” they said, “for though we always
pursued him in the forest, you alone could contemplate his beauty close at hand
...
was Narcissus beautiful?” the lake asked
...
“After all, it was by
your banks that he knelt each day to contemplate himself!”
The lake was silent for some time
...
I weep because,
each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty
reflected
...

The boy’s name was Santiago
...
The roof had fallen in long ago, and an enormous sycamore had
grown on the spot where the sacristy had once stood
...

"Well, usually I learn more from my sheep than from books," he answered
...

It was a pleasant change from talking to his sheep
...

The jacket had a purpose, and so did the boy
...
He was
planning, on this visit, to explain to the girl how it was that a simple shepherd knew how
to read
...
His parents had wanted
him to become a priest
...
That he wanted to travel
...

“They come in search of new things, but when they leave they are basically the same
people they were when they arrived, They climb the mountain to see the castle, and they
wind up thinking that the past was better than what we have now
...
”
“Well, then I’ll be a shepherd!”
And he gave the boy his blessing, The boy could see in his father’s gaze a desire to be
able, himself, to travel the world—a desire that was still alive, despite his father’s having
had to bury it, over dozens of years, under the burden of struggling for water to drink,
food to eat, and the same place to sleep every night of his life
...
But, most
important, he was able every day to live out his dream
...
By the time he had had enough
of the sea, he would already have known other cities, other women, and other chances to
be happy
...
He had never been to that ruined
church before, in spite of having traveled through those parts many times
...
The problem is that they don’t even realize that
they’re walking a new road every day
...
All they think about is food and water
...

“You came so that you could learn about your dreams,” said the old woman
...
When he speaks in our language, I can interpret what he
has said
...

But, whichever it is, I’m going to charge you for the consultation
...
“I dreamed that I was in a field with my
sheep, when a child appeared and began to play with the animals
...
”
“The child went on playing with my sheep for quite a while,” continued the boy, a bit
upset
...
”
“Then, at the Egyptian pyramids,”—he said the last three words slowly, so that the old
woman would understand—“the child said to me, ‘If you come here, you will find a
hidden treasure,’ And, just as she was about to show me the exact location, I woke up
...
”
“And this is my interpretation: you must go to the Pyramids in Egypt
...
There you will find a
treasure that will make you a rich man
...
It’s the simple things in life that are the
most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them
...
”
“It’s a book that says the same thing almost all the other books in the world say,”
continued the old man
...
And it ends up saying that everyone believes the world’s greatest lie
...

“It’s this; that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us,
and our lives become controlled by fate
...
”
“My name is Melchizedek,” said the old man, “How many sheep do you have?”
“Enough,” said the boy, He could see that the old man wanted to know more about his
life
...
I can’t help you if you feel you’ve got enough sheep
...
”
But before the boy could say anything, the old man leaned over, picked up a stick, and
began to write in the sand of the plaza
...
He read the name of the merchant’s daughter, which he hadn’t even known, and
he read things he had never told anyone
...

“Why would a king be talking with a shepherd?” the boy asked, awed and embarrassed
...
”
“It’s what you have always wanted to accomplish
...
”
“At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible
...
But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be
impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend
...
It prepares your spirit and your will, because there is one great truth on
this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want
something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe
...
”

“
...
And also by unhappiness,
envy, and jealousy
...

All things are one
...
”
“Why do you tend a flock of sheep?”
“Because I like to travel
...

“When he was a child, that man wanted to travel, too
...
When he’s an old man, he’s going to spend a month in
Africa
...
”
“He should have decided to become a shepherd,” the boy said
...
“But bakers are more important people
than shepherds
...
Parents would
rather see their children marry bakers than shepherds
...
”
“Why are you telling me all this?”
“Because you are trying to realize your Personal Legend
...
”
“And that’s when you always appear on the scene?”
“Not always in this way, but I always appear in one form or another
...
At other times, at a crucial moment, I make it
easier for things to happen
...
”
“People learn, early in their lives, what is their reason for being,” said the old man, with a
certain bitterness
...
But that’s the way
it is
...
“If you want to learn about your own treasure, you will have
to give me one-tenth of your flock,”

There was a small building there, with a window at which people bought tickets to
Africa
...
While standing at the ticket window, the
boy had remembered his flock, and decided he should go back to being a shepherd
...
He knew all
the fields and pastures of Andalusia
...

