The Secret of the Ancient Alchemist

by Yasmin Esack

  “Hello, Tom. It’s a real pleasure to hear from you,” Bentley said.

  “How ar’you?”

  “I couldn’t be better. As you know, Olsen’s about to crack the date. At the moment, I’m preparing for the State of the Earth Conference in Paris. Thanks for letting me take your place and arranging my stay.”

  “The world needs to know about the new age. I do hope everything goes well. Most won’t embrace it.”

  “I intend to get on that podium and talk about it. The Q’ero still support their ancestral claim that the earth will witness a new dawn.”

  Bentley was referring to an indigenous Peruvian clan. The Q’ero had lived for years in isolation. Their ancestors had survived the Spanish invasion by fleeing to safe ground fourteen thousand feet in the Andes. They were discovered in 1949.

  “Their mindsets intrigue me. What can you tell me about them, Dr. Bentley?”

  “There’re many things we can learn from them. What will interest you is the ritual of Mosoq Karpay. It’s tribal power, power that allows one to become luminous or an Inca.”

  “Luminous?”

  “It’s a connection to a timeless world.”

  “Care to elaborate?”

  “Mosoq Karpay is similar to a cosmic phone call. A response comes from the dead.”

  “The dead?” Hart needed to be sure.

  “Yes, from ancestors who answer from the beyond. The Q’ero speak a lot of holes of time, portals, where one steps through to connect to the future.”

  “Who can render this power?”

  “Shamans.”

  The information excited Hart.

  “Is there any text that substantiates this?” he asked

  “None that I know of.”

  He sighed.

  “What’re looking for, Tom?”

  Hart seemed deeply disturbed, Bentley thought.

  “What I’m looking for is something down to earth, yet, supernatural.

  “Down to earth but supernatural?”

  “Yes. I’m looking for a portal to a realm.”

  “There’s an ancient text that may interest you.”

  “Which?”

  “The Gospel of Judas.”

  “What about it?”

  “It says that the true human is the inner human.”

  “Inner?” He’d heard the word too often, along with Kingdom within. If only it had said more.

  “The gospel was put together by Gnostics. Judas, it seems, was a nice guy. The Gospel is counted among the many hidden ones.”

  “I believe that the kingdom referred to in scripture is nature. Nature gives rise to a realm that’s in us. I need a text that’ll explain our connection to it, something like a portal. Any other gospel you can point me to?”

  “Hmmm,” Bentley took a brief moment to think. Soon he spoke. “I believe in the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, a gap was mentioned.”

  “A gap?”

  “Check it out. It may lie somewhere between the spirit and soul, I’m not sure. The gospel is also called the Berlin Codex. It was purchased by a German in 1896. It’s a fourth or fifth century Coptic text. Many pages are missing.”

  “Where was it found?”

  “It was found at a Christian burial site in Akhmim, Egypt.”

  “Thanks, thanks a lot, Dr. Bentley.”

  Hart hung up and headed to bed.

  Chapter 28

  It was dead quiet when he awoke at 4.30AM and made a cup of coffee. The calmness of the hour gave him a chance to reflect. For some inexplicable reason his mind drifted to Jude Cavalle. He never saw her again and he was grateful for that. But, there were times when he wished he was a normal twenty-five year old, dating women and being part of all the fun that life offered.

  He couldn’t remember when last he sat on a beach. Of course, Hart never danced. All that was far from his own reality. He remembered Jude asking him if he didn’t get bored. He hadn’t a reply for her, and, neither his parents who bombarded him with questions about his personal life and why he didn’t have one. But, that was how life was for Hart and it didn’t look like it would change soon. He wasn’t a social retard as most believed. He was simply too consumed by his mission to find a supernatural presence on earth. His personal life would have to wait.

  The sun had started coming up when he walked out his door. By 10.30AM, he was in Cambridge, Massachusetts, skipping across the campus of Harvard’s Divinity School. Walking at a pace, he thought of the questions he would to pose to Carlon Leidman, Professor of Divinity and Head of CSWR, the Center for the Study of World Religions.

