Transcription
You are now listening to the Celestine Prophecy. The following is chapter 3 of nine read by John Devon and Tiffany at John Devon and [music] at Spot-Onspirit. The title is called a matter of energy.
We rose at dawn and drove east all morning in virtual silence. Early on, Will had mentioned that we would drive straight across the Andes into what he called the High Selva, an area consisting of forestcovered foothills and plateaus. But he had said little else. I had asked him several questions about his background and about our destination, but he had politely put me off, indicating he wanted to concentrate on driving. Finally, I had stopped talking altogether and had focused instead on the scenery.
The views from the mountain peaks were staggering. About noon, when we had reached the last of the towering ridges, we stopped at an overlook to eat a lunch of sandwiches in the jeep and to gaze out at the wide barren valley ahead. On the other side of the valley were smaller foothills, green with plant life. As we ate, Will said we would spend the night at the Vicente Lodge, an old 19th century estate which for merely belonged to the Spanish Catholic Church. Vikiente was now owned by a friend of his, he explained, and was operated as a resort specializing in business and scientific conferences. With only that brief explanation, we departed and rode silently again.
An hour later, we arrived at Vikente, entering the property through a large iron and stone gate and proceeding northeast up a narrow gravel drive. Once more, I asked a few probing questions concerning Vicente and why we were here. But as he had done earlier, Will brushed aside my inquiries. Only this time he suggested outright that I focus on the landscape. Immediately the beauty of Vikente touched me. We were surrounded by colorful pastures and orchards, and the grass seemed unusually green and healthy. It grew thickly even under the giant oaks that rose up every hundred feet or so throughout the pastures. Something about these huge trees seemed incredibly attractive, but I couldn't quite grasp what.
After about a mile, the road bent east and up a slight rise. At the top of the null was the lodge, a large Spanish-style building constructed of hued timbers and gray stone. The structure appeared to contain at least 50 rooms, and a large screened porch covered the entire south wall. The yard around the lodge was marked by more gigantic oaks and contained beds of exotic plants and walkways trimmed with dazzling flowers and ferns. Groups of people talked idly on the porch and among the trees.
As we got out of the vehicle, Will lingered a moment and gazed out at the view. Beyond the lodge to the east, the land sloped gradually downward, then flattened out into meadows and forests. Another range of foothills appeared bluish purple in the distance. "I think I'll go in and make sure they have room for us," Will said. "Why don't you spend some time looking around? You're going to like this place."
"No kidding," I said. As he walked away, he turned and looked at me. "Be sure to check out the research gardens. I'll see you at dinnertime." Will was obviously leaving me alone for some reason, but I didn't care why. I felt great and not the least bit apprehensive. Will had already told me that because of the substantial tourist dollar Vikente brought into the country, the government had always taken a hands-off approach to the place.
Even though the manuscript was often discussed here, several large trees and a winding path toward the south attracted me, so I walked that way. Once I reached the trees, I could see that the walkway proceeded through a small iron gate and down several tears of stone steps to a meadow filled with wild flowers. In the distance was an orchard of some kind and a small creek and more forest land. At the gate I stopped and took several deep breaths, [sighs] admiring the beauty below.
"It's certainly lovely, isn't it?" a voice from behind asked. I turned quickly. A woman in her late 30s carrying a hiking pack stood behind me. "It certainly is," I said. "I've never seen anything quite like it." For a moment, we looked out at the open fields and at the cascading tropical plants and the terrace beds on each side of us. Then I asked, "Do you happen to know where the research gardens are?"
"Sure," she said. "Stay now. I'll show you." After introducing ourselves, we walked down the steps and onto the well-worn path heading south. Her name was Sarah Lorner, and she was sandyhaired and blue-eyed and could have been described as girlish, except for her serious demeanor. We walked for several minutes in silence.
"Is this your first visit here?" she asked. "Yes, it is," I replied. "I don't know much about this place." "Well, I've been here on and off for almost a year now, so I can fill you in a bit. About 20 years ago, this estate became popular as a sort of international scientific hangout. Various scientific organizations had their meetings here, biologists and physicists mainly. Then a few years ago," she hesitated for an instant and looked at me. "Have you heard of the manuscript that was discovered here in Peru?"