The wind began to pick up, He knew that wind: people called it the levanter, because on
it the Moors had come from the Levant at the eastern end of the Mediterranean
...
Here I am, between my flock and my treasure, the
boy thought
...
There was also the merchant’s daughter, but she wasn’t as
important as his flock, because she didn’t depend on him
...
He was sure that it made no difference to her on which day he appeared:
for her, every day was the same, and when each day is the same as the next, it’s because
people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun
rises
...
” he said to himself, without completing the thought
...
That wind had brought the Moors, yes,
but it had also brought the smell of the desert and of veiled women
...
The boy felt jealous of the freedom of the
wind, and saw that he could have the same freedom
...
The sheep, the merchant’s daughter, and the fields of Andalusia were
only steps along the way to his Personal Legend
...
He brought six sheep with him
...
“My friend bought all the other sheep immediately
...
”
“That’s the way it always is,” said the old man
...

When you play cards the first time, you are almost sure to win
...
”
“Why is that?”
“Because there is a force that wants you to realize your Personal Legend; it whets your
appetite with a taste of success
...
God has prepared a path
for everyone to follow
...
”
“Take these,” said the old man, holding out a white stone and a black stone that had been
embedded at the center of the breastplate
...
The
black signifies ‘yes,’ and the white ‘no
...
Always ask an objective question
...
The treasure is at the Pyramids; that
you already knew
...
“
“Don’t forget that everything you deal with is only one thing and nothing else
...
”
“But before I go, I want to tell you a little story
...
The lad wandered through the desert for forty days, and finally came
upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountain
...

“Rather than finding a saintly man, though, our hero, on entering the main room of the
castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went, people were conversing in the
corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and there was a table covered with
platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world
...

“The wise man listened attentively to the boy’s explanation of why he had come, but told
him that he didn’t have time just then to explain the secret of happiness
...

“‘Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something,’ said the wise man, handing the boy a
teaspoon that held two drops of oil
...
’
“The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his
eyes fixed on the spoon
...

“‘Well,’ asked the wise man, ‘did you see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in my
dining hall? Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years to create?

Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?’
“The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing
...

“‘Then go back and observe the marvels of my world,’ said the wise man
...
’
“Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this
time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls
...
Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail
everything he had seen
...

“Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone
...

‘The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the
drops of oil on the spoon
...
He had understood the story the old king had told him
...

If God leads the sheep so well, he will also lead a man
...
That morning he
had known everything that was going to happen to him as he walked through the familiar
fields
...
He was no longer a shepherd,
and he had nothing, not even the money to return and start everything over
...
People saw me
coming and welcomed me, he thought
...
I’m going to become
bitter and distrustful of people because one person betrayed me
...
And I’m going to hold on to
what little I have, because I’m too insignificant to conquer the world
...
“I’m like everyone else—I see the world in terms of what I would
like to see happen, not what actually does
...

The boy was trying to understand the truth of what the old man had said
...

“Learn to recognize omens, and follow them,” the old king had said
...
The boy smiled to himself
...
He didn’t consider mending the hole—the stones could fall through any time
they wanted
...
“I promised that I would make my own
decisions,” he said to himself
...
he realized that he had to choose between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a
thief and as an adventurer in quest of his treasure
...

But instead of being saddened, he was happy
...
He had not a cent in his
pocket, but he had faith
...

The candy seller had a smile on his face: he was happy, aware of what his life was about,
and ready to begin a day’s work
...
“This candy merchant isn’t making candy so that later he
can travel or marry a shopkeeper’s daughter
...
He realized that he could do the same thing the old man had done—
sense whether a person was near to or far from his Personal Legend
...
“It’s easy, and yet I’ve never done it before,” he thought
...

And they had understood each other perfectly well
...
I’ve already
had that experience with my sheep, and now it’s happening with people
...

“All things are one,” the old man had said
...
the crystal merchant had no choice
...

“I can clean up those glasses in the window, if you want,” said the boy
...
”
The man looked at him without responding
...
”
The man still said nothing, and the boy sensed that he was going to have to make a
decision—Taking the jacket out, he began to clean the glasses
...

“You didn’t have to do any cleaning,” he said, “The Koran requires me to feed a hungry
person
...

