SCI-TERMS

In this section I will attempt to analyse the concept “The Soul of the World” can be viewed from Plato’s Cosmology: The Timaeus.

(1) None of what the old man was saying made much sense to the boy. But he wanted to know what the "mysterious force" was; the merchant's daughter would be impressed when he told her about that! "It's a force that appears to be negative, but actually shows you how to realize your destiny. It prepares your spirit and your will, because there is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth."

  (2) "Yes, or even search for treasure. The Soul of the World is nourished by people'shappiness. And also by unhappiness, envy, and jealousy. To realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation. All things are one. "And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

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This statement, which Melchizedek says to Santiago upon their first meeting, forms the foundation of the philosophy of The Alchemist. Essentially, Melchizedek says that dreams are not silly or selfish desires that should be ignored. Instead, they serve as the primary means by which people can get in touch with the mystical force that connects everything in the universe. He convinces Santiago that his nagging desire to visit the pyramids is actually a calling, and he sets Santiago on his journey of spiritual discovery. By associating seemingly selfish human desires with the soul of the universe, The Alchemist presents a form of spirituality that differs radically from traditional religions that espouse self-denial. Instead of practicing sympathy by identifying with and helping others, Santiago must focus on his own personal dreams.

This quote also introduces the concept of the soul of the universe, which characters refer to later in the novel as the Soul of the World. This entity becomes extremely important later in the book, as it is the spirit that Santiago must connect with in order to turn into the wind. The quote alludes to the idea that a person’s purpose in life centers on fulfilling one’s desires, a notion that also becomes important in the form of the Personal Legend. Although this quotation doesn’t mention these ideas by name, it lays the groundwork for Santiago’s and the reader’s later understanding of them.

According to Plato’s Cosmology: The Timaeus, the concept of the soul of the universe is the concept about the demiurge created air and water, and arranged all four elements proportionally: as fire is to air, air is to water; as air is to water, water is to earth. In the novel, the spirit that Santiago must connect with in order to turn into the wind, because the wind is the part of the four elements.

To create the Universe, the Demiourgos carried out a number of tasks, more or less simultaneously. He mixed the body of the Universe, using the four proto-elements of earth, air, fire and water, and agitated it ‘like a shaking machine’, thus causing the elements to become separated and purified. In this way, he formed the Sun, Moon, planets and stars, which he set in seven concentric bands around the Earth.

At the same time, the Demiourgos mixed the soul of the Universe, which he planted in the centre, in the Earth, and then extended outwards, thereby energising the Sun, Moon, planets and stars. Finally, he wrapped this soul-substance around the outside of the Universe so that it totally surrounded the sphere, and he set the sphere of the Universe spinning upon itself, round and round in a circular motion.

All of these things the Demiourgos created according to ‘a symphony of proportion’, employing Pythagorean mathematical relationships as the basis for cosmic order.

As discussed earlier, the whole visible Universe was a cipher for the invisible realm of the ‘other world’, personified by the Demiourgos, and the challenge for man was to decipher the riddle in order to pave the way for the return of his soul to unity with God.