Paulo Coelho

A Real-World Alchemist

Paulo Coelho

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Always wanted to be a writer Worked at various professions

Paulo Coelho

"I always knew, he says, "that my Personal Legend, to use a term from alchemy, was to write. He was 38 when he published his first book.

Paulo Coelho

Dropped out of law school in 1970 Traveled through much of South America, North Africa, Mexico, and Europe.

Successful career as popular songwriter.

Paulo Coelho

1974 imprisoned short time by the military dictatorship then ruling in Brazil. 1980 walked the 500plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.

Paulo Coelho

Coehlo achieved a self-awareness and spiritual awakening that he later described in The Pilgrimage.

Fable

Short narrative makes a moral point Traditionally by means of animal characters who act like human beings Legend about supernatural or mythical characters or events

Allegory

A representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms

What is ALCHEMY?

Alchemists have 2 main goals

Medieval scientists practiced alchemy, hoping to produce gold from less valuable metals. (Turn metal into gold)
Alchemists also desired to develop potions, known as elixirs, to ensure good health and extend life spans. (The Philosophers Stone and/or The Elixir of Life)

Where did alchemy come from?

Founded in Egypt, alchemy was practiced throughout the Mediterranean regions and as far away as China

They believed that all objects consist of water, air, fire and earth Early alchemy was controversial and was opposed by many rulers and religions

Science or Witchcraft?

Alchemists hypothesized that because the earth created gold from imperfect metals that they should be able to replicate this process
Early alchemy was associated with magic and astrology

Nicholas Flamel ~ 1330-1417

Nicholas Flamel who lived in the fourteenth century, focused on producing a philosophers stone which he believed could magically convert substances into precious metals such as gold or silver Flamel supposedly converted mercury into gold in 1388 and lived to be 116 years old

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Personal Legend = Your Destiny There are 4 obstacles to overcome before you can achieve your Personal Legend
People tell you that your dream is IMPOSSIBLE to achieve LOVE FEAR OF DEFEAT FEAR OF REALIZING THE DREAM

1.

2. 3. 4.

The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho once said that Alchemy is all about pursuing our spiritual quest in the physical world as it was given to us.

The Alchemist

Personal Legend = Destiny Our job is to pursue our personal legend despite the many distractions placed in our path

Lessons of The Alchemist

Trust your heart Read the seemingly inconspicuous signs Understand that as you look to fulfill a dream, it looks to find you, if you let it

A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode

Henry David Thoreau

What a man thinks of himself, that is which determines, or rather indicates, his fate. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life youve imagined.

The Story of Narcissus

Once upon a time, there was a boy called Narcissus. He was the son of a god and he was very, very handsome. Many women fell in love with him, but he turned them away. One of the women who loved Narcissus was a nymph called Echo. Echo could not speak properly - she could only repeat what was said to her, so she couldn't tell Narcissus that she loved him. One day, when Narcissus was walking in the woods with some friends, he became separated from them. He called out "Is anyone here?" Echo replied "Here, Here". Echo stepped forward with open arms, wanting to cuddle him. But Narcissus refused to accept Echo's love. Echo was so upset that she left and hid in a cave, until nothing was left of her, except her voice.

Story continued

The Maiden, a goddess, found out about this, and she was very angry. She made Narcissus fall in love with himself. When Narcissus looked at his reflection in a pond one day, he fell in love. He stayed on that spot forever, until he died one day. Where he died a flower grew, and that flower is called a Narcissus.