ALSOBYGREGGBRADEN

AwakeningtoZeroPointWalikingBetweenWorlds

TheIsaiahEffect

Quantumsciencesuggeststheexistenceofmanypossiblefutures

foreachmomentofourlives.Eachfutureliesinastateofrest

untilitisawakenedbychoicesmadeinthepresent.

Atwo-thousand-year-oldscrollwrittenbytheprophetIsaiahdescribespreciselysuchpossibilitiesinalanguage

thatwearejustbeginningtounderstand.Inadditiontosharinghisvisionsofourtime,Isaiahdescribedthescienceofhowwechoose

whichfutureweexperience.

Eachtimewedoso,weexperiencetheIsaiahEffect.

Ancienttraditionsremindusthatwehavecometothisworldforonereason

aboveallotherreasons.

Weareheretoloveandtofindaloveevengreaterthananyknown

bytheangelsoftheheavens.

Thisbookisdedicatedtooursearchforloveandthememoryofourpower

tobringheaventoearth.

Contents

Beginnings

Introduction

1.LIVINGTHEDAYSOFPROPHECY

HistoryPointstoNow2.LOSTWORDSOFAFORGOTTENPEOPLE

BeyondScience,Religion,andMiracles3.THEPROPHECIES

SilentVisionsofaForgottenFuture4.WAVES,RIVERS,ANDROADS

ThePhysicsofTimeandProphecy5.THEISAIAHEFFECT

TheMysteryoftheMountain6.MEETINGWITHTHEABBOT

TheEssenesinTibet7.THELANGUAGEOFGOD

TheLostScienceofPrayerandProphecy8.THESCIENCEOFMAN

SecretsofPrayerandHealing9.HEALINGHEARTS,HEALINGNATIONS

RewritingOurFutureintheDaysofProphecy

Completions

Notes

Acknowledgments

Beginnings

Ilistenedcarefullytowhatthevoiceontheradiowassaying,tobecertain Ihadheardcorrectly.On thedashboardof thenewvan, rentedonly days before, the lighted buttons felt awkward and unfamiliar. Ifumbledwith the volume control to drown out the roar of a relentlesscrosswindpavingthewayforawinterstormthathadbeenvisiblejustasthesunwassetting.Foras faras Icouldseealong the interstate, therewasonlythehintofdistant lightsreflectedfromthelowcloudsabove.As I reached up to adjust the rearview mirror, my eyes followed theasphalt thatwehad just traveleduntil itdisappeared into theblacknesssurroundingus.Noteventheglowofheadlightsannouncingtheirarrivalonthehorizonwasvisiblebehind.Wewerealone,absolutelyalone,onthatcountyhighwayinnorthernColorado.AtthesametimeIwonderedhowmanyotherpeople,intheircarsorhomes,werehearingwhatIwashearingfromthemanontheradio.The moderator was interviewing a guest, inviting him to share his

viewofthecloseofthepresentmillenniumandthebirthofthetwenty-firstcentury.Theguest,arespectedauthorandeducator,wasinvitedtoshare what he saw in store for humankind over the next two to threeyears.Theradiocrackledbrieflyas theman'swordsdescribeda futurethatwasimmediatelyunsettling.Confidently,authoritatively,hespokeofhis vision of an inevitable end-of-the-century collapse in globaltechnologies, especially those based in computers. As he developed aworst-casescenario,a futureemerged inwhich theessentialsof lifeaswe know it would become scarce, perhaps unavailable, formonths oreven years. He cited limited supplies of electricity, water, natural gas,

food,andthelossofcommunicationsasthefirstsignsofabreakdowninnationalandlocalgovernments.Theguestcontinued,speculatingaboutatime in our foreseeable futurewhennational lawwould be suspended,and martial law imposed to maintain order. In addition to suchfrightening conditions, he cited the growing threat of uncontrollablediseases and the potential of a thirdworldwarwithweapons ofmassdestruction, all leading to the loss of nearly two-thirds of the world'spopulation,approximately4billionpeople,withinaspanofthreeyears.Ihadcertainlyheardsuchterrifyingforecastsbefore.Fromthevisions

ofbiblicalprophetstothepropheciesofNostradamusandEdgarCayce,inthesixteenthandtwentiethcenturiesrespectively,risingoceans,greatinlandseas,andcatastrophicearthquakeshavebeenaconsistent themein predictions for the close of the secondmillennium. Somethingwasdifferent about that night. Perhaps it was because I felt alone on thehighway.MaybeitwasbecauseIknewthatsomanyotherswerehearingthe samemessage, an authoritative voice of an invisible guest carriedintotheirhomes,offices,andautomobiles.Ifoundmyselfimmersedinarangeofexperiencesthatranfrompowerfulfeelingsofhopelessnessandtearsofdeepsadnesstoequallypowerfulsurgesofangerandrage.“No!”Ifoundmyselfscreamingoutloud.“No,itdoesnothavetobe

thewayyouhavedescribed!Ourfuturehasnothappenedyet.Itisstillformingandwearestillchoosingtheoutcome.”Toppingthecrestofahill,Idescendedintoavalleyandthereception

faded. The last portion of the interview that I heard was the guestadvisingpeopleto“headforthehills”andbepreparedforthelonghaul.Forthosewhoseliveswereimmersedinpoverty,livingonthefringesofsociety or oblivious to the events unfolding as our future, the guestofferedthreewordsofadvice:“Godhelpthem.”Asthevoicesfromtheradiocrackledandfaded,theimpactoftheirwordsremained.Isharethisstorynowbecausetheperspectivethatechoedthroughthe

airwaves that nightwas precisely that—one perspective, rather than acertainty that awaits as our future. In addition to describing scenes oftragedyanddespair, ancientprophets foresawequallyviable futuresofpeace,cooperation,andgreathealingforthepeoplesoftheearth.Inraremanuscriptsovertwomillenniaold,theyleftthesecretsofalostsciencethatallowsus to transcendcatastrophicpropheciesandpredictionsandthe great challenges of life with grace. At first glance, the scienceencodedwithintheseraredocumentsmaysoundmorelikefiction,oratleast the subject of a futuristic film. Viewed through the eyes oftwentieth-century physics, however, the principles contained withintheseancienttextsshednewlight,andnewpossibilities,uponourroleofdirecting the outcome of ourmoment in history.Tattered fragments of

thesetextsdescribealostsciencewiththepowertobringalastingendtoallwar,disease,andsuffering;initiateanunprecedentederaofpeaceandcooperation between governments and nations; render destructivepatterns of weather harmless; bring lasting healing to our bodies; andredefineancientpropheciesofdevastationandcatastrophiclossoflife.Recent developments in quantum physics support precisely such

principles, bringing new credibility to the role of mass prayer andancient prophecy. I first saw hints of this empowering wisdom intranslationsofAramaictextswrittenoverfivehundredyearsbeforethetime of Christ. The same texts stated that records of secret traditionswere taken from thehomelandof their authors in theMiddleEast intothemountainsofAsiaduring thefirstcenturyA.D. forsafekeeping. Inthespringof1998Ihadtheopportunitytoorganizeagroupoftwenty-twopeopleonapilgrimageintothehighlandsofcentralTibet,towitnessand confirm the traditions referred to in these two-thousand-year-oldtexts.Coupledwithlarge-scaleresearchcarriedoutinWesterncities,ourjourneyaddsnewcredibilitytotheseancientremindersofourpowertoend the suffering of countless numbers of people, avert a third worldwar,andfeedeverychild,woman,andmanlivingtoday,aswellasthoseof future generations. It is only after climbing to the monasteries,locating the libraries, and witnessing ancient practices carried intomodern times that I can confidently share the subtleties of suchtraditions.Asmodern science continues to validate a relationship between our

outerandinnerworlds,itbecomesmoreandmorelikelythataforgottenbridgelinkstheworldofourprayerswiththatofourexperience.Perhapsthislinkrepresentsthebestofallthatscience,religion,andthemysticshavetooffer, takentonewlevelsthatmayhaveneverseemedpossiblebefore.Thebeautyofsuchan inner technology is that it isbaseduponhumanqualitieswealreadypossess. In thecomfortofourownhomes,with no outward expression of science or philosophy, we are simplyinvitedtoremember.Indoingsoweempowerourfamilies,communities,and thosewhomweholddearwith a lifegivingmessageofhope frombeyondtheveilsoftime.Fromprophetswhosawusintheirdreams,weare reminded that inhonoring all lifewe accomplishnothing less thanthesurvivalofourspeciesandthefutureoftheonlyhomeweknow.

GreggBradenNorthernNewMexicoJanuary1999

Introduction

Couldtherebealostsciencethatallowsustotranscendthethemesofwar,destruction,andsufferinglongpredictedforourtimeinhistory?Is it possible that somewhere in the mists of our ancient memory aneventoccurredthathasleftagapinourunderstandingofhowwerelatetoourworldandoneanother?Ifso,couldthefillingofthatgapavertthegreatest tragedies ever to face humankind? Twenty-five-hundred-year-oldtexts,aswellasmodernscience,suggestthattheanswertotheseandsimilarquestionsisaresounding“Yes!”Additionally,inthelanguagesoftheir times, those who have come before us remind us of twoempowering technologieswith direct relevance to our lives today.Thefirst is the science of prophecy,which allows us towitness the futureconsequencesofchoicesthatwemakeinthepresent.Thesecondisthesophisticatedtechnologyofprayerthatallowsustochoosewhichfutureprophecywelive.Thesecretstoourlostsciencesappeartohavebeensharedopenlyby

societiesandtraditionsofourpast.Thelastvestigesofthisempoweringwisdom were lost toWestern tradition with the disappearance of raretexts inthefourthcentury.ItwasinA.D.325thatkeyelementsofouralready ancient heritage were taken from the general population andrelegatedtotheesoterictraditionsofmysteryschools,elitepriesthoods,and sacred orders. Through the eyes of modern science, recenttranslations of such texts as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Gnosticlibraries of Egypt have shed new light and opened the doors topossibilities hinted at in ancient folklore and fairy tales. Only now,nearlytwomillenniaaftertheywerewritten,areweabletoauthenticate

the power of a force that lives within us, a very real power with theabilitytoendsufferingandbringalastingpeacetoourworld.Ancientauthors leftus theirempoweringmessageofhopedescribed

inthewordsoftheirtime.ThevisionsoftheprophetIsaiah,forexample,were recorded over five hundred years before the time of Christ. TheonlymanuscriptdiscoveredintactamongtheDeadSeaScrollsin1946,theentireIsaiahScrollisunrolledandmounteduponaverticalcylinderdisplayedat theShrineof theBookMuseum in Jerusalem.Consideredirreplaceable, the exhibit is designed to retract into a vault covered bysteel doors to preserve the scroll for future generations in the event ofnuclear attack.Theage, completeness, andwrittennatureof the IsaiahScroll provides auniqueopportunity to consider it as representativeofmanypropheciesregardingour timeinhistory.Beyondthespecificsofpreciseevents,ageneralizedviewofancientpredictionsrevealsthreadsof a common theme. In each glimpse into our future, the propheciesfollow a clear pattern: descriptions of catastrophe are immediatelyfollowedbyavisionoflife,joy,andpossibility.Intheoldestknownmanuscriptofitskind,Isaiahbeginshisvisionof

possible futures by detailing a time of global destruction on anunparalleled scale.He describes this ominousmoment as a timewhen“theearthisutterlylaidwaste,utterlystripped.”1Hisglimpseintoatimeyet to come closelymirrors the descriptions ofmany other propheciesfrom various traditions, including those of the Native American HopiandNavajo,aswellastheMayaofMexicoandGuatemala.IntheversesthatfollowIsaiah'sdescriptionofdevastation,however,

hisvisionshiftsdramaticallytoathemeofpeaceandhealing:“Streamswillburstforthinthedesert,andriversinthesteppe.Theburningsandswill become pools and the thirsty ground, springs of water.”2Additionally, Isaiah suggests that “the deaf shall hear the words of abook;andoutofgloomanddarknesstheeyesoftheblindshallsee.”3For nearly twenty-five centuries, scholars have largely interpreted

suchvisionsasadescriptionofeventsexpectedtooccurinpreciselytheorderinwhichtheyaredescribedinIsaiah'sscroll:firstthetribulationofdestruction,followedbyatimeofpeaceandhealing.Is itpossiblethatthesevisionsfromanothertimeweresayingsomethingelse?Couldtheinsights of the prophets reflect the skills of adept masters slippingbetween theworldsof possible futures and recording their experiencesfor future generations? If so, the details of their journeys may offerpowerfulcluestoatimestilltocome.Echoing the beliefs of twentieth-century physicists, ancient prophets

viewedtimeandthecourseofourhistoryasapaththatmaybetraveled

intwodirections,reverseaswellasforward.Theyrecognizedthattheirvisionsmerelyportrayedpossibilitiesforagivenmomentintime,ratherthan events that would occur with certainty, and each possibility wasbaseduponconditionsat the timeofprophecy.Asconditionschanged,the outcome of each prophecy would reflect that change. A prophet'svisionofwar, forexample,couldbeviewedasa future tobeexpectedonlyifthesocial,political,andmilitarycircumstancesatthetimeoftheprophecyweretocontinueunimpeded.Thesamelineofreasoningremindsusthatbychangingourcourseof

action in themoment,sometimes inaverysmallway,wemayredirectourentirefuture.Thisprincipleappliestoindividualcircumstancessuchas health and relationship, aswell as to the general well-being of ourworld. In the case of war, the science of prophecy could allow avisionarytoprojecthissightintoafuturetimeandalertthepeopleofhisday to theconsequencesof their actions.Manyprophecies, in fact, areaccompaniedbyemphaticpleasforchangeinanefforttoavoidwhattheprophetshaveseen.Prophetic insight into distant possibilities often reminds us of an

analogytoparallelroads,pathsofpossibilitythatrunintoourfutureaswellasourpast.Onceinawhilethecoursesoftheroadsappeartobend,bringing each path very close to its neighbor. It is at these points thatancientprophetsbelievedtheveilsbetweentheworldsbecameverythin.Thethinnertheveils,theeasieritbecametochoosenewcoursesforthefuture,byjumpingfromonepathtoanother.Modern scientists give careful consideration to such possibilities,

creatingnamesfortheeventsthemselves,aswellastheplaceswheretheworlds are connected. Through the language of time waves, quantumoutcomes,andchoicepoints,propheciessuchasthoseofIsaiahtakeonpowerfulnewmeanings.Ratherthanbeingforecastsofeventsexpectedonedayinourfuture,theyareglimpsesintotheconsequencesofchoicesmadeinthepresent.Suchdescriptionsoftenbringtomindtheimageofagreat cosmic simulator, allowingus towitness the long-termeffectsofouractions.Surprisinglysimilartoquantumprincipleswhichsuggestthattimeisa

collection of malleable and diverse outcomes, Isaiah goes one stepfurther, reminding us that the possibilities of our future are actuallydeterminedby collective choices in thepresent.By sharing a commonchoice,manyindividualsamplifytheeffectandacceleratetheoutcome.Some of the clearest examples of this quantum principle are found inmassprayers formiracles;sudden jumpsfromonefutureoutcomeintothe experience of another. In the early 1980s, the effects of focusedprayerweredocumentedthroughcontrolledexperiments inurbanhigh-

crimeareas.4,5Throughsuchstudies, thelocalizedeffectofprayerhasbeen well documented in the open literature. Do the same principlesapplyoverlargerareas,perhapsonaglobalscale?OnFriday,November13,1998,amassprayerwasimplementedona

worldwide basis, as a choice of peace during a time of escalatingpoliticaltensioninmanypartsoftheworld.Ofspecificinterestthatdaywas the expiration of a timeline imposed on Iraq to comply with theUnitedNations'demandsforweaponsinspections.Followingmonthsofunsuccessful negotiations for access into sensitive sites, the nations oftheWesthadmadeitclearthatIraq'sfailuretocomplywouldresultinamassiveandextendedbombingcampaigndesignedtodestroysuspectedweapons sites.Suchacampaignwouldcertainlyhave resulted ingreatlossoflife,civilianaswellasmilitary.Linked throughaglobalcommunityaccessing theWorldWideWeb,

severalhundredthousandpeoplechosepeaceinamassprayercarefullysynchronized to precisemoments that evening.During the time of theprayer, an event occurred that many consider to be a miracle. Thirtyminutesintotheaerialattack,thePresidentoftheUnitedStates,havingreceived a letter from Iraqi officials stating that they would nowcooperatewiththerequestedweaponsinspections,issuedarareordertoU.S.forcesto“standdown,”themilitarytermforabortingamission.6Thechancesofsuchaneventhappeningbycoincidence in thesame

timewindow as the global prayer are small. Skeptics have viewed thesynchronicity in thisexampleas“chance.”However,given thatsimilarresultshadbeenseenpreviouslyineventsoccurringinIraq,theUnitedStates,andNorthernIreland,agrowingbodyofevidencesuggests thattheeffectofmassprayer ismore thancoincidence.Confirminga tenetdiscovered in centuries-old texts, the evidence simply states that thechoiceofmanypeople, focused in a specificmanner, has a direct andmeasurableeffectonourqualityoflife.Though such changes appear unexplainable by ordinary means,

quantum principles allow for them as a result of the inner force ofcollectiveorgroupchoice.Perhapsencryptedinancient traditionsuntilthe thinking of our day could recognize it, the lost science of prayeroffersacourseofactionnowtoavoidthesickness,destruction,war,anddeath predicted for our future. Our individual choices merge into ourcollective response to the present, with implications that range from amatter of days tomany generations into our future.Nowwe have thelanguage to bring this powerful message of hope and possibility intoeachmomentofourlives.Though the full extent of Isaiah's darkest visions has yet to pass, a

growingnumberofscientists,philosophers,andresearchersbelievethatwearewitnessingtheprecursorstomanyoftheeventshepredictedforourlifetime.CouldancientkeyssuchastheIsaiahScrollhavesurvivedfor over twomillenniawith amessage so empowering that they couldnot be recognized until the very nature of ourworldwas understood?Our willingness to allow for such a possibility may become our roadmaptoavoidingthesufferingpredictedbyanentireclassofvisionsforourfuture.

AndIsawanewheavenandanewearth.…Iheardavoicesaying

thereshallbenomoredeath,neithersorrow,norcrying,

fortheformerthingsarepassedaway.

—THEESSENEBOOKOFREVELATIONS

LIVINGTHEDAYSOFPROPHECY

HistoryPointstoNow

ForsomereasonthemancaughtmyeyeasIstrolleddownthehallwaypasttherestroomsandtelephones.Itcouldhavebeenhisartworkdisplayedon the walls. Perhaps it was his jewelry, modestly peeking from thehandcrafted box lined with felt. More likely than not, however, it was thethreechildrenthatsurroundedhim.Havingnochildrenofmyown,overtheyears I've gotten better at estimating the ages of those that belong to otherpeople.Theoldestwiththemanwasnearlyeightyearsold.Workingtowardthe youngest, therewas perhaps two years' difference between one and thenext.Whatbeautifulchildren,IthoughttomyselfasIpassedtheirdisplayinthelobbyoftherestaurant.Ihad just finisheda long-overduemealwith friendsnear a small seaside

town north of San Francisco. Preparing to offer a workshop that wouldcontinue over the next three days, I knew that I had been a little distant atdinner. From my vantage point at one end of the table, the conversationsseemedtobehappeningallaroundme.Ihadfeltlikeanobserverastherestof the group quickly paired off in catch-up conversation regarding careers,romance,andfutureplans.Irememberwonderingifmychoiceofseatingwasintentional,mywayof avoidingdirect participationwhile still enjoying thepresence of old friendships in intimate conversation.More than once I hadfoundmyself lookingoutof thetallplate-glasswindowsthatstoodbetweenme and the tide rising under the pier. My mind was focused on thepresentation that Iwouldmake the followingevening.Whatwordswould Ishareintheopening?HowwouldIinviteanaudienceofmixedbackgroundsandvariedbeliefstofollowmeintoanancientmessageoflife-affirminghope

regardingourtimeinhistory?“Hey, how is it going?” themanwith the children and jewelry said as I

walkedtowardhim.Theunexpectedgreetingofastrangerjoltedmeintothepresent.Ismiledandnodded.“Great,” I replied, without even thinking. “It looks like you have some

goodhelpers,”Isaid,gesturingtowardhisthreechildren.Themanlaughed,and as I stopped we quickly found ourselves in conversation about hisjewelry,hiswife'sartwork,andtheirfourchildren.“Iwasthemidwifeforeachofmychildren,”hesaid.“Iwasthefirsteyes

thattheysawwhentheycameintothisworld.Myhandswerethefirsthandsthattouchedtheirbodies.”Hiseyessparkledashedescribedhowhisfamilyhad grown.Within a matter of moments, this man whom I had never metbefore began describing the miracle of birth that he and his wife hadexperienced four times together. I was quicklymoved by his trust and thesincerityofhisvoiceashesharedintimatedetailsofeachbirth.“It'seasytobringababyintothisworld,”hesaid.Easyforyoutosay,Ithoughttomyself.WhatwouldyourwifesayifIwere

toaskherabouthavingbabies?JustasIhadthethought,awomanappearedfrom down the hallway. Immediately I knew that she and the man weretogether.Theywereoneofthosecouplesthatjustlookasthoughtheyarepartofoneanother.Shewalkeduptousandsmiledwarmlyassheslippedherarmaroundherhusband. Iwouldhavepassedherdisplaydown thehallway if Ihadnotstoppedtospeakwithherhusbandfirst.KnowingtheanswertothequestionthatIwasabouttoask,Ispokefirst.“Areyouthemotherofthesebeautifulchildren?”Theprideinhereyesgaveawayheranswer,evenbeforethewordslefther

mouth.“Yes,Iam,”shereplied.“I'mthemothertoallfiveofthem.”Withthewidegrinthatcomesfromtheprivilegeofsharingyearswithanotherperson,shelaughedandpokedherhusbandinthearm.Icaughtonimmediately.Shewas referring tohimas the fifth child.Sheheld inher arms the fourth andyoungest, a small boy perhaps two years old. As he squirmed, his motherplacedhimfeet-firstonthetiledflooroftherestaurantentryway.Hesteppedtohis father,whopickedhimup in a singlemotionandcradledhim in thecrook of one arm. The young boy seated himself upright so he could lookdirectly into his father's eyes, and he remained thatway for the rest of ourconversation. It was obviously something that they had done many timesbefore.“So,itiseasytohaveachild?”Isaid,asareminderofwherewehadleft

ourconversationbeforetheman'swifehadappeared.“Usually,” he replied. “When they are ready, there is notmuch stopping

them.Theyjustshootrightout!”Withhisyoungestsonstillinhisarms,themanstoopedalittletomimicanathletecatchingaball,orababyinhisarms.

We all laughed as he and his wife looked at each other. Then an air ofstillness came over the couple as well as their children. Now and thensomeone crosses our path in precisely the rightmoment,with precisely theright words to jolt ourmemories and awaken possibilities that lie sleepingwithineachofus.Ibelievethat,onunspokenlevels,weworktogetherinthisway.Intheinnocenceoftheunexpected,amagicalmomentunfolds.Iknewthat this was one of those moments. The man looked directly at me. Theexpressiononhisfaceandthefeelinginmyhearttoldmethatwhateverwasabouttohappenwasthereasonweweretogetherinthatmoment.“Usually there are no problems,” the man continued. “Once in a while,

though,somethinghappens.Somethinggoeswrong.”Lookingattheyoungboyinhisarms,themandrewthechildevencloser

ashe reachedupandbrushed thehairoff theboy's foreheadwithhishand.For an instant the twogazed into eachother's eyes. Iwashonoredby theirabilitytosharetheirlovewithoutmakingmefeellikeanobserver.Theywereallowingmetoparticipateintheirmoment.“Ithappenedwith thisone,” themancontinued.“Wehadsomeproblems

withJosh.”Ilistenedcarefullyashecontinued.“Everythingwasgoingfine,just the way it should. My wife's water had broken and her labor hadprogressed to the point where we found ourselves having our fourth homebirth.Joshwasinthebirthcanalwhensuddenlyeverythingstopped.Hejuststopped coming. I knew that something was wrong. For some reason IthoughtbacktoapoliceoperationsmanualthatIhadreadyearsearlier.Therewas a chapter on emergency births, with one section dedicated to possiblecomplications.Mymindracedtothatsection.Isn'titfunnyhowjusttherightthings seem tocome toourmindsat just the rightmoment?”He laughedanervouslaughashiswifesteppedcloser.Placingherarmaroundherhusbandandheryoungestchild,Iknewthattheyweresharinganexperiencethathadbrought the three of them together through a rare bond of intimacy andwonder.“Themanual said that every once in awhile during birth, the babymay

become lodged against the mother's tailbone. Sometimes it's the head,sometimestheshoulder,thatgetswedged.It'sarelativelysimpleproceduretoreachinsideandfreethechild.ThisisjustwhatIbelievedwashappeningtoJosh.“Ireachedinsidemywife,andthemostamazingthinghappened.Ifound

hertailbone,movedmyhandupwardalittlebit,andsureenough,IfeltJosh'sshoulderblade, lodgedupagainst thebone.Justas Iwasabout toshifthimmyself, I felt a movement. It took a moment for me to realize what washappening. It was Josh's hand. He was reaching up toward his mother'stailbone to free himself ! As his arm brushed my hand, I was given anexperience that Ibelievevery few fathershaveeverhad.”By this time,we

wereallintears.“The story isn't over yet,” theman'swife said softly. “Go ahead, tell the

rest,”shewhisperedencouraginglytoherhusband.“I'mgettingtothatpart.”Hegrinnedashewipedhiseyeswithhishands.