“Because the crystal was dirty
...
”
“Do you want to go to work for me?” the merchant asked
...
“I’ll work all night, until dawn, and
I’ll clean every piece of crystal in your shop
...
”
The merchant laughed
...
even if you
earned a good commission selling every piece, you would still have to borrow money to
get to Egypt
...
”
There was a moment of silence so profound that it seemed the city was asleep
...
No hope, no adventure, no old kings or Personal Legends, no treasure, and no
Pyramids
...
He sat there,
staring blankly through the door of the cafe, wishing that he had died, and that everything
would end forever at that moment
...

And after another long silence, he added, “I need money to buy some sheep
...
“We could
place it outside, and attract those people who pass at the bottom of the hill
...
“People will pass by and bump into
it, and pieces will be broken
...
But that’s the way life is with sheep and with shepherds
...
“I’m
doing much better, and soon you’ll be able to return to your sheep
...

“It’s called the principle of favorability, beginner’s luck
...

“The fifth obligation of every Muslim is a pilgrimage
...

“Mecca is a lot farther away than the Pyramids
...
I thought that someday I’d be rich, and
could go to Mecca
...
At the same time, people
were passing my shop all the time, heading for Mecca
...

“All who went there were happy at having done so
...
One of them, a cobbler who made his living
mending boots, said that he had traveled for almost a year through the desert, but that he
got more tired when he had to walk through the streets of Tangier buying his leather
...

“Because it’s the thought of Mecca that keeps me alive
...
I’m afraid that if my dream is realized, I’ll have no reason to go on

living
...
In less than a year, he would have doubled his
flock, and he would be able to do business with the Arabs, because he was now able to
speak their strange language
...
He had learned some important things, like how to deal in
crystal, and about the language without words
...

“I’ve had this shop for thirty years
...
If we serve tea
in crystal, the shop is going to expand
...
”
“Well, isn’t that good?”
“I’m already used to the way things are
...
It made me very depressed
...
The shop is exactly the size I always wanted it to be
...
I’m used
to the way I am
...
Today, I understand something I didn’t see before:
every blessing ignored becomes a curse
...
But you are
forcing me to look at wealth and at horizons I have never known
...
I’m going to feel worse than
I did before you arrived
...
”
“Maktub” the merchant said, finally
...
“But in your
language it would be something like ‘It is written
...
Sometimes, there’s just no way to hold back the river
...
“I have the money I need to buy my sheep
...
”

The old man said nothing
...
“You have helped me
...
Then he turned to the boy
...
“You brought a new feeling into my crystal shop
...
Just as you know that you’re not going to buy
your sheep
...

“Maktub” said the old crystal merchant
...

I’m going to go back to doing just what I did before, the boy thought
...

But the sheep had taught him something even more important: that there was a language
in the world that everyone understood, a language the boy had used throughout the time
that he was trying to improve things at the shop
...
Tangier was no longer a strange city, and he felt that, just as he
had conquered this place, he could conquer the world
...

From where he stood, he saw for the first time that the old merchant’s hair was very
much like the hair of the old king
...

“But I’m going back to the fields that I know, to take care of my flock again
...
He had
worked for an entire year to make a dream come true, and that dream, minute by minute,
was becoming less important
...

Who knows
...

The hills of Andalusia were only two hours away, but there was an entire desert between
him and the Pyramids
...
the fact that the two hours had stretched
into an entire year didn’t matter
...
I understand sheep; they’re no
longer a problem, and they can be good friends
...
If I don’t
find it, I can always go home
...
Why
not! He suddenly felt tremendously happy
...
He could always become a crystal
salesman again
...
That doesn’t happen to just anyone!
“I am always nearby, when someone wants to realize their Personal Legend,” the old
king had told him
...
making a decision was only the beginning of things
...

“Everything in life is an omen,” said the Englishman, now closing the journal he was
reading
...
That’s why I’m here
...
An alchemist
...
“If I
could, I’d write a huge encyclopedia just about the words luck and coincidence
...
”
“I’m looking for a treasure,” said the boy, and he immediately regretted having said it
...

“In a way, so am I,” he said
...

I’ve learned things from the sheep, and I’ve learned things from crystal, he thought
...
It seems old and wise
...
The boy was beginning to understand that
intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life, where
the histories of all people are connected, and we are able to know everything, because it’s
all written there
...

