thealchem1st

[thealchem1st]

6/6/21 (pt. 3)

Conclusions:

In a sense, Santiago's journey offers comfort: Always believe luck is on your side, follow your inner sense of fulfillment, trust that the universe is conspiring with you to meet your ends, and you will follow a life of great challenge and great reward. Even if it is not a terribly accurate depiction of reality, it comforts in the way that the concept of heaven comforts Christians: It creates a world in which all suffering and separation can be justified by a perfect conclusion, so long as one acts in the right way; paradise is of one's own making, and so is hell.

This is not the world I prefer but I recognize it as an eddy in which I may rest and recover before rejoining the complex current of life. If all Coelho accomplishes in *The Alchemist* is offering this kind of respite to the weary, that is probably a good thing. It is an incomplete view of life (as all narratives are), but I can see constellations of spiritual texts into which it could fit as a peer.

Notes on Coelho himself:

The author strikes me as a more modern, more secular C.S. Lewis, adept at putting his philosophical and theological ideas into narratives that enjoy popular resonance in the West. The tone of *The Alchemist* is similar to that of *The Screwtape Letters* and *The Chronicles of Narnia*: they all contain ideas about life and meaning and God that are presented in a magical realist style (with the tacit understanding that for some, the "magical" elements are in a sense real).

Western folks with only an incidental relationship to Christianity thrive on texts like these. They are entertaining as narratives even if the spiritual material is taken as fantasy. But for those who take the spiritual material as reality, they rise to the level of myth. They could be considered Christian fan fiction: unofficial meditations on the canon by lay people for lay people. Like myths, fan fiction is alive and mutable because readers are invited to add to the story themselves or reject certain aspects of the canon in order to tell a different story entirely. Coelho's stories meet the cultural moment in which they exist: the divine is not faraway or reserved for those born into certain privileges; instead, it is available to anyone through self-knowledge and -fulfillment.

Coelho and Lewis do the work of priests and preachers: they brings spiritual ideas to people who might not have the background to form them alone. There could be debate about how his thoughts are influenced by trends in pop culture (so that in some sense he is the lake into which pop culture stares and sees its own beauty reflected), but that is a more academic endeavor than I can undertake. Similarly one might wonder whether his work exists more for himself than for his audience, but at best we can only speculate.

To close: Inasmuch as Coelho has helped people think deep thoughts or alleviated some suffering for a while, his work is of the highest degree of good undertakings.

[thealchem1st]

6/6/21 (pt. 2)

pg 167) Beaten and bloody, Santiago tells the shadowy men the truth about his intentions, and it protects him. The treasure waiting for him at the pyramids was the knowledge that he was closest to treasure before he knew it was there. Santiago has completed the circle of knowledge: he now knows enough to know that he knew the most before he sought knowledge. Like a ring, the story loops back around to the first scene, the journey a circuit. Only one question remains: what is buried under the sycamore?

The leader of shadowy men is a dark mirror image of Santiago. He and Santiago each dreamt of treasure in the other's location at roughly the same time. Unlike Santiago, the leader chose not to pursue the treasure, and his choice means that Santiago will have his treasure instead. What is the moral of his character? Perhaps it is that for every person who pursues her Personal Legend, there is another who cynically does not. Perhaps it is that Santiago's treasure never existed in the first place, but he "earned" the treasure of another, more cynical person. Or perhaps it is that Personal Legends are intertwined and even the rejection of one's own Legend can contribute to the success of another's.

pg 170) On the penultimate page of the story, God speaks. What was the point of the journey, she says? To see the beauty of the pyramids. There is a deep philosophical tradition that elevates beauty above virtue, intellect, or skill. Perhaps this is the underpinning idea of the narrative: That a journey which brings one in contact with great beauty must have been for the good.

I had honestly assumed the author forgot abut Urim and Thummim; there were many times in the desert that Santiago could have used them for direction.

Once again, Coelho is clumsy and ignorant in his handling of Roma people. Roma were not nomadic by choice--they were driven out of their homeland and lived in temporary shelters because no state allowed them permanent residence.

pg 171) The reference to Roma people here is pretty unnecessary, and it has not aged well: Roma were not nomadic by choice--they were driven out of their homeland and lived in temporary shelters because no state allowed them permanent residence.

The epilogue ends with a strong wind, a reference to Africa, and a turn towards union. The narrative has been windy indeed--Santiago was blown about by powers out of his control, unmoored and tossed to lands unknown. Perhaps intentionally, Coelho did not give him a deep past or strong complexes inherited from his ancestors (making him an easy target for the reader's projection of themselves). In fact, the climax of the story is the transformation of Santiago into wind itself. The element of wind is reflected strongly in Santiago.

