The Secret of the Ancient Alchemist (17 page)

“
The
Secret Gospel of Mark was never found?”

“
No, Mr.
Hart, never.”

“
I’m
quite saddened to hear that.”

“
Well, I
can understand that. I’m sure whatever was mentioned in the missing
pages of the Gospel of Mary Magdalene would have also been
mentioned in the Secret Gospel of Mark.”

“
I’m
almost sure of it. Someone did a good job of hiding all the
secrets.”

Thoplikos
grinned. “They did. I suppose you’ll still pursue your search for
the missing pages.”

“
I really
want those secrets. They were intended for Mankind. The pages on
matter are quite important. There’re other worlds. I’m sure of it.
If two thousand years ago, dimensions were discussed, just think of
how much more was said. We don’t have the capability to find other
worlds. Those pages mean more than life to me.”

“
I do
wish you luck in finding them, Mr. Hart. There aren’t many
documents like the Gospel of Mary Magdalene around.”

Hart glanced at
his watch. It was approaching 4PM. Even though he hadn’t found the
missing pages of the gospel nor gotten an idea of how to, he felt
invigorated in the presence of Father Thoplikos.

The man’s eyes
reflected warmth and sincerity. He was authoritative but embracing
at the same time with a desire to assist. He had learnt much.

“
I’m
grateful for your time and knowledge, Father Thoplikos, but, I do
have one other matter,” Hart said.

“
Tell me,
Mr. Hart.”

“
Would
you happen to know of supernatural matter?”

“
Of
course. The Ethiopian Orthodox church is the keeper of the Ark of
the Covenant which holds the staff of Moses, although this is
disputed, but, they may have ideas on it. The staff of Moses, you
may recall, was a miraculous item, a rod of incredible
power.”

“
I
believe the Gospel of Mary Magdalene would have discussed how
matter becomes so supernatural.”

“
You’re
right, Mr. Hart. It would have explained the mystery.”

Hart got up.
Thanking Thoplikos, he made his way out the aged corridors of the
Monastery of Simonopetra. In the air, he could hear the chant of
the Choir. It felt as if the heavens were being summoned by their
songs. He climbed down the slope to a boat that took him back to
Port Dafni.

Chapter 38

Hart almost
missed his flight from Athens International Airport next day. The
secrets of the ancient world sat on his mind constantly. He could
think of no secret that was as prodigious as a person having an
inner universe where the soul passed onto another world. Small
wonder that Mary Magdalene declared: How could such a thing be?

More than
anything, Hart wished he could confirm the existence of other
worlds but it was plain to him that finding the missing pages of
the gospel was going to be a game of chance. There was no fixed
path to follow.

He reclined to
a comfortable position on the flight to Ethiopia, his thoughts on
supernatural matter. Such matter deviated from all laws of nature
and was beyond perception. If it existed on earth, it definitely
was an intervention in the natural order of life. Hart pondered
further, staring out at clouds lit by the sun. Science was moving
ahead and dark matter had been found in the universe. There was no
better description of it for no one knew what it was. It didn’t
conform to any of the norms of earthly matter. Its particles were
unidentifiable and never detected by any particle accelerator.

It was not of
this world, yet, it occupied so much of the universe. Was it
ultra-supernatural matter and where there truly other worlds in the
universe, he wondered again.

He closed his
eyes thinking of what lay ahead. Five hours later, he saw the
lights of Bole International Airport in view as the Ethiopian
Airlines flight descended. Tired from his trip, Hart booked a hotel
and slept. Next day he awakened afresh, sure of what he was
searching for. He headed to Aksum where majestic terrain stretched
for miles. Aksum was Ethiopia’s most ancient city, known for its
obelisks. Located at two thousand meters above sea level, it was a
cool, picturesque place. In its heyday, Aksum was a major naval and
trading post. It was where the Queen of Sheba was born.

Hart’s steps
were motivated, expecting of course, that Aksum would unleash its
secrets of matter and a lead to the pages of the Gospel of Mary
Magdalene.

