by Yasmin Esack
THE SECRET
OF THE
ANCIENT ALCHEMIST
Yasmin Esack
A Wild Wolf Publication
Published by Wild Wolf Publishing in 2015
Copyright © 2015 Yasmin Esack
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed by a newspaper, magazine or journal.
First print
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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The seeker of the truth will be astonished. Then, he will marvel. When he marvels, he will find rest.
-The Gospel According to the Hebrews-
Foreword
Intuition, having knowledge without direct thought is real, as is the ability to foretell the future. Did you ever wonder how it all happens? Three institutions in the United States are trying to find that out. So far, nothing has been conclusive.
Map of Egypt
Prologue
Panapolis, Egypt. 320AD
A gust of the hot, Khamsin wind blew sand in his face as he turned. With the sleeves of his cotton tunic, he wiped the grains away. It was in the Western Desert of Egypt that Zosimos, the alchemist of Panapolis, sat on a rock thinking. The fallen angels had come to earth and had taught their women much of the workings of nature. The initiated adepts knew how to draw on a divine mind bound to creation. He too had captured the supernatural spirit. It had made his mind pure. Zosimos was grateful for he was able to heal the sick of El-Amarna, a village north of the Nile. He even changed copper to gold.
He gazed now at the monastery where he passed years in reverence, determined as he was to capture as much of the supernatural force as he could. Zosimos seemed edgy. An old man now, he hadn’t accomplished all he wanted to. He wanted to traverse the heavens like the Egyptians did. They knew the power of creation’s mind, the Prima Materia.
Frustration rose as he thought of how long he had been trying. Yet, he would never give up.
Zosimos meditated for days focusing his attention on water, air, earth, and fire, the elements that gave him life. In the coolness of his mud-walled retreat, he closed his eyes again and lay still, feeling the universe and the light that came from within, the light that empowered him.
Soon, he disappeared into the heavens.
Chapter 1
California, USA.
June 2018 10.15A.M.
On a bright, clear morning, Marjorie Clairmont hurried up the steps of the institute she headed, the National Centre for Noetic Research, to begin its annual conference. Dressed in a tailored suit, she made her way to the third floor where five presenters sat waiting on the proceedings to begin. She took a seat but it wasn’t long before her heart sank. Thomas Hart was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Dr. Hart? There has to be a realm in us. There has to be,” her mind said as she stared out at her audience.
Marjorie knew the conference would carry less weight without an input from the Quantum Physicist and his secrets of matter. Hart was unlike anyone she had known. He was innovative and a man sure to awaken the world to human capability.
She moved to the microphone. “Is Dr. Hart here today and could you please stand up?” she asked.
The room was silent. Her disappointment showed in her somber expression. Hart wasn’t really looking for a stage to express his ideas she knew. He was a private man on an unordinary mission and she believed in him. Marjorie had come to accept the fact that there was a creative force in the universe that was disposed to the human mind. She recalled telling Hart on the phone three days ago that his study of matter would add a new dimension to her research on human potential, to which he had replied that she had no idea how audacious it was, but that it was high time humans adopted a new way of thinking and moved themselves forward. He had politely accepted her invitation and now she couldn’t fathom what had gone wrong for he was a man of his word.
Pressed to get on with the proceedings, Marjorie began her opening statements.
“Good morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Annual Conference of Noetic Research. In a nutshell, it’s about the power of the human mind. Can we heal ourselves and others? Who’re we in nature’s design. Our institute is deeply committed to the study of human potential. In our investigations, we discovered that consciousness arising out of meditation significantly altered metabolic functions. It could heal the body. Other experiments have shown more remarkable results, such as in the recovery of memory and recovery from cancer. We don’t know how it all works and to what extent we can be conditioned by the universe. Can we be super-conscious? We believe our work is encouraging and it’s only a matter of time before we fully understand human potential. We open this conference to present you with the details of our work. Our first presentation is from Andrew Matheson. Dr. Matheson’s research on the Science of Inward knowledge is well-acclaimed across the globe.”
As Matheson approached the podium to a round of applause, Marjorie exited the hall and pulled her cell phone from her handbag.
Chapter 2
A realm of quantum light straddled his thoughts like bees to a honeycomb. It was what he lived for. That realm existed in humans as everything else but few knew of it. Few knew there was a beacon of hope in them shining through a world of darkness.
Dr. Tom Hart walked through the campus of Princeton University on his way to his lecture at Fine Hall obsessing about it all. As usual, he looked straight ahead noticing little else. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and took a call.
“Hello?”
“I suppose you’re not coming to the conference.”