“We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it’s our life or our possessions and
property
...
”
“That’s the principle that governs all things,” he said
...
When you want something with all your heart, that’s when you are closest to
the Soul of the World, It’s always a positive force
...

“Everything on earth is being continuously transformed, because the earth is alive
...
We are part of that soul, so we rarely recognize that it is working for us
...
”
“That’s the magic of omens,” said the boy
...
”
In one of the books he learned that the most important text in the literature of alchemy
contained only a few lines, and had been inscribed on the surface of an emerald
...

“Well, then, why do we need all these books?” the boy asked?
“So that we can understand those few lines,” the Englishman answered, without
appearing really to believe what he had said
...
They called that
discovery the Master Work—it was part liquid and part solid
...

“You have a mania for simplifying everything,” answered the Englishman, irritated
...
Every step has to be followed exactly as it was followed
by the masters
...
He had said that it was a good thing for the
boy to clean the crystal pieces, so that he could free himself from negative thoughts
...

Why do they make things so complicated? He asked the Englishman one night
...

“So that those who have the responsibility for understanding can understand
...
”
Then one day the boy returned the books to the Englishman, “Did you learn anything?”
the Englishman asked, eager to hear what it might be
...

“I learned that the world has a soul, and that whoever understands that soul can also
understand the language of things
...

“But, above all, I learned that these things are all so simple that they could be written on
the surface of an emerald
...
“That didn’t teach me anything, either
...
“Everyone has his or her own way of learning things,” he said to himself
...
But we’re both in search of our Personal
Legends, and I respect him for that
...

“I’m alive,” he said to the boy, as they ate a bunch of dates one night, with no fires and
no moon
...
If I’m on the march, I just
concentrate on marching
...


“Because I don’t live in either my past or my future
...
If
you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man
...
Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is
the moment we’re living right now
...
“ said the Englishman, who had also awakened early
...
He was at home with the silence of the desert, and he was content
just to look at the trees
...
But this was the present moment—the party the
camel driver had mentioned—and he wanted to live it as he did the lessons of his past
and his dreams of the future
...
Yesterday,
the camel’s groan signaled danger, and now a row of date palms could herald a miracle
...

I don’t know why these things have to be transmitted by word of mouth, he thought
...

He had only one explanation for this fact; things have to be transmitted this way because
they were made up from the pure life, and this kind of life cannot be captured in pictures
or words
...


...
The closer he got to the realization of his dream, the
more difficult things became
...
In his pursuit of the dream, he was being constantly
subjected to tests of his persistence and courage
...

If he pushed forward impulsively, he would fail to see the signs and omens left by God
along his path
...
He had surprised himself with the thought
...
Like eating or sleeping, or like
seeking love or finding a job
...

Because, when you know that language, it’s easy to understand that someone in the world
awaits you, whether it’s in the middle of the desert or in some great city
...
There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything
under the sun has been written by one hand only
...
Without such love, one’s dreams would
have no meaning
...

The next day, the boy returned to the well, hoping to see the girl
...

“I waited all afternoon and evening,” he said
...
I told him what I was seeking, and he asked me if I had ever transformed lead
into gold
...

“He told me I should try to do so
...
The poor Englishman had traveled all this way, only to be
told that he should repeat what he had already done so many times
...

“That’s what I’m going to do
...
”
“The day after we met,” Fatima said, “you told me that you loved me
...
“
“I have been waiting for you here at this oasis for a long time
...
Ever since I was a child, I have dreamed that the desert would bring me a
wonderful present
...
“
“You have told me about your dreams, about the old king and your treasure
...
So now, I fear nothing, because it was those omens that brought
you to me
...

“That’s why I want you to continue toward your goal
...
But if you have to go before then, go on in pursuit of your dream
...
That’s the way it will be
with our love for each other
...
“If I am really a part of your dream, you’ll come back one day
...
“ We know

that, and we are used to it
...
They
become a part of everything
...

“Some do come back
...
Now, I too will be one of the women who wait
...
I want my husband to wander as free as the
wind that shapes the dunes
...
”
“This is the first phase of the job,” he said
...
To do that
successfully, I must have no fear of failure
...
Now, I’m beginning what I could have started ten
years ago
...
”
“I am learning the Language of the World, and everything in the world is beginning to
make sense to me
...
And, in that mood,
he was grateful to be in love
...

