Sophia, our Personal Legend and Matters of the Heart - Guest Post by Layla Oresme

© Layla Oresme 2024

An introduction from Colm: I’m thrilled that Layla agreed to write this guest post for our Paulo Coelho Read Along. Layla wrote on her Substack that ‘At the very core of human existence lies the mysterious essence of love..’ and I instantly knew she had something important to say about the place of Love in The Alchemist. Thank you Layla.

I hope you find Layla’s post as inspiring as I have and if you’d like to submit a post of your own on a topic related to Paulo Coelho’s writing - please direct message me.

***

The Alchemist is a book packed to the brim with deep symbolism and timeless life lessons. Undoubtedly, every reading can discover a meaningful message at any stage of their life. This is because each person possesses a unique mission, a purpose they are born to fulfil. In Coelho’s words it is our Personal Legend. When we are ready, the Soul of the World provides us with clues: omens and signs that push us forward toward our goals. This is because the Soul of the World wants us to realize our dreams. The deepest yearnings of our Soul aligns with the desires of the World Soul. The World Soul is like the mother of all Souls, connecting them and weaving a mysterious web of synchronicities that, if traced, will lead us to our Personal Legend. 

The World Soul is Sophia, or Wisdom, and she is the mother of Reason. She knows the secrets of the world, the magical science of its creation and its natural hierarchy. She understands the Will of God, her heavenly husband, and she knows our purpose. Her language is symbolism, expressed in many forms, from omens to images and even numbers. All of these aspects provide us with the keys to her secrets. 

However, they are only secrets because many do not understand her language. She does not conceal the truth herself; it is obscured by the veil of ignorance and distractions of the material world. She desires nothing more than to teach us and guide us on our path to  Personal Legend. Those who seek her, will receive abundantly. Just like Solomon, who has asked God for nothing more than wisdom, and in return received all of the riches of the world. 

The person rich in wisdom is the richest of all, for they understand the secrets of alchemy and how to turn nothing into something. For this reason they do not flaunt their jewels loudly; they know that they are only physical symbols for the real essence, and Sophia is the true gold of the alchemists.

The Opus Magnum, or The Great Work of the alchemists, is the pursuit of one’s Personal Legend. It appears different for everyone and yet manifests similarly when looked through the lens of symbolism. Every alchemist first begins as a boy or girl with a dream. Along the way, they encounter numerous people and events that may lead them to doubt this dream. Some will persist, while others will forsake their Opus Magnum forever. Sometimes, even the mysterious force of love, when manifested through the heart not yet connected to the World Soul, can interfere with our quest for alchemical treasure.

Santiago, the shepherd boy, is the hero who embarks on a journey through North Africa in search of his treasure, and after several trials meets Fatima - whom he recognizes is the love of his life. The thought of leaving Fatima causes Santiago great pain because he knows the language of the World Soul; after all, it instantly made him realize that those who don’t speak this language spend months or years figuring out whether they should be with someone, only to be confused by the fears of the heart. After the encounter with Fatima, the boy is ready to abandon his dream for her. What could be more important than her? Fortunately, Fatima understands that she must let him go and encourages Santiago to continue his journey. After battling with doubt he eventually leaves the oasis, in search of the Pyramids. It is only then that he discovers the nature of his heart. 

His heart, like all hearts, is afraid. It fears that by continuing on his journey, he might never make it back, that he will fail, lose all that he has and that he will never get to see Fatima again. Although our Soul uses hearts to communicate with us, if we do not get to know them well, they get in the way of fulfilling our unique mission. The boy learns to converse with his heart and realizes its treacherous nature because it often convinced him to abandon his journey, seeking comfort in what he already had out of fear of the unknown. He didn’t understand the value of listening to his heart until the Alchemist advises that he will never be able to escape from it; that it is better to get to know it well because that way, the heart won’t catch him by surprise. It is only what we don’t know that gets us.

From then on, the boy made friends with his heart and learned to accept it as it is. He learned that the heart is afraid of suffering, but was able to convey to it that the fear of suffering is worse than suffering itself. The only way to prevent our hearts from suffering is to pursue our mission because, according to the Alchemist, every minute in the pursuit of our treasure is an encounter with God. He recognised that it was the search for the treasure that initially led him to Fatima. 

If he had not heeded the omens, he would never have learned to sell crystal or made it to the oasis where the love of his life awaited him. After learning his heart’s fears, Santiago’s heart began to speak to him with wisdom. It was now connected with his Soul and the Soul of the World. To listen to one’s heart does not mean to follow it blindly; rather, it is about learning everything there is to learn about the way it behaves. Analyzing its fears and triggers will take us to the root of the matter, allowing for healing so that the language of the Soul can be heard clearly. 

Fatima is a beautiful example of someone who knows her heart. She understands that true love is love without ownership. She knew that if she genuinely loved someone, she would let them go to pursue their mission. She was certain that if she was truly part of the boy’s dream then he will return to her in due time. If Fatima’s heart had still been afraid, her fear of letting go would compel Santiago to stay with her and abandon his mission. He might have loved her, but over time, resentment would build, and he would begin to feel confined. In turn, she would feel guilty for causing him to forget his dream. 

How often do our fears interfere with loving someone in the purest sense? How often does our love suffocate another, fearing that if we let them go we will lose them? The wisdom of the World Soul compels us to confront those fears. It urges us to go on the journey of learning and self-discovery. It teaches love without ownership because, ultimately, we all belong to God and only God. It is God who determines our purpose, and only when we search for the treasure do we become ready and wise enough to recognise what is truly meant for us. 

Once the boy reaches the Pyramids, he discovers that the treasure is buried where he originally dreamt about it; in the ruins of a church in the Andalusian fields of Spain. He was happy, for although the treasure was right below his feet he knew that the real reward was the journey itself, things he experienced and the lessons he had learned. Through his trials and tribulations he has become an Alchemist himself, and his reward is the true gold of the alchemists: Sophia. Just like gold is tried in the oven, so the Soul is tried by pain. 

Only with the character developed through completing his journey could he truly understand and appreciate all that he gained. If he abandoned the journey before reaching the Pyramids, he would have lacked the wisdom necessary to hold on to everything he found along the way. Only now was he ready to love Fatima, and only after the lessons Fatima learned while awaiting his return, was she ready to love Santiago. 

The Alchemist invites us to listen to our heart; but not in the conventional sense. The story tells that the heart, though capable of genuine feeling, can be deceptive, leading us astray and tempting us to abandon our Personal Legend or interfere with authentic love due to fear of suffering. Succumbing to its fears, however, will only magnify our pain. By navigating our relationship with the heart with reason, and delving into the motivations behind its fears, we can transform the heart from a potential traitor into a loyal ally. Once liberated from fear the heart can then impart wisdom, becoming an invaluable companion on our journey toward fulfilling our mission and embracing true love.