“I’m so sorry to have to miss it, Dr. Clairmont, but I’ve got a guest lecture this morning. I couldn’t get out of it.”
“I’m disappointed to say the least. I was hoping you would’ve said a bit about matter and its realm. I’m quite intrigued by your outlook on consciousness, having read your online postings.” Marjorie chuckled. “You sure gave the establishment a piece of your mind with respect to the teachings and practices of religion. I’d be a little careful if I were you.”
“You mean my belief in matter having a divine force?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t care what anyone thinks.” Hart took pride in being an independent thinker. He would not accept any of the conventional doctrines but he could never ever deny the existence of a supernatural presence in creation. He put his faith in matter, sure of its hidden power, a power he had to find. It was all part of his plan to unravel human potential. “I believe I can put forward a better understanding of who we’re and our ability to achieve.”
“I’m not doubting you, even if your propositions are unorthodox. Do you fill me in on all your findings.”
“I will and I know your laboratory will continue to do great work.”
“Consciousness shouldn’t be ignored.”
“It’s our control centre. Why should we?”
“But we do. I’m really looking forward to all y
ou have to say on super-conscious and meditation. I think it’s time we took a closer look at the process.”
“I certainly agree with that.”
“We see its benefits over and over and we don’t know why. I’ve seen people’s thinking improve, improvements in businesses, health and emotions. It’s beyond remarkable. It’s downright mysterious.”
“Let’s try and end the mystery.”
“Bye, Dr. Hart.”
“Bye, Dr. Clairmont. Again, I’m sorry for missing your conference.”
Chapter 3
Even as the confident words came from his mouth, he wondered if he would truly deliver his promise of a better understanding of human nature as he entered his classroom. Hart knew the difficulties of his mission. It wasn’t going to be easy to prove humans harboured a realm of supernatural light, a realm of creation.
A quick glance at the clock on the wall told him he was early. His students weren’t due until 9.15AM. In the quiet of the room he sat, reflecting on his task again. He had spent nights pacing the floor of his New Jersey home trying to fathom how meditation could govern humans. His resolve steamed like an old-time locomotive, rivalled only by his passion for the truth. Hart didn’t dismiss the scientific claim that meditation stimulated the brain, but too many links were missing in the chain of events that led to success. Something real was sending signals to the brain.
It was after much searching, self-speak and debate that he found an answer in nature. Higher consciousness would come from nowhere other than an interaction of mind and matter. The universe was there to appease the mind and his challenge was to show how.
His mission was a personal one for he was a seeker of truth and as he sat his thoughts hovered around the path that connected the immaterial mind to the physical universe.
“All matter exists in a dimensional realm of light,” he said, staring at the empty chairs in the room.
His knowledge of Quantum Physics allowed him to say that. Matter had visible and invisible forms like vibrating waves that couldn’t be seen by eyes.
The realm was an amazing aspect of nature. It was a platform of possibility, something humans could connect to, allowing them to have it all. More than that, it mirrored the universe.
“Everything we see is in the realm. People don’t know they’re in a realm, do they? It’s a higher expression of them. What a pity,” he lamented now.
He straightened up remembering his task was far from over. He still had to prove the realm was in humans, not to mention finding a supernatural force in it. It was going to be a long journey for Hart but it did nothing to break his spirit. He was sure about his approach to higher consciousness. It wasn’t going to be so easy to convince anyone, he knew. The world was a die-hard one. His friend, Julius Olsen, was no exception. Three months ago they had met at a Starbucks on Greenidge Street in New York. Olsen lived in California. An astrophysicist by profession, he was a big guy at six feet four with a tremendous zest for life. Hart wasn’t as tall as he was, shorter by two inches and slimmer. While Hart wore jackets, Olsen wore shorts.
“The universe has a dual nature,” Hart had said to him over coffee, “and, it’s in you.”
“You mean there’s another one of me in me? You’re kidding?”
“I’m not. You’re here and in an inner realm at the same time.”
Olsen wasn’t going to swallow anything. “Why would nature design us that way, Tom?”
Hart’s response was prompt. “To allow us connect to the supernatural. We have a natural ability to enhance our mental and physical states. D’you know how many people know something’ll happen before it does? The information must arise from somewhere. There’s a realm in us. We just don’t know it.”
“You’re not suggesting it sends thoughts, are you?”
“I am! Meditation, for example, exposes humans to that realm.”
“Meditation can relax the mind, Tom.”
“I suppose it can.”
“And, that may be the reason for peoples’ mental state improving.”
“People have seen traces of light during meditation.”
“Light?”
“Yes. It’s transcendence from normal consciousness to realm consciousness. I know it is.”