"Yes, I have," I said. "I've heard about the first two insights." I wanted to tell her how fascinated I was with the document, but I held back, wondering whether to trust her completely. "I thought maybe that was the case," she said. "It looked as if you were picking up on the energy here." We were crossing a wooden bridge which traversed the creek.
"What energy?" I asked. She stopped and leaned back against the railing of the bridge. "Do you know anything about the third insight?" "Nothing." "It describes a new understanding of the physical world. It says we humans will learn to perceive what was formerly an invisible type of energy. The lodge has become a gathering place for those scientists interested in studying and talking about this phenomenon."
"Then scientists think this energy is real?" I asked. She was turning to walk across the bridge. "Only a few," she said. "And we take some heat for that. You're a scientist then?" "I teach physics at a small college in Maine. So why are some scientists disagreeing with you?"
She was silent for a moment, as if in thought. "You have to understand the history of science," she said, glancing at me as if to ask whether I wanted to get deeper into the subject. I nodded for her to proceed. "Think about the second insight for a moment. After the fall of medieval worldview, we in the West suddenly became aware that we lived in a totally unknown universe. In attempting to understand the nature of this universe, we knew we had to somehow separate fact from superstition. In this regard, we scientists assumed a particular attitude known as scientific skepticism, which in effect demands solid evidence for any new assertion about how the world works. Before we would believe anything, we wanted evidence that could be seen and grabbed with the hands. Any idea that couldn't be proved in some physical way was systematically rejected. 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 casual relationship were said to occur only by chance. Then two investigations occurred which opened our eyes again to the mystery of 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 us 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 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 experimentter 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 50 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 null. I decided to walk in that direction in search of dry ground. At the top of the rise, I was aruck. It was another spot of incredible beauty. The gnarled oaks were spaced about 50 ft 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 5t high and had leaves up to 10 in 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 null 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 the 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 selfconsciousness. "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're 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 onto 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 Vicente. 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 to 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 40s 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 is here?" 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 foodbearing 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 out buildings 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 Marjgery'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. Come on, 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 hummus, 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 ecosystems 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 plant 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 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 attentions, other not. And then the finding was confirmed. What's more," she continued, "we expanded into concept and had a researcher not 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 60s walk toward us. "The gentleman approaching is a micronutritionist," 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 Haynes."
As he arrived, I was introduced. He was a strongly built man with black hair, gray streaks at his temples. After some proddding from Marjgery, 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 Vikente 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 Marjgery 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?" Marjgerie 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. I felt a powerful physical attraction. At the exact moment I became aware of this attraction, she turned her head, stared directly into my eyes, and backed away from me a step. "I've got to meet someone," she said. "Maybe I'll see you later." She told Haynes goodbye, smiled [snorts] coily at me, and walked past the metal building and down the path.
After a few more minutes of discussion with the professor, I wished him well and strolled back to where Sarah was standing. She was still talking intensely with one of the other researchers, but she followed me with her eyes as I walked. As I approached, the man she was with smiled, rearranged the notes on his clipboard, and walked into the building. "Find out anything?" Sarah asked. "Yes," I said distractedly. "It sounds like these folks are doing some interesting things." I was looking at the ground when she said, "Where did Marjgerie go?" As I glanced up, I could see she had an amused look on her face. She said she had to meet someone. "Did you turn her off?" she asked, smiling. "Now, I laughed." [laughter] [gasps] "I guess I did, but I didn't say a thing."
"You didn't have to," she said. "Marjorie could detect a change in your field. It was pretty obvious. I could see it all the way over here. A change in my what?" "In the energy field around your body. Most of us have learned to see them, at least in certain light. When a person has sexual thoughts, the person's energy field sort of swirls around and actually propels out toward the person who's the object of their attraction." This struck me as totally fantastic. But before I could comment, we were distracted by several people coming out of the metal building.
"Time now for the energy projections," Sarah said. "You'll want to see this." We followed four young men, apparently students, to a plot of corn. As we walked closer, I realized that the plot was made up of two separate subplots, each about 10 ft square. The corn in one was about 2 ft high and the other the plants were less than 15 in. The four men walked to the plot containing the taller corn, then sat down, each on one corner of the plot facing inward on Q. They all seemed to focus their eyes on the plants. The late afternoon sun shone from behind me, bathing the plot in soft amber light. Yet the woods beyond remained dark in the distance. The plot of corn and the students were silhouetted against the almost black background.
