The Alchemist by Paul Coelho is my favorite book.

Is that enough of a book report?

My heart aches for my Personal Legend.  This is a book about a Spanish boy named Santiago who dreams of treasure then embarks on a physical journey to find it.

He encounters helpful strangers, as well as danger, in this quest to manifest material wealth.  He ends up discovering that his power comes from within, specifically, from his heart, because that’s the magic of spirituality.

Yesterday someone called me a homebody.  I took umbrage with that carelessness.  He obviously hasn’t read The Alchemist nor does he even know what my journey has been.  Doesn’t know the choices I’ve made to get to this point or you know, what I’ve sacrificed along the way, or ultimately, that up until this reread, I’d started to feel like I ended up in a corner with no other moves left with the exception of despair.

Reading these beautiful words released me from that burden of emotional disappointment, of all the waiting for the dreams to come true.  I’m sure, unless you are a soulless person wandering the Earth, like that theory that some of us are just extras in the lives of others, that you (plural) have had your own existential crises.

Coelho is a Catholic.  He enjoys the commonality of faith and yet he also understands the esoteric language of the Thoth text – The Emerald Tablets, the idea that we are all the same, God is within, and because of this, we are all powerful.

This is helpful to know, or at least to ponder, wonder and desire to be true.  That we all have the ability to make dreams come true – to pursue them generously, purposefully and without doubt.

The part that is baffling to some – discovering your true purpose.  Coelho’s Alchemist teaches that this is indeed an emotional journey.  That your heart will lead you to it.  To follow your heart because it will never let you down.

And, like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (which makes me trust that L. Frank Baum had some of this belief in him), Santiago finds the goods in his backyard, too, so to speak.

You don’t have to search the universe to find what you are looking for, unless, like many of my friends do, you have a wanderlust to explore.  Just trust in yourself to make the right decisions.  And also trust that even the things you deem as mistakes are lessons/part of the journey/teachable moments to steer you in the direction of that elusive Personal Legend.

Okay, so, that is my take.  Maybe to you The Alchemist will be just another novel about taking a trip to Egypt to see the pyramids.  Maybe you like those journey novels, like Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.  I don’t know.  Maybe you are, in fact, heartless?  I don’t really believe that.  But I do believe in the magic of the universe, the signs or omens as they are stated in The Alchemist.  Once you discover what it is that you want with your whole heart, the universe conspires to bring it to you.  Yes, the Alchemist can turn lead into gold, but he can’t teach you how to do it.  He can only teach you to reach inside of yourself to find the resources in there that will catapult you to the life you truly desire.

I used to gift this book to people who were moving away because I wanted them to understand that when you go someplace else, you are still taking yourself with you.  The real change happens from within.  And that is the gist of it.  It’s an ongoing process/struggle/adventure.

Please read The Alchemist and let me know your take on it.  Will it be life-changing?   For me, yes.  I feel revitalized/reinvigorated or whatever, to continue to make art regardless of the outcome.  I will forever keep this book in my possession and read it again and again from time to time.  Thank you, Paul Coelho, for this beautiful gift from your heart to mine, and to the hearts of everyone else in the world.

And P.S. – when the dream of homeownership materialized for me, having a little corner of the universe to call my own was the most significant manifestation of my life.