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https://www.audacy.com/podcasts/personal-legend-41471

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Kumar, Pawan. “10 Powerful Life Lessons You Can Learn From the Alchemist.” Medium, 12 June 2018, prepawan.medium.com/10-powerful-life-lessons-you-can-learn-from-the-alchemist-78817d20a88e.

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Aletheia. “» Home » Starting the Journey  What’s the Difference Between Fate and Destiny? (Don’t Get Them Confused!).” lonerwolf.com, 3 Sept. 2021, lonerwolf.com/difference-between-fate-and-destiny.

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Are you living out your fate or creating your destiny?

Fate and destiny are both terms that tend to be used interchangeably in conversations. We hear people saying "He met his fate" and "It must be her destiny " - but have you ever wondered that the actual differences between fate and destiny are?

If you're wanting to discover what path you're on, I want to help you find a clear answer by the end of this article.

What is Fate?

"Fate" comes from the Latin word Fatum meaning "that which has been spoken." Therefore, through the ages, fate has come to be associated with that which has been predetermined for our lives. Fate is based on the notion that there is a natural order in the Universe which cannot be changed, no matter how hard we try. The ancient Greeks and Romans even believed that three goddesses called Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos (or the " Three Fates ") had the role of determining a person's ultimate life path.

Overall, fate tends to have pretty negative connotations. For example, people who experience misfortune often tend to believe that fate is the cause. Pessimistic terms such as "to seal one's fate" and "a fate worse than death" all suggest that fate is something undesirable and negative.

Spiritually, fate is what occurs when we ignore our life calling and don't actively work to reconnect with our souls or True Nature. When we leave our lives up to fate, we are basically handing over the reigns of control to other people and outside circumstances. When we don't put any effort into consciously changing and evolving, what happens is fate.

What is Destiny?

Destiny has much more positive connotations than fate. Deriving from the Latin word Destinare, destiny means "that which has been firmly established." While this definition also refers to the idea of predetermined events, destiny is something we can actively shape and alter. Unlike fate, there is an element of choice in destiny. Qualities such as courage, compassion, willpower, and patience can all help to change your destiny.

Spiritually, destiny is intimately connected to our ultimate life path. When we choose to step up and take responsibility for our lives, then we are actively shaping our destiny instead of leaving our lives to fate. Fulfilling our destiny involves consciously developing a connection to our deepest inner selves and maturing on an emotional, mental, and spiritual level.

What's the Difference Between Fate and Destiny? (Summarized)

Fate is that which you cannot change. Destiny is that which you're meant to do. While fate is what happens when you don 't take responsibility for your life, destiny is what happens when you commit to growing, learning, and taking chances. Being "destined for greatness" only comes through active and conscious decisions. But fate is what happens when you let other people and external circumstance dictate your life.

Do We Have Control?

Fate and destiny can be perceived as two sides of the same coin: both are predetermined. But the important thing to remember is that there are infinite possibilities in life. Fulfilling our destiny means consciously directing the stream of our lives in a certain direction. While subjectively (to the ego) this means that we have control and choice, objectively, there is no such thing as control or choice because the concept of "me" and "you" don't exist (except in the mind).

So the answer to the question "do we have control" is paradoxical: we do and we do not have control. However, while we are still operating on the level of having a sense of self (ego), it is vital that we proactively work to step up and take responsibility for our destiny.

How to Fulfill Your Destiny

As long as you are consciously seeking to learn, grow, and spiritually evolve, you are fulfilling your destiny. However, if you're wanting to achieve your highest potential, you might benefit from the following tips:

Develop self-understanding. There are so many free resources out there (including this website) which can help you understand who you are better. Our free tests section is a great place to start.

Find out what you're passionate about. What sets your soul on fire? What excites and thrills you? What do you admire and deeply enjoy doing? Make sure you keep doing whatever fulfills you.

Surround yourself with supportive people who inspire you. Critics and judgmental people often trigger huge amounts of self-doubt within us. Sometimes we actually listen to these unsupportive people who tell us how to "live our lives," resulting in us choosing the wrong life path. Identify people in your life who are negative influences and remove them or reduce contact. Seek out kind, inspiring, and empathetic friends.

Permit yourself to move out of your comfort zone. Often, the biggest life changes occur when we make bold decisions. Sometimes fulfilling your destiny means getting a little bit uncomfortable or even making a terrifying leap of faith. Whatever the case, make sure you listen to your intuition and also use logic where necessary.

Identify limiting beliefs. When we believe our thoughts, we experience anger, insecurity, sadness, shame, and anxiety. The number one greatest block most people experience when trying to fulfill their destiny are core beliefs. Core beliefs are the main ideas we carry about ourselves which we were conditioned to believe since birth. Common core beliefs include "I am unworthy," "I am stupid," "I am a bad person," and "I don't deserve happiness." Read more about core beliefs.

Ask other people for support. You don't need to travel your journey alone. If you need some guidance, seek out help from a loved one, counselor or spiritual teacher. People who have walked this path before you can share a lot of wisdom which will benefit you greatly. I like to say a simple prayer asking for guidance when I need help. Prayer doesn't have to be religious - you can pray to Life, the Universe, Spirit, the Mystery, or whatever moves you.