Then, one day, the oldest seer he had ever sought out (and the one most to be feared) had
asked why the camel driver was so interested in the future
...
so I can do things,” he had responded, “And so I can change those things that I
don’t want to happen,”
“But then they wouldn’t be a part of your future,” the seer had said
...
”
“If good things are coming, they will be a pleasant surprise,” said the seer
...
”
“I want to know about the future because I’m a man,” the camel driver had said to the
seer
...

The future belongs to God, and it is only he who reveals it, under extraordinary
circumstances
...
The
secret is here in the present
...

And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better
...
Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity
...
“Tell them about the armies
that are approaching,”
“They’ll laugh at me
...
”
“Well, then, they probably already know
...
They believe that if they have to know about
something Allah wants them to know, someone will tell them about it, It has happened
many times before
...
”
“Who is this stranger who speaks of omens?” asked one of the chieftains, eyeing the boy
...
And he told what he had seen
...

“Because my eyes are not yet accustomed to the desert,” the boy said
...
”
And also because I know about the Soul of the World, he thought to himself
...
”
“Why did you read the flight of the birds?”
“I read only what the birds wanted to tell me
...
Tomorrow
all of you will die, because there are more men at the oasis than you have
...
Allah taught me the language of
the birds
...

The stranger withdrew the sword from the boy’s forehead, and the boy felt immensely
relieved, But he still couldn’t flee
...
“When something is written,
there is no way to change it
...
“I didn’t see the outcome of the battle
...
It’s not something you would understand
...

“I had to test your courage,” the stranger said
...
”
“You must not let up, even after having come so far,” he continued
...
Because the desert tests all men: it challenges every
step, and kills those who become distracted
...
The boy
understood
...

“So you are going to instruct me?”
“No
...
I am only going to point you in the
direction of your treasure
...
I have a camel
...
In my own country
...
”
“But none of that is from the Pyramids,” said the alchemist
...
She is a treasure greater than anything else I have won
...
”
“It’s not what enters men’s mouths that’s evil,” said the alchemist, “It’s what comes out
of their mouths that is
...

“Rest well tonight, as if you were a warrior preparing for combat
...
You’ve got to find the treasure,
so that everything you have learned along the way can make sense
...
Only those who can
see such signs of life are able to find treasure…Life attracts life
...
“I don’t know the language of the
desert, but my horse knows the language of life
...
”
“Why was that so important?”
“Because the Pyramids are surrounded by the desert
...

“I want to stay at the oasis,” the boy answered
...
”
“Fatima is a woman of the desert,” said the alchemist
...
And she already has her treasure: it’s you
...
”
“Well, what if I decide to stay?”
“Let me tell you what will happen
...
You have enough
gold to buy many sheep and many camels
...
You’ll learn to love the desert, and you’ll get to know every one of the
fifty thousand palms
...
And you’ll get better and better at understanding omens, because the
desert is the best teacher there is
...
The omens will
begin insistently to speak of it, and you’ll try to ignore them
...
The tribal chieftains will appreciate what
you do
...

“During the third year, the omens will continue to speak of your treasure and your
Personal Legend
...
But you will love her,
and she’ll return your love
...
So you won’t blame her
...
that you could have trusted more in your love for Fatima
...
At that point, the omens
will tell you that your treasure is buried forever
...
The tribal chieftains will see that, and you’ll be dismissed from
your position as counselor
...
You’ll spend the rest of your days knowing that you didn’t
pursue your Personal Legend, and that now it’s too late
...
If
he abandons that pursuit, it’s because it wasn’t true love
...
”
“I’m going away,” he said
...
I love you
because
...
“One is loved because one is loved
...
”
But the boy continued, “I had a dream, and I met with a king
...
And, because the tribes declared war, I went to the well, seeking the alchemist
...
”
The two embraced
...

“I’ll be back,” the boy said
...
“Everything is written in the Soul of the World, and
there it will stay forever
...
And one can always come
back
...
”
The man was speaking the language of alchemy
...

“There is only one way to learn,” the alchemist answered
...

Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey
...
”
“And what went wrong when other alchemists tried to make gold and were unable to do

so?”
“They were looking only for gold,” his companion answered
...
”
“I’m an alchemist simply because I’m an alchemist,” he said, as he prepared the meal
...
In those times, the Master Work could be written simply on an
emerald
...
They also began to feel that they knew a better way than others
had
...
”
“What was written on the Emerald Tablet?” the boy wanted to know
...

The boy tried to read what was written in the sand
...
“It looks like what I saw in the
Englishman’s books
...
“It’s like the flight of those two hawks; it can’t be
understood by reason alone
...
”
“The wise men understood that this natural world is only an image and a copy of
paradise
...
God created the world so that, through its visible objects, men could understand
his spiritual teachings and the marvels of his wisdom
...
”
“Should I understand the Emerald Tablet?” the boy asked
...
But you are in the desert
...
The desert will give you an understanding of the world; in fact, anything on
the face of the earth will do that
...
”
“How do I immerse myself in the desert?”
“Listen to your heart
...
”

“Why do we have to listen to our hearts?” the boy asked, when they had made camp that
day
...
”
“But my heart is agitated,” the boy said
...
It asks things of me, and it keeps me from
sleeping many nights, when I’m thinking about her
...
Your heart is alive
...
”
“My heart is a traitor,” the boy said to the alchemist, when they had paused to rest the
horses
...
”
“That makes sense,” the alchemist answered
...
Even if you pretend not to have
heard what it tells you, it will always be there inside you, repeating to you what you’re
thinking about life and about the world
...
If you know your heart well, it will never be
able to do that to you
...

“You will never be able to escape from your heart
...
That way, you’ll never have to fear an unanticipated blow
...
He came to understand
its dodges and tricks, and to accept it as it was
...

“Even though I complain sometimes,” it said, “it’s because I’m the heart of a person, and
people’s hearts are that way
...

We, their hearts, become fearful just thinking of loved ones who go away forever, or of
moments that could have been good but weren’t, or of treasures that might have been
found but were forever hidden in the sands
...
”

“My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer,” the boy told the alchemist one night as
they looked up at the moonless sky
...
And that no
heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the
search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity
...
“When I
have been truly searching for my treasure, every day has been luminous, because I’ve
known that every hour was a part of the dream that I would find it
...
”

...
It said that all
people who are happy have God within them
...
Because a grain of sand is a
moment of creation, and the universe has taken millions of years to create it
...
“We, people’s hearts, seldom say
much about those treasures, because people no longer want to go in search of them
...
Later, we simply let life proceed, in its own direction,
toward its own fate
...
Most people see the world as a
threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening
place
...
We never stop speaking out, but we
begin to hope that our words won’t be heard: we don’t want people to suffer because they
don’t follow their hearts
...

“Because that’s what makes a heart suffer most, and hearts don’t like to suffer
...
“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
...
That’s the point at which
most people give up
...
”
“Every search begins with beginner’s luck
...
”
“To show you one of life’s simple lessons,” the alchemist answered
...
”
“Does a man’s heart always help him?” the boy asked the alchemist
...
But they
do help children, drunkards, and the elderly, too
...

The alchemist sounded angry: “Trust in your heart, but never forget that you’re in the
desert
...
No one fails to suffer the consequences of everything under the sun
...
”
“You already know about alchemy
...
”
“Don’t give in to your fears,” said the alchemist, in a strangely gentle voice
...
”
“But I have no idea how to turn myself into the wind
...

There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve; the fear of failure
...
It’s just that I don’t know how to turn myself into the wind
...
”
“But what if I can’t?”
“Then you’ll die in the midst of trying to realize your Personal Legend
...

“But don’t worry,” the alchemist continued
...
”
“I still have no idea how to turn myself into the wind,” the boy repeated
...
And that what
alchemy does is to bring spiritual perfection into contact with the material plane
...
”
“If I’m not able to turn myself into the wind, we’re going to die,” the boy said
...
“I already know how to turn myself
into the wind
...
“Didn’t you spend enough time
looking at me yesterday?”
“Somewhere you are holding the person I love,” the boy said
...
I want to return to her, and I need your help so that I
can turn myself into the wind
...

“Love is the falcon’s flight over your sands
...
He knows your rocks, your dunes, and your
mountains, and you are generous to him
...
“For years, I care for his
game, feeding it with the little water that I have, and then I show him where the game is
...
”
“But that’s why you created the game in the first place,” the boy answered
...
And the falcon then nourishes man
...
That’s how the world goes
...
It’s what makes the game become the falcon, the falcon become
man, and man, in his turn, the desert
...
”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” the desert said
...
And that’s why I have to turn myself into the wind
...

