The Secret of the Ancient Alchemist

by Yasmin Esack

  “Because they were never decoded. No one knew what was in them. What Olsen did was remarkable.”

  “Of course, Tom.”

  “Also fascinating were tablets with writing found at the bottom of Lake Titicaca. Olsen got wind of the tablets from the Quipus he deciphered. Bentley searched with a diving team and found them. Bentley found the first objects that prove aliens were here. I’m still not sure if that’s the reason they were both killed.”

  “I don’t think so. It has more to do with the Naples Document and the claim that the Inca were Christian-like. So, what happened to the tablets?”

  “They are part of his collection, as far as I know.”

  Pearce looked far into the distance. The resort’s gardens stretched for hundreds of yards. He turned to Hart. “What d’you think of this business of aliens?”

  “The ascent of man is a result of alien technology.”

  “You seem sure of that.”

  “Ancient civilizations knew of Astronomy and Science. The gods of the universe had travelled to earth and taught them.”

  “You’re not denying that spacecrafts exist, are you?”

  “No, not all. Are you aware there’re key sites?”

  “Key sites?” Steffi frowned.

  “Places along the equator that can be easily detected by alien communication systems. Carnac in France, Carahunge, Armenia’s Stone Henge and…”

  “Nazca,” Pearce interrupted.

  “Evidence of visitation exists in the Nazca lines and drawings. Mathematicians have long known the lines and drawings that expand three hundred square miles are precise alignments to Orion and can be seen clearly from orbit. Bentley considered it a landing strip.”

  “Bentley’s passion was truly the prophecy of the Inca.” Pearce shifted to ease the discomfort he was beginning to feel in his legs. “According to the prophecy, the eagle of the north will fly with the condor of the south and the earth will reawaken. It is the age of light. There’re phases in the coming of the New Age. We’re currently leaving the Piscean phase and entering the Aquarian phase.”

  “We have numbers 7, 19 and 4. Add them to 1991 which was the year of the last solar eclipse and we get 2021,” Steffi reminded them.

  “We’re at a cusp and things will gradually change from here onward.” Pearce pushed his chair back. “Are you ready?” he asked looking Hart’s way.

  “Where’re you going?” Steffi inquired.

  “I found Olsen’s data. Took me some little time to dig around but I found it, just where Juan Salazar said it would be. While in the Delta Amacuro, Bentley had told him where he kept his collection. Olsen’s data is in it.”

  “Wait!” Steffi called out. Hart and Pearce had already started walking away when she pulled a letter from her shirt pocket. It was a letter she had grabbed from a desk when she had visited Mary Findley. The letter came from Olsen and was filled with calculations and a method for deciphering alien writing. “Tom, listen, I’ve kept this letter a while. I want you to have it. So, what’re going to do about Olsen’s killer?”

  “Cathy, my girlfriend, found out that Olsen’s killer is a man called Hammer. He works for Foster. We’ll get Foster this time. Terrance Nash is going after Ernesto Arturo too. He’ll talk.” As he turned to leave, Hart’s phone rang. He stopped dead. The call was from Avery Lengard of the British Museum. He took a deep breath and answered. “Mr. Lengard?”

  “Dr. Hart, I have to tell we’ve concluded that the pages are forgeries. This conclusion is based on the fact that the papyrus fibres in the fragments originated form a sedge plant in the Sudan, probably about ten years ago. The organic content of the fibres suggests the papyrus could not have come from a fourth century plant. Based on this finding, I didn’t proceed with the translation. We’re a hundred percent certain of this outcome.

  Chapter 94

  Life seemed normal again for Steffi. A bright sun shone high in the sky as she focused her attention on potting plants, encouraged by the splash of colour from the petunias blooming on her kitchen window.

  From where she lived close to the city, she could tell La Joya’s annual carnival was in full swing. Huge crowds had gathered on the streets for the celebration but most were at the historic Knowles House at the corner of Chancery Lane and Albion Court. The Carnival in La Joya arose as a celebration of Canboulay, which, in 1888 was the only revelry slaves had, having been banned from everything. The music that accompanied the partygoers also arose from that era and was as fantastic as the masquerade itself.

  She turned. The sound of his dragging footsteps was familiar to her. She looked up as Pearce approached.

  “Guess what?” he said as he entered and sat on Steffi’s Burlington sofa.

  “What?”

  “I hacked Steel’s data.”

  He slid down to a comfortable position as Steffi lit a cigarette and dragged on it. She pondered her question. She knew Pearce would have the answer; he knew more of its intention than anyone else.

  “You think Steel’s research could change the world, don’t you?”

  “I’m sure of it.”

  “How come?”

  “His agenda will achieve its objectives, what it said it’ll do, stop the spread of the AIDS virus and put an end to cancer. It’ll take generations to see these changes.”

  “That is amazing,” Steffi remarked.

  “There’s going to be a whole new world, a whole new dispensation for mankind. Don’t you know that? It’s already happening. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta has become a land of hope. The Militia are no more. Steel is a saddened man though. SARDS was bombed again by security forces. He has little power now, stripped of everything, even his staff, all replaced by foreigners that he despises, his lifetime’s work handed out to everyone.