Make a list of all your strengths. This simple practice can help to direct your energy in a more sustainable and beneficial way.

Remember that setbacks are normal. There is no such thing as failure, only learning opportunities. If something doesn't go your way, take a deep breath and realize that sometimes life wants us to move in a different direction.

Create goals. Goals are clearly defined milestones which can help you to get organized and prioritize what is most important to you.

Show kindness towards yourself. The more love and compassion you show towards yourself, the more you are naturally moving towards your ultimate destiny. Be mindful of negative and critical thoughts and let them pass without attaching to them.

Be yourself. There has never been a person exactly like you on the face of this planet, ever. Instead of imitating other people, explore what comes most naturally to you. There are too many people out there copycatting others. Be yourself. Explore your own style. Enjoy the peace that comes with not having to be someone you're not.

Ask yourself, "What do I want the most in life?" and direct all of your attention towards fulfilling that goal. Do you want freedom, peace of mind, love? When all's said and done, everything returns back to the desire for happiness. However, remember that chasing happiness actually creates suffering. Happiness can never be found in the past or future: it can only ever be found now, in the present moment. Therefore, to further refine the question, you might like to ask yourself "How can I enjoy life right now, in the present moment?"

Has this article helped you to discover the difference between fate and destiny? I hope the tips here have inspired you to actively shape your life path, rather than leaving it down to the forces of fate.

What are your thoughts about fate and destiny?

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What's the Difference Between Fate and Destiny? (Don't Get Them Confused!) ⋆ LonerWolf

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Are you living out your fate or creating your destiny? Fate and destiny are both terms that tend to be used interchangeably in conversations. We hear people saying "He met his fate" and "It must be her destiny " - but have you ever wondered that the actual differences between fate and destiny are?

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artByKarlen. Reddit - Dive Into Anything. www.reddit.com/r/ImaginaryLandscapes/comments/ld7n3k/fields_of_andalusia.

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This reddit community is for submitting your favourite digital or natural media **pictorial** creations of landscapes or scenery. They must be original creations, not photographs of already-existing places. Overgrown jungles, barren planets, futuristic cityscapes, or interiors, are just some examples of what is expected. Yes, you can submit drawings of your own imaginary landscapes.

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Fields of Andalusia
by u/artByKarlen in ImaginaryLandscapes

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Melchizedek introduces himself as the King of Salem. He explains to Santiago what a Personal Legend is and says that he shows up whenever someone is about to give up his Personal Legend. After Santiago gave him six sheep, he tells him that he would have to follow the guidance of God in order to find the hidden treasures. Then he gave Santiago two rocks named Urim and Thummin.

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“The Alchemist Part One Summary and Analysis | LitCharts.” LitCharts, www.litcharts.com/lit/the-alchemist/part-one.

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Need help with Part One in Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist? Check out our revolutionary side-by-side summary and analysis.

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1: Santiago refuses to sell his sheep for the journey to Egypt, because he loves his sheep and he knows that his sheep cannot be without him.

2: He refuses to leave Andalusia because he fell in love with a girl. For the first time, he considers staying at one place and stop being a nomadic shepherd.

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Santiago was sleeping in an abandoned church with his sheep. He had a reoccurring dream about a child who sends him to the Egyptian pyramids with the promise that he will find hidden treasures there, but he always wakes up when the child shows him where the treasures are. He finds a fortuneteller who tells him that he will find the hidden treasures if he go to the pyramids. Then he sell his sheep for the ticket to Africa, beginning his journey to finding the treasure.

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In the paragraph between the fifth and the sixth page, a flashback was presented: Santiago was reminiscing about the first time he met the merchant's daughter a year ago when he is 4 days from seeing her again. This is a typical example of a flashback because the author suddenly talks about things that were never mentioned before but later revealed that this is a piece of memory and went back to develop the story chronologically (5-6).

On page nine, Santiago thought back to his conversation with his dad which caused him to become a shepherd. This is also an example of a flashback (9).

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"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it".

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The theme of fate is present throughout the first part of the story. Early on in the story, Santiago has a recurring dream about finding a treasure at the Egyptian pyramids. This dream drives him to pursue his purpose, his destiny, of going to Egypt and finding that treasure. Although he is content with his present life as a shepherd, he decides to take the risk of going on a new adventure because he feels there is a power calling for him to fulfill what he is meant to do. The idea that fate is present for everyone is also reinforced by Melchizedek, the King of Salam whom Santiago encounters, who says" When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it"(23). He affirms that everyone has a destiny and it is everyone's duty to follow the signs and omens that lead them to that destination.

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Universal Language is the idea that there is a common language that transcends words, is understood by everyone and everything and connects all things in the universe. In the first part of the story, Santiago learns about the Universal Language through his encounters with other characters, such as Melchizedek, and his many experiences related to omens and signs. The ability to read and recognize omens is one of the key concepts associated with the Universal Language, as it is believed that omens are a language used by God to direct people to their destinies. The most important character Santiago encounters, Melchizedek, explains to him that the Universal Language is spoken and understood by everyone regardless of their background, ethnicity, or culture, as it is a language of heart and soul, learned through personal experiences rather than conventional words.