Sarah was standing beside me. "This is perfect," she said. "Look, can you see that?" "What?" "They're projecting their energy onto the plants." I stared intently at the scene but could detect nothing. "I can't see anything," I said. "Squat down lower," then Sarah said, "And focus on the space between the people and the plants." For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of light, but I concluded it was just an after image or my eyes playing tricks on me. I tried several more times to see something, then gave up. "I can't do it," I said, standing. Sarah patted me on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. The first time is the most difficult. It usually takes some experimenting with the way you focus your eyes." One of the mediators looked over at us and brought his index finger up to his lips. So, we walked back toward the building.
"Are you going to be here at Vicki and Thong?" Sarah asked. "Probably not," I said. "The person I'm with is looking for the last part of the manuscript." She looked surprised. "I thought all of it had to be located, though I guess I wouldn't know. I've been so engrossed in the part that pertains to my work that I haven't read much of the rest." I instinctively reached for my pants pocket, suddenly uncertain where Sarah's translation was. It was rolled up in my back pocket.
"You know," Sarah said, "We found two periods of the day most conducive to seeing energy fields. One is sunset, the other is sunrise. If you want, I'll meet you at dawn tomorrow and we'll try again." She reached out for the folder. "That way," she continued, "I can make you a copy of this translation and you can take it with you." I pondered this suggestion for a few seconds, then decided it couldn't hurt. "Why not?" I said. "I'll have to check with my friend, though, and make sure we have enough time." I smiled at her. "What makes you think I can learn to see this stuff?" "Call it a hunch." We agreed to meet on the hill at 6:00 a.m. and I started the onemile trek to the lodge alone. The sun had completely disappeared, but its light still bathed the gray clouds along the horizon in hues of orange. The air was chilly, but no wind blew.
At the lodge, a line was forming in front of the serving bar and the huge dining room. Feeling hungry, I walked toward the head of the line to see what food was being served. Will and Professor Haynes were standing near the front talking casually. "Well," Will said. "How did the afternoon go?" "Great," I said. "This is William Haynes," Will added. "Yes," I said. "We met earlier." The professor nodded. I mentioned my early morning rendevu the next day. Will saw no problem as he wanted to find a couple of people he hadn't talked to yet and didn't anticipate leaving before 9:00 a.m. The line moved forward then, and the people behind us invited me to join my friends. I stepped in beside the professor.
"So, what do you make of what we're doing here?" Haynes asked. "I don't know," I said. "I'm trying to let it soak in a little. The whole idea of energy fields is new to me." "The reality of it is new to everyone," he said. "But the interesting thing is that this energy is what science has always been looking for, some common stuff underlying all matter. Since Einstein, particularly physics has sought a unified field theory. I don't know if this is it or not, but at the very least, this manuscript has stimulated some interesting research."
"What would it take for science to accept this idea?" I asked. "A way to measure it," he said. "The existence of this energy is not that foreign. Actually, karate masters have talked about an underlying chi energy responsible for their seemingly impossible stunts of breaking bricks with their hands and of being able to sit in one place unmoved with four men trying to push them over. And we've all seen athletes make spectacular moves, twisting, turning, hanging in the air in ways that defy gravity. It's all the result of this hidden energy that we have access to. Of course, it won't really be accepted until more people can actually see it themselves."
"Have you ever observed it?" I asked. "I've observed something," he said. "It really depends on what I've eaten. How so?" "Well, the people around here who readily see these energy fields eat mostly vegetables, and they usually eat only these highly potent plants they've grown themselves." He pointed ahead to the food bar. "This is some of it, though, thank goodness they serve some fish and fowl for old guys like me who are addicted to meat. But if I force myself to eat differently, yes, I can see something." I asked him why he didn't change his diet for longer periods of time. "I don't know," he said. "Old habits die hard."
The line moved forward and I ordered only vegetables. The three of us joined a larger table of guests and talked casually for an hour. Then Will and I walked out to the jeep to remove our gear. "Have you seen these energy fields?" I asked. He smiled and nodded. "My room is on the first floor," he said. "Yours is on the third, room 306. You can pick your key up at the desk." The room had no phone, but a lodge attendant I saw in the hallway assured me someone would knock on my door at 5:00 a.m. sharp. I laid down and thought for a few minutes. The afternoon had been long and full, and I understood Will's silence. He wanted me to experience the third insight in my own way.
