The Alchemist: A Colorful Seeking Desire
“The old you must die before the new you can be born.”
The idea of raising the sails and turning your back on your hard-won identity to follow your inner voice is a terrifying feeling. This is what The Alchemist is all about. Are your sails set in the right direction?
On January 11, 2012, on a dripping wet evening in Cologne, my Iranian comrade Nikan gave me The Alchemist as a coming-of-age present, promising me with big shining eyes and an almost threatening look that its adventure expressed the true essence of life. Completely hectic but determinant, he threw words around that spoke of a vagabond shepherd, the desert, and, especially, a treasure.
Although I disappointedly figured out a few years later that he had only read half of the book, its spiritual messages created the foundation of my philosophy today.
Stand in front of the mirror and stare deep into your soul: Who do you see?
Throwing overboard all the possessions and leaving behind the familiar social structures is hard. Why do such a thing?
But let’s put the question differently: Who are you really when you look in the mirror stark naked without the backbone of society, your career, your education? If you leave this life without having dared to undress completely, you won’t get to know yourself to the fullest.
Even if each step in the instinctive direction puts nostalgic & painful moments in the way, in retrospect they are the most fulfilling steps.
Now, 9 years later, I look to my left and see the lava-red sun rising over the sapphire horizon. Behind me is a Kawai CN39, really not a bad electric piano, whose mellow sound has warmed my soul for many years.
So what has happened since that dark gray day in Cologne, when Nikan the scoundrel intuitively put this meaningful piece of literature into my hands?
The answers can be found in my book composition The Alchemist. Consisting of 6 pieces, each song written while again reading the book, it reflects the hidden treasure Nikan spoke of – he lived up to his promise.
The bittersweet melodies of The Alchemist embody those steps into the unknown, dark valley; the feather-light trotting in a colorful direction; the dream we all have as a simple person.
Are your sails set in the right direction?
