Lateral Excursions

“Because it’s not love to be static like the desert, nor is it love to roam the world like the wind.  And it’s not love to see everything from a distance, like you do.  Love is the force that transforms and improves the Soul of the World.  When I first reached through to it, I thought the Soul of the World was perfect.  But later, I could see that it was like other aspects of creation, and had its own passions and wars.  It is we who nourish the Soul of the World, and the world we live in will be either better or worse, depending on whether we become better or worse.  And that’s where the power of love comes in.  Because when we love, we always strive to become better than we are.”

Coelho, Paulo.  “Part Two.”  The Alchemist.

“It’s true that everything has its Personal Legend, but one day that Personal Legend will be realized.  So each thing has to transform itself into something better, and to acquire a new Personal Legend, until, someday, the Soul of the World becomes one thing only.”

Coelho, Paulo.  “Part Two.”  The Alchemist.

“Don’t give into your fears,” said the alchemist, in a strangely gentle voice.  ”If you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.”

Coelho, Paulo.  “Part Two.”  The Alchemist.

“The boy remembered an old proverb from his country.  It said that the darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn.”

Coelho, Paulo.  “Part Two.”  The Alchemist.

“The boy continued to listen to his heart as they crossed the desert.  He came to understand it dodges and tricks, and to accept it as it was.  He lost his fear, and forgot about his need to go back to the oasis, because, one afternoon, his heart told him that it was happy.  ”Even though I complain sometimes,” it said, “it’s because I’m the heart of a person, and people’s hearts are that way.  People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don’t deserve them, or that they’ll be unable to achieve them.  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 treasure that might have been found but were forever hidden in the sands.  Because, when these things happen, we suffer terribly.

“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.

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.  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.”

Coelho, Paulo.  “Part Two.”  The Alchemist.

“Well, what if I decide to stay?”

“Let me tell you what will happen.  You’ll be the counselor of the oasis.  You have enough gold to buy many sheep and many camels.  You’ll marry Fatima, and you’ll both be happy for a year.  You’ll learn to love the desert, and you’ll get to know every one of the fifty thousand palms.  You’ll watch them as they grow, demonstrating how the world is always changing.  And you’ll get better and better at understanding omens, because the desert is the best teacher there is.

“Sometime during the second year, you’ll remember about the treasure.  The omens will begin insistently to speak of it, and you’ll try to ignore them.  You’ll use your knowledge for the welfare of the oasis and its inhabitants.  The tribal chieftains will appreciate what you do.  And your camels will bring you wealth and power.

“During the third year, the omens will continue to speak of your treasure and your Personal Legend.  You’ll walk around, night after night, at the oasis, and Fatima will be unhappy because she’ll feel it was she who interrupted your quest.  But you will love her, and she’ll return your love.  You’ll remember that she never asked you to stay, because a woman of the desert knows that she must await her man.  So you won’t blame her.  But many times you’ll walk the sands of the desert, thinking that maybe you could have left… that you could have trusted more in your love for Fatima.  Because what kept you at the oasis was your own fear that you might never come back.  At that point, the omens will tell you that your treasure is buried forever.

“Then, sometime during the fourth year, the omens will abandon you, because you’ve stopped listening to them.  The tribal chieftains will see that, and you’ll be dismissed from your position as counselor.  But, by then, you’ll be a rich merchant, with many camels and a great deal of merchandise.  You’ll spend the rest of your days knowing that you didn’t pursue your Personal Legend, and that now it’s too late.

“You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend.  If he abandons that pursuit, it’s because it wasn’t true love… the love that speaks the Language of the World.”

Coelho, Paulo.  “Part Two.”  The Alchemist.

“They ate in silence.  The alchemist opened a bottle and poured a red liquid into the boy’s cup.  It was the most delicious wine he had ever tasted.

“Isn’t wine prohibited here” the boy asked.

“It’s not what enters men’s mouths that’s evil,” said the alchemist.  ”It’s what comes out of their mouths that is.”

Coelho, Paulo.  “Part Two.”  The Alchemist.

“When the people consult me, it’s not that I’m reading the future; I am guessing at the future.  The future belongs to God, and it is only he who reveals it, under extraordinary circumstances.  How do I guess at the future?  Based on the Omens of the present.  The secret is here in the present.  If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it.  And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better.  Forget about the future, and leave each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children.  Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity.”

-Camel driver quoting the advice given to him from the oldest seer that he had ever sought.

Coelho, Paulo.  “Part One.”  The Alchemist.

“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting, he thought, as he looked again at the position of the sun, and hurried his pace.  He had suddenly remembered that, in Tarifa, there was an old woman that interpreted dreams.”

Coelho, Paulo.  “Part One.”  The Alchemist.