“As his arm brushed my hand, Josh stopped moving, just for a couple ofseconds.Ibelievehewastryingtounderstandwhathehadfound.ThenIfelthimagain.Thistimehewasnotreachinguptofreehimselffromhismother'stailbone.Thistimehewasreachingforme!Ifelthistinyhandmoveacrossmyfingers.Histouchwasuncertainatfirst,asifhewereexploring.Injustamatterofsecondstherewasastrengthinhisgrip.Ifeltmyunbornsonreachoutandwraphisfingersaroundmineconfidently,asifheknewme!InthatmomentIknewthatJoshwouldbeokay.Together,thethreeofusworkedtobring Josh into thisworld, andherehe is today.”Weall lookedat the littleboyinhisfather'sarms.Noticingalleyesonhim,Joshnestledhisfaceintohisfather'sshoulder.“He'sstillalittleshy,”themansaidwithalaugh.“Icanseewhyhe'ssodrawntoyou,”Isaid.“Youtwohavequiteahistory

together.”Welookedatoneanother throughthe tears thathadwelledup ineachof

our eyes. I remember the feeling of awe and wonder, and perhaps a littlesurprise,at the intensityofwhatwehad justshared.Weall laughed,easingtheawkwardnessof themomentwithoutdetracting fromthepowerofwhathadbeenshared.Afterafewmorewordsandmanywarmhugs,wesaidgoodnight.I never saw the family again.Now, nearly three years later, I don't even

knowtheirnames.Whatremainsistheirstory,theiropennessandwillingnessto share an intimate moment of their lives. Their honesty had touchedsomethingveryancient,deepwithinme.Thoughwehadknownoneanotherlessthantwentyminutes,thethreeofushadcreatedapowerfulmemorythatIwouldsharemanytimesoverthenextmonths.Itwasoneofthosemomentswhenthereisnoneedforexplanation.Wedidnoteventry.

TheShiftoftheAges

Awell-knownphraseintheteachingsofHermesTrismegistus,consideredthefatherofalchemy,suggeststhattheexperiencesofourdailylives,suchasthebirthofanew life, are reflectionsofeventsoccurringonamuch largerscale in the cosmos.With eloquent simplicity, the tenet simply states, “Asabove, sobelow.”Chaos theory, a specialized studyofmathematics, carriesthe explanation one step further, suggesting that our experiences areholographicaswell.Inaholographicworld,theexperienceofoneelementismirrored by every other element throughout the rest of the system. To thedegree thatourcosmosworks thisway, the tenetmayalsobeapplied toanexperiencemuchclosertohome:therelationshipbetweenourbodiesandourearth.As thefamilystandingwithmeshared thememoriesofbirthing theiryoungest member, I found myself thinking back to the tenet of Hermes.SuddenlythestoryofJoshmakinghiswayintoourworldbecameapowerfulanalogy to our planet giving birth to a new world. The similarities arecompelling.Forjustonemoment,ifwecouldimagineourselvescomingtoearthfroma

worldwhere themiracleofbirthwasanunfamiliarexperience, the storyofJosh offers a new perspective to the events of our time.Witnessing a lifeemerging into thisworldby any account is amagical experience.Knowingwhattheoutcomeofthelaborwillbe,however,insomewaymustchangeourfeelingsregardingtheexperience.Howwouldourperspectivebedifferentifwe did not know the outcome? What if we viewed the process of laborwithouttheprivilegeofunderstandingthatanewlifewasbeinginvitedintoourmidst?We would begin by seeing a woman in obvious pain. Her face would

grimace,synchronizedwiththescreamsoflabor.Bloodandfluidswouldflowfromherbody.Forallintentsandpurposes,aswitnessestothelaborofnewlife, wewould see precisely the same symptoms that often accompany theloss of life in ourworld.Howwouldwe ever know that from the outwardsymptomsofpainabirthwouldemerge?Isitpossiblethatwearemakingthesameassumptionsregardingthelaborofanewearththatsomeoneunfamiliarwithlabormightmakewatchingahumanbirth?Thisispreciselythescenariothat ancient traditions suggest is unfolding; we are witnesses to the cyclicbirthofanewworld.InthepropheticvisionsoftheGospelofMatthew,theauthoractuallyusesbirthasametaphortodescribetheeventsthatthepeopleofourtimemayexpecttosee:“Therewillbefaminesandearthquakesfromplacetoplace.Allthesethingsarethebeginningsofthelaborpains.”1During the last quarter of the twentieth century, scientists in fact have

documentedunprecedentedeventsforwhich thereappear tobenopointsofcomparison.Fromtheinnermostregionsofearth'scorestotheveryedgesofour known universe, instruments are recording events that exceed previousmeasurements in strength and duration, sometimes by several orders ofmagnitude. In the autumn of 1997, reports of catastrophic earth and socialchanges began to flood theWorldWideWeb,magazines, and othermediarelatingtosuchtopics.Thearticlesdescribedavarietyofeventsrangingfrommega-earthquakes, rises in sea level, and near collisions with asteroids, topowerful new viruses and the breakdown of a fragile peace in theMiddleEast, eachwith the potential to wreak havoc and destruction.Many of thearticlesdescribephenomena that followpredictionsenvisioned thousandsofyears ago for this time in history. Ancient as well as modern propheciessuggest that the events of 1997 marked the beginning of a rare period inwhichwemayexpecttoseesomedramaticchanges.

TheLanguageofChange

It was the secondweek of July 1998.Mywife and I had just returnedfromanextendedjourneycomprisingthreeweeksinTibetandfiveweeksinsouthern Peru. Togetherwe had led sacred journeys into some of themostpristine and isolated places remaining onEarth today.The purpose of eachjourneywas todocumentclearandrelevantexamplesofanancientwisdomlost to theWest 1,700 years ago. In journeying to remote locations wherecustoms have been preserved for hundreds of generations, we had theopportunity to speak with those living the practices today. Rather thanspeculating about the validity of faded texts, or translating lost languagesfrom temple walls, we spoke to the monks, shamans, and nuns of thoseregions directly. Through guides, interpreters, and our own language skills,weaskedspecificquestionsregardingthepracticesthatwewereprivilegedtowitness.Thoughwehadwatchednewsbroadcastswheneverpossible in the larger

cities,MelissaandIhadbeen largelyoutof touchwith the“outsideworld”formuchofour timeaway.Iwalked intomyoffice justas thefaxmachinebeeped,signalinganincomingmessage.Alreadytherewasacrumpledrolloffax paper cascading onto the floor. I wondered what message could be sourgentastogreetusinthiswayonourfirstdayback.Allowingthefirstfewpagestotumbleoff themachine,Ipickedthemup

and began to skim the papers. They were pages and pages of informationgathered from a variety of scientific institutions ranging from the NationalAeronautics and Space Administration and the United States GeologicalSurveytomajoruniversitiesandnewsservices.Eachpagewascoveredwithtables, graphs, and statistics documenting unusual events that had occurredover the last few months. Apparently researchers had been keeping meinformed of these events, and I happened to walk into my office just asanotherupdatewasarriving.Thefirstsheetsdetailedacosmiceventofunprecedentedproportions.On

December 14, 1997, astronomers detected an explosion on the edge of ourknown universe, second inmagnitude only to the primordialBigBang.Asreportedinthescientificjournalsnearlysevenmonthslater,researchersattheCalifornia Institute of Technology had documented the explosion as lastingfrom one to two seconds, with a luminosity equal to the rest of the entireuniverse.2Sincetheoriginalblast,additionalexplosionsofsimilarmagnitudehadbeendetailed.FollowingwerereportsfromJuneof1998,whenscientistshadwitnessed

two comets slamming into our sun, an event never seen or documented

before.The impactswere followedwithin hours by a “dramatic ejection ofhotgasandmagneticenergyknownascoronalmassejection(CME).”3Flaresofthisnaturearetriggersformajordisturbancesintheearth'smagneticfield,oftenknockingoutcommunicationsandpoweroverlargeareas.StillfreshinthemindsofmanyscientistsaretheeffectsofsimilardisturbancesinMarchof 1989, caused by flares that broke previous records of occurrence by 50percent.4,5The next papers detailed studies released in April of 1998 documenting

what many had suspected regarding weather and temperature extremes inrecent years. For the first time an international team confirmed thattemperatures in the northern hemisphere have climbed higher in the lastdecade than during any other period in the last six hundred years.6Furthermore,studieshaddisclosedthatanerrorinsatellitedatahadconfusedthereadingofweather trendsin thepastbymaskingthesignsof increasingair temperatures.7 Assuming a similar increase in the southern hemisphere,scientists from theNational Snow and IceDataCenterwere still in awe athowquicklya200-square-kilometer (approximately124squaremiles)massof the Larsen-B ice shelf had broken off from Antarctica and disappearedfrom satellite photographs. Appearing intact on February 15, it was goneelevendayslater,submergedunderthewater.Thereportstatedaconcernthatthe entire Larsen-B shelf, covering more than 10,000 square kilometers(approximately6,200squaremiles)could“crumbleinaslittleasonetotwoyears.”8Additionalstudieswentontoexplainthesignificanceofsuchevents,calculatingthat“acollapseofAntarcticicecouldraisesealevelsby6meters(nearlynineteenandone-halffeet).”9Beginninginearly1997,ananomalousweatherpatternknownasElNiño

hadwreakedhavoconcrops,industry,andthelivesofhundredsofthousandsof people on a global scale. The summaries noted that more than 16,000peoplehaddiedworldwideandthatdamageestimateswererunningashighas $50 billion. Conventional climate models completely missed predictingthispattern,whichresultedfromabreakdownandreversalofoceancurrents,untilithadalreadybegun.Additional papers noted the 1991 discovery of mysterious new signals

originating from the center of our galaxy,10 and confirmed that Earth'smagneticNorthPolehasnowwanderedoverfivedegreessince1949–50.11,12 Accompanying the articles were commentaries from leading researchersregardingboththeaccelerationandrisingintensityofthephenomena.Eventsfromyearspastthatmanyhadviewedasisolatedandanomalous,suchasthesolarflaresinthelate1980s,werenowviewedasstepping-stonespavingthewaytotheserecentdisplaysofevengreaterextremes.Allhadoccurredwithina nine-year window of time! Though not surprised, I was in awe of the

number and timing of the events. Many researchers suspect that the rarephysical shifts may represent the beginning of the catastrophic cycle ofchangepredictedinsomanytraditionsandprophecies.At first glance,without a frameworkwithinwhich to view such reports,

they may appear frightening at best. The variety of events occurring soclosely in timeseemsmore thanmerelychanceorcoincidence.Anyoneofthese events in itself warrants the attention of leading scientists andgovernments.Thefactthatmanyoccurredwithinafewshortweekssuggeststhat another scenario may be unfolding that is not accounted for by ourmodelsofsocietyandnature.Many scholars, modern-day prophets, and laypeople believe that such

powerfulexamplesofnaturalandsocialextremesareinfacttheprecursorsofevents fulfilling long-standingprophecies ofwar anddestruction.Thesameprophecies considered in their entirety, however, offer a message of verydifferent kind. Far from terrifying, ancient predictions viewed through theeyesofnewresearchofferanempoweringperspectiveofhopeandpossibility.

HistoryPointstoNow

I had been on hold only moments when I heard the technician's voicecomeontothetelephone.“We'llbegintheprograminthreeminutes,withastationIDattwentyand

halfpastthehour,”hesaid.Radiohasalwaysbeenagoodmediumforme.Still, therewasafamiliar

waveof emotion that rolled throughmybody as I heard theman's voice. Iknewthatoverthenextthreehours,eachwordthatIspokewouldbeheardonsyndicatedstationsacrossthecountry.Formonths,sometimesyears,IwouldbequotedwithregardtospecificstatementsthatIwouldmakeonthisnight.Atthesametime,Iknewthatthemessageofpossibilitywithintheinterviewwouldofferaperspectiveofhopeforthoselistening.Itookadeepbreathtofocus and prepare myself. The program was live and unrehearsed. Myimmediatethoughtwas,Whatwillthefirstquestionbe?Asifhehadheardmythought,thetechniciansuddenlycamebackonthe

line.“Wewouldliketobeginbyaddressingyouroptimism.Inthefaceofsomanypredictions of catastrophic destruction for the end of themillennium,whyareyousopositiveaboutthefutureofourworld?”“Good,”Ireplied.“Iseewewillbeginwiththeeasyquestionsfirst.”Togetherwe laughed, easing any last-minute tensions.Moments later the

voiceofourprogram'shostbeganaliveinterview.Quicklyourconversationled to questions from random callers regarding challenges that could beexpectedaswetransitionthroughtheturnofthemillenniumintothetwenty-firstcentury.Thoughthewordsvaried,therewasacommonthemeunderlyingeachquestion:concernaboutdestructivechangesforthepeoplesoftheearth.Some of the callers' voices quivered as they shared cultural insights andpersonalvisionsfortheendofthecentury.OneNativeAmericanelderfromanunspecified tribe described specific earth changes that his ancestors saidwouldmarkthelastofthree“greatshakings”upontheearth.Theyincludedearthquakes,alterationsinweatherpatterns,andthecollapseofcertainformsof government. From his people's perspective, the changes prophesied hadalreadybegun.Ilistenedcarefully.Tothebestofmyknowledge,eachcallerwasaccurate

with regard to the predictions, detailing prophecies precisely theway I hadheard them as well. At the same time the stories were incomplete. In thevisions of those who have come before us, an outcome of catastrophicdestructionwas only one of the possibilities they saw for our future.Manypropheciesalsoindicateanotheroutcome.Additionalfuturesofjoyandhope,however, appear to be the visions that have become clouded, or lost

altogether,astheprophecieshavepassedfromgenerationtogeneration.Our program continued into the early hours of the next morning. The

moderator and I carefully pieced together a framework within which theextremesofnaturalandsocialphenomenabegantomakesense.Idescribedalostseriesofrevelationsrecentlydiscoveredinpre-Christiantexts.Supportedthroughnew researchvalidating such traditions, the sourceofmyoptimismsoonbecameclear.Whileour challengesmayappearmore formidablewitheachpassingday,myfaithinourcollectiveabilitytobecomemorethantheeventsthatchallengeushasonlybecomestronger.

WindowtotheInnerWorlds

Tomany researchers, recent extremes documented in our solar system,weather patterns, geophysical shifts, and social patterns have no frame ofreference inWestern models of understanding. Their training asks them toview the anomalous events witnessed by science as discrete, nonrelatedphenomena—mysteries without context. Ancient and indigenous traditionssuchasthoseofthenativeNorthandSouthAmericans,theTibetans,andtheQumran communities of the Dead Sea, however, offer a framework thatallowsustomakesenseoftheapparentchaosinourworld.Theseteachingsprovideaunifiedviewofcreation,remindingusthatourbodiesaremadeofthesamematerialsasourearth—nothingmoreandnothingless.Perhaps the ancient Essenes, the mysterious authors of the Dead Sea

Scrolls, provide someof the clearest insights into our relationshipwith ourworldandthesciencesoftimeandprophecy.Supportedbymodernresearch,those2,500-year-oldtextssuggestthateventsobservedintheworldaroundusmirror the development of beliefs within us. Fourth-century documentspreserved in the private Vatican libraries, for example, offer details of thisrelationship,remindingusthat“thespiritoftheSonofManwascreatedfromthespiritof theHeavenlyFather,andhisbody fromthebodyof theEarthlyMother.Man is theSonof theEarthlyMother, and fromherdid theSonofManreceivehiswholebody.Youareonewith theearthlymother;she is inyouandyouinher…”(myemphasis).13Intheonlywordsthat theyknew,theEssenesremindusofarelationship

thatmodernscienceshavenowconfirmed.Theairinourlungsisthesameairthatglidesoverthegreatestoceansandrushesthroughthehighestmountainpasses.Thewater thatmakesup98percentof theblood inourveins is thesamewaterthatwasoncethegreatoceansandthemountainstreams.Throughthewritingsofanother time, theEssenes inviteus toviewourselvesasonewiththeearth,ratherthanseparatefromit.Fromsuchanancientworldview,weareofferedtwokeypreceptstoguideusthroughthegreatestchallengesofourmoderntime.First,weareremindedthatimbalancesimposedupontheeartharemirrored

as conditionswithinourbodies.Such traditionsview thebreakdownofourimmune systems and cancerous growths in our bodies, for example, as theinnerexpressionofacollectivebreakdownthatpreventsourouterworldfromgivinguslife.Second, this line of thinking invites us to consider earthquakes, volcanic

eruptions, andweather patterns asmirrors of great changeoccurringwithinhuman consciousness. Clearly, from such a worldview, life becomes much

more than a group of daily experiences occurring on a random basis. Theevents of our world are living barometers showing us our progress on ajourney that began long ago. As we look to our relationships within thepatterns of societies and nature, we are actually witnessing changes withinourselves.Theseholisticperspectivessuggestthatworldchangesofferarareopportunitytogaugetheconsequencesofourchoices,beliefs,andvaluesinadramaticfashion,asafeedbackmechanismofsorts.Oncethemechanismisrecognized, we awaken to new possibilities of even greater choices in ourlives.Suchpossibilitiesofhealinghavebeensilentlyheldintribaltraditionsand

pre-Christian prophecy for hundreds of generations. Through the eyes ofthosewhohavecomebeforeus,ourtimetableappearstobeintact;thetimeofthegreatchangeisnow.Ifourouterworlddoesinfactmirrorourbeliefsandvalues,isitpossibletoendthepainandsufferingofearththroughchoicesofcompassionandpeacemadeinourlives?Atpresent,thescenariosofmeltingice caps, dangerously rising sea levels, aworldwide increase in earthquakeactivity, and a third world war are just beginning. Carried to its fullestexpression,eachofthesescenariosmayberegardedasaseriousthreattothevery survivalofhumankind.Ourmessageofhope is that theyhavenotyetcometocompletion.Thekeytoaddressingsuchevents is in the timing: thesoonerwerecognizeourrelationshipwiththeworldaroundus,thesoonerwewillrecognizeourinnerchoicesofpeacemirroredasgentleweatherpatterns,thehealingofoursocieties,andpeacebetweennations.Wealreadyhavetheevidenceofapowerfultechnology,forgottenlongago,

hidden deep within our collective memories. We see the evidence of ourfeeling-basedtechnologyeachdayinthejoyofnewlifeandlastinglove,aswellastheconditionsthattakeourjoyawayfromus.Itisthisinnersciencethatempowersustotranscendwithgracethedestructivepropheciesoffuturetimeandthechallengesoflife.Inourcollectivewisdomliestheopportunityforaneweraofpeace,unity,andglobalcooperationunprecedentedinhumanhistory.

QuantumProphecyintheDaysofHope

Developedintheearlytwentiethcentury,thescienceofquantumphysicsoffers principles that allow for time, prayer, and our future to be closelyrelated in ways that we are just beginning to understand. Among theintriguing properties of quantum theory we find the existence of manyoutcomes for a givenmoment in time. Reminiscent of the biblical passagethat“inmyfather'shousearemanymansions,” the“house”ofourworld isthehomeofmanypossibleoutcomesfortheconditionsthatwecreateinourlives.Ratherthancreatingourreality,itmaybemoreaccuratetosaythatwecreate the conditions into which we attract future outcomes, alreadyestablished,intothefocusofthepresent.The choices that we make as individuals determine which mansion, or

quantumpossibility,we experience in our personal lives.As our individualchoicesfallintobroadcategoriesthateitheraffirmordenylifeinourworld,ourmanychoicesmergeintoasingle,collectiveresponsetothechallengesofthe moment. For example, choosing forgiveness, compassion, and peaceattractsfuturesthatreflectsuchqualities.ThebeautyofourearlieranalogytoHermes Trismegistus's “as above, so below” is that we are shown thesignificanceofeverychoicemadebyeachmanandwoman,fromallwalksoflife,ineachmoment.Intheabsenceofmoneyorprivilege,allchoicescarryequal strength and value. Clearly, navigating our course through thepossibilitiesoflifeisagroupprocess.Inaquantumworldtherearenohiddendeeds,andeachactionbyeveryindividualcounts.Wearehereintheworldthatwecreatetogether.Neither ancient nor current prophecies can predict our future; we are

refining our choices in everymoment!Whilewemay appear to be on onepathdestinedforaspecificoutcome,ourpathcanchangeradicallytoproduceanother outcome that is quite unexpected (within the space of only thirtyminutes in our example of the bombings in Iraq). Predictions offerpossibilitiesonly.ThephysicistRichardFeynman,consideredbymanytobeoneofthegreatestinnovatorsofnewthoughtsinceAlbertEinstein,spoketoprecisely this key of prophecy when he stated, “We do not know how topredictwhatwillhappeninagivencircumstance.Theonlythingthatcanbepredictedistheprobabilityofdifferentevents.”14Perhapsthemostempoweringpassagesofourlostpre-Christiantextsrefer

toanancientscienceknowntodayasprayer.Regardedbymanytobetherootofalltechnology,prayer,whichistheunionofthought,feeling,andemotion,representsouropportunity to speak the languageof change inourworld aswellasinourbodies.Throughthewordsofanothertimeweareremindedof

thepotential thatprayermaybring intoour lives.Nowmodern research, inthelanguageofourownscience,offersthesameinsights.Inthelate1980s,theeffectofmassprayerandmeditationwasdocumented

through studies in major cities where the occurrence of violent crimedecreasedmeasurablyinthepresenceofcontinuouspeacevigilsheldbythosetrained for the purpose.15 The studies eliminated the possibility of“coincidence”stemmingfromnaturalcycles,changesinsocialpolicy,orlawenforcement.While a state of calm andpeacewas createdwithin the studygroups,theeffectsoftheireffortswerefeltbeyondtheboundariesofthewallsandbuildingsthattheyoccupied.Throughaninvisiblenetworkthatappearedto penetrate the belief systems, organizations, and social strata of the innercities,thechoiceofpeacewithinafewindividualstouchedthelivesofmany.Clearly there was a direct, observable, and measurable effect of humanbehaviorcorrelatingwithgroupsfocusedthroughprayerandmeditation.Wasthechangeactuallycreatedbythoseholdingthecontinuousfocusof

peace, or did the prayer vigils demonstrate yet another possibility, carryinggreat implications,onlydocumentedthusfarunderlaboratoryconditions?Ifthequantumtheoriescitedearlierarecorrect,thenforeachincidentofcrimeobservedinacity,anotheroutcomealreadyexistedinthatverymoment:onewith an absence of crime.Researchers call such possibilities “overlays,” astheyappeartoblanketonerealitywiththeoutcomeofanewpossibility.Are therecertainkindsofprayer thatcall suchoverlays into the focusof

thepresent?Forthistobepossibleintheexperimentsabove,forexample,theoutcomeofpeaceandtheoutcomeofcrimehadtoexistinthesamemoment,as one gaveway to the focus of another. For two somethings to share thesameplaceatthesametimeisanimpossibilityfromourwayofthinking—orisit?In his recent book, Cracking the Bible Code, Jeffrey Satinover, M.D.,

relates extraordinary new research offering insight into precisely suchpossibilities. In one of these studies, reports Satinover, two atoms of verydifferentpropertiesweredocumentedinanactthatdefiesthelawsofnatureasweunderstandthemtoday.Undertherightconditions,thetwoatomswereoccupyingexactly the sameplaceatprecisely the same time!16Until thesestudieswereverified,suchaphenomenonhadbeenbelievedtobeimpossible.Nowweknowthatitisnot.Theoutcomeofourworldatanygivenmomentin time is made of people, machines, earth, and nature. At their mostfundamental level, our outcomes are made of atoms. If two of the basicbuilding blocks of our world may coexist at the same instant, then thedoorwayhasbeenopenedformanyatoms,resultinginmanyoutcomes,todothesame.Thedifferencemaysimplybeoneofscale.Through our refined language of quantum science, we now have the

vocabulary to describe precisely how we participate in determining theoutcomeofourfuture.Recognizingthattheexperiencesofourlivesexistaseventssituatedalongthecourseoftime,theancientsremindusthattochangethe nature of our experience, we must only choose a new course. Thedifferencebetweenthislineofthinkingandthesuggestionthatwecreateourreality bymanipulating the fabric of creation is vast and, at the same time,extremelysubtle.Ratherthancreatingorimposingchangeuponourworld,perhapsitisour

abilitytochangeourfocusthatwastheancientkeysuggestedbythemastersofpassive change inhistory.Buddha,Gandhi, JesusofNazareth, and thosewhoparticipatedinthemassprayerofNovember1998eachexperiencedtheeffectofsuchchange.Quantumphysicssuggeststhatbyredirectingourfocus—whereweplaceourattention—webringanewcourseofeventsintofocuswhile at the same time releasing an existing course of events that may nolongerserveus.PerhapsthisispreciselywhathappenedonthatNovembereveningwiththe

campaign against Iraq. Although achieving our political goals throughmilitary forcemayhaveservedus in thepast,wemayhave reacheda timewhenwehaveoutgrownsuchtactics.Asoddasitmaysound,thepastthreatof mutual destruction between powers of comparable strength has actuallycreatedoneofthelongesterasofrelativepeacethatourworldhasknowninrecentyears.Nonetheless,somethingchangedthatnightinNovember.Withaunified voice, our global family chose to direct its attention toward theoverlay of peace, rather than achieving peace through a military solution.While the thirty or so countries participating in prayer that night representonlyasmallfractionofourworld, theeffectswerepowerful.Onthatnight,noliveswerelosttowarplanesinIraq.Couldbringingpeaceintoourlivesbeas simple as a concerted, unified effort to focus upon peace as if it werealready here? Ancient traditions ask us why we would make it any moredifficult.