He made his way
along a paved road that led to the Church of Our Lady of Zion. The
Chapel of the Tablet which contained the Ark of the Covenant
adjoined the church. As he approached, he eyed the Chapel that was
secured by a little else that a wire fence. While he knew he was
not allowed in, he was grateful for the interview he had landed
with its guardian for life, an Ethiopian priest. Near the church,
he caught sight of the tall, lean figure of Father Aman Tarafi. He
wore a black robe and a brown linen hat that accentuated his
straight nose and dark eyes.

“
I’m
Father Tarafi,” the Ethiopian priest said in perfect English coming
forward and leading Hart to a wooden bench in the yard.

“
I’m
Tom,” Hart replied. From where he sat, he could see the Adwa
Mountains in the distance.

“
What can
I do for you, Mr. Hart?”

Hart wasn’t
sure how to pose his question. He fretted a bit and looked at the
mud and brick buildings that seemed to dominate the landscape
nearby. Soon, he spoke.

“
I’ve
come seeking knowledge.”

“
On what,
Mr. Hart?”

“
Matter.”

“
Matter?”
Father Tarafi seemed quite surprised much to Hart’s dismay. He
already surmised that the man would say nothing of the contents of
the ark. He listened as the man continued. “Perhaps, what you seek
are the secrets of the Egyptian alchemists. Matter was spiritual
and alive to them. They could have made gold from silver. They
could have traversed the heavens.”

“
I’m
aware of that. Is there anything in your ancient holy books that
discusses matter?”

“
Not
specifically, Mr. Hart. The notion is hidden in many sayings and
parables. I can refer you to the Essene Gospel of Peace. The
original, written in Hebrew, is lodged in the Benedictine Monastery
of Monte Cassino in Italy. It says very clearly that Earthly Mother
and Heavenly Father are one and the same. You will find the divine
in the seas and trees but, more so, in yourself. All living things
are close to God. What’s also valuable is the Gospel According to
Thomas which says the Kingdom of God is spread about the earth but
men do not see it.”

Hart stared
back with a blank expression. He knew all that too. He was
desperate for a description of the contents of the ark, assuming of
course it was the original content, the rod of Moses. But, he was
beginning to have serious doubts.

“
Mr.
Hart,” Father Tarafi called looking at Hart’s deep concern, “the
laws of nature are more important than the laws of
scripture.”

“
I
certainly believe that.”

“
We only
have to look at all the wondrous things that abound. Certainly, we
could never create them, not even in our imagination.”

“
According to the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, matter harbors a
great mind and we are told to be encouraged in the presence of all
forms of matter. Is there anything you can add to this?”

“
Oh!” the
priest exclaimed. “I don’t think I can.”

“
No?”

“
No,”
Father Tarafi said shaking his head.

A strong breeze
came in from the surrounding terrain bringing with it an
invigorating feeling. Fine mist hovered over the mountains,
filtering sun on a carpet of grass that covered red earth. The
sound of a bus in the distance reminded Hart that the site was a
popular tourist spot. He didn’t have a lot of time before crowds
started pouring in.

He turned to
Tarafi and looked him in the eye. His question was forthright.

“
So, what
does the ark hold?”

The man
recoiled. It was quite obvious he didn’t want to go there but he
did answer. “Whatever was handed to Moses, Mr. Hart, will forever
remain a secret with us.”

Hart was
disappointed by Father Tarafi’s reluctance to disclose the contents
of the ark. He listened half-heartedly as the priest continued.

“
We
revere Moses. We take off our shoes before we enter a church
because Moses did that when he stood on holy ground. The wife of
Moses was an Ethiopian. Have you heard of the
Kebra Nagast
, Mr. Hart?”

“
I
haven’t.”

“
It’s an
account of Ethiopian legends. There’s one that says Solomon took
Sheba on a ride in a magic carpet, a flying machine. Solomon went
to Peru and to Tibet in this machine. It is said that a
supernatural force built his temple. The stones would miraculously
rise and fall into place.”

