The Celestine Prophecy: An Adventure (7 page)

“God knows,” she continued, “this attitude served us well with the more obvious phenomena in nature, with objects such as rocks and bodies and trees, objects everyone can perceive no matter how skeptical they are. We quickly went out and named every part of the physical world, attempting to discover why the universe operated as it did. We finally concluded that everything that occurs in nature does so according to some natural law, that each event has a direct physical and understandable cause.” She smiled at me knowingly. “You see, in many ways scientists have not been that different from others in our time period. We decided along with everyone else to master this place in which we found ourselves. The idea was to create an understanding of the universe that made the world seem safe and manageable, and the skeptical attitude kept us focused on concrete problems that would make our existence seem more secure.”

We had followed the meandering path from the bridge through a small meadow and into an area more densely covered with trees.

“With this attitude,” she went on, “science systematically removed the uncertain and the esoteric from the world. We concluded, following the thinking of Isaac Newton, that the universe always operated in a predictable manner, like an enormous machine, because for a long time that’s all it could be proved to be. Events which happened simultaneously to other events yet had no causal relationship were said to occur only by chance.

“Then, two investigations occurred which opened our eyes again to the mystery in the universe. Much has been written over the past several decades about the revolution in physics, but the changes really stem from two major findings, those of quantum mechanics and those of Albert Einstein.

“The whole of Einstein’s life’s work was to show that what we perceive as hard matter is mostly empty space with a pattern of energy running through it. This includes ourselves. And what quantum physics has shown is that when we look at these patterns of energy at smaller and smaller levels, startling results can be seen. Experiments have revealed that when you break apart small aspects of this energy, what we call elementary particles, and try to observe how they operate, the act of observation itself alters the results—as if these elementary particles are influenced by what the experimenter expects. This is true even if the particles must appear in places they couldn’t possibly go, given the laws of the universe as we know them: two places at the same moment, forward or backward in time, that sort of thing.”

She stopped to face me again. “In other words, the basic stuff of the universe, at its core, is looking like a kind of pure energy that is malleable to human intention and expectation in a way that defies our old mechanistic model of the universe—as though our expectation itself causes our energy to flow out into the world and affect other energy systems. Which, of course, is exactly what the Third Insight would lead us to believe.”

She shook her head. “Unfortunately, most scientists don’t take this idea seriously. They would rather remain skeptical, and wait to see if we can prove it.”

“Hey Sarah, here we are over here,” a voice called faintly from a distance. To the right about fifty yards through the trees, we could see someone waving.

Sarah looked at me. “I need to go talk with those guys for a few minutes. I have a translation of the Third Insight with me, if you would like to pick out a spot and read some of it while I’m gone.”

“I sure would,” I said.

She pulled a folder from her pack, handed it to me, and walked away.

I took the folder and looked around for a place to sit down. Here the forest floor was dense with small bushes and was slightly soggy, but to the east the land rose toward what looked like another knoll. I decided to walk in that direction in search of dry ground.

At the top of the rise I was awestruck. It was another spot of incredible beauty. The gnarled oaks were spaced about fifty feet apart and their wide limbs grew completely together at the top, creating a canopy overhead. On the forest floor grew broad-leafed tropical plants which stood four or five feet high and had leaves up to ten inches in width. These plants were interspersed with large ferns and bushes lush with white flowers. I picked out a dry place and sat down. I could smell the musty odor of the leaves and the fragrance of the blossoms.

I opened the folder and turned to the beginning of the translation. A brief introduction explained that the Third Insight brings a transformed understanding of the physical universe. Its words clearly echoed Sarah’s summary. Sometime near the end of the second millennium, it predicted, humans would discover a new energy which formed the basis of and radiated outward from all things, including ourselves.

I pondered that idea for a moment, then read something that fascinated me: the Manuscript said the human perception of this energy first begins with a heightened sensitivity to beauty. As I thought about this, the sound of someone walking along the path below drew my attention. I saw Sarah at the exact moment she looked toward the knoll and spotted me.

“This place is great,” she said when she reached me. “Have you come to the part about the perception of beauty yet?”

“Yes,” I said. “But I’m not sure what that means.”

“Further in the Manuscript,” she said, “it goes into more detail, but I’ll explain it briefly. The perception of beauty is a kind of barometer telling each of us how close we are to actually perceiving the energy. This is clear because once you observe this energy, you realize it’s on the same continuum as beauty.”

“You sound like you see it,” I said.

She looked at me without the slightest self-consciousness. “Yes, I do, but the first thing I developed was a deeper appreciation of beauty.”

“But how does that work. Isn’t beauty relative?”

She shook her head. “The things that we perceive as beautiful may be different, but the actual characteristics we ascribe to beautiful objects are similar. Think about it. When something strikes us as beautiful, it displays more presence and sharpness of shape and vividness of color, doesn’t it? It stands out. It shines. It seems almost iridescent compared to the dullness of other objects less attractive.”

I nodded.

“Look at this spot,” she continued. “I know you are blown away by it because we all are. This place leaps out at you. The colors and shapes seem magnified Well, the very next level of perception is to see an energy field hovering about everything.”

I must have looked bewildered because she laughed, then said very seriously, “Perhaps we should walk on to the gardens. They’re about a half mile farther south. I think you’ll find them interesting.” I thanked her for taking the time to explain the Manuscript to me, a total stranger, and for showing me around Viciente. She shrugged her shoulders.

“You seem like a person friendly to what we’re trying to do,” she said. “And we all know we’re involved in a public relations effort here. For this research to continue, we must get the word out in the United States and elsewhere. The local authorities don’t seem to like us much.”