  “Has Hart found the date from Olsen’s Inca data?”

  “Yup!”

  “Well?”

  He grinned at her.

  “Come on!”

  “It’s 2021. Hart found the same number, 4.” A curious expression sprung up on Pearce’s face.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “Come on, say!”

  “I adopted a boy. Now I’m a proud father.”

  “Who’s this boy?”

  “Julius Olsen Jr. By the way, Marin is getting married three Sundays from now.”

  “Married to whom?”

  “Sonia Hart. She’s Hart’s sister. I’m his best man.”

  “Really? That’s nice.”

  “And, I thought that…that.” Pearce fidgeted in his usual manner.

  “What, you’re not going?”

  “Yeah, but... I... I thought maybe we should give it a try.” Pearce opened a box and placed it on the coffee table as Steffi stared at the stunning diamond ring. “Well?” he said.

  “I will, Tim.”

  Chapter 95

  September 05 2018

  New Jersey

  The weather was cool when Hart walked across the campus on his way to his guest lecture at Fine Hall. He struggled not so much with what he was about to say but more of his journey, which to him, had mixed blessings. He hadn’t gotten over the death of Olsen and it was the one thing that would forever weigh on his mind. He had set out on a path to explore the rudiments of human potential and while he didn’t have all the answers, he believed the truth of human existence was near. He wasn’t sure if it would come from Science, or, from gods, who, at some point in time, would revisit the earth.

  “It’s now known that an elementary particle can give mass to basic atoms,” he began, addressing the class of graduate students.

  “You’re talking about the Higgs-Boson, right? The particle that allows us to see things.”

  “Yes, and now that we know that, what does the future hold for Science? Can anyone guess?”

  “Finding our realm, Dr. Hart.”

  He smiled at the young man with the glint in his eyes.

  “Finding our realm is go
ing to be pretty tough.”

  “How come?”

  “We’re in a three-dimensional plane of existence. We’re limited by our nature in finding things. At best, we can theorize. In ancient Hindu Sanskrit, there’s a term called Akasha. It refers to a vast astral plane where everything in the universe is recorded, including past and future events. Even human thoughts are recorded.”

  “Human thoughts can be captured?”

  “And, people’s life experiences. It’s like a film. So, what else does the future hold for Science?”

  “Dark matter?” someone proffered.

  “Correct. Dark matter is the next science frontier. After all, ninety percent of the universe is made of it.”

  “What are scientists hoping to find?”

  “New forms of particles, particles with greater powers than Higgs-bosons.”

  “And, what does it all mean, Dr. Hart?”

  “It’ll help us to understand our universe. Something unseen is operating in the universe and we know absolutely nothing of it. Dark matter may well control formations in the universe, like other worlds.”

  “Other worlds?” The response from the students was immediate.

  “Yes, supernatural worlds, but,” Hart‘s eyes scanned the room, “we may never resolve the issue of the universal mind.”

  The students were silent. A girl put her hand up.

  “Yes?”

  “We have been exploring human potential, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “But, without a great force of nature, how would our consciousness grow? Our minds need to be fed, not by what our senses perceive but by something much more. How are we to reconcile human potential if we can’t find a universal force?”

  “We can go back to history.”

  “History?”

  “And, secrets.”

  “Secrets?”

  “For long there’ve been aspects of our universe that are difficult to understand. Even understanding matter is challenging. It is what led early thinkers to question the possibility of the existence of a divine force.”

  “Let’s have the secrets?” a clamour of voices came from the class.

  A twinge caught Hart’s heart as he thought of all the ancient texts that didn’t survive. He didn’t find any of the ancient secrets and it seemed no one ever would. They were buried with the handful of men and women who were privileged to know them. He moved closer to his class to speak.

  “But, where’s the divine force? That’s the key issue. Men and women of ancient times were amazed by the occult, magic for want of a better word. In fact, any force that influenced nature attracted them like the moon, the sun and the stars.”

  “Magic? Like what?” one student inquired.

  “Miraculously healing the sick, for example. The notion excited them, as did the notion of supernatural matter. The philosopher’s stone was said to confer bliss and long life. A similar stone exists in Buddhism and Hinduism, by the way. It’s called a Cintamani.”

  “So, how did they reconcile a divine force?”

  “They believed in a force of creation, accepting that no one knew where it was.”

  “There were no organized religions like we have today, right?”

  “Right. Then Hermeticism came along. It was very popular and proclaimed the notion of hidden wisdom. In fact, Isaac Newton studied the Corpus Hermeticum in great detail to better understand the physical world. As I’ve said, Science could not have and still can’t explain all the happenings in the universe. People were encouraged to seek Gnosis or knowledge embodied in a Great Mind. It was also important to enlighten one’s mind.”

  “Happenings like what, Dr. Hart?”

  “The position of Earth in relation to the rest of the solar system, for one. We don’t really understand how it works.”

  “Where did Hermeticism originate?”

  “There’re two sources, one of a Greek god, Hermes, and the other of an Egyptian god, Thoth.”

