The Secret of the Ancient Alchemist (12 page)

“
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 about
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.

The words
infused his spirit like nectar from the gods. He was on a mental
roll. His body floated on a cloud. The truth was all he ever wanted
and now, he felt redeemed. His eyes watered as he recalled the
years he’d spent hoping to prove the universe was in Man.

The gateway to
the universal mind was truly the mindless state. Matter was moving
in a dimension that was as alive as the human mind was. He was glad
his searching was paying off and that he would soon find the
missing pages of the Gospel of Mary Magdalene and get the whole
truth.

“
My God!”
he exclaimed now. “Our thoughts can be processed, our desires
fulfilled.”

The Indian
driver looked at him through his mirror. “Hey man, you ok?”

“
I’m just
great.”

The man gave
him a wary look but Hart was surely accustomed to that. He shuffled
his booted feet trying to fit his long frame in the back seat of
the Japanese made car. His Italian designer jacket got stuck in the
car’s door in his haste but he paid it no mind. Enjoying a natural
high, he opened the gospel text Leidman had loaned him and checked
it through again. Leidman was right. The pages of chapters one to
six were missing, as well as, the pages of chapters eleven to
fourteen.