The next thing I knew, someone was banging on the door. I looked at my watch. 5:00 a.m. When the attendant knocked again, I said, "Thank you." In a voice loud enough for him to hear, then rose and looked out the small frame window. The only sign of morning was a pale glow of light toward the east. I walked down the hall and showered, then dressed quickly and went downstairs. The dining room was open and a surprising number of people were moving about. I ate only fruit and hurried outside. Strands of fog drifted across the grounds and clung to the distant meadows. Songirds called one another from the trees. As I walked away from the lodge, the very top of the sun breached the horizon toward the east. The color was spectacular. The sky was a deep blue above the bright peach horizon.
I arrived at the null 15 minutes early. So I sat down and leaned against the trunk of a large tree, fascinated by the web of gnarled branches growing out above my head. In a few minutes, I heard someone walking toward me along the path, and I looked that way, expecting to see Sarah. Instead, I saw someone I didn't know, a man in his mid4s. He left the path and walked my way without noticing me. When he was within 10 ft, he saw me with a start, which made me flinch also.
"Oh, hello," he said in a rich Brooklyn accent. He was dressed in jeans and hiking boots and looked exceptionally fit and athletic. His hair was curly and receding. I nodded. "Sorry about walking up on you so suddenly," he [snorts] said. "No problem." He told me his name was Phil Stone and I told him who I was and that I was waiting for a friend. "You must be doing some research here," I added.
"Not really," he replied. "I work for the University of Southern California. We're doing studies in another province on the rainforest depletion. But whenever I get a chance, I drive over here and take a break. I like hanging out where the forests are so different." He looked around. "Do you realize some of the trees here are close to 500 years old? This is truly a virgin forest, a rare thing. Everything is in perfect balance. The larger trees filtering the sunlight, allowing a multitude of tropical plant life to thrive underneath. The plant life in the rainforest is old, too. But it grows differently. It's basically jungle. This is more like what an old forest looks like in a temperate zone such as in the United States. I've never seen anything like this."
"I know," he said. "Only a few remain. Most of the ones I know of were sold by the government to lumber interests. As though all they could see in a forest like this is board feet of lumber. Damn shame that anyone would mess with a place like this. Look at the energy."
"You can see the energy here?" I asked. He looked at me closely as though deciding whether to elaborate. "Yes, I can," he said finally. "Well, I haven't been able to. I said, I tried yesterday when they were meditating with plants at the garden." "Oh, I couldn't see fields that large at first either," he said. "I had to start by looking at my fingers. How do you mean?"
"Let's move over there," he said, pointing to an area where the trees parted slightly and blue sky showed through overhead. "I'll show you." When we arrived, he said, "Lan back and touch the tips of your index fingers together. Keep the blue sky in the background. Now separate the tips about an inch and look at the area directly between them. What do you see?" "Dust on the lens of my eye." "Ignore that," he said. "Take your eyes out of focus a little and move the tips closer then further apart." As he talked, I moved my fingers around, unsure what he meant by taking my eyes out of focus. I finally placed my gaze vaguely on the area between my fingers. Both fingertips went slightly blurry. And as this happened, I saw something like strands of smoke stretching between the tips.
"Good grief," I [snorts] said, and explained what I saw. "That's it. That's it," he said. "Now just play with that a while." I touched all four fingers together, then my palms and forearms. In each case, I continued to see streaks of energy between the body parts. I dropped my arms and looked at Phil. "Oh, you want to see mine?" he asked. He stood up and stepped back a few feet, positioning his head and torso so the sky would be directly behind him. "I tried for a few minutes, but a noise behind us broke my concentration. I turned and saw Sarah."
Phil stepped toward and grinned broadly. "Is this the person you've been waiting for?" As Sarah approached, she too was smiling. "Hey, I know you," she said, pointing at Phil. They embraced warmly. Then Sarah looked at me and said, "Sorry I'm late. My mental alarm didn't go off for some reason, but now I guess I know why. It gave you two a chance to talk. What have you been doing?" "He just learned how to see the fields between his fingers," Phil said.