Then it told him, “I’ll give you my sands to help the wind to blow, but, alone, I can’t do
anything
...
”
The wind approached the boy and touched his face
...
They blow across the world without a
birthplace, and with no place to die
...
“One day you carried the voice of my loved one to me
...

“You can’t be the wind,” the wind said
...
”
“That’s not true,” the boy said
...
I have
inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the
universe
...
I want to be
like you, able to reach every corner of the world, cross the seas, blow away the sands that
cover my treasure, and carry the voice of the woman I love
...

“He said that everything has its own Personal Legend
...
”
“Just teach me to be the wind for a few moments,” the boy said
...
”
The wind’s curiosity was aroused, something that had never happened before
...
And look
how many things the wind already knew how to do! It created deserts, sank ships, felled
entire forests, and blew through cities filled with music and strange noises
...

“This is what we call love,” the boy said, seeing that the wind was close to granting what
he requested
...
When you are
loved, there’s no need at all to understand what’s happening, because everything happens
within you, and even men can turn themselves into the wind
...
”
The wind was a proud being, and it was becoming irritated with what the boy was saying
...
But finally it had to recognize
that, even making its way around the world, it didn’t know how to turn a man into the
wind
...
”
“In my travels around the world, I’ve often seen people speaking of love and looking
toward the heavens,” the wind said, furious at having to acknowledge its own limitations
...
“Fill this place with a sandstorm so strong that
it blots out the sun
...
”
So the wind blew with all its strength, and the sky was filled with sand
...

“The wind told me that you know about love,” the boy said to the sun
...
”
“From where I am,” the sun said
...
It communicates with
my soul, and together we cause the plants to grow and the sheep to seek out shade
...
I know that if I
came even a little bit closer to the earth, everything there would die, and the Soul of the
World would no longer exist
...
”
“So you know about love,” the boy said
...
It tells me that its greatest problem is that,
up until now, only the minerals and vegetables understand that all things are one
...
Each
...
”
“But there was a sixth day,” the sun went on
...
“But you
don’t know about love
...
It’s true that everything has its Personal
Legend, but one day that Personal Legend will be realized
...
”

The sun thought about that, and decided to shine more brightly
...

“This is why alchemy exists,” the boy said
...
Lead will play its role
until the world has no further need for lead; and then lead will have to turn itself into
gold
...
They show that, when we strive to become better than we
are, everything around us becomes better, too
...

“Because it’s not love to be static like the desert, nor is it love to roam the world like the
wind
...
Love is the force
that transforms and improves the Soul of the World
...
But later, I could see that it was like other
aspects of creation, and had its own passions and wars
...
And that’s where the power of love comes in
...
”
“So what do you want of me?” the sun asked
...

“Nature knows me as the wisest being in creation,” the sun said
...
”
“Then, whom should I ask?”
The sun thought for a minute
...
That it was unable to deal
with this boy who spoke the Language of the World
...

The wind screamed with delight, and blew harder than ever
...
On the
cliff, the men clutched at each other as they sought to keep from being blown away,
The boy turned to the hand that wrote all
...


A current of love rushed from his heart, and the boy began to pray
...
His prayer didn’t
give thanks for his sheep having found new pastures; it didn’t ask that the boy be able to
sell more crystal; and it didn’t beseech that the woman he had met continue to await his
return
...
He saw that omens were
scattered throughout the earth and in space, and that there was no reason or significance
attached to their appearance; he could see that not the deserts, nor the winds, nor the sun,
nor people knew why they had been created
...
or a
man into the wind
...

The boy reached through to the Soul of the World, and saw that it was a part of the Soul
of God
...
And that he, a boy, could
perform miracles
...
For generations thereafter, the
Arabs recounted the legend of a boy who had turned himself into the wind, almost
destroying a military camp, in defiance of the most powerful chief in the desert
...

But he was no longer there; he was standing next to a sand-covered sentinel, on the far
side of the camp
...
“You are only three hours from the
Pyramids
...
“You taught me the Language of the World
...
”
I want to tell you a story about dreams, said the alchemist
...