His journey has been long, winding, and difficult, but not all-encompassing. In contrast with Odysseus, another mythical journeyer, he did not encounter the deaths of close friends or the souls of dead ancestors or obstacles that required him to access his erotic abilities. This was distinctly a coming-of-age journey, full of protectors and friendly powers. Yet, the conclusion leaves Santiago a fully realized person in the narrative's own terms: he has fulfilled his Personal Legend, he has no wronged parties to which he owes amends, and he has a settled domestic life waiting for him at a safe, known location. A reader projecting himself into Santiago's position can take the lessons of the story to heart with no reservations because the journey ends without unresolved conflict.

But real life is messier, and most powers are not friendly. It's true that Santiago's naivete cost him all his money in Tangiers, but he recovers fully from this incident without resorting to theft, trickery, or other morally questionable means of subsistence. Contrast this with Persephone, whose naivete leaves her kidnapped, sexually abused, and imprisoned in hell; or with Icarus, whose naivete costs him his life. No, Santiago is a Herculean figure, overcoming obstacles by sheer might and moral purity. Yet even Hercules is required to perform multiple miracles to meet his destiny, and no romantic union awaits him--he is forever a pawn to Hera and other mighty powers that shape the contours of his life. Santiago cosplays as Hercules a while, receives great favor by the powers of his world, and is then freed from substantial obligations to them beyond his personal fulfillment. Santiago's is a kinder world.

[thealchem1st]

6/6/21 (pt. 1)

pg 157) Santiago becomes a legend to the Arabs: a myth within a myth.

pg 158) Santiago's triumph seems to have obliterated all obstacles: the chief respects him, the alchemist views him as a worthy student, the Arabs no longer block his travels.

pg 159) The kitchen is the modern alchemical lab. Heat, moisture, pressure, transformation are all normal kitchen properties. I wonder if a new alchemical theory could be written based on the modern kitchen rather than old science lab equipment.

Of course, the story couldn't end before the alchemist turned lead to gold.

pg 160) Never be humble when asking for help: this is a core teaching of the alchemist's.

The image of money (gold in particular) as protection has been thematic in this story: Santiago's money saved his life when he was abducted by Arabs; even Melchizedek's breastplate was golden. This is a more defensive aspect of money than modern culture usually considers--it saves the owner from harm. Now that the alchemist has broken the gold into four pieces (a number implying strength), he imbues Santiago with two portions of protection: one for now, one for the future. We can understand this as a metaphorical parting gift from mentor to student: Santiago has received from the alchemist something which will keep him safe. And the alchemist gives an omen that the protection may be necessary to use against harm before the narrative closes.

pg 161) An entire dissertation could be written about the beginning of this parable: it has die/go to heaven/talk to angels structure of many classic Jesus parables; it is even set chronologically near the time of the historical Jesus and in Rome; it offers certain perspectives on what kind of life gets a person into paradise--both by commission ("correct and fair", "died with dignity") and by omission--the Roman empire was quite cruel to states it occupied (see: the gospels) and the man is presented not only as not resisting the spread of domination by violence, but also as contributing to it by raising a son to be a military member.

However, I believe the alchemist is intending the character in this narrative to represent a "good" person so that he can make a point about the positive consequences of someone's actions even after their death. For that reason I will mostly ignore the political context for now.

pg 162) It appears that this parable is a retelling of the story of the Roman centurion from the Gospels. So the strong Christian parallels were intended, it seems.

The story of the Roman centurion is about power, cultural conflict, and faith. Centurions were high-ranking soldiers (literally "overseeing a hundred") in the Roman army, and when Jesus offers to go heal a sick soldier, the centurion draws a connection between the power Jesus has and the power he himself has--Jesus takes this as an expression of faith. Modern Christians quote this story to talk about a kind of disciplined faith and to bless military power.

pg 163) That this is the final exchange between the alchemist and Santiago points to a question of how the two of them fit into the parable. Perhaps the alchemist is the earnest, self-sacrificing father and Santiago is the Roman centurion whose words will ring out across the centuries. Or perhaps Santiago is the poet, whose stories will be well-loved for a brief period and then forgotten.

Perhaps the alchemist is the angel, Santiago the father, and the as the reader one must decide whether one is on the path of the poet or the centurion.

pg 164) Santiago is telling a story about his place in history as he enters his final leg of search for treasure. He understands himself as part of a constellation of people pursuing their Personal Legends, "confronting the people of their time with their preconceived notions." This sentiment positions him as a subversive figure, making chaos in a corrupt system. That is curious to me--whose preconceived notions has Santiago confronted except his own? True, he did disprove the desert chief with the teleportation thing, but that was a subversion of physical laws, not cultural norms. In fact, almost every character in Santiago's journey has been more or less the same after interacting with him: Melchizedek, the crystal salesman, the Englishman, and the alchemist have had no substantial character arcs, although Fatima is an exception here.

pg 165) Santiago is now positioned to "have it all": he gets his treasure, he gets his girl, and he chooses whatever life he wants.

