The Alchemist

by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist is brilliantly written by Paulo Coelho about the pathways to freedom and spiritual alchemy. Santiago is a shepherd boy in the throws of simple living. Yet he has sweet dreams of travel and experiencing the great adventure of different people and cultures.

A Treasure Quest Dream Interpretation

Santiago keeps having treasure quest dreams, and eventually he goes to an old gypsy woman for a dream interpretation. She tells him that he must go look for treasure at the Egyptian Pyramids. Shortly after that a man, claiming to be King Melchizedek, crosses his path. They sit together on a bench and this shaman king teaches him the simple magic tricks of becoming the dream weaver of his own inspirational thoughts.

From Simple Man to Heart Magic Man

As a result the boy decides to go on the treasure hunt adventure to the Pyramids of Egypt. Santiago soon realises that his treasure adventure will present him with many obstacles and challenges along the way. He eventually meets a simple living alchemist who teaches him the principles of divine alchemy. By learning these principles he discovers that in order to complete his treasure quest he needs to learn to listen to the spiritual heart within.

Real Alchemy

What I enjoyed most about The Alchemist was the message of the spiritual alchemy that we go through, when we undertake our own treasure quest to the spiritual heart within. Not all treasure is silver and gold, it is in the mind-spirit-heart synergy we access that assists us to go through the real alchemy of a life worth living.

For the Tropic of Freedom Books Finders Keepers:
Where in the book does Santiago almost give up on his quest?
What is it that Santiago discover that makes him take the leap to continue his journey?
What is the difference between the alchemist and the owner of the glass shop?
How does this relate to you and how you have given up on your dreams?

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