“In ancient Rome, at the time of Emperor Tiberius, there lived a good man who had two
sons
...

The other son was a poet, and delighted all of Rome with his beautiful verses
...
An angel appeared to him, and told him that the
words of one of his sons would be learned and repeated throughout the world for all
generations to come
...

“Shortly thereafter, the father died as he tried to save a child who was about to be crushed
by the wheels of a chariot
...

“‘You were always a good man,’ the angel said to him
...
’
“‘Life was good to me,’ the man said
...
I don’t want anything for myself
...

Sometime in the distant future, I would like to see my son’s words
...

“The man wept with happiness
...

‘Can you please tell me which of my son’s poems these people are repeating?’
“The angel came closer to the man, and, with tenderness, led him to a bench nearby,
where they sat down
...
But when the reign of Tiberius ended, his
poems were forgotten
...
’
“The man looked at the angel in surprise
...
He was just and
good
...
Your
son had heard of a rabbi who was able to cure illnesses, and he rode out for days and days
in search of this man
...
He met others who had been cured by him, and they instructed your son in the
man’s teachings
...
Shortly thereafter, he reached the place where the man he was looking for was
visiting
...
But the centurion was a man of faith, and, looking into the eyes of

the rabbi, he knew that he was surely in the presence of the Son of God
...
‘These are the words he said to
the rabbi at that point, and they have never been forgotten: “My Lord, I am not worthy
that you should come under my roof
...
”’
The alchemist said, “No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in
the history of the world
...
”
The boy smiled
...

As he was about to climb yet another dune, his heart whispered, “Be aware of the place
where you are brought to tears
...
”
When he reached the top of the dune, his heart leapt
...

The boy fell to his knees and wept
...
And above all for his having met a woman of the desert who had told him that
love would never keep a man from his Personal Legend
...
The boy looked at the sands
around him, and saw that, where his tears had fallen, a scarab beetle was scuttling
through the sand
...

Throughout the night, the boy dug at the place he had chosen, but found nothing
...
But he didn’t
stop
...
His hands were abraded and exhausted, but he listened to his
heart
...

As he was attempting to pull out the rocks he encountered, he heard footsteps
...
Their backs were to the moonlight, and the boy could see neither
their eyes nor their faces
...


Because he was terrified, the boy didn’t answer
...

“We’re refugees from the tribal wars, and we need money,” the other figure said
...

But one of them seized the boy and yanked him back out of the hole, Another, who was
searching the boy’s bags, found the piece of gold
...

The moon shone on the face of the Arab who had seized him, and in the man’s eyes the
boy saw death
...
”
They made the boy continue digging, but he found nothing
...
He was bruised and bleeding, his clothing was torn to shreds, and
he felt that death was near
...
Finally, the boy screamed at the men, “I’m
digging for treasure!” And, although his mouth was bleeding and swollen, he told his
attackers that he had twice dreamed of a treasure hidden near the Pyramids of Egypt
...
He doesn’t have anything else
...
”
The boy fell to the sand, nearly unconscious
...
”
But before they left, he came back to the boy and said, “You’re not going to die
...
Two years ago, right here on this
spot, I had a recurrent dream, too
...
In my dream, there was a
sycamore growing out of the ruins of the sacristy, and I was told that, if I dug at the roots
of the sycamore, I would find a hidden treasure
...
”

...

The boy reached the small, abandoned church just as night was falling
...
He remembered the time he had been there with his sheep; it had been a peaceful
night
...

“You old sorcerer,” the boy shouted up to the sky
...
You even
left a bit of gold at the monastery so I could get back to this church
...
Couldn’t you have saved me from that?”
“No,” he heard a voice on the wind say
...
They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”
The boy smiled, and continued digging
...

An hour later, he had before him a chest of Spanish gold coins
...
The spoils of a conquest that the country had long ago forgotten, and that some
conquistador had failed to tell his children about
...
Then he remembered that he had to get to Tarifa so he could give one-tenth of
his treasure to the Gypsy woman, as he had promised
...
Maybe it was because they moved around so much
...
It was the levanter, the wind that came from Africa
...
Instead, it
brought the scent of a perfume he knew well, and the touch of a kiss—a kiss that came
from far away, slowly, slowly, until it rested on his lips
...
It was the first time she had done that
...




---