Suddenly a voice called out from behind. “Excuse me, please!” We turned to see three men walking quickly up the path toward us. All appeared to be in their late forties and were dressed in stylish clothes.

“Would one of you tell me where the research gardens are?” the taller of the three asked.

“Could you tell me what your business here is?” Sarah asked in return.

“My colleagues and I have permission from the owner of this estate to examine the gardens and to speak with someone about the so-called research being conducted here. We are from the University of Peru.”

“Sounds as though you’re not in agreement with our findings,” Sarah said smiling, obviously trying to lighten the situation.

“Absolutely not,” another of the men said. “We think it is preposterous to claim that some mysterious energy can now be seen, when it has never been observed before.”

“Have you tried to see it?” Sarah queried.

The man ignored the question and asked again, “Can you direct us to the gardens?”

“Of course,” Sarah said. “About a hundred yards ahead you will see a path turning east. Take it and ahead maybe a quarter of a mile you’ll run into them.”

“Thank you,” the tall man said as they hurried on their way.

“You sent them in the wrong direction,” I said.

“Not really,” she replied. “There are other gardens in that area. And the people there are more prepared to talk with these kinds of skeptics. We get people like this through here occasionally, and not just scientists but curiosity seekers as well, people who can’t begin to grasp what we’re doing … which points out the problem that exists in scientific understanding.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“As I said before, the old skeptical attitude was great when exploring the more visible and obvious phenomena in the universe, such as trees or sunshine or thunderstorms. But there is another group of observable phenomena, more subtle, that you can’t study—in fact, you can’t even tell they’re there at all—unless you suspend or bracket your skepticism and try every way possible to perceive them. Once you can, then you return to your rigorous study.”

“Interesting,” I said.

Ahead the woods ended and I could see dozens of cultivated plots, each one growing a different type plant. Most seemed to be food-bearing types: everything from bananas to spinach. At the eastern border of each crop was a wide gravel path which ran north to what appeared to be a public road. Three metal outbuildings were spaced along the path. Four or five people worked near each one.

“I see some friends of mine,” Sarah said, and pointed toward the closest building. “Let’s go over there. I’d like for you to meet them.”

Sarah introduced me to three men and one woman, all of whom were involved in the research. The men spoke with me briefly then excused themselves to continue their work, but the woman, a biologist named Marjorie, seemed free to talk.

I caught Marjorie’s eye. “What exactly are you researching here?” I asked.

She appeared to be taken off guard, but smiled and finally answered. “It’s hard to know where to start,” she said. “Are you familiar with the Manuscript?”

“The first sections of it,” I commented. “I’ve just begun the Third Insight.”

“Well, that’s what we’re all about here. C’mon, I’ll show you.” She motioned for me to follow her and we walked around the metal building to a plot of beans. I noticed they appeared to be exceptionally healthy, with no noticeable insect damage or dead leaves. The plants were growing in what appeared to be a highly humus, almost fluffy soil, and each plant was carefully spaced, the stems and leaves of one growing near but never touching those of the next.

She pointed to the closest plant. “We’ve tried to look at these plants as total energy systems, and think of everything they need to flourish—soil, nutrients, moisture, light. What we have found is that the total ecosystem around each plant is really one living system, one organism. And the health of each of the parts impacts on the health of the whole.”

She hesitated, then said, “The basic point is that once we started thinking about the energy relationships all around the plant then we started seeing amazing results. The plants in our studies were not particularly larger, but according to nutritional criteria, they were more potent.”

“How was that measured?”

“They contained more protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals.”

She looked at me expectantly. “But that wasn’t the most amazing thing! We found that the plants which had the most direct human attention were even more potent.”

“What kind of attention?” I asked.

“You know,” she said, “fiddling with the ground around them, checking them every day. That sort of thing. We set up an experiment with a control group: some getting special attention, others not, and the finding was confirmed. What’s more,” she continued, “we expanded the concept and had a researcher not just give them attention but to mentally ask them to grow stronger. The person would actually sit with them and focus all his attention and concern on their growth.”

“Did they grow stronger?”

“By significant amounts, and they also grew faster.”

“That’s incredible.”

“Yes, it is …” Her voice trailed off as she watched an older man, appearing to be in his sixties, walk toward us.

“The gentleman approaching is a micro-nutritionist,” she said discreetly. “He came down here about a year ago for the first time and immediately took a leave of absence from Washington State University. His name is Professor Hains. He’s done some great studies.”

As he arrived, I was introduced. He was a strongly built man with black hair, gray streaks at his temples. After some prodding from Marjorie, the professor began to summarize his research. He was most interested, he told me, in the functioning of the body’s organs as measured by highly sensitive blood tests, especially as this functioning related to the quality of food eaten.

He told me what interested him most were the results of a particular study which showed that while nutritionally rich plants of the kind grown at Viciente increased the body’s efficiency dramatically, the increase was beyond what could be reasonably expected from the nutrients themselves as we understand how they work in human physiology. Something inherent in the structure of these plants created an effect not yet accounted for.

I looked at Marjorie, then asked, “Then the focusing of attention on these plants gave them something that boosts human strength in return when they’re eaten? Is this the energy mentioned in the Manuscript?”

Marjorie looked at the Professor. He gave me only a half smile. “I don’t know yet,” he said.

I asked him about his future research, and he explained that he wanted to duplicate the garden at Washington State and set up some long-term studies, to see if people eating these plants had more energy or were healthier over a longer period of time. As he spoke, I couldn’t help glancing periodically at Marjorie. Suddenly she looked incredibly beautiful. Her body appeared long and slender, even under her baggy jeans and t-shirt. Her eyes and hair were dark brown, and her hair fell in tapered curls around her face.