Sarah looked at me. "Last year, Phil and I were up here at this very spot learning to do the same thing." She glanced at Phil. "Let's put our backs together. Maybe he can see the energy between us." They stood back to back in front of me. I suggested they move closer and they stepped toward me until the space between us was about 4 ft. They were silhouetted against the sky, which was still a dark blue in that direction. To my surprise, the space between them looked lighter. It was yellow or a yellowish pink. "He sees it," Phil said, reading my expression.
Sarah turned and grabbed Phil by the arm, and they slowly stepped away from me so that their bodies were perhaps 10 feet away. Surrounding their upper torsos was a whitish pink field of energy. "Okay," Sarah said seriously. She had walked over and crouched down beside me. "Now look at the scene here, the beauty." I was immediately awed by the shapes and forms around me. I seemed to be able to focus on each of the massive oaks in a total way, not merely on one part, but on the whole form at once. I was immediately struck by the unique shape and configuration of limbs each displayed. I looked from one to the other, turning all around. Doing this somehow increased the feeling of presence each oak exuded to me as though I was seeing them for the first time, or at least fully appreciating them for the first time.
Suddenly, the tropical foilage underneath the huge trees attracted my attention. I again looked at the unique form each plant exhibited. I also noticed the way each type of plant grew together with others of its own kind and what struck me as little communities. For instance, the tall banana tree type plants were often encircled by small philandreons with themselves were poised among even smaller fern-like plants. When I looked at these many environments, I was again struck by their uniqueness of outline and presence. Less than 10 ft away, a particular foilage plant caught my eye. I had often owned just this type of house plant, a particular variegated form of philandrium, dark green. Its foilage branched out to about 4 feet in diameter. The shape of this plant seemed perfectly healthy and vibrant.
"Yeah, focus on that one, but loosely," Sarah said. As I did so, I played with the focus of my eyes. At one point, I tried to focus on the space 6 in to one side of each physical part of the plant. Gradually, I began to pick up glimpses of light. Then with a single adjustment of my focus, I could see a bubble of white light encircling the plant. "I'm seeing something now," I said.
"Look around some," Sarah said. I stepped back in shock. Around each plant within my vision was a field of whitish light, visible yet totally transparent, so that none of the plants color or form was obscured. I realized that what I was seeing was an extension of each plant's unique beauty. It was as though first I had seen the plants, then I had seen their uniqueness and presence, and then something had amplified in the pure beauty of their physical expression, at which time I had seen the energy fields.
"See if you can see this," Sarah said. She sat down in front of me and faced the philandreon. A plume of the whitish light encircling her body erupted outward and engulfed the philandreon. The diameter of the plant's energy field in turn broadened by several feet. "Damn," I exclaimed, which provoked laughter between the two friends. Soon I was laughing myself, conscious of the peculiarity of what was happening, but feeling absolutely no uneasiness at seeing quite readily. phenomena I had totally doubted minutes earlier. I realized that the perception of the fields rather than evoking a surrealistic sensation actually made the things about me seem more solid and real than before. Yet at the same time everything around me seemed different. The only reference I had for the experience was perhaps a movie which enhanced the color of a forest in order to make it seem mystical and enchanted. The plants, the leaves, the sky now all stood out with a presence and a slight shimmer that suggested life there and perhaps consciousness beyond our ordinary assumption. After seeing this, there would be no way to take a forest for granted again.
I looked at Phil. "Sit down and put your energy on the philandreon," I said. "I'd like to compare." Phil appeared perplexed. "I can't do it," he said. "I don't know why." I looked at Sarah. "Some people can and some people can't," she said. "We haven't figured it out. Marjorie has to screen her graduate students to see who can do it. A couple of psychologists are trying to correlate this ability with personality characteristics, but so far no one knows."
"Let me try," I said. "Okay, go ahead," Sarah replied. I sat down again and faced the plant. Sarah and Phil stood at right angles to me. "Okay, how do I begin?" "Just focus your attention on the plant as though you want to inflate it with your energy," Sarah said. I looked at the plant and imagined energy swelling up inside it. Then after a few minutes, I looked over at the two. "Sorry," Sarah said, "Riley, not one of the chosen few." I shot a mock frown at Phil.