It is curious that the three characters who have fulfilled their Personal Legends are all materially wealthy: Melchizedek is a literal king, the alchemist makes gold for himself whenever he wants, and Santiago now has two large slabs of gold as well (in addition to whatever material value his treasure has). Of course, gold is a metaphor in alchemical thinking for spiritual treasures, but this image carries a dangerous syzygy: that material prosperity is the result of good spiritual work, known in Christianity as the Prosperity Gospel. How would this story be different if instead Santiago had to make a choice between material prosperity, true love with Fatima, and finding his treasure?

pg 166) The shadowy men are angels sent from the Soul of the World to offer Santiago one final test. I expect them to take his gold and possibly his horse. If Santiago does reach his treasure tonight, I wonder what kind of treasure it could be to save him from death in the desert?

[thealchem1st]

5/17/21

pg 157) Before moving to the denouement, I think it is important to point out the psychological process displayed in the climax as an addendum to the mythological/cosmological ideas presented.

After bringing the chiefs and the alchemist to the cliff overlooking the desert, Santiago enters a trancelike state that begins in communion with nature and ends with ego death. The experience is almost psychedelic: the reader can watch Santiago sink deeper into his psyche and lose himself to the powerful forces he has conjured.

This is the essence of the Hero's Journey: loss of the "false self," adoption of the "true self," gain of benevolent power. Jung also described a similar process for the individual seeking psychological health, and he used the language of alchemy. (Google "individuation" if you're curious.) Did Coelho have Jung in mind when he was writing this narrative? Maybe it is of no consequence--Joseph Campbell tells us that modern Americans really only care about one story, and it is the one that Coelho tells.

Not all art has a verbal message, but in a story that uses absolute moral language we can guess that the author has a particular application in mind. If the essence of Coelho's message to the reader is to seek ego death, that is perhaps a worthy cause--Jung thought that the difficulty of ego death was an obstacle to increasing the global quality of life. On the other hand, his use of Christian forms without deep subversion does not lend itself to a process of ego death separate from the reader's experience with Christianity itself (and would perhaps alienate non-Christians, especially polytheists).

It remains to be seen what inflections the denouement will make on the story as it stands.

[thealchem1st]

5/16/21

pg 157) The cosmology of the desert, wind, and sun has evolved into a universal cosmology: The hand unites all things. Again the use of "omens" here followed by "there was no reason or significance attached to their appearance" suggests an impoverished translation--of course, the only reason Santiago was able to leave the oasis is that some omens did in fact have significance to him and the local chiefs.

"But the hand had a reason for all of this" is a sentiment very dear to modern American Christians: A higher, mysterious power has left the world in an incomprehensible state because there is a plan that requires it. Suffering and confusion fit into a world overseen by a benevolent power because suffering and confusion are necessary. this is a display of great faith in the "larger design" by Santiago.

This passage ends with a trinitarian image: Santiago's soul is the Soul of God, of which the Soul of the World is a part; God, Santiago, and the World participate in each other (the academic term is homoerotic: "interpenetration"). In this context, we can perceive a twist on the Christian gospel: Each of us is his own Jesus, and our connection to God is the World-- a naturalist, materialist understanding.

Enlightened to his divine nature, Santiago discovers a deep spiritual power that allows him to save himself and realize his dream. This is perhaps the image presented with the greatest reverence by this narrative.

[edited 5/17 for spelling, emphasis]

[thealchem1st]

5/13/21

pg 155) Santiago describes alchemy as a process of fulfillment leading to transformation. There is a sense in which this is true without the magic: When a person realizes a dream or satisfies a deep desire, they often change. This is a trope in our culture: A man becomes fabulously wealthy and becomes disillusioned about the power of money; a woman marries the love of her life only to discover she hates being domestic; a young person seeks out sexual gratification with many partners and decides to pursue singular commitment instead.

But when the purpose is external rather than internal, alchemy displays the same tensions present in Christian theology: What if a person finds God/the Soul of the World morally corrupt? What confidence can a mortal have about the justice of a timeless being? If humans can only communicate with the divine based on signs and omens, can we have any objective knowledge about the divine at all?

It is convenient that Santiago's world possesses an Emerald Tablet. Certainly magic is a more reliable source of power than faith.

pg 155) "Love is the force that transforms and improves the Soul of the World." This idea of improvement/evolution has only been explicit for the last dozen pages or so, but it is already central to the ideology. Men and lead are not just transformed, they are better after transformation. But "better" always implies a measurer of good and bad--from whose perspective are men and lead better after transformation? Their own? The Soul of the World? What if they disagree that they are better?

These are moot questions in a monotheistic system: There is one objective good and there is one objective Knower of this good, so that Knower can always determine what is better. Centralization bypasses the need for alignment: If one point in a space is fixed, any other point in that space shares a line--but the same is not true if two or three or many points are fixed.