RewritingOurFuture

Themembranebetweenfuturepossibilitiesmaybesothinthatwefailtorecognizewhenwehavecrossedintoanewoutcome.The“suddenurge,”forexample,toexercisemoreoften,eatdifferently,orrecommittoaflounderingrelationship represents a new choice that breaks the structure of a presentpatternandpromisesanewoutcome.Thoughwemayfeelthatthechoicehasbeen spontaneous or natural, the change now allows us to experience apossibilityofhealthorrelationshipthatwasonlyadreaminthepast.Prayeristhelanguagethatallowsustoexpressourdreams,makingthemrealinourlives.Whatifourchoicesweremadeintentionally?Now, perhapsmore than any other time in human history, the choice of

outcomeisours.Oncewehaveread thewords, recognized thepossibilities,andexposedourselvestonewideas,wecannotreturntotheinnocenceofthemomentbefore.Inthepresenceofwhatwehaveseen,wemustmakesenseofourexperience.Wemaydisregardwhatwehavebeenshown,citing lackofproofortoolittledata,orwemayallowourselvestoembracetheopportunityof a new way. The moment that we reconcile each new possibility is themomentwherethemagicbegins;itisthemomentofchoice.Asourworldgivesbirthtoanewearth,landmasses,weatherpatterns,ice

caps, and magnetic shifts bear witness to the changes. In light of recentresearch,whatisthepotentialofapplyingthewisdomoftwo-thousand-year-old textsonaglobalscale, toanswer thechallengesof thenewmillenniumwith an outcome of healing, peace, and graceful transition? The labor hasalreadybegunashistorypointstonow,thelastdaysofprophecy.

Thouhastmadeknownuntomethydeep,mysteriousthings.

—THEBOOKOFHYMNS,DEADSEASCROLLS

LOSTWORDSOFAFORGOTTENPEOPLE

BeyondScience,Religion,andMiracles

It had happened so quickly. Sometimes the feeling of an event lastslonger than theevent itself.Thiswasoneof those times. Iplayed thesceneoverinmymind,againandagain.InslowmotionIcouldfreeze-frameeachact.Poisedsafelyasanobserver,Istudiedthedetails,searchingforananswer—something in my knowing world to make sense of what I had justwitnessed.Only moments before, I had noticed the elderly gentleman as I strolled

across the parking lot toward the seaside restaurant. I had seen him, and awomanIassumedtobehiswife,threadingtheirwaythroughasmallcrowdofpeopleontothesidewalkinfrontofthereceptionarea.Togethertheyhadjust passed through the swinging doors into the hot, thick air of a summernight in coastal Georgia. His stainless-steel walker preceded each step,securing a stable position from which he could shuffle through his nextmovement.Suddenly the rhythm changed.Unexpectedly, he had reached a curb that

dropped six inches or so, to the surface at street level. In slow motion, Iwatchedashiswalkerrockedwithuncertainty,tipped,thencrashedontotheasphalt, still hot from the relentless daytime sun. The man, confidentlygrippingthehandlesofhiscompaniondevice,crumpledintoaheapontopofit.Helaytheremotionless.Likeasurrealisticvoyeur,Istoodmotionless, inthestreet.Silent.Witnessing.Thewind seemed to teasemy ears, carrying away fragments of terrified

screamsfromtheman'swife.“Helpus!Please,someonehelpus!”Thepowerofhervoicebetrayedherthin,frailbody.

WithinsecondsIwas therebeside themin thestreet.AsquicklyasIhadmoved,however,Iwasnotthefirst.Inmysilentwitnessing,Ihadnotnoticedanyone nearby, nor had I seen anyone approach. Already kneeling at thefallenman'sside,however,cradlinghisheadinherlap,wasanotherwoman.Azigzagtrailofredglistenedalongthebaseoftheman'shead,justbelowhisear.Gentlyshetiltedhisbodyintheoverheadlight,searchingforthesourceofblood.Inthefaintglowoflobbylightsfromtherestaurant,Icouldseethefoldsofhisskin,overlappingoneanother,hidingwhateverinjurywasatthesourceofthebleeding.Carefully thewomanseparatedeach folduntil she found thewound.The

blood took on an odd color in the glare of the mercury vapor street lampoverhead. At first it looked like another layer of skin. Then I could see adarkerplace,adeepshimmer,asshepartedthefold.Withoutsayingaword,thewoman touched thebroken tissue, thenbegan to stroke thewoundas ifshewerepettingatinyanimal.Ilookedintoherface.Hereyeswereclosedasshetiltedherheadupwardtowardthesky.Seeingtheincidentfrominsidetherestaurant, a group of people had gathered around us. Except for anoccasional whisper from someone just arriving, not one word was spoken.Theentirecrowdstoodmotionlessandquiet,asifasilentcuehadbeengiven.Laterthatevening,someoftheonlookerssaidthattheyhadsensedakindofsacrednessinthatmoment.Somewentsofarastosuspectthataholyactwasoccurring.Together,wewereentrancedbywhatwesaw.At firstwewereuncertain

whatwashappening.Whileoursensessuggestedonething,ourlogicdictatedsomethingelse.There, in thepoorly litparking lotof this little restaurant, Iwitnessedwhatmodern sciencewould consider amiracle. In full viewof adozen or sowitnesses, as thewoman silently stroked the tear in theman'sflesh, itbegan todisappear.Withinmomentshiswoundhadhealedwithoutanytraceoftheinjuryfromhisfalljustmomentsearlier.Someone in the restaurant had called 911, and the paramedics arrived

within moments. As their flashing lights signaled their arrival, the crowdseparated, allowing the attendants into the small circlewhere themanwasstilllyinginthewoman'slap.Stillcradlingtheman'sheadandshoulders,thewomanmaderoomfortheEMT.Wewatchedasheexaminedthebloodstainson the man's shirt. Expertly the technician traced them to the back of thefallenman'shead,thentotheplacejustbelowhisear.Justasthewomanhaddone moments earlier, the paramedic carefully separated the folds of skinwherebloodhadpooled.Totheamazementoftheparamedicsandtheaweoftheonlookers,therewasnowound.Thebloodseemedtohavejustappearedatapointontheelderlyman'sneck,runitscourse,andspilledontothecollarofhisshirt.Therewasno traceofwound,opening,orscar.Stillweton theman'sskin,thebloodappearedtohavenosource!Thequestionsflashedinto

mymindasIwatched:Howwasthispossible?Inthepresenceofasciencesoadvancedthat itcanpeerintotheworldofanatomandbuildmachinesthattravel to the edge of our galaxy, why does the same science consider thehealingthatIhadjustwitnessedamiracle?

LostWords

Though inWestern sciencewe have no frame of reference for such anevent,itfallswellwithinthescopeofindigenoustraditionsandancienttexts.Additionally, the same traditions remind us that it is now, during theconvergenceofmanycyclesoftime,thatwewillrecognizetheimportanceofsuchmiracles.Aswewitness events that are beyond the scope of acceptedscience,werekindlethememoryofapowerthathaslivedwithineachofusfor hundreds of generations. For nearly twomillennia, our power has sleptwhilewehavetestedourselvesthroughthechallengesofhumanhistory.Thesame traditions suggest that now we will awaken our gifts to meet evengreater challengeswithin our lifetime. In doing so,we open the door to anunprecedented era of peace and cooperation, while insuring a future forgenerationsstilltocome.Why,then,aretheextremesofnatureandsocialunrestinourworldtoday

such amystery toWestern understandings?Aswell as our explanations ofnatural processes have worked thus far, could our understandings beincomplete?Istheresomethingmissing?Isitpossiblethatintherecessesofourcollectivewisdom,we lost theknowledge that allowsus tomake senseoutoftheseeminglysenseless?The lasthalfof the twentiethcenturyhasuncovereddocuments that shed

lightonthisfrequentlyaskedquestion.Centuries-oldmanuscriptsofAramaic,Ethiopian, Coptic Egyptian, Greek, and Latin origin support indigenoustraditionsandconfidentlysuggestthattheanswertothisquestionis“Yes!”

ForgottenTechnology

Seventeenhundredyearsago,keyelementsofourancientheritagewerelost,relegatedtotheelitepriesthoodsandesoterictraditionsoftheday.Inanefforttosimplifythelooselyorganizedreligiousandhistorictraditionsofhistime,earlyinthefourthcenturyA.D.theRomanemperorConstantineformeda council of historians and scholars. What would later be known as theCouncilofNicefulfilledthedirectiveofitscharterandrecommendedthatatleast twenty-fivedocuments bemodifiedor removed from the collectionoftexts.1 The committee foundmany of the works under consideration to beredundant,withoverlappingstoriesandrepeatedparables.Othermanuscriptsweresoabstractandinsomecasessomysticalthattheywerebelievedtobebeyond any practical value. Additionally, another twenty supportingdocumentswereremoved,heldinreserveforprivilegedresearchersandselectscholars.Theremainingbookswerecondensedandrearranged,togivethemgreatermeaningandmakethemmoreaccessibletothecommonreader.Eachofthesedecisionscontributedtofurtherconfusingthemysteryofour

purpose, possibilities, and relationship to one another. Following theaccomplishmentoftheirtask,thecouncilproducedasingledocumentinA.D.325. The result of their labor remains with us as perhaps one of the mostcontroversialtextsofsacredhistory.ItisknowntodayastheHolyBible.Seventeen hundred years later, the implications of the Nicean Council's

actions continue to mold the politics, social structure, religiousunderstandings, and technology of our lives. Although we live in asophisticatedworldbasedinscience,theassumptionsthatledtoourtechnicalachievementsarefirmlyrootedinourbeliefsofhowwerelatetoourworld.Such understandings, developed over thousands of years, have become thevery foundation of our science. For example, how would the petroleumtechnologythatdrivesoureconomytodaydifferifwehadinsteadrecognizedthelawsofharmonyandpoweredourmachinesbysimplytuningthemtotheseven-centimeter bandwidth of energy that permeates our world? Suchtechnologyisonlypossibleinthepresenceofabeliefsystemthatunderstandstheholistic lawsofnature, thevery tenets thatdisappeared fromour sacredtraditions nearly two millennia ago. Perhaps our failure to recognize theserelationships is mirrored in a technology that believes we must harnessburning or exploding forms of energy to power our world. Such outwardexpressionsoftechnologymaymirrorourinnersenseofseparateness.Clearly, these implications could not have been seen by the council

membersofNicenearlytwothousandyearsago,orevenbythetranslatorsofsuchtextshundredsofyearslater.Forexample,astatementattributedtothe

Archbishop of CanterburyWake suggests an innocencewith respect to theNicean edits when, asked why he chose the drudgery of translating textsratherthanthecreativefreedomofpublishinghisdocuments,theArchbishopreplied, “Because I hoped that such writings as these would find a moregeneralandunprejudicedacceptancewithallsortsofmenthananythingthatcouldbewrittenbyanyonenowliving.”2Howcouldthecouncilmembersofthe fourth century know that the book they produced would eventuallybecomethebasisforoneofthegreatreligionsoftheworld?In recent years, individual documents and entire libraries lost after the

death of Christ have been recovered, translated, andmade available to thegeneralpublic.To thebestofmyknowledge, there isnosinglecompilationcontainingalloftheinformation,asthetranslationsareproductsofdifferentauthors working in different languages over the centuries. There have,however,beengroupsoftranslationsfromtimetotime.Itisthroughtheworkof modern scholars that one such compilation of lost biblical books waspublishedearlier in the twentiethcentury.3Among thedocuments identifiedasbeingeditedoutofourmodernBiblearethesebooks:

Belowisapartialsummaryofsupportingtextsremovedduringthefourth-

centuryedits.Thesetextshavetypicallybeenreservedforscholars.4

Theconsequencesofremoving,or insomecasesaltering, theseforty-one

books, and possibly others detailing our heritage and relationship to thecosmos,remainwithustoday.Theabsenceofsuchkeytextsmayexplainthesensemanyindividualshaveexpressedthatourbiblicalrecordsarescatteredandincomplete.Forseriousresearchersandcasualhistoriansalike,knowingthe existence of these documents offers a sense of resolution.Much like amodern mystery, it is only now, nearly two thousand years after theydisappearedfromouropenliterature,thatwemayatlastcompleteourhistory.While eachof the lost books contributes tounderstandingourpast, there

are some that are certainly of greater consequence than others. Among themost significant are those describing the lives of the people that time hascome to view as more than human in their accomplishments. The biblicalBook ofMary, themother of Jesus, offers just one example. For centuries,scholarshavespeculatedthatMaryplayedamuchgreaterrole in the lifeofJesusthanwecanseeintheabbreviateddescriptionsofherlifeinourmodernBible.Through thebookcreated inhername,wearegiven insight intoherheritage and the family values that ledMary to her role as the mother ofJesus. In the texts that follow the Book of Mary, we are shown how sheguided her son, instilling in him the values that would allow his gifts ofhealingandprophecytobetterservethepeopleofhisworldandbeyond.Mary'sparents,forexample,weredescendantsofthelineageofDavid,one

oftheoriginaltribesofIsrael.Herfatherandmother,JoachimandAnna,hadbeenmarriedapproximatelytwentyyearsbeforetheyconceivedtheirfirstandonlydaughter.Mary'sspiritcame intoAnna'swombfollowingadreamthatbothsheandJoachimsharedfromdifferentlocations,onthesameevening.Inthe presence of an “angel of the Lord,” they agreed to a vow that theirdaughterwould“bedevotedtotheLordfromherinfancy,andbefilledwiththeHolyGhostfromhermother'swomb.”5Theirdaughter'snamewouldbeMary, and it would be through her purity that she would agree to a rareconceptioninherfourteenthyear.Additionalbooksgoontodescribethetimeleading up to and immediately following the birth of Jesus, as well aspreviouslyunreportedmiraclesperformedthroughouthischildhood.PerhapstheBooksofAdamandEveoffersomeofthegreatestinsightsinto

ourroleinhistoryandourpresent-daybeliefs.TheFirstBookofAdamandEve begins after the time ofCreation,with a description of the location of“thegarden,” implied tobe theGardenofEden.Planted“in theeastof theearth,”thegardenwaslocated“ontheborderoftheworldeastward,beyondwhich, toward thesun-rising,onefindsnothingbutwater, thatencompassesthewholeworld,andreachesuntothebordersofheaven.Andtothenorthofthegardenthereisaseaofwater,clearandpuretothetaste,likeuntonothingelse.”6Following the timewhenAdamandEvewere driven from the garden, a

rare timetable was given to them, describing the duration of their exile,extendedtoalloftheirdescendants,untilaspecificmomentintime.Inwhatmay be the first of the great prophecies, Adam and Eve are told by theirCreatorthathehas“ordainedonthisearthdaysandyears,andthouandthyseed shall dwell andwalk in it until the days and years are fulfilled.”Thistime of the fulfillment is envisioned following the “great five days and ahalf,”furtherdefinedas“fivethousandandfivehundredyears.”Itwouldbethen, at the close of a great cycle of time, that “Onewould then come andsave”Adamandhisdescendants.Fornearlytwothousandyearswehavespeculatedaboutthemissingtime

andobviousgapsinthebiblicalrecords.NowtherecoveryoftheBible'slostbooks has shed new light, and possibly opened the door to even greaterquestionsregardingourunderstandingoftheworld.Whatweknowisthat,atbest,ourviewandinterpretationofhistory,aswellasourroleincreation,areincomplete.Isitpossiblethattheveryfoundationofoursocietyandculture,our language, religion, science, technology, and even thewaywe love oneanother is built upon an incomplete understanding of our most sacred andancient history? What have we forgotten about our relationship with theforces of our world that prevents us from understanding the healing thatoccurredintheparkinglotoftherestaurantthateveninginGeorgia?Perhapsthegapinourunderstandingmaybefilledatlast,inlightofnewrevelationsfrom a wisdom that forms the basis for the world's major religions: theteachingsoftheancientEssenes.

TheMysteriousEssenes

Five hundred years before the birth of Christ, a mysterious group ofscholarsformedcommunitiestohonoranancientteachingthatbeganbeforehistoryasweknowit.CollectivelyknownastheEssenes,thesewerevarioussects that included the Nazirenes and the Ebionites. Roman and Jewishscholars referred to theEssenes as “a raceby themselves,more remarkablethananyotherintheworld.”7PortionsoftheirtraditionsarefoundinancientwritingssuchastheSumerianglyphs,datingto4000B.C.Elementsofnearlyeverymajorworld belief system existing todaymay be traced back to thisoriginal lineage of wisdom, including those of China, Tibet, Egypt, India,Palestine, Greece, and the American Southwest. Additionally, many of thegreat traditions of the Western world have roots in the same body ofinformation,includingtheFreemasons,Gnostics,Christians,andKabalists.8Alsoknownas“theElect”and“theChosenOnes,” theEsseneswere the

firstpeopleopenlytocondemnslavery,theuseofservants,andthekillingofanimals for food.Viewing physical labor as a healing communionwith theEarth, theywere agriculturists, living close to the land that gave them life.The Essenes viewed prayer as the language throughwhich to honor natureandthecreativeintelligenceofthecosmos;theymadenodistinctionbetweenthetwo.Theypracticedprayeronaregularbasis.Thefirstprayerofthedaywasoffereduponarisinginthepredawndarknesstoworkinthefields.Thiswasfollowedbyprayersbeforeandaftereachmealandagainuponretiringattheendoftheday.Theyviewedtheirpracticeofprayerasanopportunitytoparticipate in the creative process of their lives, rather than as a structuredritualrequiredthroughouttheday.Strict vegetarians by today's standards, members of the Essene

communitiesabstainedfromanimalflesh,bloodfoods,andfermentedliquids.Perhaps one of the clearest explanations of their diet may be found in thefollowingpassagefromtheDeadSeaScrolls:“Killnotthefoodwhichgoesintoyourmouth.Forifyoueatlivingfood,thesamewillquickenyou,butifyoukillyourfood,thedeadfoodwillkillyoualso.Forlifecomesonlyfromlife, and death comes always from death. For everything which kills yourfoods, kills your bodies also.”9 Their lifestyle permitted them to reachadvancedages,attaining120yearsormorewithvitalityandgreatendurance.The Essenes were meticulous scholars, recording and documenting their

traditions for future generations that they could only imagine. Perhaps thebestexampleoftheirworkmaybeseeninthehiddenlibrariesthattheyleftthroughout the world. Like methodically placed time capsules, theirmanuscripts provide snapshots into the thinking of an ancient people and a

forgottenwisdom.Whatwastheirmessagetoustoday?

ScrollsfromtheDeadSea

Oneof themostaccessibleandcontroversialof theEssene librarieswasdiscoveredhiddenamongforgottencavesintheQumranarea,abovetheDeadSea.Knowncollectivelyas theDeadSeaScrolls, thedocumentshiddenforsafekeeping arebelieved tohavenumberednearlyone thousand.FollowingtheinitialdiscoveryofthescrollsbyBedouintribesmenin1946–47,thegreatantiquityofthetextswasnotvalidateduntilthespringof1948.Itwasduringthis time that specialists at the American Schools of Oriental Researchconfirmedtheagesofthefirstsevenmanuscripts.TheManualofDiscipline,Tales of the Patriarchs, Thanksgiving Psalms, Commentary on Habakkuk,WarScroll,andBookof Isaiah (twocopies),weredetermined tohavebeenwrittenhundredsofyearsearlierthananyothertextsdiscoveredtodateintheHolyLand.By1956,atotalofelevencaveshadbeendiscovered.Together,they contained the remains of approximately eight hundred and seventyscrolls, composed of over 22,000 fragments of papyrus, animal hide, andmetallic rolls.One site alone,CaveNumber Four, contained approximately15,000fragments,thelargestcacheofDeadSeatextsunearthedsofar.The translation and publication of the scrolls has been the subject of

tremendous controversy for over forty years. Until recently, access to theDead Sea library was the sole responsibility of a team consisting of eightscholars. It was not until the 1990s, as a result of political and academicpressure, that thecontentsof thescroll libraryfromtheQumrancaveswerereleased to the public. In 1991, southern California's Huntington Libraryannouncedthat itwasinpossessionofacompletesetofphotographsof theDead Sea Scrolls, and that they would be made available to the public.Following suit, in November of the same year, Emanuel Tov, chief of theofficial scroll team, announced “free and unconditional access to all thephotographs of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including previously unreleasedscrolls.”10The ongoing controversy over the scrolls invites us to ask the same

question, again and again.Whatmessage could possibly be held in a two-thousand-year-old text, that would warrant keeping it from the public fornearlyahalf-centuryafteritsdiscovery?Whatcouldthese22,000fragmentsofcopper,animalhide,andpapyruspossiblysaythatwouldhaveanyimpactuponourlivestoday?Oneofthereasonsforthedelayinpublishingthescrolltranslationsisthat

the cave scrolls appear to be the earliest versions of ourmodernBible.Asexciting as such a discovery may sound initially, the problem lies in thediscrepancies between the original texts transcribed by theEssenes and the

biblicalversionsacceptedtoday.ThedocumentsfoundintheDeadSeacaveshave not undergone the edits of the fourth-century Council of Nice, thetranslations into the languagesof theWest, or the interpretationof scholarsoverthelasttwothousandyears.Containedwithinthescrollsarestories,parables,andahistorythathasnot

beenseensincetheywereremovedfromthecanonizedversionofourBibleearly in the fourth century. Written in Hebrew and Aramaic, the scrollsinclude writings said to have come, in some cases, from the angelsthemselves.Additionally, the library contains rare insights into the lives ofprophets such asEnoch andNoah, and at least twelve previously unknowntexts written byMoses. None of these documents is included in our Bibletoday.Clearly,thescrollsfromtheQumrancavesarejustbeginningtoopenthe door to new possibilities in our relationships to our collective past andwithoneanother.