Angry voices from the path below interrupted our conversation. Through the trees, we could see a group of men passing, talking harshly among themselves. "Who are those people?" Phil asked, looking at Sarah. "I don't know," she said. "More folks upset with what we're doing, I guess." I looked back at the forest around us. Everything appeared ordinary again. "Hey, I can't see the energy fields anymore." "Some things bring you right down, don't they?" Sarah remarked. Phil smiled and patted my shoulder. "You can do it again anytime now. It's just like riding a bicycle. All you have to do is see the beauty and then extend from there."
I suddenly remembered to check the time. The sun was much higher in the sky, and a light midm morning breeze swayed the trees. My watch showed 7:50 a.m. "I guess I had better head back," I said. Sarah and Phil joined me as we walked. I looked back at the wooded hillside. "That's one beautiful place," I said. "Too bad there aren't more places like this in the States." "Once you see the energy fields in other areas," Phil said, "you'll realize just how dynamic this forest is. Look at these oaks. They are very rare in Peru. But they grow here in Vicente, a cut forest, especially one that's been stripped of hard woods in order to grow pines for profit, has a very low energy field, and a city, except for the people, has a different kind of energy altogether." I tried to focus on the plants along the path, but the act of walking disrupted my concentration.
"You're sure I'll see these fields again?" I said. "Absolutely," Sarah replied. "I've never heard of anyone failing to duplicate the experience once they've seen them initially. We had a research opthalmologist come through here once and got all excited after he learned to see the fields. Turned out he had been working with certain sight abnormalities, including forms of color blindness, and concluded that people have what is called lazy receptors in their eyes. He had taught people how to see colors. they'd never experienced before. According to him, seeing energy fields was just a matter of doing the same thing, of waking up other dormant receptors, something that everyone theoretically can do."
"I wish I live near a place like this," I said. "Don't we all?" Phil replied, then looked around me at Sarah. "Is Dr. Hayne still here?" "Yes," Sarah said. "He can't leave." Phil looked at me. "Now, there's a guy who's doing some interesting research on what this energy can do for you." "Yeah," I said, "I talked with him yesterday."
"The last time I was here," Phil continued, "he was telling me about a study he would like to conduct in which he could look at the physical effects of merely being near certain high energy environments, such as that forest back there. He would use the same measurements of organ efficiency and output to see the effect." "Well, I already know the effect," Sarah said. "Whenever I drive into this estate, I begin to feel better. Everything is amplified. I seem stronger. I can think more clearly and quickly. And the insights I have into all this and how it relates to my work in physics is amazing."
"What are you working on?" I asked. "Do you remember me telling you about the perplexing experiments in particle physics during which these little bits of atoms appeared wherever the scientists expected them to be?" "Yes." "Well, I've tried to expand this idea a bit with experiments of my own. Not to solve the problems those guys were working on in subatomic particles, but to explore questions I told you about before. To what extent does the physical universe as a whole, since it's made up of the same basic energy, respond to our expectations? To what extent do our expectations create all the things that happen to us?"
"The coincidences you mean?" "Yes. Think of the events of your life. The old Newtonian idea is that everything happens by chance. That one can make good decisions and be prepared, but that every event has its own line of causation independent of our attitude. After the recent discoveries of modern physics, we may legitimately ask if the universe is more dynamic than that. Perhaps the universe runs mechanistically as a basic operation, but then also subtly responds to the mental energy we project out onto it. I mean, why not? If we can make plants grow faster, maybe we can make certain events come faster or slower depending on how we think."
"Does the manuscript talk about any of this?" Sarah smiled at me. "Of course, that's where we're getting these ideas." She began to dig around in her pack as we walked, finally pulling out a folder. "Here's your copy," she said. I glanced at it briefly and placed it in my pocket. We were crossing the bridge, and I hesitated a moment, observing the colors and forms of the plants around me. I altered my focus and immediately saw the energy fields around everything in my view. Both Sarah and Phil had wide fields which seemed to be tinted yellow green. Though Sarah's field occasionally flashed with a pinkish color.
Suddenly, they both stopped and looked intently up the trail. Ahead about 50 ft, a man walked quickly toward us. A sensation of anxiety filled my stomach, but I was determined to maintain my view of the energy. As he approached, I recognized him. He was the taller of the scientists from the University of Peru, who had asked for directions the day before. Around him, I could detect a layer of red. When he walked up to us, he turned to Sarah and condescendingly said, "You're a scientist, aren't you?" "That's right," Sarah replied. "Then how can you tolerate this kind of science? I've seen these gardens and I can't believe the sloppiness. You people haven't controlled for anything."