As a flourish here, the most important force in the universe is named as "love." This is exactly the move New Testament writers made: naming agape (selfless love) as the highest good, equating it with God, and encouraging all followers to make it the highest priority. I have always thought this a well-intentioned idea, but the trouble is that love means different things to different people. I know firsthand that some people see enforcing strict moral rules as love; some see bold, subversive statements as love; others see love in art, structure, knowing, touching. Are they all correct? Is everything under the sun love? There are contradictions everywhere one looks.

pg 156) "The hand that wrote it all": presumably God's hand. Finally, after discussion at length about hidden powers and languages, we see the figure underpinning all of it: the hand.

There are many metaphors for God, none of them perfect, many of them unhelpful. I am partial to metaphors that use language of the human body, since the body is the most natural and immediate source of sacredness for all people. Among body parts used in this way, the hand is classic: We associate it with molding and writing, two godly projects. In this respect, Coelho has made an excellent choice. Certainly Santiago is treating the hand like God: he trembles in awe.

However, this development can seem like an ex machina at this late narrative stage. If the hand was so important, why are we only now reading about her explicitly? What is her relationship to the Soul of the World? Do Melchizedek and the alchemist know about her? If she is the source of great alchemical powers, why didn't anyone mention her to Santiago?

Desert, wind, sun, hand: Santiago's dialogues progress from low to high, appealing to greater and greater powers. Roughly one can draw an ordering of the elements here: earth, air, fire, water (water corresponding to the hand by process of elimination). The order is also roughly least to most personal, driest to least dry, least differentiated to most differentiated. In aggregate, these are moves to the masculine: higher, greater, less dry than the feminine (in traditional Western imagery). Certainly this is a coming-of-age narrative, so perhaps the symbols were chosen to show that he is becoming a man. Perhaps the move from earth to water is evidence that Santiago has become more fluid and mutable in his self-conception.

[thealchem1st]

5/12/21 (pt. 2)

pg 146) Three days to transform Santiago's physical form into an invisible power--this is the biblical task Jesus undertook after crucifixion.

pg 150) Santiago's dialogue with the desert is poetic and makes several comparisons. Love is the cycle of life, eating and being eaten. Being eaten is an act of becoming. Love is becoming.

pg 151) The dialogue with the wind is about beginnings, endings, and power. The idea that the wind begins nowhere betrays a level of sophistication in Santiago's thinking--how does he know about the globe? Perhaps the story is set much later than the sum of details so far has suggested.

In any case, having no end or beginning (being unbounded) is why the wind is "stronger than the desert." Something men will never harness (although modern windmills would have a different perspective). Wind has always been the element of freedom.

pg 152) Now the wind is a character with feelings and curiosity, not just a voice. Like a figure of myth.

pg 153) Curious that heavens = sun as far as requests are concerned. Why not clouds, or just God herself?

pg 154) This cosmology of the sun seems to take certain scientific facts for granted--such as its distance from Earth--but not others, for example its age prior to life on earth (i.e. prior to its "reason for living"). This is a common feature of alchemy (most popular during an age of scientific adolescence in the West): notable scientific facts merge with aesthetic ideas about the natural world. Perhaps it is appropriate that even in the least literal of passages, this narrative clings to the aesthetics of science.

The sun goes on to use a Genesis reference about days of creation to imply that humans disrupt the peace enjoyed by all other things on Earth. This gets at classic philosophical struggles in understanding the effects humankind has on the universe: Are we agents of chaos disrupting an otherwise perfectly orderly setting, or do we actually create order by choosing to resist entropy? Are we fundamentally good beings who make mistakes, or are we basically evil beings who sometimes do good deeds out of self-interest?

Traditionally, the sun has stood for the positive and generative aspects of life, so it is somewhat strange for it to play the role of accuser in this debate. However, the sun here seems to stand for wisdom (as the wind stood for freedom), so perhaps this is better understood as a metaphor for the head's accusation of the heart or the old's accusation of the young. In the former case, there is a subnarrative at work: Standing for the heart in the head-heart struggle, we can interpret that Santiago has merged with the reflection of himself, his heart from the last passage. This is the deepest level at which he has undergone transformation: no longer does he rely only on his knowledge of the world, but now on his experience of the world.

The "return to oneness" referenced at the end of this page with the Soul of the World is a source of great wonder and reflection among monotheists and scientists alike. Christians will say that history begins and ends in unity with God and the mortal struggle of man is to be separated from that oneness to which he was intended. One pattern which describes all things: The state of the Soul of the World at the moment of creation and at the end of time: The Big Bang: The cycle of timespace expanding from and contracting to a single, infinitely dense point over and over. A deeply resonant, entirely unprovable proposition that fits our fates into the fate of all things.

[thealchem1st]

5/12/21 (pt. 1)

pg 135) This is not the first time the narrative has used children and childhood as a vehicle for precaution. Melchizedek warned Santiago not to become like the baker, who gave up on his childhood dreams. There is a sense that childlikeness is necessary to listen to one's heart, to pursue one's Personal Legend, to understand the Soul of the World, etc.