SecretsoftheEssenes

AnexcerptfromtheDeadSeaScrollsoffersinsightintowhytheancientEssenes separated themselves from the urban areas of their time, formingtheirowncommunitiesinthedesert:“Alwayshavethechildrenoflightlivedwhere rejoice the angels of the earthlymother: near rivers, near trees, nearflowers, near themusic of the birds, where sun and rainmay embrace thebodywhichisthetempleofthespirit.”11NatureandnaturallawswerekeytotheEsseneway of life. The path to understanding theirworldviewmay befoundintheirbeliefsregardingtherelationshipbetweenthehumanbodyandtheelementsoftheearth.FortheEssenesofQumran,thewordangeldescribedtheelementsofour

worldthattodayweseeaselectricalandmagneticforces.Someforceswerevisible and tangible,while otherswere etheric, though nonetheless present.Forexample,areferenceto“theangeloftheearth”mayincludetheangelofthe air and angels ofwater and light. Forces of emotion and consciousnesswerealsoreferredtoasangels,suchastheangelsofjoy,work,andlove.Suchinsights into the thinkingof theEssenesallowus toviewtheirwords2,500yearslaterwithnewhopeandunderstanding.Inthelanguageoftheirtime,theauthorsoftheDeadSeaScrollsoffereda

worldviewthatconsidersaholisticandunifiedrelationshipbetweentheearthandour bodies.Through eloquentwords andpoetic reminders, theQumrantexts remind us that we are the product of a very special union, a sacredmarriage between the soul of theheavens and the tissueof ourworld.Theprinciple states, without exception, that we are a part of, and intimatelyenmeshedwithin,all thatweseeasourworld.Throughunseen threadsandimmeasurablecords,weareapartofeachexpressionof life.Allrock,eachtreeandmountain,everyriverandoceanisapartofeachofus.Perhapsmostimportant,youandIareremindedthatweareapartofoneanother.Essenetraditionsrefertothisunionasthatof“ourMotherEarth”and“our

Father inHeaven”: “For the spirit of theSonofManwas created from thespirit of the Heavenly Father, and his body from the body of the EarthlyMother.YourMotherisinyou,andyouinher.Sheboreyou:shegivesyoulife.Itwasshewhogavetoyouyourbody…evenasthebodyofthenewbornbabe isbornof thewombofhismother.”12Weare thegenderlessunionofthese forces, the masculine of “our Father in Heaven” merged with thefeminineof“ourMotherEarth.”This unified view invites us to consider that through the common thread

thatbindsourbodiestotheearth,theexperiencesofonearemirroredintheother.Aslongasthemarriageishonored,theunionbetweentheearthandthe

spiritcontinuesandthesofttemplesofourbodieslive.Whentheagreementis dishonored, the union ends, our temple dies, and the forces of earth andspiritreturntotheirrespectiveplacesoforigin.Essene wisdom containing such subtle concepts was among the loose

collectionof texts thatwouldbecomeourbiblical traditionsof today.Thosevery texts, among other documents, were removed by the Nicean Councilduring thefourth-centuryedits.Theelegantsimplicity thatweaves thegreatteachings of the Essenes into meaningful elements of our lives today wasrediscovered, preserved in very good condition, in the great libraries of theroyalGermanHapsburgsandtheCatholicChurchduringtheearlypartofthetwentiethcentury.TheVaticanmanuscripts,held forover1,500years,werekeyin thedocuments that ledEdmondBordeauxSzekely topublishrevisedtranslationsoftherareEssenetexts.In1928heofferedthefirstinaseriesofworks thatwould become known asThe Essene Gospel of Peace, offeringnewinsights,andarenewedrespect,forthislineageofwisdomthatpredatesnearlyeverymajorreligionoftoday.

TheLibraryofNagHammadi

TwoyearsbeforethediscoveryoftheDeadSeaScrolls,anotherlibraryofancientwisdomhadalreadybeendiscovered,onethatwouldforeverchangethewaywethinkofearlyChristianity.IntheNagHammadiregionofUpperEgypt,acollectionofscrollswasfoundbytwobrothersinDecemberof1945.Buriedinasealedjar,thetextsconsistedoftwelvecompletemanuscriptsandeight pages from a thirteenth, each written on an ancient paper made ofpapyrusstrips.TheentirecollectionofdocumentsbecomeknownastheNagHammadiLibrary, and is nowkept in theCopticMuseum inCairo,Egypt.The library ofNagHammadi passed through an amazing number of handsbefore its volumes were recognized, authenticated, and entered into themuseum register on October 4, 1946. Although some of the scrolls weredestroyedintheiruseasfuelforlocalovens,theremaindersurvivetodayinaremarkable state of preservation, offering fresh and, in some cases,unexpectedinsightsintothetraditionsofancientGnosticandearlyChristiantraditions.DatingtothefourthcenturyA.D.,theNagHammadiLibrarybeginsatthe

approximatetimethattheDeadSeaScrollsleaveoff.Neverbeforehaveweseen such continuity in the spiritual and religious teachings of earlyChristians, including their view of our time through future prophecy. TheGnostic traditions originated during a time when early Christian doctrineswerebeing reshapedandwere takingonanew identity.Gnostics identifiedwiththecentralteachingsofChristianity,intheiroriginalform,andchosetoseparate, rather than follow the tide of change that was leading Christiantraditions from the original basis of their belief. As the Roman EmpireconvertedtoconventionalChristianity,GnosticfollowerswerefirstrelegatedtothestatusofaradicalsectandeventuallyeradicatedfromtheconsiderationofChristianityentirely.Bookssuchas theGospelofMary, theApocalypsesofPaul,James,andAdam,andtheBookofMelchizedeksurvivetodayasatestament to the Gnostic wisdom of preserving rare teachings for futuregenerations.

THEAPOCALYPSEOFADAM

BecauseGnosticismisgenerallyacknowledgedtohaveoriginatedwithinthe traditions of early Christianity, many of the Gnostic texts havecounterparts in the stories,myths, and parables of earlyChristian texts.OfspecialnoteamongtheNagHammadidocumentsisararetextknownastheApocalypse ofAdam.A collection of teachings thatwere divinely inspired

andtransmitted,thisbookistheaccountoftheAdamthatwereadofintheBook of Genesis. What makes the Apocalypse of Adam so unique is theapparent absence of any relationship to earliermaterial. It appears that thisparticulartextwasalreadycompleteandwellestablishedasanearlierformofGnosticismlongbeforethetimeofChristianliterature.Adambeganhisaccountbydescribingthepresenceofthreevisitorsfrom

heaven,guidesthatledhimthroughhisvisionsintothefuturesofhumankind.Shortlybeforehisdeath,hedictatedhisrevelationstohisson,Seth.SimilartotheteachingsoftheprophetEnoch,whodictatedthesecretsofCreationtohisson,Methuselah,atanadvancedage,thetextsbeginswithAdamteachinghisson“inthesevenhundredthyear.…”13Establishingabriefhistoryofhislifewith Eve, Seth'smother, Adam shares his visions of events that are yet tooccur. “Now then,mysonSeth, Iwill reveal toyou the thingswhich thosemenwhomI sawbeforemeat first revealed tome.…”14Adam tellsof thetime of the great flood of Noah, still to come in his future, complete withaccuratereferencestoNoah'sfamilyandthearkthatsavesthem.PerhapsthemostsignificantintherevelationsofAdamishisdescriptionof

asaviorwhomhecallsthe“illuminator.”Adamtellsofanearthcontinuouslyravaged by floods and fires until the illuminator appears for the third time.After his appearance, the great powers of the world question his power,authority, and abilities in disbelief. Through a series of thirteen scenarios,Adam describes thirteen kingdoms that falsely identify the illuminator asoriginating from sources as varied as “two illuminators,” “a great prophet,”andfromanother time,“theaeonwhich isbelow….”It is thegeneration inAdam'sfuture“withoutakingoverit”thatcorrectlyidentifiestheoriginsofthe illuminator asbeingdivinely chosen fromall time, past and future, andbrought into the present: “God chose him from all the aeons. He causedknowledge of the undefiled one of great truth to come to be.…”15 Clearly,such texts offer new perspectives and fresh insights into the fragmenteddetails that commonly remain in “authorized” versions of our ancientheritage.

THETHUNDER:PERFECTMIND

PerhapsthemostpowerfulamongtheNagHammadiworksisararetextwritten by a woman of the Gnostic traditions, titled The Thunder: PerfectMind. In thewordsofoneof the text's translators,GeorgeW.MacRae, thisworkis“virtuallyuniqueintheNagHammadiLibraryandveryunusual.”16Written in the first person, the manuscript is in the form of a dialogue inwhich the unnamed author proclaims herself to have experienced manydichotomiesofhumanexperience.“For Iam the firstand the last. Iam the

honoredoneandthescornedone.Iamthewhoreandtheholyone.Iamthewifeandthevirgin.Iamthebarrenoneandmanyarehersons.”17Through collections ofwords that are reminiscent of the poetry found in

the Dead Sea Scrolls, she reminds us that within every person lives allpossibilitiesofallexperience,fromthelightestof the light to thedarkestofthe dark. The text continues with a final verse admonishing readers torememberthatasmengototheirrestingplace,“Theretheywillfindme,andtheywilllive,andtheywillneverdieagain.”18

THEGOSPELOFTHOMAS

OneofthemostcontroversialoftheNagHammaditextsisthedocumentknown as the Gospel of Thomas. At least a portion of this manuscript isidentifiedasbeingtranslatedfromGreekintoCopticEgyptian,thelanguageused in Christian monasteries of Egypt early in the first millennium. TheGospelofThomasisararecollectionofsayings,parables,stories,anddirectquotes from Jesus, believed to have been recorded by the brother of Jesus,Didymos Judas Thomas. This is the same Thomas who later foundedChristianchurchesintheEast.PortionsofthegospelareverysimilartothemanuscriptoftheGospelQ,19

a sourcemanuscript,believed todate to the first century.The“Q” texts, socalledfromtheGermanwordQuelle,meaning“source,”areknowntohavebeen used as a reference by New Testament authors. There are, however,manyportionsof theGospelofThomasthatarenotfoundintheGospelQ,suggesting that it is an independent resource thatmay confirmandvalidateothertextsdatingfromthesametime.The words of Thomas's gospel are some of the most mystical of the

Gnostic texts.At thesametime, in lightof therichcontextprovidedby theDead Sea Scrolls, the same words take on new meaning, and offer newunderstandings. For example, in response to a question from his disciplesregarding their eventual fate in this world, the Gospel of Thomas recordsJesusasansweringwithaparable:“FortherearefivetreesforyouinParadisewhichremainundisturbedsummerandwinterandwhose leavesdonotfall.Whosoever becomes acquaintedwith themwill not experience death.”20 Intheabsenceofaframeofreferenceforthe“fivetrees,”thesewordsofferlittlemore than amystical proverb to ponder.Within the context offered by theEsseneangelsoflife,however,thesewordsbecomeasourceofconfirmationfortheancientscienceofeternallife:thefivekeysofthought,feeling,body,breath,andnutrient.TextsconfirmingthatJesuswasamasterof theEssenetraditions lend additional credibility to the interpretation of this mysticalreferencetoeternallife.

BeyondScience,Religion,andMiracles

Thesametextsthatpreservedthepropheciessuggestthatitispossibletotransmutesuchpredictionsofcatastrophicchange,eventhose thatappear tobeimminent.TextssuchastheEsseneGospelsandtheNagHammadiLibrarydetail awisdom that allows us to pool our individual life-affirming visionsintoacollectivewill toreshapeourfuture. Indoingso,weredefineancientvisions of rising sea levels, devastating earthquakes, life-threatening solarflares,andthethreatofglobalwar.Asdifferentinsomerespectsasthedetailsofourlostheritagemayappear

tobe, there are common themes thatbind the same texts into ameaningfulsourceofknowledgefortoday.Throughoutthewisdomthatpredateshistory,we are reminded that choices affirming life in the world of our thoughts,feelings,andemotionsaremirroredastimesofpeaceandforgivenessinthelargerworld of our families and communities. In the samemanner, choicesthatdenythegiftoflifeinourbodiesaremirroredasunrest,oppression,andwarfareinourcities,governments,andnations.Onceagainweareinvitedtorememberthatourinnerandouterworldsaremirrorsofeachother.Itisthesimplicityofthissinglememorythatallowsthemiracles,suchasthehealingrecountedat thebeginningof thischapter, tobeexpected rather thanhopedfor.Perhaps the most empowering of the elements lost in the fourthcentury

editsoftheNiceanCouncilarethesciencesofprophecyandprayer.Regardedbymanyasthemostancientofallsciences,theseinnertechnologiesrepresentour opportunity to first identify the future consequences of present-daychoices,thentochooseourfuturewithconfidenceandtrust.

Ireadthereinwhathadalwaysbeen,whatwasnow,andwhatwouldcometopass.

—THEESSENEGOSPELOFPEACE

THEPROPHECIES

SilentVisionsofaForgottenFuture

Almostuniversally,centuries-oldtraditionsremindusthatourlifetimeisno ordinary time in the history of humanity or the earth. Those who havecome before us left their prophetic messages encoded in sacred texts, oraltraditions, and systems of timekeeping.Written to a people that they couldonlyimagineindreams,theirmessageskeepalivethememoryofvisionsthatinsomeinstancespredatetheearliestmomentsofourrecordedhistory.Overtime, the themes of their visions have been incorporated into a variety ofreligioustraditionsandspiritualpractices.Asdiverseastheyappear,hintsofsimilarityinsuchtraditionsoffercluestothemeaningofthesesacredwordstoday.Only recently,with the aidof computers andother twentieth-centuryscience, have references of ancient visions into future time been confirmedandvalidated.

KeepersofTime:TheMysteriousMaya

As we near the dawn of the twenty-first century, among the unsolvedmysteriesofourpastarethoseoftheancientMaya.AlmostassuddenastheirappearanceintheremoteareasoftheYucatánpeninsula,nearlyamillenniumandahalfago,thesearchitectsofmassivetemplesandcelestialobservatoriessuddenlyvanishedaroundA.D.830.Inadditiontotheirsprawlingplazasandstone towers, they left clues to their past, and perhaps our future, in theirunsurpassedcalculationsoftime.The calendar of the Mayan people may be one of the oldest and most

sophisticatedsystemsoftimekeepingknowntomankind.Untiltheadventofour atomic clocks, based on the vibration of the cesium atom, the Mayancalendar rivaled the accuracy of any records of time known before thetwentiethcentury.Tothepresentday,descendantsoftheancientMayatracktime and ascertain the correct date through a system that, according toexperts, has “not slipped one day in over twenty-five centuries.”1Recognizingnatureasrecurringcyclesofevents,theMayancalendarmirrorsthatpeople'sunderstandingoftimeasasystemofintermeshingperiods.Key to theMayan timekeeperswas a260-day count called the tzolkinor

“SacredCalendar.”CommonamongotherMesoamerican traditions aswell,the tzolkin is created as the interface between twenty named days and acounter based on the number thirteen. The Maya, however, carried theirtimekeeping a step further. Intermeshed with a 365-day count called the“VagueYear,”thetwocyclesoftimeprogressedlikethecogsoftwowheelsuntil the rare moment when one day on the Sacred Calendar matched thesamedayof theVagueYear.Markingtheendofafifty-two-yearcycle, thismuch-celebrated day defined an even longer expanse of time. The “GreatCycle”oftheprevious5,200yearswasmeasuredasonehundredofthefifty-two-yearcycles.Basedon thesecalculationsand the traditionsof theMayacalendarprieststhemselves,theirrecordsofourlastGreatCyclebegininthebiblicaltimeofMoses,3114B.C.,andendinournearfuture,in2012.Mayan visions of our future and their system of timekeeping are closely

related. These ancient prophets suggested that cycles of time have uniquecharacteristicsbasedupona“greatwave”thattravelsperiodicallythroughthecosmos.Asthewaveripplesthroughcreation,itsmovementsynchronizeslifeandtheforcesofnatureonacyclicbasis.Thecompletionofourcourseinthepresent cycle is viewed as particularly significant to earth as well ashumankind.RecognizedasanexpertinMayancosmology,Dr.JoseArguellessuggests

that the present twenty-year subcycle, which began in 1992, marks “the

emergence of nonmaterialistic, ecologically harmonic technologies…tocompliment the new decentralized mediarchy information society.…”2 TheMayaneldersoftodaybelievethatthecloseofthisgreatmillennialcyclewilloccurwithin our lifetime, in 2012, and has been anticipated for over threethousandyears.Theyviewthisraremomentasboththeculminationandthebirthofatimeofrarechange.Referringtospecificattributesassignedtothecycles, Dr. Arguelles echoes the Mayan belief, suggesting that with theconvergenceoftheMayancycles,ourpurposeto“gatherwholethemindofearth…andsealitwiththestar-seedharmony”3isfulfilled.Inasimilarfashion,theAztectraditionsofcentralMexicotrackthegreat

expanses of earth's history as cycles called “Suns.” Their history tells of atimeoftheFirstSun,namedNahuiOcelotl,whenourworldwasinhabitedbygiantslivingwithintheearth.Reminiscentofbiblicalreferencestoasimilarworld, thepre-NiceanBookofEnochdescribes thedayswhen“thewomenconceiving brought forth giants, whose stature was each three hundredcubits.*

These devoured all which the labor of men produced until it becameimpossible to feed them.…”4 This period endedwhen the animal kingdomovercamethehumankingdom.Therearenoindicationsofsurvivorsfromthisunusualtimeinearth'shistory.TheSecondSun,ornextgreatcycle,namedNahuiEhecatl,wasnotedas

the time when new humans began to cultivate and crossbreed plants. Thecompletionof thisperiodwasmarkedbyagreatwindthatsweptacross thesurfaceoftheearth,clearingeverythinginitspath.During the Third Sun,NahuiQuiauhuitl, earth's populations constructed

greattemplesandcities.Tremendousopeningswithintheearthanda“rainoffire” are said to have marked the end of this cycle. We can see in thegeological record that therewas, in fact, a timewhen portions of the earthappeared tobe coveredwith fire. It is generallybelieved that the scorchingwas the result of a direct hit by an object, possibly an asteroid, nearly 65millionyearsago.TheendingoftheFourthSun,iniceandagreatflood,isconfirmedgeologically aswell as in oral andwritten tradition common theworldover.TheAzteccalendarindicatesthattodaywearelivingthelastdaysof the Fifth Sun. The close of that fifthworld is predicted to occur in ourlifetime,coincidingwith the lastMayancycleandmakingwayfor thenextgreatcycle,thebirthoftheSixthSun.With thepast as a template,manyancient traditionsdescribe thedaysof

change as times of tribulation and purification. During these times we areinvited to consider the rare and, in some instances, destructive displays ofnatureasanopportunitytostrengthenandprepareusforevengreaterchangesyettocomeinourworld.Themescommontothepropheciesforthistimein

historyincludeunusualweatherphenomenaandthelossofcoastlinesduetosea level increases, famines, droughts, earthquakes, and the breakdown ofglobalinfrastructures.Twentieth-century prophets, such asEdgarCayce, have foreseenmassive

earth changes predicted to redefine the geography of North Americathroughout the late 1990s and into the twenty-first century. These includevisions of a great inland sea connecting theGulf ofMexicowith theGreatLakes,forexample,andthesubmergingofmuchoftheeasternandwesternseaboards.Graphicdescriptionsofourfuture,sometimescreatedhundredsorthousandsofyearsinourpast,havesetanewstandardforthepossibilitiesofinner technology and prophecy. How could our ancestors have glimpsedevents still to come inour time?Perhapsmore important,howaccurate aretheirvisionsofourfuture?

RemoteViewing:Twentieth-CenturyProphets

Thewordprophetconjuresupimagesofancientseersdrapedinhoodedrobes,embarkinguponopen-eyeddreamquestsintoatimeyettocome.Inthetraditions of biblical prophets, this may well be the case. The science ofprophecy,however,hascontinued into thepresentasa respectedprofessioncladinthemysteryofanewname.BasedonresearchconductedattheprestigiousStanfordResearchInstitute

(SRI) during the early 1970s,5 the ability towitness events fromadistancehasbeencalledremoteviewing.Thoughthespecificsforremoteviewingmayvaryfrompersontoperson,thegeneralprocedureissimilarforeachviewer.Oftenbeginninginamild,closed-eyestateofrelaxation,thereceiverworkswith sensory impressions regarding events thatmay be occurring anywhereon the planet—in the next room or at a desert outpost halfway around theworld.Trainedtodistinguishamongthemanykindsofsensations,theviewerthenassignsidentifierstotheexperience,refiningtheimpressionstogreaterlevelsofdetail.Sounds,smells,tastes,andsensations,aswellasimages,mayaccompanysuchajourney.Thetrainingthatteachesremoteviewerstoacceptandrecordsuchimpressionswithoutbiasistheexpertisethatsetsthemapartfrom the casual dreamer. With obvious implications for secrecy andintelligence, such capabilities suggest an entire new realm of intelligencegatheringwithfewerrisks.Remote viewing now plays a viable role in the security and defense of

nations in the free world. In 1991, for example, remote viewers workingundertheauspicesofScienceApplicationsInternationalCorporation(SAIC)were asked to narrow the search area for a particular kind of missile inwestern Iraq.6 Confining the search to specific portions of the Iraqi desertheld the potential to save time, fuel, and lives, as well as money. Clearly,remoteviewing,theabilitytoprojecttheawarenessofanindividualfromonelocation toanother,hadbecomethesubjectofseriousstudy. Ironically, it isonlynow,inthelastyearsofthesecondmillennium,thatmodernsciencehasconfirmed the principles of such inner technology, understood by prophets2,500yearsago.Formanypeople, their first exposure to the science of viewing real-time

eventsfromadistancehascomeaboutthroughguestsonlate-nightradiotalkshows. Sparked by the approachingmillennium, a variety of experts in thefieldoffutureandremotevisionclaimtohaveventured into theworldofapostmillennial earth, sometimes with disturbing, yet not surprising, results.Similar to the descriptions of other millennial prophecies, remote journeysintoourfuturehavegenerallyfallenintooneoftwocategoriesofexperience.

SomeviewersfoundthattheycouldseenofurtherthantheyearA.D.2012,the familiaryearof theMayancalendarand thecloseofourgreatcycle. In2012, the time travelers reported seeing a very different earth. From theirpresent-dayvantagepoint,theworldappearedtohaveexperiencedsomeformofcataclysm.Theyreportednobuildings,nosignofcommerceornormalcyby today's standards. The viewers of A.D. 2012 may well have foundthemselves in the presence of an outcome that has been described by seersandprophetsalike,thepostwardestructionofmuchofourworldasweknowittoday.Other viewers peering into our future in recent times report a similar

scenario,withtheadditionofagreatwaveoffireandheat.Thisscenarioisreminiscent of theories anticipating cyclicwavesof proton flux andplasmathat travel throughthecosmosover tremendouscyclesof time,occasionallyfinding earth in their path.With either scenario, the reports of the remoteviewers describe a future that appears to be something less than inviting.Followingacommonthemeofmanymillennialprophecies,theremaybeanalternativetosuchoutcomes.