  “How do we know for sure these gods existed?”

  “Their names were found etched on clay tablets at Thebes. There’re depictions of these gods.”

  “Tell us more about Newton, Dr. Hart.”

  “Isaac Newton remains the most brilliant and most controversial scientist of all times. He invented Calculus and discovered gravity. Newton took his thinking out of the box in order to better understand the universe.”

  “He delved into the occult?”

  “To some extent. He acknowledged that not only was there natural life but supernatural life, a sacred wisdom that plays a big role in the universe. Over time, he paid less attention to his work and more to ancient doctrines. He was preoccupied with alchemy and prophecy. His works were not only coded, but remained unpublished and are now with private collectors. In those times, one was hanged for the study of alchemy. He thought the universe had a mind of its own.”

  “Did he believe matter harboured the spirit of a Great Mind?”

  “I’m sure. He was deemed heretic by many though he believed in God. He believed that knowledge of how nature works, his obsession of course, was hidden in hieroglyphs, codes and symbols inscribed in ancient temples and tombs. He also believed Solomon’s Temple was built by divine guidance and that enlightened individuals had the ability to interact with other realms.”

  “How did he apply his knowledge to his studies of the universe?”

  “It was applied to his study of planetary motion. All natural actions embodied some hidden wisdom. It wasn’t just about how things worked, but how things came to be. No one knows what gravity is, only what it does. Newton said an active principle was operating in the universe. For this reason, he studied the ancient doctrines in detail and even did translations of them. He indicated that the force which guided universal law was one people could use to achieve their goals. For him, creation was perfection and nothing matched it.”

  “I don’t get it?”

  “Get what?”

  “He said nothing of the realm of matter.”

  “We know only of the realm from the Gospel of Mary Magdalene. As I’ve said, the bulk of Newton’s private work is unpublished and we don’t know all that much.”

  “Olsen gave us a date of 2021. We know this is true from the seismic reversals being experienced worldwide. Why did Newton gave a date of 2060, a year when the world will end?”

  “He didn’t.”

  “He didn’t?”

  “What he did was set a record straight. He believed in prophecy. His interpretation of Bible prophecy wasn’t apocalyptic. It was about the destruction of ignorance and the emergence of a new world. His was the correct interpretation.”

  “In that case, we have a great future ahead of us, don’t we?”

  “You sure do.”

  A buzz in his ear made Hart turn.

  “Just a minute, Tom,” he heard.

  “Hey, you’re back!”

  “I’m really sorry to interrupt you.”

  “That’s ok, I’m done. You never did tell me who you are.”

  “No, I didn’t. I’m Zosimos, the alchemist of Panapolis.”

  “You’re Zosimos!”

  “I came back to say goodbye.”

  “Let’s talk.”

  “Can we go outside, away from this crowd?”

  “Sure.” Hart made his way to an elevator and exited to the open compound.

  “This is better. I was hoping you would have found the pages of the Gospel of Mary Magdalene. That gospel was very important in the third and fourth centuries.”

  “No, I didn’t after all and I suppose you have no idea who would have taken them.”

  “I can’t point to any individual or group, but false teachings were highly condemned. The First Council of Nicaea of 325 was very strong and influential in those times.”

  “How did people react to the gospel? I’ve heard it was popular and well circulated but who would have understood it? I am little intrigued by this.”

  “Popular with
scholars like Valentinius and Clement. It wasn’t well circulated. Ordinary people didn’t concern themselves with spiritual knowledge in those days, far less for such an intricate gospel. They worshipped idols until the explosion of Greek civilization and the expose of the Hermetica. Then, that ugly Basil of Caesarea destroyed it all.”

  “A great pity.”

  “The Gnostics lived from the second century to the fourth century in Alexandria and mingled with everyone. Some were Christians, like Valentinius. It was Valentinius who first spoke of a light bond to matter.”

  “I know. Did you know Clement of Alexandria? I find him fascinating.”

  “Titus Flavius Clemens was a character and radical for his time.”

  “He sure was.”

  “He lived one hundred years before I did. That’s old! Clement claimed Greek philosophers were taught by Egyptian scholars.”

  “Were they?”

  “Of course, Tom. The Alexandrians knew a lot about Math, Astronomy, Philosophy. Clement also claimed that Valentinius, who was the greatest Gnostic theologian, was taught by a Gnostic thinker, called Theudas, who got secrets from Paul the Apostle.”

  “In the end I didn’t get them. We’ll never know what those secrets were. I suppose no one would have accepted that God’s essence could be seen.”

  “Well, of course not, especially in my time. I lived in the fourth century under Romanic rule, a time when Egyptian culture disappeared along with Greek culture. Paganism was punishable by death. All the great libraries were destroyed, even the Library of Alexandria.”

  “Which was the greatest library in the ancient world, wasn’t it?”

  “It was. There were gardens, lecture rooms, halls, meeting rooms and vast collections of works.”

  “Many were papyrus scrolls. Small wonder I couldn’t find anything connected to ancient secrets. They would have all been destroyed.”

  “The library was managed by Aristotle’s son. Did you know that?”