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The author explores the theme of nature through writing about the interactions between humans and the natural world. For Santiago, who spends a significant part of his time in nature tending to his flock of sheep, nature is a powerful force that acts as a source of wisdom and inspiration and provides Santiago with guidance. The tranquil beauty of the fields and hills makes Andalusia an optimal place for Santiago to reflect and contemplate as he leads his flock through the landscape. The role of nature is detrimental in helping Santiago to come to the realization that he needs to take more risks and start a new adventure.

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The theme of Personal Legend is an original idea from Coelho. The concept of Personal Legend is an individual's unique destiny or purpose in life and their journey to fulfill it. Throughout the first part of the story, the concept is mentioned frequently and Santiago's interpretation of the idea changes as he experiences new things. From living his life as a simple shepherd to realizing that he has a purpose to fulfill - to go to Egypt and find his treasure at the pyramids, to set out to complete that journey by sailing to Africa, we see an example of a person actively trying to achieve his Personal Legend. The importance of Personal Legend is also reinforced by Melchizedek, who tells the protagonist that everyone needs to follow their heart to achieve their Personal Legends.

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On the first page of the first paragraph of the book The Alchemist, one visual imagery that depicts the dusk and the roof of the abandoned church was used to render the atmosphere (1).

On the second half of page 10 of The Alchemist, "The horizon was tinged with red, and suddenly the sun appeared. " another visual imagery is used to cast a feeling of a new start (10).

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On pages 18-19 of the book The Alchemist,

"So he held out the book to the man—for two reasons: first, that he, himself, wasn’t sure how to pronounce the title; and second, that if the old man didn’t know how to read, he would probably feel ashamed and decide of his own accord to change benches (18)."

"The boy was shocked. The old man knew how to read, and had already read the book. And if the book was irritating, as the old man had said, the boy still had time to change it for another (18)."

" “He knew what I was thinking,” the boy said to himself (19)."

All these sentences/paragraphs are internal monologues that Santiago made when he is talking to the old king, this technique reveals the internal thoughts of the character to the readers.

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Everything around the boy has a certain symbolic meaning to his journey.
The sheep symbolize his comfort zone: He is accustomed to being a shepherd and he spent precious time with his sheep, thus leaving his sheep is the refusal of his journey.
The treasure/Pyramids in Egypt/his personal legend symbolized the pursuit of his dreams and his adventure
Melchizedek
Omens symbolized the guides or signs of instructions he will receive on his journey, and the butterfly on page 30 of the book symbolized his transformation.

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The sentence “My name is Melchizedek,” said the old man. “How many sheep do you have (20)?” from the 20th page of The Alchemist is an allusion. Melchizedek is a character from the bible, using such a character could enhance the religious atmosphere of the book and reasonably explain the character's supernatural ability.

On page 31, The Urim and Thummim signifying yes and no is also an allusion from the bible.

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Words or sentences are repeated because they are important to the character or are what the author wants to convey.
The Personal legend is repeated because it represents the dream of the main character
Omens are repeated because it is both the most important way that Santiago works toward his personal legend and what the author want to let his readers pay attention to.
"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it" is a saying that will be repeated later in different forms in the book. (It is not yet repeated) This is one of the most important ethics that the author wants to say.

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In the sentence “The jacket had a purpose, and so did the boy. His purpose in life was to travel, and, after two years of walking the Andalusian terrain, he knew all the cities of the region (8).” On the 8th page of The Alchemist, the author made a metaphor by comparing the jacket to the boy. Both of them share the characteristic of having a specific purpose.

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On page 4 of The Alchemist, "So there were times when he read them parts of his books that had made an impression on him, or when he would tell them of the loneliness or the happiness of a shepherd in the fields (4)." Though this is not a direct personification, we could still say that the sheep are personified to be able to understand Santiago.

On page 29 of The Alchemist, "The boy felt jealous of the freedom of the wind and saw that he could have the same freedom (29)." The wind is personified to have the freedom that the boy hopes to have.

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Through the sentence "They work hard just to have food and water, like the sheep (8)." on page 8 of The Alchemist, we could conclude that the sheep are compared with people who gave up the opportunity to pursue dreams and live only for the basic need of life, like what his parents once wanted him to become.

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"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting, he thought, as he looked again at the position of the sun, and hurried his pace (11)." Page 11 foreshadows that he will finally go on to pursue his dream rather than staying in the same place being a shepherd.

From "In order to find the treasure, you will have to follow the omens. God has prepared a path for everyone to follow. You just have to read the omens that he left for you (30)." and "Before the boy could reply, a butterfly appeared and fluttered between him and the old man. He remembered something his grandfather had once told him: that butterflies were a good omen (30)." on Page 30, we know that the importance of omens on his journey and his special ability to read omens well are indicated. (Which has been proven true in the weekend assignment reading.)