Olsen had stared at the fervour on Hart’s face. He had a compelling desire to improve the human psyche, sure it was all connected to the universe. “Can you find this realm, Tom?” he had asked, wondering how far Hart would get with his mission but not at all doubting his capability. He was the Cupid of Science and a man with an aptitude for striking at the heart of nature’s forces. More than that, Hart had a super-analytical mind like none he had ever seen. He would sit and ponder the mathematical theorems of the past, sure that most of them were wrong. Then, calmly taking pen and paper, he would rewrite them all. Like him, Hart was reserved in manner and had few friends. He was more than happy to be one of them.
“I can,” Hart had said ignoring the hint of hesitance in Olsen’s eyes, the same hesitance he had seen in others so many times.
“I may not be here when you do,” Olsen’s reluctance continued. “CERN took fifty years to find the Higgs-Boson.”
“Right! The particle that gives mass to objects so people can see them. Don’t you see, Olsen? Don’t you see? There’s a realm. Everything we see exists as images. The universe isn’t three but five-dimensional. There’s a two dimensional realm of light.”
Olsen sighed. “Sorry, Tom, but you still don’t have any real evidence of it, far less prove we’re connected to it.”
Hart leaned back and stretched his legs. He placed his hands behind his head. His eyes scanned the room coming to rest on Olsen again. His voice resonated with a mixture of anger and certitude when he came forward and spoke.
“We’re in a supernatural realm and you know it! Stop pretending, Olsen. The light seen in meditation comes from it and,” Hart’s hand banged the table, “there’re particles in it that transmit information to us.”
“Like radio waves, you mean?”
“Waves that are converted to thoughts. Thoughts are powerful tools.”
“And, what drives it? What’s behind it all?”
“A mind, a great, big universal mind.”
Olsen took a sip of his coffee, quite bemused by Hart’s undertaking.
“So, how on earth ar’you going to find a mind in the realm?” he asked.
“That’s a big challenge I agree, but, credible proof of a mind bound to matter exists. The ancient alchemists called it Prima Materia.”
“Prima Materia?”
“Yes, the source of all things.”
“You’re saying the physical world is inert in a quantum sense and the realm is dynamic. It creates things for us.”
“Not just what we see, but how we think and feel.”
Chapter 4
A quick glance outside his classroom reminded him it was June. The hall was quiet with a just few students milling about ending their semester. He got up and looked through a window, staring in the distance at the tall pine trees that were bleaching under a hot sun. A smile crossed his face as he recalled Olsen’s parting comment to him about his over-sized ambition. He respected the Dane’s honesty but nothing would deter him from his mission.
He brushed back strands of his long blonde hair from his face and spoke.
“Thoughts can be read. Needs, wants and desires can be heard. There must be a supernatural force. There has to be. Thoughts move faster than the speed of light. Now, that’s really fast.” Hart’s blue eyes shifted as he reasoned further. “The one thing that can process the human mind is a bigger mind. It must be somewhere and that somewhere is a realm, a realm of our matter!”
Hart truly believed a supernatural mind was bound to matter. He knew a lot of the quantum components of matter, particles like mesons, ions, charges, quarks and spins but, as hard as he tried, he could find no evidence of a supernatural force.
He had looked at mountains of nanoscopic structures,
eyeing every wave-like pattern of matter hoping to find a semblance of it, possibly an energy field or something, but had found nothing.
He recalled Dr. Franklin Palksy of the National Particle Accelerator Laboratory standing over him and saying as he had been gaping at photos of colliding particles, “I don’t think you’ll find anything that’s unusual in there, Hart. You seem determined to go beyond Science and what’s humanly possible.”
Julius Olsen didn’t forget to remind him of that either in a phone conversation they had had after their rendezvous in New York City.
“Tom, you’re still looking for proof of a universal force in matter?”
“I guess I am,” he had said.
“But, even if you bombard matter with the new super Hadron accelerator, you won’t find it.”
“I’m well aware of that, Olsen.”
“Well then, quit looking!”
Palksy and Olsen were right, he conceded. Finding evidence of a supernatural force in matter, a force that lifted the mind to unprecedented levels of consciousness wasn’t possible. Still, a flicker of hope crossed his face as he sat down again. Hart would not be daunted. Credible proof existed somewhere. Someone came upon earth to explain it all. Matter harboured a supernatural mind in a realm of light, a realm humans could connect to.
Chapter 5
9.10AM. His passion for unveiling the mystery of life was slowly melting into the grind of another workday. Hart was young at twenty-five. At his age, he felt apart, alone, as if destiny had chosen him for a purpose. He fought hard to clear his mind of his doubts and fears and turned to his notes.