Eren Mommsen > Recent Status Updates

Pt.2 of quote:

"If either of us had joined this caravan based only on personal courage, but without understanding that language, this journey would have been much more difficult."

"That's the magic of omens," said the boy. "I've seen how the guides read the signs of the desert, and how the soul of the caravan speaks to the soul of the desert."

End quote.

Everything speaks, if only you can listen.

Pt.1 of quote:

"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."

"That's the principle that governs all things," he said. "In alchemy, it's called the Soul of the World. When you want something with all your heart, that's when you are closest to the Soul of the World. It's always a positive force."

Everything having energy, frequencies vibrating in harmony can be used collaboratively.

“Once you get into the desert, there’s no going back,” said the camel driver. “And, when you can’t go back, you have to worry only about the best way of moving forward. The rest is up to Allah, including the danger.”

No point regretting things that cannot be changed. It’s about moving forward and doing what you can in the best way you can.

People need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want.

I guess at that’s point it’s more the fear that you aren’t capable.

Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life, where the histories of all people are connected, and we are able to know everything, because it’s all written there.
“*Maktub,*” the boy said, remembering the crystal merchant.

“It is written.”

The desert is so huge,and the horizons so distant, that they make a person feel small, and as if he should remain silent.
The boy understood intuitively what he meant, even without ever having set foot in the desert before. Whenever he saw the sea, or a fire, he fell silent, impressed by their elemental force.

I enjoy the caravan leader’s respect of all the different religions followed by his travellers. Nice to see.

When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.

The hills of Andalusia were only two hours away, but there was an entire desert between him and the Pyramids. Yet the boy felt that there was another way to regard his situation: he was actually two hours closer to his treasure… the fact that the two hours had stretched into an entire year didn’t matter.

Reframing. Positive thinking I like it

There was a language in the world that everyone understood, a language the boy had used throughout the time that he was trying to improve things at the shop. It was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired.

It’s energy, and it can be understood, if only you allow yourself to.

“You know that I’m not going to go to Mecca. Just as you know that you’re not going to buy your sheep.”
“Who told you that?”
“*Maktub,*” said the old crystal merchant.

I think the merchant knew before he did. “It is written.” He could tell. The language of the universe.

Maybe it wasn’t that they were teaching me, but that I was learning from them.

Always try to learn from everything you experience, whether you’re being taught or not. Love that.

I don’t want to change anything, because I don’t know how to deal with change. I’m used to the way I am.

And that is something that afflicts us all in some capacity and is horribly limiting. I love that he chose to face that fear and commit to the change anyway. God on him.

One of them had spoken Arabic and the other Spanish.
And they had understood each other perfectly well.
There must be a language that doesn’t depend on words, the boy thought.

Yes, I love that.

Sorry, forgot to add this entry so we’re backtracking a bit, my bad

Contd.

It’s just sad because so many people don’t strive to pursue their dreams out of fear, and they willingly hold themselves back. It’s logically understandable, but it’s also sad.

“I’m afraid that it would all be a disappointment, so I prefer just to dream about it.”
Not everyone can see his dreams come true in the same way.

That’s kind of sad. His dream keeps him going but he can never bring himself to strive to realise it. I hope he does eventually, and I hope it’s everything he dreams it would be, and gives him a new vigour for life, knowing he realised his dream.

“We have to take advantage when luck is on our side, and do as much to help it as it’s doing to help us.”

Principle of favourability again, or beginner’s luck. I do really like that though, seeing luck as a force that is helping us, and a force that we can feed and take advantage of in an almost “mutually beneficial” kind of way. Hard to articulate, but I enjoy the concept.

He realised that he had to choose between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a thief and as an adventurer in quest of his treasure.
“I’m an adventurer, looking for treasure,” he said to himself.

YES. Love that. Mindset 101

“Am I going to find my treasure?” (And both stones fall out of his pocket).

To me, that means that it is entirely up to him. And I really like that.

“Learn to recognise omens, and follow them,” the old king had said.

That was quite a nice one, and took me a moment to recognise. But I really enjoyed it once I did.

“‘The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.’”

Balance. Presence. Focus and appreciation. I quite like that story.

“It’s called the principle of favourability. When you play cards the first time, you are almost sure to win. Beginner’s luck.”
“Why is that?”
“Because there is a force that wants you to realise your destiny; it whets your appetite with a taste of success.”

Lots to think about there.

“If you start out by promising what you don’t even have yet, you’ll lose your desire to work toward getting it.”

Something to think about.

“And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

Yes. You pull yourself toward yourself. Karma, in a sense. If you feel strongly enough about something, you will attract it. But that can be said for both good and bad feelings. You attract what you love as much as what you hate.

It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.

Many things make life interesting, but having dreams and trying to follow them is definitely a purpose worth pursuing, I feel.

I couldn’t have found God in the seminary, he thought, as he looked at the sunrise.

I love that, because, while I’m not religious, I find that being close to nature, being close to life and the world and the beauty of it all is the closest I ever feel to whatever form of “higher power” might be out there.

Afterthoughts pt.7:

There’s so much more I could say about this, and I might come back to do so at a later point, but probably not because I plan to fully immerse myself in the rest of the series as promptly as possible so I’ll see you in the next one, lad! Overall I’m giving this book a 5/5 because it did everything I needed it too and I didn’t stop enjoying it for a single second. Amen and Godspeed 🫡

Afterthoughts pt.6:

There were some spelling and grammar errors here and there, but as an avid fan fiction reader, I just made note of them and moved on. Couldn’t care less to be honest.

Speaking of fan fiction, this was written in the exact style and tone and with the exact sense of humour that I write my fanfics with. It was so wildly up my alley it’s hard to even fathom it.

Afterthoughts pt.5:

As for the bad guys, I loved the Darks as people, Tina as Sam’s mortal enemy, and to be honest I just kinda felt bad for Justin. I didn’t really understand the whole arranged marriage thing considering Anthony didn’t really strike me as the type, but I guess you never know.

Afterthoughts pt.4:

I related very strongly to Sam’s struggle with Ryan as I struggle with the same obliviousness and heartache that he does, which was both frustrating and humbling at the same time. Also loved all the side characters — seriously, all of them, from Gary, Tiggy, and Ryan, to Mama and Moishe, to the King and Morgan and Sam’s parents, to Kevin and Randall and, hell, even Justin (kind of).