As you grow, what becomes real to you will be invisible to others. And what absorbs them may not matter at all to you. You become unlike everyone else—even unlike what you were just a short time ago. Yesterday a thing made sense and seemed worth it. Today it does not.
This is how it feels to escape a world. You become more alien yet simultaneously belong more powerfully. The belonging comes not because you mirror what is around you but because you contribute more meaningfully. You are increasingly relevant to people and situations. And exude an unmistakable aliveness.
Alchemists live by design rather than default. This nonconformity is essential because you cannot be like everything and play an evolutionary role. Too much concern with what people think interferes. And if outer voices override internal promptings, your heart dulls.
Yet the path of alchemy is not about isolation, rebellion, living undercover, escape, cynicism, or disconnection. You enter each situation more fully without being captive. Oddity, for its own sake, does nothing. Being a rebel can morph into an unhelpful identity and even egotism.
No one has lived the life that’s possible for you. So, there is no one to replicate. If you don’t feel uncertain and exposed, even a little ridiculous, you’re probably not pursuing the wildest possibility. Few things take as much courage as becoming who you are. Because others will not understand your path, they may be unable to affirm it no matter how much they love you. You must be willing to be odd and step into thin air.
There’s a surprise in all this—one not visible until your eyes adjust. But as you move between worlds, new allies appear. Some are so familiar it feels like you go back in time forever. You recognize each other. You may even be aware of what you are here to do together. The bond is unlike anything that exists as a personality because it comes from a higher level of yourself.
Nonconformity begins as a solo expedition. But the path into larger realities ultimately becomes one of brilliant, fluid, unshakable belonging.