  Ten minutes later, he faced the man in his office on the second floor.

  “What’re you looking for, Dr. Hart?” Leidman was curious of Hart. He knew about his work on dimensions and of his declaration that matter was supernatural. It was with much intrigue that he waited for Hart to speak.

  “Professor Leidman, first I want to thank you for taking the time to see me.”

  Hart liked Leidman. The sixty something year old was not just cerebral but warm and engaging.

  “Can we begin with the Gospel of Mary Magdalene if you don’t mind, Professor.”

  “You’re asking me about a hidden gospel?” Leidman’s eyes squinted behind his glasses, which he wore low on his nose. His porcelain white face threw tiny beads of sweat.

  “Yes. Is there something wrong with that?”

  “Not at all. The gospel is a fifth century Coptic text. The original manuscript was written in Greek. It’s apocryphal, not considered divine but useful.”

  “Where was it found?”

  “In Akhmim, Egypt, unearthed from a niche in an old mud wall. But, let me get to the contents.”

  “Please do.”

  “The gospel relates to a time after the resurrection of Christ. Mary Magdalene was approached by the disciples, demanding the secrets Christ had shared with her. It was accepted among them that he loved her most.”

  “Secrets? What secrets?” Hart pounced.

  “I’m not sure what they were, Dr. Hart.”

  “You’re not?”

  Hart was restless, Leidman thought. There was a look of urgency in his eyes. His response didn’t surprise him. A respected man of Theology, most believed he was a walking library. He coughed slightly.

  “Listen, Hart, I think I know what you’re after.”

  Hart frowned. How could you, Leidman?

  For a moment, the two locked eyes. As they stared, Hart felt a current telling him Liedman had the information that he was looking for. Leidman had that portal to an inner realm.

  He recollected himself. “Let’s continue, Professor.”

  “Magdalene spoke to the disciples about a vision she had had. She said she had asked Christ about it, specifically whether it came from the spirit or the soul, to which he had replied: Where the mind is there lies the treasure.”

  Hart jumped. “What’s your opinion on that?”

  “Well, the mind generates thoughts, doesn’t it? That makes it a treasure, Dr. Hart.”

  “It certainly does. The mind has neither space nor size. It’s a dimension all on its own.”

  “But that’s not what’s implied here. I want you to be clear on this.”

  “What d’you mean?”

  “It seems this gospel was referring to another kind of mind.”

  “Another kind of mind?” Hart was wide–eyed now. Could Liedman be implying it’s the universal mind? He waited patiently for him to speak further.

  “There’s a gap.”

  “What gap, Professor?”

  “Let me read a line from page 10. Ye doth not see with the spirit or the soul but the mind that is between the two. It is, it is…There’s a gap, a window to the ‘mind’ that sends visions and thoughts. If you shut your mind off, you’ll find the gap. It’s the mindless state.”

  Hart’s heart thumped. The incomprehensible silence is the portal. Being still. I should’ve known!

  “Are you okay?” Leidman inquired.
Hart seemed far away.

  “Yes, I’m fine. It is, it is refers to what, Professor?”

  “We don’t know. It’s where pages go missing.”

  “It’s the universal mind, isn’t it?”

  Leidman thought carefully for a moment. “I really can’t come to any definite conclusion as to what the two words could be referring to, Dr. Hart.”

  “I could. It’s the universal mind. I know it is. You did say it was another kind of mind, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, but without the pages, Dr. Hart, we’ll never know for sure.”

  “What d’you know about Magdalene’s vision? What exactly did she see?”

  “Apparently, she had seen something of Christ in that vision. There’s nothing more we can add to that, I’m afraid.”

  “You have no idea at all?”

  “It was supernatural, a near impossibility for her to have spoken about it as she did.”

  “Meaning?”