It is hard not to view these writings in light of the modern obsession with the Inner Child. Indeed, all characters in the story so far have had a childlike earnestness (even the Roma woman was acting in good faith) and have usually displayed a childlike willingness to trust Santiago, even before he was reading omens. Children are dreamers, irrational, uninterested institutions, drifters who are swayed by circumstance, always cared for by a greater power. Young boys receive an irrational promise from their mother, which their father then scorns but ultimately guides them to: this is the story of Hercules, of Odysseus's son, and of Santiago.

The child's narrative is important but it is not the only important narrative. I wonder, how would mothers understand this story when drawing allegories to their own lives?

pg 135) "Narrow is the gate to heaven." The idea that "few follow the path... to happiness" is another Jesus paraphrase.

pg 136) Santiago's exchange with his heart here has religious overtones that could be obscured by body-centric language. To what entity is he dedicating himself here? His image of himself? A projection of an embodiment of the Soul of the World? His conscience?

A side note: This entire passage could replace "heart" with "God" and it would be almost a verbatim quote of my Sunday school classes as a kid.

The Soul of the World sounds very much like the God of evangelicals here. Tests you to make sure you've learned specific things; mysterious help that only makes sense to a few people; stops sending you messages if you don't act a certain way. Next I expect to see that the Soul of the World dies to save Santiago from his sins!

pg 138) This is another chance for Santiago to buy into confirmation bias--but strangers seldom believe anything, regardless of whether one possesses treasure.

pg 139) In a typical myth, the stage when an inner voice begins to reframe a person's history is the moment when I suspect foul play--this passage would read very differently if "heart" were exchanged with "demon." Still, Santiago seems safe and he is continuing to develop a relationship with his heart.

pg 141) By invoking "evolution," the alchemist finally attaches a sense of progress and elevation to alchemical work. The endeavor isn't purely about material riches (gold) or bodily health (immortality): there is an inner "evolution" at play as well.

pg 144) We can guess that the abduction by blue-clad tribesmen is the final "test" that Santiago must overcome. Or perhaps it is foreplay to the real test.

The suggestion of espionage brings questions of identity and motive to the fore. Who is Santiago really? Why did the alchemist bring him here?

And again, Santiago loses a great sum of money in an unwitting transaction.

[thealchem1st]

4/22/21

pg. 120) Horses symbolize heart-on-the-sleeve emotion, both here and often in myth. Horses are easy to read; their moods and habits mirror those of humans in an obvious way. Camels by contrast are stoic, enduring, disconnected from their physical needs.

A different alchemist might have the opposite opinion--perhaps the horse is weak and disobedient for acting based on its own needs rather than the rider's commands. But this story is about prophecy, so reading the steed's future is important.

pg. 122) At this point Fatima seems more like an idea than a character. Santiago express sorrow about his relationships with her, but he has apparently not spoken to her in days, nor has she sought him out. Theirs must be a mythical love: controlled entirely by fate and circumstance rather than agency and choice.

pg. 124) Fatima and the alchemist conjure similar images: both are mysterious, exotic desert-dwellers who are deeply tied to Santiago's destiny. Yet we see a split regarding agency and roundness of character. Whereas the alchemist is constantly surprising Santiago and challenging him, Fatima is happy for him to go or stay, follow his Legend or not, return to her or die in pursuit of his dream.

If Santiago is the wanderer in each of us, perhaps Fatima is the face of the soul that is always hat home with our choices and the alchemist is the face always drawing us deeper. If so, this would reverse the usual roles of Father and Lover.

pg. 125) There is an immediacy about Santiago; he trusts quick, fleeting feelings like the sense of peace here.

pg. 126) Most people have a sense of powers working in their lives to produce effects (gods, spirits, capitalism, etc.), and most people develop associations with others that seem special. The central idea of predetermination or fate is whether the correlation of these events is causal. This is a question not for scientists, but for priests, prophets, and indeed each of us as our lives unfold. In my view, Santiago as rebuilt his fate to include Fatima, and he has woven her into his personal sense of religion. That alone is more powerful than any sign of love or promise he could have conjured for her.

pg. 127) At last we see that Fatima is conflicted about Santiago's journey. At the same time, I can't help but feel that this last passage about her is meant to demystify her to white people--she identifies more with her gender than her heritage, and "the desert would represent only one thing to her" as if all its cultural weight was shed when she fell in love with a white boy. The Woman Who Wears a Strong Face but Cries When Alone is an archetype in the West, but is it in Africa as well?

pg. 131) The alchemist is creating a Fall of Man narrative here: in the beginning, paradise; then the ambitions of man became too great; now we live in a fallen world. Centering a Fall narrative can lead to a mindset that is self-oriented, regressive, and anti-establishment.

The alchemist is also apparently a Platonist: the physical existence of a thing implies the existence of the perfected thing in some hidden realm. The existence of the world implies paradise. The existence of a person implies a fulfilled Personal Legend. The existence of language implies the Language of the World.

[thealchem1st]

4/16/21 (pt. 2)

pg. 112) There is a kind of confirmation bias at play with the notion that death tomorrow is no different than death any other day. Someone who has invested money has financial interest in remaining alive longer, and in general people do make different decisions depending on how long they expect to live.