"Controlling for everything is impossible, sir. We're looking for general tendencies." I could detect an edge growing in Sarah's voice. "But postulating some newly visible energy that underlies the chemistry of living things. That's absurd. You have no proof." "Proof is what we're looking for. But how can you postulate the existence of anything before you get some proof?" The voices of both individuals sounded angry now. But I was only vaguely listening. What consumed my attention was the dynamics of
Their energy fields. When the discussion began, Phil and I had backed up a few feet, and Sarah and the taller man had squared off, facing each other with a distance of about four feet between them. Immediately, both their energy fields had seemed to grow more dense and excited somehow, as though from a inner vibration. As the conversation progressed, their fields began to intermingle. When one of them made a point, his field would create a movement which seemed to suck at the other's field with what appeared to be a kind of vacuum maneuver. But then, as the other person made his rebuttal, the energy would move back in his direction in terms of the dynamics of energy fields. Winning the point seemed to mean capturing part of the opponent's field and pulling it into oneself.
Besides, Sarah was saying to the man, "We have observed the phenomena we're trying to understand." The man gave Sarah a disdainful look. "Then you're insane as well as incompetent," he said and walked away. "You're a dinosaur," Sarah shouted, which made Phil and me laugh. Sarah, however, was still tense. "These people can make me angry," Sarah said as we resumed our walk along the path. "Forget it," Phil said. "These kinds of people come around sometimes." "But why so many?" Sarah asked. "And why right now?"
As we walked up to the lodge, I could see Will at the Jeep. The doors of the vehicle were open and gear was spread out on top of the hood. He saw me immediately and motioned for me to come over. "Well, looks like I'm about to take off," I said. My comment broke a 10-minute silence which had begun when I had tried to explain what I had seen happen to Sarah's energy during the argument. Evidently, I had not put it very well because my comments had provoked only blank stairs and had cast us all into a long period of self absorption.
"It's been nice meeting you," Sarah said, offering her hand. Phil was looking toward the jeep. "Is that Will James?" he asked. "Is he the guy you're traveling with?" "Yes," I said. "Why?" "I just wondered. I've seen him around. He knows the owner of this place and was one of the early group that first encouraged the research on energy fields here. Come on up and meet him." "No, I have to go," I said. "I'll see you around here later on. I know you won't be able to stay away," he said. "No doubt," I said. Sarah interjected that she too needed to go and that I could contact her through the lodge. I delayed them for a few more minutes, expressing my thanks for the lessons. Sarah's expression grew serious. "Seeing the energy, grasping this new way of seeing the physical world grows through a kind of contagion. We don't understand it, but when a person hangs out with others who see this kind of energy, usually we begin to see it, too. So, go show it to someone else." I nodded and then hurried up to the jeep.
Will greeted me with a smile. "Are you about ready?" I asked. "Almost," he said. "How did the morning go?" "Interesting," I said. "I've got a lot to talk to you about." "You'd better save it for now," he said. "We need to get out of here. Things are looking unfriendly." I walked closer to him. "What's going on?" I asked. "Nothing too serious," he said. "I'll explain later. Get your stuff."
I walked into the lodge and picked up the few items I had left in my room. Will had told me earlier there would be no charge, courtesy of the owner, so I walked down to the desk and handed the clerk my key and walked back outside to the Jeep. Will was under the hood checking something in. He slammed it closed as I walked up. "Okay," he said, "Let's go." We drove out of the parking lot, then down to drive toward the main road. Several cars were leaving at the same time.
"So what's happening?" I asked Will. "A group of local officials," he replied, "along with some scientific types have complained about the people associated with this conference center. They're not alleging that anything illegal is going on, just that some of the folks hanging around here may be what they call undesirable, not legitimate scientists." These officials could cause a lot of trouble and that could effectively put the lodge out of business. I looked at him blankly and he continued, "You see, this lodge normally has several groups booked at any one time. Only a small number have anything to do with research associated with the manuscript. The others are groups focused on their own disciplines who come down here for the beauty. If the officials get too ugly and create a negative climate, these groups will stop meeting here." "But I thought you said the local officials wouldn't tamper with the tourist money coming into Vicente." "I didn't think they would. Someone has them nervous about the manuscript." "Did anyone at the gardens understand what was occurring?" "No, not really. I said they were just wondering why all of a sudden more angry people were around." Will remained silent.