  “She did ask Him: How could such a thing be? Why does Magdalene’s vision interest you so much?”

  “My interest lies in a realm hidden in us. Her vision might have helped to understand it better. Magdalene saw something she couldn’t reconcile.” Hart’s disappointment reflected in his tone.

  “She spoke to the disciples of a realm.”

  “Really?” Hart’s heart skipped more beats.

  “It’s difficult to be precise about all she had said. I gather, however, the realm is where the ‘mind’ resides.”

  “The universal mind.”

  “If you insist, along with the soul.”

  “One’s soul?”

  “The soul finds and destroys darkness, ignorance, and foolish wisdom of the flesh. According to this gospel, the soul said: I see you but, you do not see me nor know me.”

  “I see.” Hart was becoming more and more excited by the minute and beginning to feel he had found the ancient text. He was sure of it. “Let’s be clear on this, Professor,” he said. “The realm Magdalene refers to lies within us, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes, as I’ve said, in the gap, along with the ‘mind’ and the soul.”

  “Could this realm harbour images of all that we see and live in? What’s in front of you is in you?”

  Leidman straightened up as if shocked. “The realm has images of all that we see? Is that what you’re implying?”

  “Yes. What…what if your soul was a mirror image of yourself?”

  “That’s an ambitious claim.”

  “It’s not.”

  Leidman glanced at his watch. Time was running low. “There’re quite a few things I still need to mention about this incredible gospel.”

  “Please go on, Professor.”

  “Of all the Gnostic gospels that exist, this one is most valuable. Unfortunately pages are missing, one to six and eleven to fourteen. Let me read more of what was said. I think you’ll find them fascinating. The gospel does begin with Christ having a discussion with his disciples, including Magdalene. It was a brief discussion and then, He left. What He had said would interest you.”

  “Why?” Hart frowned.

  “They’re statements about matter.”

  Matter? Hart stared. Am I hearing right?

  Leidman placed the text firmly on his desk.

  “I’m going to read to you. It’s such a pity that pages one to six that precede these fascinating bits are missing. Ready?”

  A cringe hurt Hart’s stomach. Somehow he knew what he was waiting on for almost every waking moment of life, a confirmation of a mirror-image realm, was before him. With a hint of nervousness, he said, “Sure.”

  “Matter gave birth to a passion that has no equal,” Leidman read.

  “What!” It was unlike Hart to be so reactive but he couldn’t help it.

  “I’ll read it again. Matter gave birth to a passion that has no equal.”

  “A passion that has no equal, you say?”

  “Yes. What would this passion be, Dr. Hart?”

  “A dimensional realm, Professor.”

  Leidman had been reading the gospel for years but actually hadn’t fully understood it. “You seem so sure?” he remarked.

  “I am.” Hart calmed down as Leidman prepared to read again.

  “Ok, let me continue. Every creature, every form, every modelled thing exists in and with each other and will be resolved again to its proper root for the nature of matter is resolved into what belongs to its nature.”

  “My God! That’s it!” Hart rose as Leidman stared.

  “What is it, Dr. Hart?”

  “Everything we see is in that realm. What’s in front of you is in you.”

  “How can that be?”

  “Matter can exist as light. We have inner light.”

  “That we access?”

  “Why else would this gospel speak of the mindless state?” Hart struggled to feel the ground beneath his feet. He was floating. “I’ve said over and over there’s design to creation. The more it opens up, the more excited I get. Don’t you see, Professor, don’t you see?”

  “See what, Dr. Hart?”

  “We’re inter-connected in a realm. We can effect change in our lives and those of others because we have a dynamic universe in us. It’s a platform of possibility. We’re not alone.”

  “I see. Let me finish this last bit, Dr. Hart.”

  “Please, please do.”

  “Be encouraged in the presence of all forms of matter.”

  Hart shut his eyes now.