Nostradamus

For over four hundred years, the word prophecy has been nearlysynonymouswiththenameofagreatseerwhosevisionsextendedhundredsofyearsintothefuture.BornonDecember14,1503,MicheldeNostredamebecameknownasNostradamus,perhapsthemostillustriousprophetofrecentmemory.Hisgiftof second sight allowedhim topeer into the futureofhistime,witnessingeventswithextraordinarydetailandaccuracy.Ashestudiedancientoracles,hedevelopedhisowntechniquesfornavigatingthewavesoftime as an observer, often bringing future technologies seen in his visionsback into his time. Eventually, Nostradamus became a physician,incorporating many of the ideas from his prophecies into his practice. Histechniques, appearing as common sense today, were revolutionary forsixteenth-centuryEuropeduring the timeof theBlackPlague, and includedthe use of herbs, fresh air, and clean water. Additionally, he prescribedmixturesofaloeandrosepetals,richinvitaminsunknowninhistime.One of the best-known reports of Nostradamus's ability to peer into the

futurebeganunexpectedlyashemetagroupoffriarswalkingalongaroad.Immediatelykneelingatthefeetofoneman,Nostradamuskissedtherobeofthefriar.Whenaskedwhy,hesimplyreplied,“ImustbendakneebeforeHisHoliness.”Itwasnotuntilfortyyearslater,nineteenyearsafterthedeathofNostradamus, that themysterious event on the lonely roadmade sense. In1585,thefriarwhoserobestheprophethadkissedbecamePopeSixtusV.In what is perhaps his best-known work, The Centuries, Nostradamus

recordedhisvisionsofourfuture.Bythetimeofhisdeathhehadrecordedvisions for ten centuries, each with one hundred verses of four lines each,calledquatrains.Remaininginprintconsistentlysincethetimeofhisdeath,the prophecies of Nostradamus extend into the year 3797 and, dependinguponinterpretation,perhapsbeyond.Foreseeing social, political, and scientific events of global magnitude,

manyofhisvisionsappeartobeexceedinglyaccurate.Withoutspecificdates,othersarenebulousatbestandsubject to interpretation.Nostradamusnotedtwoworldwars, completewith the name ofHitler and a description of theswastika symbol, the discoveries of penicillin and nuclear energy, theassassination of John F. Kennedy, the AIDS virus, and the failure ofCommunism.Thoughdatesandeventsmaybesubjecttointerpretation,thereis a thread of agreement among scholars of Nostradamus that the prophetforesaw cataclysmic change, on a global scale, for the close of ourmillennium.Althoughtheprecisetimingofaneventcouldcertainlybecalculatedbyhis

readersfromkeyphrases,itwasonlywhenhefeltthataparticulareventwascritical thatNostradamus offered the actual date. It is of particular interest,then,thatoneofthesedatesoccurswithinourlifetime.CenturiesX,quatrain72, reads, “In theyear1999, and sevenmonths from the skywill come thegreat King of Terror. He will bring to life the great King of theMongols.Before andafter,war reignshappily.”7Additional insight into this ominousquatrain may be found in The Epistle to Henry II, verse 87, whereNostradamus writes that, “This will be preceded by an eclipse of the sun,more obscure and tenebrous than has ever been since the creation of theworld,exceptthatafterthedeathandpassionofJesusChrist.”Asolareclipse,visiblefrommuchoftheEuropeancontinent,didoccuronAugust11,1999.Nostradamus'svisionsalsoforesawcataclysmicearthchangesreminiscent

ofthosefoundinNativeAmericanandbiblicaltraditions.Continuinginverse88oftheepistletoHenryII,specificsareoffereddowntotheactualmonth.“There will be omens in the spring, and extraordinary changes thereafter,reversals of nations and mighty earthquakes.… And there shall be in themonthofOctoberagreatmovementoftheglobe,anditwillbesuchthatonewillthinktheearthhaslostitsnaturalgravitationalmovementandthatitwillbeplungedintotheabyssofperpetualdarkness.”Looking farther into our future, Nostradamus saw a much happier time

following the days of earth's darkness. In a passage from Centuries II,quatrain 12, scholars interpret Nostradamus's vision as depicting a time ofspiritual renewal:“Thebodywithouta soul isno longerat thesacrifice.Atthedayofdeathitcomestorebirth.”CenturiesIIIfurtherdescribesthistimeinourfutureinquatrain2:“Thedivinewordwillgivethesustancecontainingheaven and earth…. Body, soul, and spirit are all powerful. Everything isbeneathhis feet,asat theseatofheaven.”Certainly less thanscientificandopen to much interpretation, nevertheless these sixteenthcentury visions ofourfuturesharecommonthreadswiththoseofotherprophets,botholderandmorerecent.

EdgarCayce

EdgarCayceisthemanwhocametobeknownasthe“sleepingprophet”ofthetwentiethcentury.BorninMarch1877,Cayce'sformaleducationendedwhen he completed the ninth grade. Though he reported paranormalexperiences as a child, he did not develop his gifts of clairvoyance andhealingonalargescaleuntiladulthood.Limitinghis healing sessions to twoper day,Cayceoften journeyed into

the past experiences of his clients in an effort to understand their presentconditions.Thoughhedidnotrememberthecontentsofhisreadingswhenheawakened from the trancelike state in which he conducted them, Cayce'ssecretary,GladysDavis,wasalwayspresent torecordthesessions.Throughhundreds of such records, systematically catalogued for study at theAssociation for Research and Enlightenment (ARE), Cayce offered briefglimpses into the recesses of our forgotten past, as well as our millennialfuture.EdgarCayce'sfirsthealing,reportedtohaveoccurredattheageoftwenty-

four,was one that he performeduponhimself.With the aid of a hypnotist,Caycewas asked to address apersistent throat conditionwhile in a relaxedstate of altered consciousness. To the surprise of others in the room, in his“sleeping state” Cayce began to speak, directing the hypnotist to offersuggestions to his unconscious body. Responding almost immediately toinstructions redirecting the flow of blood in his upper body, the throatconditiondisappearedandEdgarCaycebeganwhatwouldbecomealifelongserviceofperformingsimilarreadingsforothers.TheaccuracyofCayce'sreadingsiswelldocumented.Heforesawthecrash

of the stockmarket in October of 1929 through reading #137-117: “Theremustsurelycomeabreakwhereitwouldbepanicinthemoneycenters—notonlyofWallStreet'sactivitybutaclosingoftheboardsinmanycenters.…”8Cayce witnessed what would later be called the SecondWorldWar, yearsbefore it occurred. In his future vision of the conflict (reading #416-7), hestatedthatcountrieswouldbegintotakesidesas“indicatedbytheAustrians,GermansandlatertheJapanesejoiningintheirinfluence.…”9Hisdescriptioncontinues, stating that unless there was intervention by a force that hedescribed as supernatural, “the affairs of nations and peoples, the wholeworld,asitwere,willbesetonfirebythemilitaristicgroupsandthosethatareforpowerandexpansion.…”10Inwhatweretobecomesomeofhisbest-knownyetconfusingprophecies,

Cayce suggested that the final years of the twentieth century and the earlyyearsofthetwenty-firstwouldbeatimeofunprecedentedearthchanges.As

with past seers, he envisioned global changes falling into two broadcategories: a future brought about by gradual change, and a time oftumultuous shifts that may be described as nothing short of catastrophic.Interestingly,bothkindsofprophecyoccurforthesameperiodintime.In reading #826-8, datedAugust 1936,Cayce is asked specifically about

changesthatheseesfortheactualyearsofthemillennium,2000to2001.Farfrom the vagueness of many such prophecies, his response is a directstatementregardingatangibleshiftofmeasurablechangeontheearth.“Thereis the shifting of the pole.Or a new cycle begins.…”11 Fluctuations of theearth'smagneticpolesofoverfivedegreesinthelastfortyyears,consideredwiththerapiddecreaseofmagneticintensityprecedingsuchpolarreversalsinearth'shistory,havebroughtarenewedrespecttosuchvisions.InaseriesofreadingsthatculminatedinJanuaryof1934,Caycedescribed

geographic and geophysical changes that he saw beginning within a forty-yearperiodbetween1958and1998.12Onekeytointerpretingtheseindicatorsis that they were prophesied to begin, rather than happen, by 1998. Suchchangescouldconceivablyextendwellintothenextcentury.MarkThurston,a leading expert in the teachings and philosophies of Edgar Cayce,summarizesCayce'sdescriptionsasfollows:

1. TherewillbeabreakingupofthelandmassofthewesternportionofAmerica.

2. ThelargerpartofJapanwillgointothesea.3. 3.TherewillbecertainchangestothenorthernpartsofEuropethat

will happen so quickly that itmight be called “in the twinkling of aneye.”

4. LandswillriseupoutoftheAtlanticOceanoffthecoastofAmerica.5. MajorupheavalswillhittheArcticandAntarctic.6. Volcanoeswillerupt,especiallyinthetropics.7. A shifting of the poleswill alter climatic conditions. For example,

certainfrigidandsemitropicalareaswillbecometropical.

AsThurston points out, several of these changes appear to be connecteddirectlytoamagneticpoleshift.Althoughacompleteshifthasyettooccur,agrowingbodyofscientistsandresearchersbelievethatrecentshiftsofearth'smagneticfieldsaretheprecursorstopreciselysuchanevent.13Although a number of Cayce's earlier predictions regarding millennial

prophecies appear to be catastrophic in nature, later readings note aninterestingthoughsubtlechange.Inareadingdated1939,Cayce'sviewintothe close of the century describes gradual changes rather than the suddenshiftsdescribedearlier.Caycestatesthat“in1998wewillfindagreatdealofactivity that has been created by the gradual changes that are coming

about.”14Hecontinuesspeakingaboutthemillennialshiftbystatingthat“asto the changes, the change between the Piscean and the Aquarian Age isgradual,notacataclysmicone.”15In offering two different views of the change of centuries, Cayce may

additionallyhaveofferedanewinsightintothevalueofprophecyinourlivestoday. Recognizing that his readings of catastrophic as well as gradualchanges were made within a matter of years from one another rather thancenturies, what change in our future could the difference in his readingssuggest?Regardlessofwhosevisionsintoourfutureweconsider,forthemostpart

eachappearstoescapeexactmeasurementsoftime.Theyappeartorepresentmoments of possibility, rather than a concrete appointment with a preciseoutcome.Inhisownwords,the“sleepingprophet”offersakeytothescienceofprophecy,remindingus thatweinfluence theoutcomeofhistory throughthecourseofour lives in thepresent. In reading#311-10,16Cayce suggeststhatourresponsetothechallengesofourlivesmaydetermine,atleastinpart,thedegreetowhichweexperiencethechangesheforesaw.“[It]maydependuponmuch that deals with the metaphysical…. There are those conditionsthat in the activityof individuals, in lineof thought and endeavor, keepoftmany a city and many a land intact through their application of spirituallaws.”

NativeAmericanProphecies

NativeNorthandSouthAmericanpeoplesbelievefirmlythatpresent-dayeventsechodetailsoftheirancestors'prophecy.Formany,visionsofaworldtocomehavebeenheldsecretlyintribaltraditionstopreservetheintegrityoftheirancestors'insight.Sensingthattheshiftofthemillenniumrepresentstheday of tribal prophecies, their guidelines for this time in history are nowsharedopenly.Thebeliefisthatpeopleofallwalksoflife,inallnations,maybenefit from the insights left long ago.Allowing for specific differences infamilyand tribal traditions, therearecommonthreads that linkmanyof thetribalpropheciesoftheAmericasinaunifiedvisionofourfuture.The Hopi of the American Southwest offer some of the most concise

visionsofourfutureintheirpropheciesofthebirthofanewsun.SimilartothetraditionsoftheMaya,theAztecs,andearlierindigenoustraditionsfoundthroughout theAmericas, theHopibelievethat therehavebeengreatcyclesofhumanexperiencebeforeourtime.Eachendedinaperiodofdestruction,themostrecentofwhichwastheGreatFlood.Wearelivingnearthecloseofone such cycle, they say, preparing tomove into thedaysof theFifthSun.Priortothecloseofourcycle,Hopipropheciesdescribeaperiodofdeclinefollowedbyatransitionperiodintothenextcycle.Fromtheirperspective,thetime of decline is a time of great challenge, often called the “time ofpurification.”Understanding that theearthandourbodiesareone, theHopiviewtheconditionsoftheearthasa“feedbackmechanism,”abarometerofsorts,remindingusofwhenwehavemadechoicesthataffirmordenylifeinourworld.Oneof the firstHopivisions tobedisclosedwere three signsdenotinga

timetablefortheGreatShift.Thefirstsignwastheappearanceofthemoon“ontheearthaswellasintheheavens.”Thefulfillmentofthisportionoftheprophecyremainedamysteryuntil1993,whenlunarimagesbegantoappearas crop circles in the grain fields of the English countryside. TheunmistakableimagesofthecrescentmoonwereinterpretedbyHopieldersasthefulfillmentofthefirstportionoftheirprophecy.The second signwas the appearance of the “blue star,” a symbol that is

commoninthefolkloreandmythsofmanyHopitraditions.SomeHopielderssaw the 1994 impact of the Comet ShoemakerLevy into Jupiter as thefulfillmentofthisprophecy.Researchersweremystifiedastohowtheimpactof a broken comet could be seen as the fulfillment of the prophecy. Theiranswer was revealed when spectrographic images of the giant planet wereviewedfollowingthecollisions;Jupiterwasglowingwithacuriousbluehuethatcouldbeseenonlywithsophisticatedimagingdevices!

PerhapsthemostmysticalsignoftheHopipropheciesisthethirdandlast.Prominentinthedance,weavings,andsandpaintingsoftheHopiarecurious,humanoid images that often adorn their homes and ceremonial sites. Withstrangecostumesandveryotherworldlyfaces, theserepresentationsofHopiancestry, the skypeople, are calledkachinas.The thirdportionof theHopiprophecy states that the time of the great change has occurred when thekachinas return from the stars and dance once again in the plazas of theirvillagesonthemesas.Tothebestofmyknowledgeatthetimeofthiswriting,thisthirdsignhasyettohappen.

BiblicalProphecies

Asdocumentedinchapter2ofthisbook,anumberofbooksrelatedtothemodern Bible were deemed inappropriate for official acceptance by theCatholicChurch in the fourthcentury.Relegated to theobscurityofChurchvaults and private libraries, one of the most fascinating, and perhaps mostmystical, is the ancient book of the prophet Enoch. Containing eloquentdescriptionsoftheCreation,humanlineage,andastronomicalinformationsodetailedthatitcouldonlybeverifiedwithtwentieth-centurytechnology,thisancienttextcametobeknownastheBookoftheSecretsofEnoch.Wefinddirect references to this now-rare text in the work of the second-centurytheologian Tertullian. In recently recovered letters he explains that the“Scripture of Enoch” is not treated in the same way as other scripturesbecause it is not included in theHebrewCanon.17 Such references confirmthattheBookofEnochwasregardedasaviableworkbyscholarsbeforethefourth-centuryeditsoftheNiceanCouncil.The prophecies of Enoch bear a remarkable resemblance to those of

subsequent biblical prophets such as Isaiah and, later, John in theBook ofRevelation. In tremendous detail, Enoch describes his journey of prophecyintoourfuturetohisson,Methuselah,whorecordshisfather'sexperienceforthegenerationsthatwillfollow.FromanEthiopianmanuscriptdiscoveredintheBodleianLibraryin1773,Enochshareshisvisionofweatherandcelestialchanges that he foresaw during the close of our century. Identified as the“seventh son after Adam,” Methuselah characterizes his father's propheticexperiencesverydifferently from thoseof the sleepingCayce, for example,whenhesaysthatEnoch“spokewhilehiseyeswereopen,andwhilehesawaholyvisionintheheavens.”18Followinghisgreatvisionsofourfuture,Enochstatedthathehad“heard

allthings,andunderstoodwhathesaw;thatwhichwillnottakeplaceinhisgeneration, but in a generation which is to succeed at a distant period, onaccountoftheelect….Inthosedays…therainshallberestrained…thefruitsoftheearthshallbelate,andnotflourishintheirseason;andintheirseasonthefruitsofthetreesshallbewithholden…heavenshallstandstill.Themoonshallchangeitslaws,andnotbeseenatitsproperperiod.…”19Immediatelyfollowingthetribulationthathedescribesfortheearth,Enoch

describesanadditionalsequenceofeventsembodyingatimeofbeauty,hope,andpossibility.Inthissequence,appearingasifitoriginatesfromadifferentvisiondescribingadifferenttime,Enochseestheformerheaven“departandpassaway,”anddeclaresthat“anewheavenshallappear.”Thisoddpatternoftribulation,appearingtobefollowedbyredemption,iscommonthroughout

thevisionsofEnoch,aswellasotherpropheciesthatwewillexamine.Perhaps the most emotionally charged insights into future times may be

found as a collection of prophetic visions in the modern biblical texts.Rangingfromthefateofspecificleadersandheadsofstatetoglobalvisionsof the end of time, prophecies of the Bible continue to elicit powerfulresponses from those who read them, thousands of years after the visionsthemselves occurred. Ranging from ceaseless curiosity to adamant fervor,clues into thepower,aswellasconfusionsurroundingsuchvisionsmaybefound in tracing their modern interpretations to the roots of the originalvisionsthemselves.Itisnotuncommontodiscover,forexample,thatmanyoftheprophecies

referencedtodaywerenotevenrecordeduntilyears,sometimeshundredsofyears, after an original prophecy was received. Because they were handedfrommouthtomouth,fromgenerationtogeneration,it isuncertainwhethersomepropheticbookswerewrittenby theprophets themselvesorbyothersusingthenameofaprophetasametaphorinthestories.TheBookofDanielofferssuchanexample.IntheSaintJosephEditionof

theNewAmericanBible, theprefaceto theBookofDanielstates that“thisbooktakesitsname,notfromtheauthor,whoisactuallyunknown,butfromitshero,ayoungJewtakenearlytoBabylon,wherehelivedatleastuntil538B.C.”20 The introduction goes on to say, “The Book contains storiesoriginatinginandtransmittedbypopulartraditionswhichtellofthetrialsandtriumphsofthewiseDanielandhisthreecompanions.”Thisinterpretationdirectlycontradictsthatofotherbiblicalscholars,such

asJohnWalvoord,whostatesthat“itisclearthatthebookitselfclaimstobea product of Daniel as he is referred to in the first person in numerouspassages in the second half of the book…. Daniel is also mentioned inEzekiel, which would be quite natural as Ezekiel was a contemporary ofDaniel.…21Even today,nearly twomillennia after the textswerecompiled,expertshaveyet to reacha consensus regardingeven thebasicsof someofour most sacred texts. Adding to the confusion of deciphering biblicalpropheciesisthequestionoftheprecisionwithwhichthewordinghas,orhasnot, been translated through the centuries. Unlike portions of the HebrewBible, known to be translated letter for letterwith exacting precision for atleastthelastthousandyears,*theWesternBiblehasundergonemanychanges.Evensincethetimeofourcountry'sfounding,lessthanthreehundredyearsago, adaptations, translations from one language to another, and variousinterpretations of the Bible have introduced a certain margin of error. Asaccurateasourbiblicalcollectionofhistory,genealogy,andwisdommaybeinsomerespects,itcannotbetakenwordforword;thetextchangeswitheachtranslation.Often there are simply nowords in one language that represent

exactly the same concept, in the same way, as it is expressed in anotherlanguage. In these instances, the translatorsmust do the best that they can.This iswhere anapproximation of themes and conceptsmaybe introducedintosuchtranslations.The Western Bible, as we know it today, has undergone many such

processes, including a translation from the highly symbolic language ofEgyptian, following its origins in the Aramaic and Hebrew languages. Anexampleofhowapproximationmaysubtlyalterawell-intendedtranslationisillustrated in the Aramaic words for the first line of the Lord's Prayer. InEnglish,thisphrasereadsasthefamiliar“OurFatherwhichartinheaven.”IntheoriginalAramaic,however, thesamephrase readssimplyas twowords:Abwoon d'bwashmaya. There are no exact words in English for these twoAramaicwords.TranslatorsarelefttoskillfullycreatecollectionsofEnglishwordsthatapproximatetheoriginalmeaning.A

samplingof suchapproximations is illustratedby the followingpossibletranslations of this example from the Lord's Prayer: “O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos,” “O Thou! The Breathing Life of all,” “Name ofnames,oursmallidentityunravelswithinyou,”and“RadiantOne:Youshinewithinus.”22 Each of these is a valid translation of the originalwords, andeachexpressesaverydifferentfeelingfortheintentoftheoriginaltext.From this example alone, we may see that the theme remains constant,

althoughthespecificsoflanguagemayvary.Asinphotocopyingtheoriginalof a text today, many copies down the line the final outcome may bear aresemblance to theoriginal, though it has lost clarity. In the last centuryofbiblical history, there havebeenmany suchopportunities to introduce errorintotheoriginalintentoftheancientprophets.Todaywemaychoosefromavariety of interpretations and translations, eachmeeting a special need andservingaparticularapplicationforitsreader.AstudentofbiblicalstudiesmaychoosefromtheKingJamesVersionofthebiblicaltextsorahostofothers,suchastheNewInternationalStandardVersion,TheNewLivingBible,andtheSaintJosephEdition.Eachversionoriginatesfromthesamecollectionofscrolls, books, documents, and manuscripts accepted by the Church in thefourthcenturyA.D.

TheLostProphecy

Inmodernrenditionsofbiblicalprophecies,wefindaparticularclassofvisionary texts identified by such names as “the End of Time,” “the EndDays,” or “in those days.” Collectively these works are known as theapocalyptic prophecies. Often believed to identify a frightening time ofdarknessandcataclysminearth'sfuture,theseworksmay,infact,havebeenshowingfuturegenerationssomethingofavastlydifferentnature.Inmoderntimesthewordapocalypseconjuresupdeepfeelingsofgloom,

hopelessness, and judgment inour collectivepsyche.Taken from theGreekwordapokalypsis, thewordhasabriefandseeminglyinnocentdefinition.Itsimplymeanstodiscloseorreveal.Thisispreciselywhattheancientprophetsoffered through their masterful insights into our future. They revealedpossibleoutcomesbasedon theconditionsof their time,anddisclosed theirdiscoveriestofuturegenerations.TheEsseneBookofRevelationisanexampleofonesuchbook.Recovered

and translated from thenativeAramaic language that itwaswritten in, thisversionofRevelation issosimilar to latercanonizedversionsknownas theRevelation to John that researchers and scholars suspect the Dead Seamanuscriptmaybetheoriginalrenditionofthisancientviewintoourfuture.Regarded by many as the most mystical of the biblical prophecies, the

visionsofJohntheApostlealsoportraysomeofthemostgraphicdescriptionsof tribulation in any prophecy, ancient or modern. Contributing to what isalreadyadeeplysymbolicandesoterictextisthefragmentednatureofJohn'svision.DuringthecanonizationoftheBiblein325,itappearsalmostasifacompromise were reached regarding some of the key texts. Rather thandiscardingthemanuscriptscompletely,theywereretainedaseditedversions,thuscondensingthemintoaformatthatwasbelievedtobemoreaccessibletothereadersofthetime.ThejourneythatbecomesJohn'srevelationtofuturegenerationsbeginsas

heaskstobetakenfromhistime,aheadofourtime,andallowedtoseeourprobablefutureandonepossibleendtothecloseofourmillennium.Throughgraphic detail, John describes his vision of chaos, death, terror, anddestruction,themagnitudeofwhichhadneverbeenseenbefore.Heaskshisangelicguidewhythesethingsarehappening,andtheangelreplies,“Manhascreatedthesepowersofdestruction.Hehaswroughtthemfromhisownmind.HehasturnedhisfaceawayfromtheAngels[forces]oftheHeavenlyFatherandtheEarthlyMother,andhehasfashionedhisowndestruction.”23Uponwitnessing this outcome, John's heart is “heavywith compassion.”

