Wednesday, March 18, 2015

The Soul of the World...tapping into the universal language or every self-help book you have ever read

"I have watched the caravan as it crossed the desert," he said. "The caravan and the desert speak the same language, and it's for that reason that the desert allows the crossing. It's going to test the caravan's every step to see if it's in time, and, if it is, we will make it to the oasis" (Coelho 79).

 In this section, there are many references to the importance of understanding the universal language. Santiago understands that intuition is connected to the "universal current of life"  and the Englishman suggests that this current is called the "Soul of the World." Much like Jung's collective unconscious, every thing on the earth has a soul and is undergoing a continuous transformation that is linked with all other souls of the earth. Whitman says in "Leaves of Grass" that "every atom belonging to me, as good belongs to you." Therefore, elements are intertwined with each other. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by Emerson...

In order to succeed at finding your Personal Legend, you need to be open to the universal language a.k.a omens. 
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 19, 2015 at 5:40 PM

    I read the first third of this book as a sophomore and I am delighted yet disappointed that I put it down. The meaning behind a small shepherd boy's journey in the desert is extremely rich but would have soared over my head at that age. I love your connection back to Jung's collective unconscious philosophy with the universal language. They are both similar in a way that they are both unsaid, unheard, or unwritten, but rather felt by and between all things; nature and human beings alike. In some cases, such as the desert and caravan quoted above, the connection is what allows everything to proceed. Without this universal language, who knows what would happen? It would be worse than a stranded caravan, I assure you.

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  2. UnknownMarch 24, 2015 at 5:40 PM

    This Universal Language, it seems, can not be described in words or explained in human terms. Human language gets in the way of understanding or remembering this Universal Language, which prevents communication with the Soul of the World. Santiago believes that the Language of the World is always available to all things, but that "people become fascinated with pictures and words, and wind up forgetting the Language of the Wrold" (Coelho 87). We get distracted and preoccupied with human forces and neglect our truth, our connection with each other, our connections with nature, and our connection with the divine.

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