  Chapter 29

  He opened his eyes to the lightly painted room and the gospel text that lay on Leidman’s desk, lit by a lamp.

  “Thank you, Professor Leidman. I’m grateful for all you’ve revealed,” he said.

  “I never imagined you could be so emotional, Dr. Hart. You don’t appear to be that way on TV. You’re always so composed, so… so…”

  “Stiff, you mean. Nah, I’m a normal guy.”

  “Would you care to expand on why we should be encouraged in the presence of matter?”

  Hart tried hard to focus on the question. His head was still caught in a cloud over the gospel’s revelations. He straightened up to speak.

  “Well, there are two reasons.”

  “Let’s have the first.” Leidman came forward, almost breathing over him.

  “Well, it’s because matter harbours a mind, a mind we cannot see.”

  “And, secondly?”

  “For years, thinkers have pondered the relationship between the mind and matter. Does a relationship exist? The fact that matter gave birth to a passion that has no equal or a dimension of light makes it certain. Our minds connect to a force in matter through the mindless state. Meditation has always been an aspect of spirituality. Now, we can see why.”

  Hart wanted to engage Leidman further on the subject but Leidman closed his book and looked at his watch. Hart’s time was really running low.

  “I’ll think about this some more, Dr. Hart, and I must say, you’ve given me a new perspective on this gospel. I guess we tend to ignore matter and creation.”

  “Professor, where can I find the missing pages?”

  Leidman knew the question was coming. “The gospel was sold to a German art dealer in 1896 by an Egyptian from Akhmim. I know nothing of the missing pages. Truly, I wish we did.”

  “Could they still exist?”

  Leidman gave it some thought before he spoke again. “The manuscript, when found was covered in leather and bound with wooden boards. No one can say for sure if they were in the document when taken to Berlin or not.”

  “Exactly where was it taken?”

  “The Berliner Museen and then, brought to the attention of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences by Carl Schmidt. Details are a little sketchy.”

  “So, who did the translation?”

  “Carl Schmidt. He translated previous texts like the Act of Peter. The gospel was finally published in 1955.”

  “That’s more than fifty years later. What do we know a
bout Schmidt?”

  “He was a scholar and a Copticist. The Academy itself was founded in 1700 and there was great interest in Roman-Greek Archaeology. Max Planck, Einstein, and Voltaire were three notable members.”

  Hart’s eyes swept the ground. Soon, he looked up. “Would you happen to have some idea of what would have been in those missing pages?”

  “Page seven begins with a question.”

  “What question?”

  “Will matter then be utterly destroyed? Therefore we can assume that the six prior pages were a discussion of matter. Pages eleven to fourteen dealt with Magdalene’s vision and, of course, the ‘mind’, Dr. Hart.”

  “I have to find them, Professor, particularly the six pages that deal with matter. I think they would indicate the existence of other worlds.”

  “Well, I wish you luck.”

  For a moment, Hart wondered if he would really find the pages. He shook the negative emotions off and looked across at Leidman who was probably wondering what was going through his mind. He pulled his weight up from his chair.

  “I’ve taken much of your time, Professor. Thank you for everything. I really appreciate it.”

  “My pleasure and please, keep in touch with me.”

  Chapter 30

  He took little notice of the New England state and its colonial settings as he hurried across the campus with his hands in his pockets.

  He passed the Widener Library and hopped a taxi to Logan International Airport. Glancing at his watch, he realized he could be back at work in a couple of hours. But, work didn’t preoccupy him at all. The words of many ancient texts did.

  The seeker of truth will be astonished. When he finds the truth, he will find rest. Everything lives in and with each other. When you come to recognize yourself, you must first recognize what is in your sight, then, what is hidden will be known. There’s a gap between the body and the soul. Matter gave birth to a passion that has no equal. Where the ‘mind’ is there lies the treasure... it is… it is... Where the mind is there lies the treasure, it is… it is…

  “The universal mind of matter!” he shouted with unmatched exuberance.