Heasks,“Istherenohope?”ThevoicerepliestoJohn,echoingamemoryof

the greatest possibilities for today and future generations: “There is alwayshope,Othouforwhomheavenandearthwerecreated.…”24Suddenly the vision of death and destruction fades from view and he is

shownanotherscenario,asecondpossibility.Rather than theendofall thathumanity has grown to know and love, this new possibility illustrates anoutcome of a very different nature. “But I saw not what befell them, myvisionchanged,andIsawanewheavenandanewEarth:forthefirstheavenandthefirstearthwerepassedaway.…AndIheardagreatvoice…saying,thereshallbenomoredeath,neithersorrow,norcrying,neithershalltherebeanymorepain.”25As John's vision continues, he sees a time when peace and cooperation

envelopthenationsof theworld.Duringthis timethere isnolongeraneedforwar.Hehearshisguidedescribetheendofwarfare:“Nationshallnotliftupswordagainstnation,neithershalltheylearnwaranymore,fortheformerthingsarepassedaway.”26Throughtheseandsimilarpassages,weareofferedamessageofhope.Following a themenow familiar fromother prophecies, Johnwas shown

twopossibilitiesfor thefutureofhumankind.Bothoutcomeswerereal,andeithercouldbechosenbythepeoplesoftheearth.Thekey,reminiscentofourmassprayerofpeace,was that thecollectiveoutcomewouldbedeterminedthroughindividualchoices.TheabilityofthepeopleinJohn'stimetohonorthe lawsof lifewere theexperiences thatwouldbringaboutnewoutcomes,divertingthepossibilityofdestruction.Witheachvision,Johnisremindedthatpeopleliving“inthosedays”will

determine how they experience the great change of humankind's future.Heaskswhatmustoccursothatthesecondoutcomeofpeacemaycometopass?Again,thevoiceguidinghisvisionreplies,“Behold,Imakeallthingsnew.…Iamthebeginningand theend.…Iwillgiveuntohimthat isathirstof thefountain of the water of life freely. He that [remembers] shall inherit allthings.…”27The finalpassages record Johnacknowledginghisunderstandingofwhat

hehasseen,andtheeffectthathisvisionhashaduponhim:“Ihavereachedtheinnervision.…Ihaveheardthywondroussecret….Throughthymysticinsight thou hast caused a spring of knowledge to well up within me, afountain of power, pouring forth living waters; a flood of all-embracingwisdom.”28Additional passages from the Essene scrolls continue to detail the

possibility of a time in our future when we have outgrown the need forcatastrophicshiftstobringaboutchange.Duringthistime,theconditionsthathavetakenlifefromtheinhabitantsoftheeartharenolongerpresent:“Inthereign of peace, there is neither hunger nor thirst, neither coldwind nor hot

wind,neitheroldagenordeath.Inthereignofpeace,bothanimalsandmenshallbeundying.”29Clearly the biblical prophets often found themselves describing very

different—at times conflicting—outcomes for our future. The question iswhy?Whyare theredifferent visionsof prophecy for the same time inourfuture?Howcan a prophet see twoverydifferent possibilities for the sameperiodoftime?Inthemid-1990sanewtoolofprophecywasdiscoveredinaveryancient

format. It may be that the time lock of technology has allowed us to peerthrough the eyes of this prophetic instrument only as we have matured torecognizeitspossibilities.

The3,000-Year-OldTimeMap

In1995,anancientinstrumentofprophecywasabruptlythrustintopublicviewinagraphicanddramaticfashion.OnNovember4ofthatyear,aneventoccurredthattheinstrumenthadpredictedwithaprecisionfarexceedingthepossibility of chance or coincidence. The event was the assassination ofYitzhak Rabin, the prime minister of Israel, in the city of Tel Aviv. Theassassination had been prophesied with such accuracy that the primeminister'sname,thedateoftheassassination,thenameofthecity,andeventhe assassin's name, Amir, were no secret; each had been encoded into adocumentoverthreethousandyearsago!Theironywasthatthedocumentwasnotararemanuscriptheldbyasecret

organizationor privileged individual.The codedmapof our futurewas thesamemap that has provided comfort and guidance for at least seventy-fivegenerations and is held sacred today by several hundred million peopleworldwide.ThemapoftimewasdiscoveredasahiddencodeencryptedintotheBibleatthetimeofitsorigin!Specifically,thecodewasfoundinthefirstfivebooksoftheHebrewBible,knownastheTorah,theoneversionthatissaid to have been unaltered since it was given toman over three thousandyearsago.DiscoveredbyanIsraelimathematician,Dr.EliyahuRips,thekey,known

as the Bible Code, has been reviewed and validated by mathematicians inleadinguniversitiesworldwide,aswellasagenciesspecializinginencryption,suchastheU.S.DepartmentofDefense.Forovertwohundredyears,scholarshavesuspectedthatbiblicaltextsweremorethananassemblageofwordstoberead inastrictly linear fashion.Aneighteenth-centuryscholar,knownastheGeniusofVilna, stated that“the rule is thatall thatwas, is,andwillbeuntotheendoftimeisincludedintheTorah,fromthefirstword to the lastword.Andnotmerely inageneralsense,butas to thedetailsofeverythingthathappenedtohimfromthedayofhisbirthuntilhisend.”30Theencryptedmessagesofourpastandfuturemaybestudiedbycreatinga

matrixfromthelettersofthefirstfivebooksoftheHebrewBible.Beginningwiththefirstletterofthefirstword,allspacesandpunctuationareremoveduntil the last letter of the last word is reached, leaving a single sentencehundreds of characters in length. Using sophisticated search programs, theremaining matrix is examined for patterns and intersections of words. Forexample, in the book of Genesis, the word Torah is spelled out withsequencesoffiftyHebrewcharactersbetweeneachofthelettersoftheword.The same sequence is found in the books that follow: Exodus, Leviticus,Numbers, andDeuteronomy.Theobservationof this sequencebyRabbiH.

M.D.Weissmandelinthe1940sbecamethekeytounravelingthepatternsofwordsencodedinthetext.Inhisbookofthesamename,MichaelDrosnindescribestheprecisionand

accuracyoftheBibleCodeinpredictingpastevents.Circumstancesasvariedas the Kennedy assassinations, the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy intoJupiter, theelectionofIsraeliPrimeMinisterNetanyahu,eventhedatesandlocation of the SCUDmissile attack that the Iraqis launched against Israelduring the 1990 GulfWar, are described with a level of detail that defiesmathematicalandstatisticalodds.TheBibleCodeoffersspecificsratherthanbroad generalities thatmay be open to interpretation.Drosnin detailsmanysuch references. In the prediction ofWorldWar II, for example, the codespellsoutwords suchas “worldwar” and“final solution,” accompaniedbythenamesofleadersduringthetime:“Roosevelt,”“Churchill,”“Stalin,”and“Hitler.”Clearlystatedarethecountriesinvolvedintheconflict:“Germany,”“England,”“France,”“Russia,”“Japan,”and“UnitedStates.”Eventhewords“atomic holocaust” and “1945,” the year that the nuclear device wasdetonatedoverHiroshimaaredisclosed,theonlytimethosewordsappearintheBible.It was with the development of high-speed computers that the code

embedded within the Hebrew Bible was finally decrypted. The newcomputers replaced tedious manual decoding with sophisticated searchprograms.Runningagainstcontrolgroupsofother textsandtenmilliontestcases created by the computer, only the Bible was found to have thepuzzlelike encryptions. Vertically, horizontally, and diagonally, names ofcountries, events, dates, times, and persons intersect with one another,providinga snapshot into the eventsofourpast and thepossibilitiesofourfuture. While the actual mechanism of such an extraordinary predictor isdiscussedinchapterseven,perhapsmorerelevanttothequestionofprophecyishowthisseeminglymiraculousbookoftimerelatestoourfuture.In lightof theBibleCode'saccuracy fordetailingourpast,howaccurate

could the same matrix be in peering into a time yet to come? In hisdiscussionswithDrosnin,Dr.RipssuggeststhattheentireBibleCodehadtobewrittenallatonceasa singleact, rather than ina seriesofwritings thattook place over time. Such a statement infers that all possibilities of allfuturesarealreadyinplace.“Weexperienceitlikeweexperienceahologram—itlooksdifferentwhenwelookatitfromanewangle—buttheimage,ofcourse, isprerecorded.”31Thekey toapplying thisancient timecode to theevents of our future may be in viewing it through the eyes of a quantumphysicist.Inmodernphysicsthereisatenetstatingthatitisimpossibletoknowthe

“when”ofsomethingandthe“where”ofthesamething,atthesametime.Ifyoumeasurewhere something is, you lose information about how fast it is

moving. If youmeasure how fast it ismoving, then you cannot knowwithcertainty where the something is. This key to the quantum world wasdeveloped by the physicist Werner Heisenburg, and is known as theHeisenberguncertaintyprinciple.32Demonstratingtheunpredictablebehaviorofnatureinthequantumworld,

itmaybethatoursenseoftimefollowspreciselythiskindofbehavior.Ifso,the possibilities portrayed in the Bible Code may exist as just that,possibilities.Theevents stated,bothpast and future, are theend resultof asequenceofconditionsthatmayhavebegundays,orevenhundredsofyears,before theactualeventplaysout.Statedaswewouldamodernequation, ifwechooseaparticularcourseofevents,thenwemayexpecttoseesuch-and-suchanoutcome.Viewinganypredictiontoolasalensintopossibilitiesshedsnewlighton

the role of prophecy in our lives. Coinciding with many biblical, NativeAmerican,andotherpropheciesforourfuture, theBibleCodealertsustoaseries of apocalyptic scenarios. Beginning in our near future, suchoccurrencesasathirdworldwaroriginatingintheMiddleEast,catastrophicearthquakes, and the devastation of major population centers all appear aspossibilities. The threat of a direct collisionwith a comet at the end of thetwentieth centuryor early in the twenty-first appears to be oneof themostimmediateconcerns.In1992,astronomerBrianMarsdenoftheHarvard-SmithsonianCenterfor

Astrophysics announced the return of the Swift-Tuttle comet, originallydiscoveredin1858.Theprecisedayofthecomet'srediscoverywasencryptedintheBibleCode,alongwithitspredictedreturn134yearslater.Theactualwords“comet,”“Swift-Tuttle,”andtheyearof thecomet'sreturn,2126,areclearlyencodedinthetext.Initiallythoughttobeonacollisioncoursewiththe earth at the timeof its return, revised calculationsnow suggest that thecometwill pass a safe distance away.Astronomers do, however,warn of aseriesof“nearmisses”leadinguptothetimeofSwift-Tuttlein2126,thefirstoccurring in2006. Intersecting the2006dateline in theHebrew textare thewords, “Its path struck their dwelling,” accompaniedwith the phrase in anassociatedline,“Yearpredictedfortheworld.”Followingthiswarningaresimilarwordsleadinguptotheyear2010.The

words “days of horror” cross this date with additional descriptions of“darkness,”“gloom,”and“comet.”Perhaps themostunsettlingsequenceofwords regarding our future is found above the year 2012. It is here,coincidentallyinthesameyearthattheMayancalendarends,thatweseethewords “Earth annihilated.” This glimpse into an ancient possibility for ourfuture provides an intriguing example of an element found throughout theBibleCode.Drosninstates that in the locationwhere thedate isencoded,asecondpassage,describingaverydifferentoutcome,isdescribed.Thewords

simplysay,“Itwillbecrumbled,drivenout,Iwilltearittopieces,5772”(theHebrewyearfor2012).33Similartothethemeofotherprophecies,ononehandtheCodeappearsto

besayingtousthattheyear2012bringsanendtolifeasweknowit,whileatthesame time, inanother location, the threat to theearth isdestroyed.Howcanbothoutcomesbepossibleatthesametime?SimilarparadoxesshowupfromtimetotimethroughouttheBibleCode,particularlyregardingoutcomesof elections, political events, andwarfare. In addition to the opportunity tomodel specific outcomes for our future based on choices of the present,perhapstheBibleCodeisremindingusofsomethingevenmoresignificant.In close proximity to specific outcomes, such as assassinations and the

seedsofglobalwarfare, fourwordsappearagainandagain.Accompanyingmanyof thegravestoutcomes, thewordsposeasimplequestion:“Willyouchange it?” Reminiscent of the beliefs preserved for us by the ancientEssenes,theBibleCodealsoappearstosuggestthatweplayasignificantroleintheoutcomeofevents,eventhosealreadysetintomotionaspossibilities.Apparentlyourroleissoimportantthatwemayactuallychangethecourseofevents!“Willyouchangeit?”appearstobeadirectquestionaskedofthosewhowouldbecertaintoreadthecodemaker'smessagethreethousandyearsafteritwaswritten.Itisasifthewritersknewthatitwouldtakeatechnologywith a high degree of sophistication to understand their code; as if we arebeingremindedthatnow,asweunravel themessageof thecodemakers,weare ready to participate in the unfolding of time and change the darkestpossibilities of our future. How could the appearance of these and otherspecificsappeartoday,inamanuscriptthatwasencodedoverthreemillenniaago?TheBibleCodebringsusbacktothesamequestionsthatthepropheciesofothershaveledusto.

ANewProphecy

Ofthemanycalculationsandindigenouspropheciesregardingourcurrenttime in history, 1998 appeared tomark the beginning of awindow in timewherewemayexpecttowitnesssomeofthegreatestchangesupontheearth.Precisely where within that window our lifetime places us is questionable,eventotheprophetsthemselves.EdgarCayce,forexample,viewed1998asthe last year of a cycle four decades long, in which we may expect“extraordinaryplanetarytransformation”tobegin.Nostradamus,ontheotherhand,placed1998atthebeginningofacycleofcataclysmicchangesthatheforesawfromthatpoint toover threehundredyears intoourfuture.Beyondthediscrepancies of exact dates, prophecies for our time almost universallyrevealacommon theme; theypoint to thebirthof thenewmillenniumasatimewhenwemayexpecttoseegreatchangeupontheearthandwithinourbodies.Alongwithinsightsintoourpossiblefuture,ancientseersremindedusofa

great mystery. This mystery is particularly fascinating in light of thesophistication of calendars and the precision of systems tracking time. Asaccurateastheoral,written,andprophetictraditionsappeartobe,eachstopsshortofdetailingpreciselyhowthisgreatcycleoftimewillendandthenextgreat cycle will begin. In addition to outlining possibilities for our future,thosewhohavecomebeforeusacknowledgedapotentforcewiththepowerto choose which possibility we experience. Largely overlooked in recenttimes,thatforceisthepowerofmasschoiceexpressedasthescienceofmassprayer.Inthelanguageoftheirtime,ancientprophetssuggestedthatwehavethe

ability to avert their visions of destruction in our future by consciouslyshiftingthecourseoftimeinthepresent.Itwouldappearasthoughmanyofthe traditionsof thosebefore us had insight into a relationshipbetween theactionsofthepeopleinthisworldandtheoutcomeofthepropheciesthattheyforesaw.Thatconnectionbetweenourday-to-dayroutinesandtheoutcomeofprophecyhasremainedamysteryuntilthetwentiethcentury.Itisduringthistime, with the formulation of a new physics, that the possibilities of time,prophecy, miracles, and our role in the future of humankind have becameclearer.We now know that predictions offer isolated possibilities only.Wealsoknow thatwechooseourpossibilitieswitheachbreath thatwe take ineachmomentofeachday.

Timeisnotatallwhatitseems.Itdoesnotflowinonlyonedirection,andthefutureexistssimultaneouslywiththepast.

—ALBERTEINSTEIN

*Inancienttimes,thecubitwasameasureoflengthtakenfromthetipofthelongestfingertotheelbowofthepersoninpoweratthetime.Obviously the measurement varied. The average length of such ameasurementonanadultmaletodayis17–22inches.

*TheLeningradcodexdatestoA.D.1008.Sincethattime,scholarsagree that the first five books of the Hebrew Old Testament haveremainedunchanged.

WAVES,RIVERS,ANDROADS

ThePhysicsofTimeandProphecy

On the threshold of a new millennium, two lines of thinking havesurfacedregardingthesignificanceofthisraremomentinhistory.Therearethosewho believewe are in danger, living in a dangerous time of perilousuncertainty. They have become preoccupied with preparations for physicalsurvival in the days that they believe begin the “end times.” Referencingancient prophecies, the ills of society, and the looming potential of worlddisasterstosupporttheirbeliefs,forthemeachnewsitemofglobalconflict,newdiseases,orthependingcollapseoftheworldeconomybecomesfurtherevidence to support their beliefs. At the same time others, citing identicalevidence,seechangeofaverydifferentkindunfolding.Witnessing the same diseases,military conflicts, and extremes of nature,

and referencing the same prophecies, those who subscribe to this secondviewpointsensethatararebirthisoccurring,anintegralelementofwhichisanequallyrareshiftwithinhumankind.Ultimately,thisviewsuggeststhatweareenteringa timeof joy,peace,andunprecedentedcooperationamong thepeoples and nations of the world. How can interpretations of the sameevidence produce such varied and diverse viewpoints? Perhaps of moresignificance,isourfuturealreadysealedastheproductofanancientplan,oristhereasciencethatallowsustochoosewhichfutureweexperience?

TimeandGroupWill

Quickly I reached under the seat for my belt pack and personalbelongings. I could smell the unmistakable odor of hot brake pads as thedriver brought our German-built touring coach to a stop. For the last twohours or so,we had negotiated awindingmountain road that became littlemore than a jeep trail in places. Because of rockslides, blowing sand, andinfrequentmaintenance,severaltimestheroadhadnarrowedtojustafractionof a single lane.Each timeourdriverhadmasterfully easedus through thetight spots, sometimes choosing circuitous detours that always brought usback to the safetyof themain roadway.Descending from thevillageofSt.Catherine,4,300feetabovetheEgyptiandesert,Iknewthatthecheckpointontheroadaheadwasnearsealevel.Theengine, a rest room, andbulging luggagecompartments replaced the

windows normally located in the rear of a touring bus. Moving to a sidewindow,Iglancedtothelargemirrorsononesideofthebustoseebehindus.Themilitarytruckthathadescortedusthroughthemountainswasstillthere,perhapstwocarlengthsback.Lookingovertheheadofourdriver,Icouldseethatanescortvehiclesimilartotheonebehindushadpulledofftheroad,neara concreteguardhouse.The camouflaged truckwas a troop carrier, its backcoveredbydull,sand-coloredfabric,stretchedoveraseriesofwirehoopsandfastened to the bed of the vehicle. I remember thinking of the similaritiesbetweenthemilitarytrucksinthedesertsofEgyptandthecoveredwagonsoftheAmericanWestthatIhadseeninmuseumsasachild.Themorning light peeking from behind themountains suddenly brought

therealityofthesetruckstolife.Inthefirstraysofthedesertsun,Icouldseethe faces of soldiers, young Egyptian men peering back at us from theirbenchesbeneaththetarp.Withperhapsfivemenseatedoneithersideofthetruckbed, their jobwas toescortus safelyacross theSinaiDesert, into themassive city of Cairo. Nearly as fast as the local weather changes, thepoliticalsituationhadunexpectedlyshiftedduringourtimeinthemountains.Now,forouroverlandroutebacktothehotel,acheckpointsystemhadbeensetupforoursafetyandtoestablishourwhereaboutsatalltimes.Iknewthatitwouldonlybeamatterofmomentsbeforeaguardsteppedontoourbusandapprovedourtravelpapers,andwewouldbeonourway.Clearing the first of a series of checkpoints, we soon found ourselves

windingourwayalongthebrilliantwhitebeachesoftheRedSeatowardtheSuez Canal. I closed my eyes and imagined the same scene over threethousand years ago, as the people of Egypt traveled a similar route to themountain fromwhichwewerenow returning.Except for the transportation

androads,howmuchhadreallychanged?Inthewarmthofthelate-morningsun, I soon found myself in conversation with members of our group,anticipatingourentranceintotheancientchambersoftheGreatPyramidthatevening.Suddenly I lookedup as our bus came to a halt along a busy boulevard.

Frommyseatnearthefront,Iglancedthroughthewindowsatlandmarkstoorientmyself.Toourleftwasafamiliarsight,onethatIhadseenmanytimesinmagazines,aswellas inperson.Toconfirmour location, I lookedtoourright. We were stopped in front of a monument that is one of the mostpowerfulsymbolstoallEgyptians,perhapsofevengreatersignificancethanthe pyramids themselves: the tomb of former Egyptian president AnwarSadat.AsImovedtowardthefrontofthebus,Icouldseetheescortsinfrontof

us.The soldiers had jumped out fromunder the canopies andweremillingaroundinfrontofourbuswithourdriver.Hoppingfromthelaststepofourbusontothestreet,Inoticedsomethingveryunusual.Theescorts,ourdriver,and our Egyptian guide, Mohammed, all had puzzled expressions on theirfaces.Someweretappingtheirwristwatches.OtherswereanxiouslyspeakingtooneanotherinshortburstsofEgyptian.“What'shappening?”Iaskedourguide.“Whyhavewestoppedhererather

thanatourhotel,stillanhourorsoaway?”Mohammedlookedatmeinawe.“Somethingisnotright,”hesaid,witha

rareintensitytohisnormallyplayfulvoice.“Weshouldnotbehereyet!”“Whatareyousaying?”Iasked.“Thisispreciselywhereweshouldbe,on

thewaytoourhotelinGiza.”“No,”hesaid.“Youdonotunderstand.Wecannotbehereyet. Ithasnot

been long enough since our departure from St. Catherine's for us to be inCairo! It takesat least sevenhours forus tomake thedriveunder theSuezCanal,across thedesert,and into themountains.At leastsevenhours.Withthecheckpointstops,weshouldbeevenlater.Lookattheguards.Theydonotbelievetheireyes!Ithasbeenonlyfourhours.Ourbeinghereisamiracle.”Watching the men in front of me, an odd feeling swept over my body.

Though I had had experiences similar to this onewhen Iwas alone, it hadneverhappenedtomeinagroup.Observingthespeedlimits,withtheextrastopsofcheckpoints,howcouldwehavecutourdrivingtimenearlybyhalf?ThoughthedistancebetweenMountSinaiandCairohadnotchanged,our

experienceoftimewhilewetraveledthedistancehad.Itwasrecordedonthewristwatchesofeverymilitaryman,armedguard,andpassengeronthebus!It was as if our memories of the day, in the presence of one another, hadsomehowbeensqueezed intoanexperiencea fractionof the timeexpected.Where was the rest of our time? Clearly we were not aware of thephenomenonwhenitwasoccurring.Thequestionsare,howdidithappenand

why?Perhaps herein we find the clue. In our innocence of anticipating the

experiences within the pyramids and speaking of the experiences as if wewerealreadythereinsideoftheancientchambers,ourawarenesshadshiftedfromhowlongthetripwastakingtowhatitfeltliketobethere.

MedicinelessMiracle

The lights dimmed as we neared the chairs in the back of the room.Arrivinglaterthanexpected,mywifeandIfoundfewchoicesremainingfortwoseatstogether.Facinggenerallytowardatableattheoppositeendoftheballroom, the stainless-steel chairs appeared to have been arranged ratherhaphazardlybythehotelstaff.Withinmomentsoffindingourseats,theclassbeganwiththeusualformalitiesandintroductions.WhilestudyingataspecializedclinicoutsideofBeijing,ourinstructorhad

documentedonvideotheeffectsofanancienthealingartbasedontechniquesofmovement,breath,thought,andfeeling.Hebeganbypreparingusforwhatwe were about to see. The video would show a phenomenon from AsiantraditionsthatWesternsciencecouldnotexplain.Anomalousexperiencesofthiskindareoftenclassifiedasmiracles.Forpeoplewhohad turned to thisclinic as a last resort, the choice of love, specialized movement, and thedevelopmentoflifeforce(ch'i)overmedicineandsurgerywastheanswertotheirprayers.Just as the light inour roomdisappeared, a televisionnearour instructor

came alive.Mywife and I gripped the steel legs underneath our seats andscootedforward,vyingforabetterviewofthescreen.Thevideotapethatwewere seeing had been recorded at the Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Clinic andTraining Center, the “medicineless hospital” in the city of Qinhuangdao,China.Thefootagebeganbyshowingafemalepatientlyingonherbackinaclinical setting. She appeared to be fully awake and conscious, notanesthetized,andtherewerenoindicationsthatananestheticwouldbeused.Thewomanwaslooselyclothed,andhershirthadbeenmodestlydrawnuptoexposeherlowerabdomen.Inthelightsofthevideoandthehospitalroom,her stomach glistened with a preparatory gel that appeared shiny and wet.Seated to thepatient's right, anursepractitionermovedanultrasoundwandacrossthetaut,smoothsurfaceofthewoman'sstomach.Directlybehindthepatientwerethreemalepractitioners.Dressedinwhite

medical jackets, they were standing only inches from her side. The menappearedtobeveryfocused,standingquietlynearherupperbody.Oneofthemen began a motion with his hands, silently moving them through the airabovethewoman'sfaceandchest.Thevideonextshowedtheultrasoundimage,allowingustopeerintothe

woman'sbladderduringtheprocedure.Theliningandcurvaturewereclearlypresent.Inthisimage,somethingelsebegantoappear,somethingthatshouldnothavebeenthere.“Youare lookingat abladdercancer,”our instructor explained, “a tumor

approximatelythreeinchesindiameterinsidethewoman'sbladder.”Wewereseeingthetumorasitactuallyappearedinthatmoment,captured

bytheultrasoundwand.Thecamerazoomedinonthescreenaswewitnessedan event for whichWestern science has no explanation. Anticipating whatwasabouttohappen,ourroombecameverystill.Eventheoldfoldingchairsstoppedsqueakingwhileourgroupwatched,inawe,asthemiracleunfoldedbeforeoureyes.While the nurse continued to monitor the event through ultrasound, the

three men standing behind the patient worked together. In unison, theyparticipatedinamodeofhealingthathasbeenknownforcenturies.Theonlysoundthatbetrayedtheprocesswascomingfromthementhemselves.Theyrepeatedasinglewordagainandagain,awordthatbecamelouderandmoreintenseasthehealingprogressed.LooselytranslatedintoEnglish,theyweresaying“alreadygone,”“alreadyaccomplished.”Theshiftbeganslowly,almostindiscernibly.Thecancerousformbeganto

quiver,as if responding to someunseen force.As themovementcontinued,withtherestoftheimageinperfectfocus,theentiremassbegantofadefromview.Withinseconds,thetumorappearedtomeltbeforeoureyes.Inonlytwominutesandfortyseconds,thetumorwasgone.Ithadsimplydisappeared!Ahealing had occurred, one so complete that the ultrasound did not evenindicate scarring in the tissue that the tumor had invaded. As the camerabackedawayfromthecomputerscreen,thepatient,stillawakeandconscious,appeared to be relieved bywhat she heard in the room. The nurse and thethree men conferred among themselves, then nodded in agreement; theirprocesshadbeensuccessful.Politely,eachbowedfromthewaistandsoftlyclappedhishands,acknowledgingtheiraccomplishment.Atfirst,ourconferenceroomwassilent.ThenIheardsighsthatgaveway

to gasps and cheers for what we had witnessed.What had just happened?Howhadacanceroustumor,threeinchesindiameter,disappearedfrominsidethe woman's bodywithout even the telltale scars of such a condition, in amatter of moments?Why is it that Western science has no mechanism toexplainsuchanoccurrence?