We drove out the gate and turned southeast. A mile later, we took another road which headed due east toward the mountain range in the distance. "We'll be going right by the gardens," Will said. After a while, ahead, I saw the plots in the first metal building. As we came alongside, the door opened and I met eyes with the person coming out. It was Marjorie. She smiled and turned toward me as we passed, our gaze lingering for a long moment. "Who is that?" Will asked. "A woman I met yesterday," I answered. He nodded, then changed the subject. "Did you get to look at the third insight?" "I was given a copy."
Will didn't reply, appearing to be lost in thought. So, I pulled out the translation and found where I had stopped reading. From there, the third insight elaborated on the nature of beauty, describing this perception as the one through which humans would eventually learn to observe energy fields. Once this occurred, it said, then our understanding of the physical universe would quickly transform. For instance, we would begin to eat more foods which were still alive with this energy. And we would become conscious that certain localities radiate more energy than others. The highest radiation coming from old natural environments, especially forests.
I was about to read the final pages when Will suddenly spoke. "Tell me what you experienced back at the gardens," he said. As best as I could, I related in detail the events of the two days, including the people I had met. When I told him of the encounter with Marjgery, he looked at me and smiled. "How much did you talk to these people about the other insights and how these insights relate to what they're doing in the gardens?" he asked. "I didn't mention them at all," I replied. "I didn't trust them at first, and later I just figured they knew more than me." "I think you could have given them some important information had you been perfectly honest with them." "What kind of information?" He looked at me warmly. "Only you know that."
I was at a loss for words, so I looked out at the landscape. The terrain was growing increasingly hilly and rocky. Large granite outcrops overhung the road. "What do you make of seeing Marjorie again as we passed the gardens?" Will asked. I started to say just a coincidence. But instead, I said, "I don't know. What do you think?" "I don't think anything happens by coincidence. To me, it means you two have unfinished business. Something you needed to say to each other that you didn't." The idea intrigued me, but disturbed me as well. I had been accused all my life of remaining too distant, of asking questions, but not expressing opinions or committing to a position. Why, I wondered, was this coming up again? Now, I also noticed that I was beginning to feel differently at Vicente. I had felt adventurous and competent, and now I was feeling what could only be called a growing depression mixed with anxiety. "Now you've made me depressed," I said. He laughed loudly, then replied. "It wasn't me. It was the effect of leaving the Vikente estate. The energy of that place makes you high as a kite. Why do you think all these scientists began hanging around here years ago? They don't have a clue as to why they like it so much." He turned to look directly at me. "But we do, don't we?" He checked the road, then looked at me again, his face full of regard. "You have to crank up your own energy when you leave a place like that." I just looked at him puzzled, and he gave me a reassuring smile.
Afterward, we were both silent for perhaps a mile when he said, "Tell me more of what happened at the gardens." I continued the story. When I described actually seeing energy fields, he looked at me with amazement, but said nothing. "Can you see these fields?" I asked. He shot me a glance. "Yes," he said. "Go on." I related the story without interruption until I came to Sarah's argument with the Peruvian scientist and the dynamics of their energy fields during the confrontation. "What did Sarah and Phil say about that?" he asked. "Nothing," I said. "They didn't seem to have a frame of reference for it." "I didn't think so," Will said. "They're so fascinated with the third insight, they haven't yet gone forward. How humans compete for energy is the fourth insight." "Compete for energy?" I asked. He merely smiled, nodding toward the translation I was holding.
I picked up where I had left off. The text pointed clearly to the fourth insight. It said that eventually humans would see the universe as comprised of one dynamic energy, an energy that can sustain us and respond to our expectations. Yet we would also see that we have been disconnected from the larger source of this energy that we have cut ourselves off and so have felt weak and insecure and lacking. In the face of this deficit, we humans have always sought to increase our personal energy in the only manner we have known by seeking to psychologically steal it from others. An unconscious competition that underlies all human conflict in the world.