But for someone who has no future-dependent investments (financial or otherwise), there is no sacrifice in assuming death could come as early as tomorrow. The confirmation Santiago experiences by not losing anything from this mindset is treated as evidence that the mindset is factual. To my mind it seems more of a convenience than an established reality.

pg. 113) The appearance of the horseman crystallizes the theme of this subsection: Santiago's reading of omens is dangerous.

pg. 114) The theories that Melchizedek gave Santiago have risen to the level of religious convictions. He comforts himself near death by framing life and hereafter in terms originally learned from Melchizedek. In a strange way, this makes Melchizedek more of a priest--exactly in line with the Biblical Melchizedek.

pg. 115) The "I had to test your courage" line is plucked straight from every mentor in every shounen anime ever. Also like an anime protagonist, Santiago believes himself to possess rare knowledge, only to discover that most important figures in his narrative possess the same knowledge.

pg. 117) The parallels to Joseph are strong. Both Joseph and Santiago are young shepherds torn from their childhood homes to the desert. Both have a mystical ability to predict the future, and both are rewarded greatly in riches and honor for their ability.

If the parallel continues, Santiago will become a powerful man in Egypt and use his power to prevent a great natural calamity from destroying the nation.

The alchemist--more violent and dangerous already than Melchizedek or the Englishman--appears to have killed the hawks that aided Santiago. Is the alchemist friend or foe to Santiago? If friendly, is he controlling or merely eccentric?

Curious that neither the alchemist nor Santiago mentions that Santiago was invited to the alchemist's tent just yesterday.

pg. 119) "It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth." (Matthew 15:11)

The alchemist is paraphrasing Jesus. Matthew 15 is about the difference between literal and metaphorical cleanliness--and the move away from collectivist tradition towards individualist morality. We can expect the alchemist to make exception for Santiago on a number of fronts.

[thealchem1st]

4/16/21 (pt. 1)

pg. 102) The first stage of the opus is mortio: ego death. The result is black and tar-like, hardly desirable or valuable in standard terms. This phase the Englishman is going through is the embodiment of the phrase "it must get worse before it gets better."

Interesting that Santiago associates proximity with possessive love. In general, ownership does not connote proximity--many men of Santiago's age would have money in faraway banks, or they might take extended travels from their home property. But for some reason, Santiago's meandering will threaten his "possession" of Fatima, sparking a need to reframe his love for her. By possessiveness, does he really mean "loyalty," I wonder?

pg. 103) A theme of this act of Santiago's life is sorting through images--what does this one mean; which of these omens are to be trusted, and in what sense? This is an important phase for all people gaining spiritual consciousness for the first time, and it is harrowing.

pg. 106) The interlude about the camel driver and the twig seer cuts against Biblical images of prophets and future seers: The twig seer has agency, and speaks about God in more mysterious terms. This scene adds weight to Santiago's vision, but it also implies a world much more full of omen-readers than we have encountered so far.

pg. 110) The elder is clearly describing Joseph (son of Jacob), hero of Israel in Genesis. I cannot think of him without thinking of the colorful musical by Webber.

pg. 111) Toxic social conservatism arises from cultures with absolutist ideas about Tradition. That is not the case here: Tradition is understood to contain the possibility of contradictions, so a judgment must be made. The conclusion reached by the elder is a lesson for Santiago: His confidence in his omens can make him a great asset or a great liability.

[thealchem1st]

3/23/21

pg. 90) In some ways the caravan did re-enter the physical world from the spiritual realm.

pg. 91) Santiago surprises himself with new crystallizations about divine intention. This seems like a natural progression when one is constantly told about the living consciousness of all things and the power of the Soul of the World.

pg. 92) The oasis well was a common setting for romantic engagements in the Bible. Moses, Isaac, and Jacob met their wives at oasis wells. The story winks at this by mentioning married women.

Since readers know at this point that the alchemist is at the oasis, the woman at the well signals that perhaps he is an unpopular or dangerous figure. We could guess that the oasis has seen conflict or difficulty due to him.

pg. 96) Santiago is overcome with love for the girl at the well, and he immediately fits his experience of her into his guiding worldviews. His rhetoric indicates that everything has been leading up to this moment, but actually it's the other way around: the power of this moment transcends his understanding, so he must reframe his history to include it.

The initiations of love have the trappings of monotheism: one soulmate, one union of lovers, one love in which all lovers participate, one God bringing lovers together. However, when love is threatened or destroyed, the many powers and shades implicated in love fall back into relief.

pg. 98) in a way, Santiago is also trying to turn lead to gold. His adventure has been leaden so far, weighed down by limitations. Perhaps his treasure is leaden too. But love is always golden, especially new love.

pg. 99) Fatima is coy and indirect, a foil to direct and heart-on-his-sleeve Santiago. She is highly ingrained in the culture of the oasis; he is ingrained in no culture, adventuring and self-sufficient. While he is out adventuring and overcoming obstacles, she would spend time preparing a home, raising children, and waiting for his return.