Both of the previous stories are important for two reasons. First, eachillustrates a shared experience in the presence of a group, rather than theuniqueexperienceofoneindividual.WhateverhappenedtoourperceptionoftimeonthatdayintheSinaiDesertofEgypt,ithappenedtomanypeopleofvarying backgrounds, beliefs, and faiths. TherewereMuslim andChristianguards aswell asMuslim, Buddhist, Jewish, andChristian travelers in ourgroupaswemadeourwayacrosstheSinaiPeninsula.Allofushadourownbeliefsaboutourrelationshiptothisworld,andourownreasonsforbeinginthe desert that morning. Likewise, the disappearance of the cancer waswitnessed by four people in the presence of the woman with the tumor.

Additionally,itwasrecordedbyacameraman,bringingtofivethenumberofpeopleimmediatelypresent.Thiswasagroupexperienceaswell.Forourgrouponthebus,theanticipationofbeinginCairo,sealedinside

theGreatPyramidforfourhoursofprivateaccess,wasthedominantthemeof theday.Formanyofour circleof friends, thiswas theculminationof adreamthatbeganinchildhoodandhadbeenmadepossiblethroughhardworkandmonthsofplanning.Thekeytothisstoryandthehealingofthewoman'scanceristhatthegroup'sfocuswasonthefeelingoftheoutcomeratherthanon the feelingofhowlong itwas taking for theoutcome tooccur.This isasubtleyetpowerfuldistinctionthatwillbeofevengreatersignificanceinlaterdiscussions.The second reason I have shared these stories is that the events in each

instance are unaccounted for inWestern science at present.How arewe toexplain an occurrence that we have personally experienced, such as timecompression or instantaneous physical healing, in the absence of a beliefsystem that allows for such an event? Perhaps the way to answer thesequestionsistoexplorethenatureoftimethroughtheeyesofourancestorsaswellasmodernscience.

TheMysteryofTime

Sincehumankindbeganrecordingtheaccountsofourexperience in thisworld,timehasappearedtousasaconceptofintrigue.Ouronlymethodofexploring the mysterious quality that we experience as time has been tospeculate about its nature. Without the ability to capture, photograph, orrecordtimeitself,weareleftwithrelativemeasurementsofeventsthatoccurwithin time.Suchmeasurementsareoftendescribedas“now”and“then”or“before”and“after”theevent.Indigenoustraditionssometimesviewtimeasa river, flowing in a singledirection,with the experiencesofhumankind insomewayinextricablyboundtothelifeoftheflow.Othertraditionsconsidertimeasaroad,transcendingthemembranesofspace,thatmaybetraveledintwodirections.Thisperspectivesuggeststhattimeoriginatessomewhereandendssomewhere,leavingustotravelandexperiencethepointsbetween.Regardlessofhowweperceivethespacebetween“then”and“now,”time

has become the dominant factor in the way we view our lives. Our daysconsistofpreparingforourfutureasweplantheeventsofthenextmoment,the next day, and the following year. From seemingly insignificant events,such as where we will have lunch in twenty minutes, to monumentalmilestones,suchastherendezvousoftwocraftfromtwodifferentnationsinspace, time is the common thread that weaves us together through thesynchronizationofexperiencesinourworld.Inlightof thepropheciesregardingfuturepossibilities,ourunderstanding

oftimemaybeofgreatersignificancenowthanatanyotherpointinrecordedhuman history. There is an ancient school of thought, a belief that haspersistedforatleastfivethousandyears,suggestingthattimeandtheeventsof our future are not only inextricably related, but are consistent andknowable as well. Furthermore, this line of reasoning suggests that thecatastrophiceventsofprophecy,thosewiththepotentialtothreatentheveryexistence of our species,may be known and avoided, or, at the very least,prepared for.A fresh body of research, conducted by the leading physicistsandmathematiciansofourday,nowlendscredibilitytothislineofreasoning.One thing appears to be certain: To understand prophecy as events thathappenwithintime,wemustfirstunderstandthenatureoftimeitself.

ConflictingScience

Surprisingly, much of the same science that scoffs at miracles andprophecyhasyet to reachagreementoneven thebasicnatureofourworld.Thoughourtechnologymayhaveplacedmechanizedsensorsonthesurfaceofotherworldsandextendedoursensestotheedgeofourknownuniverse,wearestilluncertainaboutwhohascomebeforeus,andevenabouttheageoftheearthitself.Fornearlyonehundredyears,forexample,thescienceofphysicshasbeen

embroiledinastruggletodefinetheforcesresponsiblefortheeventsofoureverydayworld—thesameforcesthatchangedtheappearanceofthewoman'stumor and compressed our sense of time inEgypt. It is believed that, oncediscovered, the mechanism responsible for the events of our daily livesultimatelywilldescribe theworkingsof thecosmos.Divided into twomaincamps of thinking, the theories of classical physics and quantum physicsmakeupthelandscapeofthesetwopossibilities.Classicalphysicsisthesetoflawsthatwereusedtoexplainourworlduntil

approximately the 1920s. Sir Isaac Newton's laws of motion, Maxwell'stheoriesofelectricityandmagnetism,andEinstein'stheoriesofrelativity,forexample, had been successful in explaining the observations of everydayeventsuntil that time.Developing technologies, however, allowed scientiststolookbeyondeverydayevents,andtheretheysawexpressionsofnaturethatcould not be explained by classical physics. From the world of subatomicparticlesanddistantgalaxies,amodifiedphysicsbegantoemergetoaccountfornewlyobservedphenomena.Proposingscience-fictionliketheoriesoftimetravelandparalleluniverses,themathematicsofsuchpossibilitiesbecamethescienceofquantumphysics.Insomeinstances, the twoschoolsof thoughtwere inopposition.Oneof

thekeys to thecontroversywaswhether theexperiencesofourworldwereproduced by a predetermined sequence of events that may be known, orwhetheradegreeofrandomnesswasinherentintheprocessoflife.Inotherwords, ifwecould identifyallof theevents leadingup toagivenmoment,would we have the information necessary to predict the outcome of themoment,orwasthereanotheragentofchangethatcouldnotbeaccountedforin suchknowledge?Stated in thepresent tense, can an event already set inmotionchangefornoobviousphysicalreason,withnoapparentforceactinguponit?Theideathatagivenoutcomeoccursonlybecauseofprioreventsiscalled

determinism. Attributed to the German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz,determinism states that everything witnessed or experienced in our world,

regardless of its random appearance, happens because of the events thatpreceded it.The theory is best described inLeibniz's ownwords: “Nothingtakes place without a sufficient reason; that is to say, if one has sufficientknowledge,onemayalwaysexplainwhyanythingelsehappensasitdoes.”1In recent times, deterministic thinking has been further clarified by

esteemedscientistssuchasJacquesMonod,NobelPrizewinnerinbiologyin1965. Monod describes his viewpoint by stating that “anything can bereduced to simple, obvious, mechanical interactions.”2 From theseperspectives of determinism, the apparent healing of the cancerous tumoroccurredas the resultof events leadingup to themomentofhealing. Ifwehadinsightoneachofthoseevents,oursenseofamiraclewoulddisappear,andwewouldseethehealingasthelogicaloutcomeofaknownsequenceofevents.In the world of quantum mechanics, however, an event such as the

compressionoftimeorthehealingofatumoroffersaverydifferentprospect.Theadditionalagenthasbeenidentifiedas“freewill.”

ANewPhysics

Thekeytoquantumphysicsmaybefoundintheverynameofthescienceitself. Quantum is defined as “a discrete quantity of electromagneticradiation.” Physicists now speak of creation as being nonsolid andnoncontinuous. The science of quantum physics has demonstrated that ourworldactuallyoccursinveryshort,rapidburstsoflight.Whatwebelieveweseeastheswingofabaseballbatteronhomeplate,forexample,inquantumtermsisactuallyaseriesofindividualeventsthathappenveryfastandveryclosetogether.Similartothemanystillimagesthatmakeupamovingfilm,theseeventsareactuallytinypulsesoflightcalledquanta.Thequantaofourworld occur so rapidly that although our eyes are capable of doing so, ourminds do not discern individual bursts. Instead, the pulses are averagedtogether into what we see as one continuous event—in this instance, theswing of the batter. Quantum physics is the study of theseminute units ofradiating waves, nonphysical forces whose movements create our physicalworld.Inrecentyears,scientistshaveturnedtoobservationsinthequantumworld

of the atom to explain mysteries that have been witnessed at the farthestreachesofthecosmos.Thethinkingisthatifaneventisobservedonasmallscale,thenperhapsthesamemechanismmaybeappliedtounderstandeventson a larger scale. Quantum physics now allows for “miracles” such as thedisappearing tumor and our experience of lost time, possibilities that werepreviously considered impossible. For example, did the vehicles and ourgroup merely change our perception of time, or did something even moreamazing occur? Is it possible that on that morning in the Sinai Desert weparticipated in an event that challenges the very limits of our imaginations,the possibility of experiencing multiple realities and jumping from oneoutcomeintoanotherwithoutevenknowingthatthejumpoccurred?Iftimedoes,infact,travelasaroadintwodirections,isitpossiblethatthe

roadhasmultiplelanes?Could theevents thatbeginalongone laneof timearriveatagivenpoint inadifferent lanewithadifferentoutcome?Canwebeginonecourseofeventsand“leap”midstreamintoanewoutcome?Ifso,thisimpliesthepossibilityofmultipleoutcomesforaneventthathasalreadybegun.Theimplicationsofthiskindofthinkinggiveanewmeaningofhopetopredictionsofworldwidedestructionandglobalsufferingand,atthesametime, invite us to consider the choiceswemake in our daily lives as directlinkstofutureexperiences.Theexistenceofmanyoutcomes foragiveneventhasbeenpredictedby

quantumphysicistsfornearlyeightyyears.Inrecenttimes,scientistssuchas

FredAlanWolfandRichardFeynmanhavebroughtanewrelevancetosuchesotericpossibilitiesbylinkingquantumpossibilitiestodailylife.Ofall theuncertainties in a universe of many outcomes, two components are clear.First,formultipleoutcomestobeconsideredimpliesthateachpossibility isalreadycreatedandpresentinourworld.Perhapsinaformthatwehaveyettorecognize,somewhereincreation,asanembryonicmixofthephysicalandnonphysical, each outcome awaits to be called into the focus of ourawareness.Second,asoneoutcomegiveswaytoanother,forabriefmomentthetwomustoccupythesamespaceatthesametime.Asoneeventisbroughtintothefocusofoursenses,itmustbecapableofoverlappingasecondevent,if only for the fraction of a second that it takes the two to slide past oneanother.Quantumphysicshasanamefortherealitythatoccursduringthetimethat

twoatomsoccupythesamepoint,inthesamespace,atthesametime.SuchanoutcomeiscalledaBose-Einsteincondensate,honoringtheauthorsoftheequationsthatpredictsuchanoccurrence.Thesecondensateshavenowbeenobserved and documented under laboratory conditions. Jeffrey SatinoverreportsthatBose-Einsteinconditionshaveoccurredwith“condensatesofupto 16millionmergedberylliumatoms” formed in the laboratory in the late1990s.3 Moreover, Satinover reports that the material created from theexperiments is “large enough to see with the naked eye and has beenphotographed.”Fromthesestudiesalone,althoughtheeventsexperiencedintheEgyptiandesertandwitnessedonourvideotapedhealingappearcontrarytothelawsofnature, theyfallwithinthepredictedbehaviorofnatural lawssuggestedbyquantumphysics.Perhapstheconsiderationofmultiplepossibilitiesoffersinsightintooneof

the great mysteries of the creation sciences—why much of our universeappearstobe“missing.”Usingsupercomputerstotracethestepsofcreationback to the Big Bang at the beginning of time, a mysterious phenomenonquicklydevelops.Shortlyaftertheinstantthatscientistsbelieveouruniversebegan,approximately90percentofit“disappears,”leavingonly10percentoftheuniverseaccountedforwithinthemodels.4Atthesametime,researchersinthelifesciencesaskustoconsiderasecondmystery.Studiesofthehumanbrain suggest that for a given individual, only a fraction of the individual'sbrain is used—approximately 10 percent.The function of the remaining 90percentisunaccountedforandisbelievedtobedormant.Certainlytherearetheoriesasto“multiple,redundantbiologicalcircuits”andayet-to-berealizedstate of evolution when our brain will be utilized more completely. Thenumeric estimates, however, remain unexplained. Only 10 percent of thehumanbrainisutilized,andonly10percentofthemassoftheuniversecanbeaccountedfor.Whereistheremaining90percentofcreation,andwhatis

the purpose of our brain's “unused” 90 percent? Is it by chance that thesepercentages correlate so closely? What are the computer models andbiologistsshowingus—orfailingtoshowus?Neitherthemodelnorthelifescientistsofthepastaretakingintoaccount

one of the most fundamental and possibly least understood dynamics ofcreation, the component of dimensionality. In our ever-changing view ofcreation, many scientists now believe that all we know as our world isultimately made of the same substance, tiny packets of light (quanta)vibratingatdifferentspeeds.Somelightvibratessoslowlythatitappearsasrocksandminerals.Otherformsoflightvibratemorerapidlytoappearasthelivingmaterial of plants, animals, and people, while even faster vibrationsmakeupourtelevisionandradiosignals.Ultimately,eachmaybereducedtoaqualityofvibratinglight.The observations of the physicists and the life scientists fail to take into

account the parameters of dimensionality—events occurring at such highvibratoryratesthattheyappearbeyondourrangeofphysicalperception.Newresearch suggests that ourworld does not endwith the vibrations noted onconventional charts of cosmic waves, vibrating at over 1022 cycles persecond.Cosmologistsnowsuspectthatshortlyafterthemomentofcreation,the universe was expanding so rapidly that its vibration could no longerexpresswithin the laws of three-dimensional experience. According to thistheory,90percentoftheuniverseliterallyvibrateditselfintohigherstatesofexpression! It is this 90 percent that may represent the place where theparalleluniversesofquantumtheorylive.

InandOutofTime:ChoicePoints

OftenreferencedindiscussionsofparallelpossibilitiesarethetheoriesofHugh Everett III, a pioneering physicist from PrincetonUniversity. Everettdeveloped the ideas of parallel universes as an answer to the puzzles ofquantum realities. In a 1957 paper titled “Relative State Formulation ofQuantumMechanics,”Everettwent so farasactually togiveaname to themoments in timewhere the course of an eventmay be changed.He calledthesewindowsofopportunity“choicepoints.”5Achoicepointoccurswhenconditionsappearthatcreateapathbetweenthepresentcourseofeventsanda new course leading to new outcomes. The choice point is like a bridgemaking it possible to begin one path and change course to experience theoutcomeofanewpath.From this perspective, in themoment that the three practitioners and the

patient chose the view affirming that the tumor did not exist, they weremovingthroughachoicepointintoanewoutcome.Bychangingtheirbeliefsystem,theywentbeyondanyattemptto“heal”thephysicalexpressionofanevent that had already occurred. Rather, they addressed the nonphysicalorigins of the tumor and assumed the thought, feeling, and emotion fromaplacewhereitneverexisted.Theiractionsbecametheattractorforachoicepoint,allowingthequantumleapfromacourseofeventsalreadyunderway,toanewcoursewithadifferentoutcome.The tools thatmakesucha jumppossibleare found in theirbeliefs: the thoughts, feelings, andemotions thatthe new reality was already in place. Contrary to the suggestion that suchchangeoccursslowly,overlongperiods,thenewpossibilitywasbroughtintofocus,andtheoriginalreleased,intwominutesandfortyseconds!Choice pointsmay occurmore often than we think. In our definition of

quantaasthesmallpulsesoflightthatcreateourreality,weopenedthedoortoatremendouspossibility:anewdefinitionoftime!Justasphysicistsnowbelieve that matter is made of many short bursts, rather than being onecontinuousfield,theancientsbelievedthattimeoccurredinasimilarfashion.Itisduringeachburstoflightthatweexperiencetheeventsofourworld.Themore bursts of light we string together, the longer the duration of ourexperiencebecomes.Conversely,thefewerthebursts,thebriefertheoverallexperience.For there tobeanend toonepulseof lightbefore thenextpulsebegins,

theremust,bydefinition,beaspaceinbetween.Viewingourexperienceonearth as a smallmetaphor for the large-scale experience of the cosmos (asabove, so below), the Essenes made similar reference to the breath of ourlives and the breath of the cosmos. In the Essene Gospel of Peace, for

example,weareremindedthat“in themomentbetwixt thebreathinginandthebreathingout is hidden all themysteries.…”6 InEssenephilosophy, thespaces between quantumburstsmay be viewed as small expressions of thestillness between each breath. It is in the spaces between, in the silencebetweenthepulsesofcreation,thatwehavetheopportunityto“jump”fromonepossibilitytothenext.Thisspaceiswherethemiraclesoccur.

WhenTimeSlowsDown

Thewinterof1977seemedtohavearrivedsuddenlyinMissouri.HavingbeenacceptedatauniversityinnorthernColoradotocompletemydegreeintheearthsciences,nothinghadpreparedmefortheseeminglyendlessflowoferrandsandpaperworkthatfilledeachdaybeforemydeparture.Perhapsitisforthisveryreasonthatoneeventremainsclear,standingoutfromallothersinthoseveryfulldaysofpreparation.In theweek beforemy classeswere to begin, Iwitnessed three separate

auto accidents on the roads and highways near our home. Though neverdirectly involved in anyof the accidents, Iwas the first on the scene at allthree. In each instance, I could see what was about to happen and feltpowerlesstodoanythingaboutit.During the third of the three incidents, I was stopped at a traffic light

enteringafour-wayintersection.Suddenly,frommyleft,Isawasmallbluecar accelerate while the surrounding vehicles were slowing to honor thesignal.Iglancedatthelightandimmediatelyknewwhatwasabouttohappen.Thewomandrivingthecarwasattemptingtosqueakthroughayellowlight.Suddenlythelightchanged,andIsawsomethingthatIhadnotseenearlier.Anothervehiclewasinthesameturnlane,travelingintheoppositedirection,toward thewoman's car.As the light changed to red, the carwaiting in theintersectionbegan the turn, justas thebluecar raced through. Inan instant,thewholescenehadplayedout.Thoughtheentireeventlastedonlyseconds,myexperienceofthemoment

was much longer. A strange mixture of helplessness and fascination cameovermeasIwatchedfromthesafetyofmyownvehicle. Inslowmotion, Isawthetwocarstouchandthenmergeintooneanother.Thewomandrivingthebluecarhadaninfantinthebackseat,apparentlywithnoharnessorseatbelt.MyfascinationturnedtohorrorasIsawatinychild,clothedinadownjacket, with her head covered in a stocking hat, become airborne and saillimply over the front seats. In slow motion the infant slammed into thewindshield,thensliddowntheglasstothedash,fallingintoacrumpledheapontheseat.Forthosebriefseconds,Ifelttheworldslowtoastrangecrawl.Likeavideoplayback,advancingframebyframe,thescenewassovivid,solucid,soreal.Many people have reported similar experiences, under a variety of

conditions.Isharethisparticularexperienceforareason.Duringtheweekofthe three accidents, culminatingwith the one just described, I recognized athemecommontoeachexperience.ItwasclearthatIdeterminedhowIsaweacheventbythewayIfeltaboutwhatIwasseeing.Onthedayofthethird

accident, for example,my emotions of horrormergedwithmy thoughts offascination forwhatwasoccurring, and slowedmyvisionof theevent toasnail'space. Itwasas if someonehad shownme theentire scene imprinteduponadeckofcards,witheachimageslightlydifferentfromtheonebeforeit. In such instances, the faster the deck is flipped, the faster the actionappears. The accident reminded me of precisely this metaphor, with thepowers thatbe flipping through thedeck,very slowly. In thismolasses-likeeffect, I witnessed the accident and remember specific details that, in allprobability, would otherwise have gone unnoticed. On that day, myexperience of quantum science transcended theory andwhat-ifs, to becomethe realityof avery tangible experienceof seeing the events aswell as thespacesinbetween.