“
Really?”

“
Solomon
had many powers.”

“
Did his
power come from the ark?”

“
I think
so. You must have seen the Park of Stelae on your way
here?”

Hart had. The
park was Aksum’s treasure consisting of granite obelisks that rose
seventy feet. One that had fallen was one hundred and ten feet. It
was newly erected to mimic a tall building.

“
It is
said the obelisks were built with the power of the ark.”

Hart stared at
Father Tarafi. His calmness and poise told him he truly believed
what he said.

“
You’ve
come a long way and I hope what I’ve told you would help you
understand supernatural matter.”

“
It does.
I also believe supernatural matter exists in other worlds. What you
have may be the only evidence of it.”

“
But, I
cannot reveal the contents of the ark.”

“
I
understand,” Hart sighed. “Look, Father, I know that Ethiopian
Orthodox Christians consider apocryphal texts to be more important
than canon texts. Is there any text that explains the interaction
of mind and matter, anything at all of an inner realm?”

Tarafi smiled.
“None that I know of, Mr. Hart.”

“
It’s
written in two gospels that a seeker of truth will be astonished
and then, he will marvel. When he marvels, he will find
rest.”

“
When you
come to know yourself, you must first recognize what is in your
sight, then, what is hidden from you will become plain to you.
Isn’t that it?”

“
What
does it mean to you? Why should a seeker of truth marvel? Tell
me.”

Father Tarafi
was silent but Hart spoke again.

“
We’re
connected to outer worlds via a realm in us, aren’t we? We don’t
pay attention to it because we don’t understand it. We don’t
understand it because it’s about matter.”

Tarafi sighed
now. He looked at a pair of lovebirds that had landed on the
adjoining fence. With a couple of tweets, they flew to a branch. He
turned and spoke.

“
Two
thousand years is a long time. Things could have been done that
can’t be done today. People communicated with beings in other
worlds back then. Isaiah and Enoch did. In a sense, that was a
marvel, wasn’t it?”

“
The laws
of Science do not change, Father Tarafi.”

“
Our
evolution has, surely you must know that.”

“
I
do.”

“
And, our
world has evil. We live in dark times, Mr. Hart.”

“
Marvels
don’t quite die. The transfiguration of matter is certainly one. We
die but, do we have to?”

“
We die
because we live in dark times. Our inner light is dim. We can’t
perfect our minds and our bodies even if we wanted to.”

“
No?”

“
No.
Mankind must await a golden age, when evil will be
destroyed.”

“
And,
what about our future? Do we become better creators? I assure you,
if matter can be supernatural, so can the mind. I believe we’re
headed to an extraordinary future, I really do. We’ve yet to
understand that matter and mind are inter-connected. We need to
accept that the universe is in us, a magnificent kingdom within.
Now, that’s a marvel, isn’t it?”

“
Well, I
will not doubt you, Mr. Hart.”

There was
something elemental and wise about the Ethiopian priest, Hart
thought. Father Tarafi was probably fifty-five and would spend the
rest of his life guarding the secrets of the ark.

“
Can you
at least tell me something about the rod of Moses? What was it made
of? Do you know?” he asked.

“
It came
from a tree and empowered by God. There isn’t more I can
add.”

Hart got up
and took a last look at the landscape from where he stood. There
was a feeling of greatness being in a place of ancient history, he
thought. Ethiopia was certainly the land of the proud, a
spiritually advanced society, a place never colonized. Like most,
Tarafi seemed complete. He needed nothing. Thanking him, he headed
down the road he had walked up.

Chapter 39

He took a short
flight from Aksum to the capital city of Addis Ababa, bent on
finding evidence of supernatural matter. Hart wondered deeply about
how a branch of a tree could be transformed to pure energy, a force
that parted a sea. The staff of Moses was first mentioned in the
Book of Exodus. There were so many accounts of its power and use
that he didn’t think they was fables.