Their romance is young, but already it has familiar contours and themes. But will this love be realized, or is the draw of Santiago's treasure too strong?

pg. 101) In a month, Fatima and Santiago have become lovers. Santiago is sad--his freedom-loving soul has gained weight and location now that it is chained to Fatima. But she is happy--her stoic soul has gained a sense of freedom. It is true that lovers grow to become like each other, but the journey is different for each.

[thealchem1st]

3/22/21

pg. 83) Alchemy is part science and part religion. Alchemical processes aim at chemical transformation, but they also symbolize psychological processes. How many of us have applied heat/pressure to our souls for years in hope of releasing impurities?

The aspirations of alchemy--to remove all illness and turn any metal to gold--espouse ideals of purity, overcoming physical limitations, and revealing secret knowledge. there is a theme of universality as well: Which person does not want bodily health and financial security? There is shadow too: Which person could wield such great power without doing great harm?

"Master Work" here was probably "opus" in the original. The great work of one's life, understood in Jungian circles as individuation. In the metaphorical sense, the Elixir of Life is an internal source of vitality and youth, and the Philosopher's Stone is the meaning-making process that allows any common item to have great value.

pg. 85) The Englishman's elitism betrays his need for prestige. Another man might be happy to give everyone gold in hopes of allowing all people to prosper.

pg. 86) Despite his protestations, the Englishman did learn something from watching the caravan, and Santiago did draw valuable information from the books. Perhaps neither gave beginner's luck a real chance to act in their favor.

pg. 87) The camel driver's philosophy of always living in the present is wonderful for those that can organize their lives that way.

pg. 90) Alchemist as prophet, alchemist as translator, alchemist as poet.

[thealchem1st]

3/21/21

pg. 68) "Omens" is a loaded word in this story. Often in English we speak of "signs" that tell us how to proceed when we have trouble deciding. But "omens" are also proactive in this story: Santiago sees a thirsty man atop the hill and receives an omen, even though he wasn't specifically looking for something. But "omen" does not seem to apply to everything. For example, Santiago's getting thieved on his first day in Tangier was not an omen that the city or journey would be an ill conquest for him.

I wonder if something is lost in translation. "Beginner's luck," "principle of favorability," and "universal language" all seem to have different connotations than I'd expect. i shall have to do research after finishing the story to see what the original words were and how they translated in other versions.

pg. 68 cont'd) Finally the word "alchemist" appears in text associated with Santiago! I have philosophical, psychological, and chemical backgrounds for alchemy and the search for the Philosopher's Stone, but I wish to withhold too much academic material from my reading. I won't push on these points any further than the author does.

pg. 69) The Englishman rounds out the narrative cast by providing someone for more affluent, academic readers to attach to. He is certainly a more naturally sympathetic figure for me so far.

pg. 70) "Test," "review"; the Englishman is truly academic to the core.

pg. 72) I still feel that much of this "universal language" concept is really about nonverbal reasoning and archetypes, but I am beginning to see some value in its distinguishing.

pg. 75) The significant emergent thread for Santiago is a throughline from his past to his future and evident in each decision he makes. This is an act of creation: out of the chaos and disorder of wandering as a shepherd in Andalusia, Santiago has created a self and a life in which his actions and thoughts are rich with meaning. He experiences lower lows (like getting robbed) and higher highs (like meeting the Englishman) and he is impassioned with desire. In a word, he has developed perspective.

pg. 76) Elements, animals, and materials are all implicated by alchemy. Santiago will have a strong connection with the titular figure.

pg. 78) Santiago has learned to put down old stories and live in the present.

pg. 79) the idea of a God who is master of our prosperity and our demise is balm to some, but it is poison to others.

pg. 80) The Englishman and Santiago are foils for each other. One represents reason, cosmopolitanism, and restraint; the other intuition, interpersonal relationship, and decisive action. No doubt they will teach each other before the story's done.

[thealchem1st]

3/20/21

pg. 62) Even though it has been less than a year since Santiago arrived in Africa, it may well be a year or more since our story first found Santiago. We can view his actions over the next few days in that context: Which decisions will be different? The same?

His thoughts about the bundle of money suggest that he is returning to Spain to buy more sheep, as he had indicated at the end of Part One. The adventurer becomes a shepherd again?

The crystal merchant is wise but comfortable. He is not interested in the deep changes necessary to realize his Personal Legend. But he sees that potential in Santiago.

pg. 64) Like so many of us, Santiago is caught between fulfillment based on his old modes of being and fulfillment based on a mode he hasn't inhabited yet. There are always tradeoffs, but many of us are rooting for him to take up the adventure again. Of course, this is because so many of us never did live out all of our dream adventures.

pg. 66) Santiago is trying to convince himself to choose Egypt over Analusia, adventure over old ways of being. He reminds himself that he is two hours closer to Egypt than he was a year ago, but this fallacy cuts both ways: It is just as true that if he went back to shepherding in Spain, getting back to Tangier would be much easier. Regardless of his choice, he can more easily change course now than last year, and that is the true power of his position.

pg. 67) Urim and Thummim have taken on a different meaning from the Biblical context. Santiago does not use them as divinatory anymore, but as omens. Without asking them a verbal question, he draws conclusions from them about what to do next, just like the thirsty man on top of the hill. They connect him both to his past and to his future.

[thealchem1st]

3/18/21

pg. 55) Santiago has been working for the crystal merchant for a month, yet now his treasure is "a painful memory." He apparently did not expect this level of delay. In youth, it is easy to believe that the world lies open before us for the taking. Santiago is still learning how much of that is imaginary and how much is real.

pg. 56) The crystal merchant shares about his faith at a critical moment: Santiago is desperate to speed his journey along. If Santiago perceives that the pilgrimage to Mecca is part of the merchant's Personal Legend, then convincing the merchant to leave with him would be a positive-sum undertaking.

pg. 57) We are given an image of faith as sustenance. The cobbler has energy to travel in the desert for a year because he is headed to Mecca; the merchant never travels to Mecca because it gives him reason to stay alive. Similarly the Israelites were sustained in the desert by manna, food from heaven.

There are at least two possible readings of this passage. The cynical reading is that the merchant is a sad man who is neither capable of chasing his dream nor letting go of it--some might say he is resisting fulfillment because he is afraid of what he really wants. The earnest reading is that the merchant uses his faith in a practical way to help him maintain his business and motivate his seeking of profit--faith as an organizing principle, taking the contradictory desires in the merchant's life and arranging them in a coherent way.

Does faith restrain the merchant from fulfillment or does it provide the opportunity for fulfillment?

pg. 58) I know I'm supposed to want Santiago to go to Egypt and get his treasure, but honestly I am glad to see him find some happiness where he is and learn from his adventure so far. "Maybe it was his treasure to have wound up in that strange land, met up with a thief, and doubled the size of his flock without paying a cent." That's that good shit *sheds a tear*.

pg. 60) Here the merchant is a sympathetic figure for those who have deferred their dreams. He is disappointed that he did not risk more at a young age, he is used to who he is, and he does not want to change even if change means growth. Santiago reminds him that he can always aspire to more.

"Every blessing ignored becomes a curse." That's the best line of the story so far.

[thealchem1st]

3/15/21

pg. 45) Santiago has reframed the theft he experienced as part of the adventure. This is another idea that would be easy for the immature to weaponize: There is no victimhood, only adventure; thus there is no such thing as violence or violation. but Santiago's agency in the situation and his free choice to see himself as non-victim are crucial here: He decided the framing of his experience for himself.

There are moments in this story when an unnamed stranger does something for Santiago that receives no explanation: Someone wakes him in the plaza, a friend buys his sheep in Tarifa. This contributes to the sense of magic and fate of the story, as if all things really are conspiring to help Santiago find his treasure.

pg. 46) One of the problems of monotheistic thinking is that it assumes all people are intelligible to one another because they are all motivated by the same things: one journey, one trajectory, one goal. For this reason, I am trepidatious about Santiago's assumption that he can judge whether someone is pursuing their Personal Legend. Awareness of one's perceptions is important; equally important is the understanding that they are fallible perceptions.

Santiago's nonverbal communication with the candy man inspires him again to believe that the world is knowable. The image of an unknown but knowable language is again used to describe this idea.

pg. 48) A psychic, a magical king, and now a crystal merchant: Santiago's journey is peppered with masters of hidden powers.

pg. 50) Part One ends in ring fashion: The shepherd-turned-adventurer wants to become a shepherd again. We have followed Santiago for a few weeks, and he has made some progress toward his goal, but now he must start building resources again. We could anticipate the iteration of this process--perhaps he works for the crystal merchant long enough to travel to Ceuta and buy a small flock of sheep, then repeats again for the next town, and so on. The Mediterranean coast of Africa is habitable, so this could theoretically carry him to Egypt--but the crystal merchant portends that this will not be a short adventure. Perhaps Santiago will be an old man by the time he reaches his treasure.

There are plenty of narrative symmetries to appreciate here. Santiago wanted to escape from the limitations of shepherding to adventure, but he now realizes that shepherding is what will allow him to make an adventure. Many resources have passed through Santiago's hands: sheep, money, books, a ticket to Tangier, even hopes and dreams have come and gone. He wants to travel more than anything, but in order to do that he must stay in the same place for a while.

These circumstances give the moment a cosmic sense of closure, as if all things up to this point are fulfilled in Santiago's current reality. These techniques are common to myths and make memorization and digestion easier. It's a stark contrast from modern literature, in which the standard is often to avoid closure and clean breaks at all costs, to mimic life. But life also has closure moments sometimes, and these do give us a sense of moving toward our destiny.