TheButterflyEffect

Asstrangeastheideasofquantumtheoriesmaysound,theyaccountforobservationsinsubatomicexperimentswithsuchsuccessthattheyhavebeenunmatchedinnearlyeightdecades.It issuchexperimentsthatpavethewayfornewconsiderationsofourroleinhistoryandthefateofhumankind.Fromreports in the open literature, it is obvious that researchers have seriouslystudiedthepossibilityofobservingtimeandinfluencingoutcomes.Whatarewe to do with such information? How does knowledge of this magnitudeaffectourlives,dayinanddayout?Tobringsuchabstractinformationintoameaningfulroleinourlives,we

must,attheveryleast,haveaconceptualunderstandingofhowtheprincipleswork.Applyingournewphysicstotheancientgiftofprophecy,wenowhaveanexpandedvocabularytodescribethevisionsofancientseersandtheroleof their visions in our lives. Without the benefit of such language andconceptualmodels, ancient prophetswere often leftwith littlemore than aglimpseintoafuturesofaraheadoftheirtimethattheydidnotevenhavethewordstodescribewhattheyhadseen.Perhapsourconsiderationoftimeasaroadway,movingintwodirections,

may help in applying the concepts of prophecy previously suggested. Aprophet standing in the middle of such a roadway might apply his gift ofprophecy by projecting his senses along the road to the front, or in theoppositedirectionbehind.Ratherthanlookingtothehorizonforasfarastheeyecansee into time, theprophet'sperceptionsactually travel the road intoanother experience of space and time. While his body may appear in thepresent moment, sitting in the chair before the fireplace of Nostradamus'sstudy in 1532, for example, the awareness of the prophet has actuallynavigated the road of time into the reality of a distant future. The key tounderstanding prophecy is that the future being observed is the logicaloutcome of the circumstances at the time of the prophecy. Between themomentofthepresentandthetimeofthefuture,ifanythingweretochange,thentheoutcomeoftheprophecymustreflectthatchange.Quantumphysicshasgivenrisetoawonderfulnewvocabularytodescribe

preciselysuchexperiences.Descriptionsthatmayatfirstappeartohaveverylittletodowiththesciencebeingdiscussedhaveaneloquentwayofmakingcomplex ideas easy to understand. The “butterfly effect” is one of thosedescriptions.Usedtodescribetherelationshipbetweenthemomentofchangeand the possible outcomes stemming from that change at a later time, thebutterfly effect is formally known as sensitive dependence on initialconditions.Briefly,theeffectstatesthattinychangesininitialconditionscan

leadtobigchangesinalateroutcome.Similartothewaycomplexideasweredescribedbysimplestoriesinthepast,aparableisusedtodaytoillustratethebutterflyeffect.Thesinglesentencesuggests,“IfabutterflyflapsitswingsinTokyotoday,amonthlateritmaycauseahurricaneinBrazil.”7Remindingusofhowsignificantthoughtsandactionsofthemomentmay

become,thepowerofthebutterflyeffectmaybegraphicallyillustratedasalocalized error with global consequences. Is it possible that one seeminglyinsignificant mistake, such as a wrong turn by the driver of a foreigndignitary,forexample,couldigniteaglobalwar?Historywitnessedpreciselysuchaneffectintheearlypartofthetwentiethcentury.Theyearwas1914,andthedignitarywasArchdukeFrancisFerdinandofAustria.Adocumentaryfilm about the origins of the FirstWorldWar noted, “Awrong turn by thearchduke'sdriverbroughttheheirtotheAustrianthronefacetofacewith[hisassassin]GavriloPrincip.”Whatifthedriverhadturneddownanotherstreet,orperhapsnotevendrivenonthatday?Althoughthearchduke'sassassinationmay well have come about at another point in the timeline of history, itprobablywould not have occurred on that day, in thatmanner. Perhaps thesamemistakeatalatertimewouldhavefoundourworldinapoliticalclimatewheresuchamistakewouldhaveremainedpreciselythat,justamistake.Suchperspectivesmayserveasremindersnottounderestimatethepower

of the butterfly effect because of the gentleness of its namesake. Viewingprophecies from thousands of years in our past, the butterfly effect mayexplainwhysomeappeartohavebeenaccuratelyfulfilled,whileothersseemtohavemissedthemarkentirely.Whenweconsiderthatanychangewithinthelifetimeoftheprophecyaffectsitsoutcome,itisamazingthatvisionsofourtimeseenthousandsofyearsagohaveanyresemblancewhatsoevertotheoriginalvisionoftheprophet.Continuingwithourroadanalogy,what theancientprophetsmayormay

nothaveknownis thatrunninginaparallelpathbesideeachtime-roadthatthey navigated is another road, moving at the same time, in the samedirection.Next to thatroadisanother,andbeside thatanother.Eachroad istransparenttotheothers.Eachroadisoccupiedbyanoverlay,subtlecopiesof the same places, events, and people in the same cities, countries, andcontinents. The difference between the roads is that the experience of eachonechangesslightlyinrelationtoitsneighbor.Thefarthertheroadsbecomefrom the one the prophet is standing on, the greater the changes. For thoseclose by, the differences may be so slight that one road of time is nearlyindiscerniblefromanother.Theimportantthinghereisthat,howeversubtle,adifferenceexists.Referencing passages from the prophets of theDead Sea Scrolls and the

BibleCode,weareremindedthattochangetheoutcomeofanyprophecyforthe future, we must change the expression of our lives in the present.

Quantum physics suggests that the opportunity to redefine outcomes maycomeonlyatspecificintervalswheretheroadsoftimebendtheircoursesandapproachotherroads.Sometimestheroadsmovesoclosethattheytouchoneanother.Thesepointsoftoucharethechoicepointsdiscussedearlier.In light of ancient as well as present-day prophecies, this concept of

jumpingfromoneroadtoanotheratkeychoicepointsbecomesthesolutiontoourmysteryofmiracles,healing,andtimecompression.Additionally,thisancient science, nowwell-based inmodern physics, offers newhope in thepresenceof catastrophicpredictions for our future.Theoutcomepreviouslydescribedin theBibleCodefor theyear2012,forexample, isaccompaniedby thewords, “Will you change it?” In amatrix of possibilities that beganplaying out over three thousand years ago, the possibility of redirecting apotentiallytragicoutcomewasrecognizedeventhen.The“changeit”oftheBible Code, the tragic readings from Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, and theprophetsbefore them,followedbyapparentlyconflictingscenariosofpeaceandredemption,arethemarkersofchoicepointsalongtheroadoftime.

QuantumFuturesoftheHopi

In terms thatmay seemmore relevant tomodern times, theHopi relatesimilar visions of our future, with similar opportunities to choose whichoutcome we experience. Discussed briefly in an earlier chapter, Hopitraditionsofpeace,viewedthroughtheeyesofquantumunderstandings,offernewpossibilitiesforourlivestoday.Longago,theHopi,whosenamemeans“PeopleofPeace,”weregiventhe

diagram of a life plan that would guide them through this time in history.Eloquently simple, their plan consists of two parallel paths, parallelpossibilities representing the life choices of humankind. In the beginning,bothpathsappearverysimilar.Theupperpath,however,graduallyturnsintoa broken zigzag that ends nowhere. Those who choose this path arerepresentedwiththeirheadsdetached,hoveringovertheirbodies.Theywillexperience the great shift as a time of confusion and chaos leading todestruction.Thelowerpathcontinuesasalevelline,strongandeven.Thosechoosing this path live to advanced ages and their crops grow strong andhealthy.Approximately two-thirds of the way along the paths is a vertical line

connectingthetwo.Untilthisintersectionpointisreached,theHopisay,wemaymovefreelybackandforth,exploringthetwopaths.Followingthispointintime,however,thechoicesaremadeandthereisnoreturn.Inthewordsofquantum physics, this portion of the prophecy describes a choice point, anopportunityforhumanitytoexperiencethepathsofbothworldsandchoosewhichistrueforthem.Inthewordsoftheprophecy,“Ifweholdfasttothesacredwayashe[theCreator]deviseditforus,whatwehavegained,wewillnever lose. But still, we have to choose between the two ways.”8 MotherNaturetellsuswhichistherightway.“Whenearthquakes,floods,hailstorms,drought, and famine will be the life of every day, the time will have thencomeforthereturntothetruepath.”9The record-breaking extremes of nature witnessed in our world today

suggest to theHopi that the timeofpurification isuponus.Theseverityofour cleansing is being determined, as our individual responses to lifechallengescreatethecollectiveoutcome.Inatextwrittenbyagroupofeldersfrom the Hopi Nation,10 specific events in our world are viewed asbarometersofourprogressintheunfoldingofagreaterscenario.Amongtheindicatorsarethese:

•widespreadstarvationandmalnourishment•increasesofcrimeandviolence

•lossofclean,abundantwaterresources• unprecedented breach and expansion of the ozone layer above

Antarctica•effectsoftechnology(lossofrainforest,depletionofwildlife,and

spreadofnuclearweapons)

Itisduringourtime,thetimeindicatedbyphenomenaleventsintheworldaroundus,thatthebeliefsystemsofindividualsandentirepopulationswillbetested. The elders of the Hopi clans described a scenario of three “greatshakings”oftheearth.Thefirsttwowereinterpretedbyeldersofthetribetorepresentthefirst twoworldwars;thethirdshakingremainsamystery.It isunidentified, as the nature of this shaking is still being determined byhumankind. “The prophecy says the Earth will shake three times: first theGreatWar,thenthesecondone,whentheswastikaroseabovethebattlefieldsof Europe, to end in the Rising Sun sinking in a sea of blood.” The thirdshaking “will depend on which path humankind will walk: the greed, thecomfortandtheprofit,orthepathoflove,strength,andbalance.”11Clearly,suchtraditionsrecognizeadirectrelationshipbetweenthewaywe

address the challenges of our world each day and the kind of world weexperienceinourfuture.Thechaosofchangeisouropportunitytorefineourbeliefs, honoring the portions thatwork, and gracefully releasing those thatmaynolongerserveus.Itisournew,finelyhonedworldviewofthepresentthatwillcarryusgracefullythroughthetimesoffuturechallenge.AswiththepropheciesoftheEssenesandEdgarCayce,theHopileaveus

withamessageofhope.Theirvisionofourfutureconcludesbyadmonishingus to be responsible in the way we use the powers of our bodies and ourmachines.Onceagainweareremindedthat thechoicesmadeeachdaywilldeterminethedurationandseverityofourdaysoftribulation.Withsimplicityand eloquence, Hopi prophecy reminds us that the way we live our livesdetermineswhichpathwefollow.Thechoiceisours.

BendingTime

A common denominator in considering many possibilities and multipleoutcomes is the reference to a substance that makes up the very fabric ofcreation and the force that acts upon this substance. If there are parallelworldsofpossibility, preciselywhat are theseworldsmadeof ?TheNobelPrize–winningphysicistMaxPlanckshockedtheworldwithhisreferencestotheunseenforcesofnature.InacceptingtheNobelPrizeforhisstudyoftheatom,hemadearemarkablestatement:“Asamanwhohasdevotedhiswholelifetothemostclear-headedscience,tothestudyofmatter,Icantellyouasthe resultofmyresearchabout theatoms thismuch: ‘There isnomatterassuch!’Allmatteroriginatesandexistsonlybyvirtueofaforcewhichbringstheparticlesofanatomtovibrationandholdsthismostminutesolarsystemoftheatomtogether.…Wemustassumebehindthisforcetheexistenceofaconsciousandintelligentmind.Thismindisthematrixofallmatter.”12It may be that Planck's “force” is the key to redirecting the outcomes

postulated by science and predicted by ancient prophets. Perhaps NobellaureateRichardFeynmanbestdescribedthepotentialofpredictingourfutureinhisnow-famousquote,“Wedonotknowhowtopredictwhatwillhappenin a given circumstance. The only thing that can be predicted is theprobability of different events.We can only predict the odds.”13 In light ofthis kind of thinking, it is clear that science is seriously investigating therelationshipbetweennonphysicalforcesof thecosmosandtheireffectuponourphysicalworld.Thewaythatweattunetoourpossibleoutcomesisthroughourviewpoint

onlife.Fromthisperspective,everylife-threateningconditionofeachbodyisalreadyhealed,peaceisalreadypresent,andeverychild,woman,andmanofourworldisalreadyfed.Nowweareinvitedtochoosethequalityofthought,feeling, and emotion that allows us to “bend” thewaves of time and bringtheseconditionsintothefocusofthepresent.

Andonedaytheeyesofyourspiritshallopen,andyoushallknowallthings.

—THEESSENEGOSPELOFPEACE

THEISAIAHEFFECT

TheMysteryoftheMountain

Inmodernbiblicaltexts,thefirstvisionsintoourfuturearedescribedbytheOldTestamentprophetIsaiah.IntheDeadSeaScrolls,thecompletenessoftheGreatIsaiahScrollallowsustoviewtheworksofIsaiahasatemplatefor understanding the apocalyptic prophecies of other traditions as well asglimpsesofour future fromthebiblicalprophets. Indoingso,weeliminatethe tedious task of examining in their entirety each of the four major andtwelveminorbooksofbiblicalprophecy.Thisgeneralizedapproachmakesitpossible to view these ancient traditions from a high level and search forpatternsof ideas, rather than focusingupon the specificsof each individualvisionandhowtheycomparetooneanother.Aswedoso,aninteresting,andperhapsunexpected,possibilitysurfaces.In earlier chapterswe hinted at a pattern in the prophecies of Isaiah that

forecastatimeofdestruction,catastrophicchanges,andnearlyunfathomablelossoflife,followedbyatimeofpeaceandhealing.Theelementsofsuchaforecastareclearlypresent.Aspecificportionofhisprophecies,named theApocalypseof Isaiah,offers evengreater insight into thedualnatureof theprophet'svisions.Hedescribesatimeinhisfuturewhen“theearthispollutedbecause of its inhabitants, who have transgressed laws, violated statutes,brokentheancientcovenant….Thereforetheywhodwellonearthturnpale,andfewmenareleft.”1Isaiahgoesontodescribeviolentmovementonearthaswell as unusual behavior of our sun andmoon: “The foundations of theearthwillshake.Theearthwillburstasunder,theearthwillbeshakenapart,the earthwill be convulsed….Then themoonwill blush and the sungrow

pale….”2Following the darkest moments in his vision of earth's future, the

Apocalypse of Isaiah takes an interesting and unexpected turn. With littleindication of the change that is about to occur, Isaiah abruptly begins todescribeaverydifferenttimeinhisfuturevision,atimeaffirmingjoy,peace,and life. In thenextportionofhis insight,stillconsideredbyscholars tobeapocalyptic in nature, he describes a time when “a new earth” is created,alongwith“newheavens.” It isduring this time that“the thingsof thepastshall not be remembered or come to mind. Instead there shall always berejoicingandhappiness…nolongershallthesoundofweepingbeheard…orthesoundofcrying.…”3Following this sequence of events,we are led to believe that the joyous

eventsfollowthetragicevents, thatonemustprecedetheother intheordersuggestedbythetext.WhydothepropheciesofEdgarCayce,Nostradamus,theNativeAmericanelders,andothersappeartobesocontradictoryattimes,offeringwhatmaybeperceivedasamixedmessageofhopeandpossibilityalongwith terrifying glimpses of death, decay, and catastrophic destructionforthesameperiodoftime?Isitpossiblethatsuchancientglimpsesintoourfuture offer another possibility so empowering and so overwhelming thateventheprophetsdidnotrealizetheimplicationsoftheirownvisions?ThisispreciselythesensewegetaswereviewtheprophecyofDanielina

laterchapterof theOldTestament.Havingbeenoffereda rareglimpse intothe future of a distant time, it appears as though Daniel did not fullyunderstand what he had been shown. With no frame of reference for thethingsthathewitnessedinhisfuture,howcouldhe?Towardthecompletionof his excursion through time, the guide that has led him into the futuresimplysuggeststohim,“Asforyou,goyourwaytilltheend.Youwillrest,and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allottedinheritance.”4Ashe sharedhis visions,was Isaiah forecasting actual events thatwould

occurwithcertainty,orwashedescribinginsightsintoaquantumpossibilitywithameaningsounexpectedthatithasremainedhiddenuntilthetwentiethcentury? When viewed through the eyes of our new physics, Isaiah'sdescription of vastly different futures for the same point in time correlatesurprisingly well with modern descriptions of quantum outcomes. In suchdiscussions, the futures envisioned by Isaiah become waves of possibilityrather than factual outcomes. Additionally, quantum science allows forindividualsinthepresenttochangesuchcatastrophicoutcomesofthefuture.Thekeyistounderstandwhenandhowtheopportunitiesforchangepresentthemselves.Theexamplegiveninchapter1ofthemassprayerofpeaceontheeveof

an airborne military campaign against Iraq offers a wonderful example ofsuch choices. To some observers, the order to begin the attack, followedwithinminutesbyanorder toabort themission,made littlesense,but fromtheperspectiveof the thinveilbetweenquantumpossibilities, theeventsofthedaymakeperfectsense.Onthateveningthousandsofpeople,inatleastthirty-fivecountriesonsix

continents,hadalreadyagreedtojoininamassvigilofpeacethatwasheardaround the world. Coordinated through the Internet and the World WideWeb,5theprayerwassupportedbyfamilies,organizations,andcommunitiesasavoiceofpeacethattranscendedthepoliticalboundariesofgovernmentsandnations.Thevigilwasnotaprotestagainst thebombingof Iraqoranypolicy,government,or situationexistinganywhere in theworld.Rather, thecallofthousandsofheartsandmindstohonorthesacrednessoflifebecameasingle, unified choice echoing a simplemessage: peace in allworlds, in allnations,foralllife.Withinhoursofthevigil,thecourseofeventsinIraqhadchanged.Onthat

day, in full view of the world, we witnessed the power of humanconsciousnessasitrearrangedthebuildingblocksofeventsthatwerealreadyin motion. Rather than scattered pleas from individuals asking for divineintervention in a situation that appeared to be inevitable, the synchronizedchoice of many people, coordinated through the miracle of the Internet,slippedbetweentheveilsofquantumpossibilitiesintoanoutcomeaffirminglifethroughpeace.In our uniqueness as nations, families, and individuals, on Friday,

November13,1998,wesharedacommonexperience.Hiddeninthedeepestrecessesofourcollectivememorylikeafamilysecret,tabooforsolongthatthe details had been lost, our prayer of peace opened the door to vastopportunities of healing, international cooperation, and our greatestexpressionsofloveforthosewhomweholddear.OnthatNovembereveningwebreathedacollectivesighofreliefaswerewroteanoutcomethatappearedinevitable. Indoing so,wewitnessedourpower toend the sufferingofourworld.Howmaywe prove scientifically that during the prayer of thousands of

people, a new possibility replaced the events of war that were already inmotion?Atthesametime,whatpowerotherthanpeacecouldpossiblyhavemoved forward in the presence of such a prayer? With this experience inmind,whataretheimplicationsofsimilarchoicesforthefutureofourworld?

Isaiah'sMysteryDecoded

dFornearlythreemillennia,scholarshavesiftedthroughthecluesleftbyIsaiah for insights intowhatwemayexpectasour future.Ascultureshavechanged,ourinterpretationofhisprophecyhaschangedaswell.Translationsmade during the time of the Spanish Inquisition, for example, reflected thestringent limits imposed by theChurch uponmystical interpretation. TodaythelanguageofquantumscienceoffersanewandexpandedviewofIsaiah'sglimpsesintoourfuture.Perhaps themysteryof Isaiah's prophecieswas anticipated at the timeof

theirwriting.As if inviting the people of a future time to look beyond theobvious, hewrites, “For you the revelation of all this has become like thewords of a sealed scroll.When it is handed to onewho can read,with therequest,‘Readthis,’hereplies,‘Icannot;itissealed.'”6 Inthisrarepassage,oneofthefewofitskind,Isaiahmakesasubtleobservationabouttheattitudeof generations to come regarding his visions into time. He knows that thepeopleofhis future, thosewho“can read”hisprophecy,have theability tounderstand its message. They do not recognize it, however, because thecontexthasneverbeenrevealedtothem.CouldIsaiah's“seal”beourdiscoveryofthefundamentallawsofcreation,

theverynatureof timeitself?Ifhewas, infact,offeringsuchinsights toageneration of his distant future, how could Isaiah's vision be understoodwithout the elements of twentieth-century physics?At the same time,whatwordscouldhepossiblyhaveusedinhisdaytoconveysuchanempoweringyetabstractmessagetofuturegenerations?Theprophetoffersusacluetothisapparentmystery, as he describes how the inhabitants of the earth's distantfuturemaychoosewhichofhisvisions theyexperience. Indoingso, Isaiahopensthedoortoapaththatmayforeverchangetheattitudesofhumankindand, in turn, accomplish nothing less than rewriting the course of humanhistory.Carefully, Isaiahoutlines a formofbehavior that allowsus to escape the

darkness that he has witnessed. He begins by referring to a mystical keythroughwhich thepeopleofanygenerationmay redirect theevents that lieahead in their probable future. The key is identified in his vision as a“mountain.”7 It iswithinhismountain that Isaiahdescribesa“refuge to thepoor,arefugetotheneedyindistress;shelterfromtherain,shadefromtheheat.”8Inaparticularlyinterestingpassage,theprophettellsofatimewhen,inthepresenceofthemountain,“theveilthatveilsallpeoples,thewebthatiswoven over all nations,”will be destroyed.Hereinwe find one of the firstcluestothisparticularprophecy.Clearlyheisreferringtothemountainasthe

keyof refugeandempowerment.Preciselywhat is themountainof Isaiah'sprophecies?Someresearchersbelievethatthereferenceistoaphysicallocation,aplace

of power and sanctuary for those fortunate enough to discover it. OtherssuggestthatIsaiah'smountainwasintendedasacodeofsorts,atimelocktoensurethathismessagewouldberevealedonlywhentheprinciplesforusingsuch wisdom were understood. While both of these may be a possibility,perhaps the mystery of the prophecy may be explained more simply. Theidentification of Isaiah's mountain may be a beautiful example of how thepassageoftimeandtheevolutionofcultureshaserodedtheoriginalcontexttosuchadegreethatthemessagehasbecomelost,oratleastobscured,intheprocess.Often,inmodernreferencestoancientbiblicaltexts,wefindspecificwords

marked by a marginal note indicating that there may be additional uses,interpretations,ormeaningsoftheword.Suchisthecasewiththemountainof Isaiah. In addition to the possibility of translators and languagesintroducing error, at this point yet another factor disguises the originalmeaning:theuseofmetaphorandsymbols.Scholarsindicatethatduringthetimeof thewritings, thewordmountainwas, in fact, symbolic andused torepresentthe“heavenlyJerusalem.”9Ratherthanaphysicallocation—inthisinstance the city of Jerusalem—the footnotes clearly show that the wordmountain is ametaphoric reference.Still, themeaningof a “heavenly city”remainssomewhatnebulous,untilfurtherresearchrevealsanadditionalclue.Ourmodern-dayBibleistheproductofearliertranslationsfromtheoriginalHebrew.Cross-referencingthisphrasewiththeprecisewordinginitsoriginallanguage,wediscoveranunexpected,thoughperhapsnotsurprising,meaningforthereference.InHebrew, theword for Jerusalem isYerushalayim. Here, the definition

becomesveryclear: itmeans“thevisionofpeace.”10Atlast themysteriousmeaning of Isaiah's message becomes clear. Isaiah's mountain is not aphysicalplace,butareferencetothepowerofpeace!Withthisclarification,wemayreadhisprophecy,“Thevisionofpeaceprovidesarefugetothepoor,arefugetotheneedyindistress;shelterfromtherain,shadefromtheheat.Inthepresenceofthevisionofpeace,theveilthatveilsallpeoples,thewebthatiswovenoverallnations,willbedestroyed.”ThisnewunderstandingofIsaiah'sprophecyoffersafreshinsightintothe

powerofhisancientmessage.Havingpeeredintokeymomentsofourfuture,he witnessed two very different and distinct possibilities: one a time ofhealingandonea timeofdestruction. Justaswewoulddo today, thegreatprophetdescribedhisvisionintheonlywordsthatheknew,alertingustoapossibility in our future based upon a given course of events.At the same

time, he admonished those who would eventually read his prophecy toreconsiderchoicesthattheymakeintheirlivesand,insodoing,toavoidthesufferingthathewitnessedasapossiblefuture.

TheIsaiahEffect

Clearly,weareenteringaneweraofunderstandingtheinnersciencesofprayer, prophecy, and the agents of change that Isaiah and othersacknowledged in their writings. Deceptively simple, Isaiah's propheciesremind us of two things. First, through the science of prophecy we mayglimpse future consequences of choices made in the present. Second, weembody the collective power to choose which future we experience. It isthroughourconsiderationofothers inourdaily lives thatwepiece togethertheexperiencesthatbringourfuturesintofocus.ThisistheIsaiahEffect—theexpressionofanancientsciencestatingthatwemaychangetheoutcomeofourfuturethroughthechoicesthatwemakeineachmomentofthepresent.Quantum physics now gives us the language to give this sophisticated

technologymeaninginourdailylives.Indoingso,weempowerourfamilies,ourcommunities,and those thatweholddearwith thesimpleandeffectivemessageofhonoringalllifeinourworld.Throughourchoiceofpeaceinourlives,weensure thesurvivalofourspeciesandthefutureof theonlyhomeweknow.WehavealreadywitnessedthepoweroftheIsaiahEffect.Weknowthat it works. Now the question becomes, How do we implement thisquantumprincipleofchoiceinourdailylivesasaglobalfamily?

Whenprayerandmeditationareusedratherthanrelyingonnewinventionstocreatemoreimbalance,thenthey[humanity]willalsofind

thetruepath.

—ROBERTBOISSIERE,MEDITATIONSWITHTHEHOPI

MEETINGWITHTHEABBOT

TheEssenesinTibet

In my studies of esoteric traditions from Peru, Tibet, Egypt, the HolyLand,andtheAmericanSouthwest,athemearisesthatisbothfascinatingandcurious. Prophecies from each of these cultures appear malleable, like softclayin thehandsofasculptor.Justas thefinalshapeofasculptor'sclay isdetermined by the choices and movement of the artist, the theme of theseancienttraditionssuggeststhatweareshapingtheoutcomeandeventualfateofhumankindineachmomentofourlives.Interestingly, I have found some of the clearest references to these

traditionsindocumentsfromtheMiddleEast,specificallytheQumranscrollsfrom the Dead Sea area. The references speak of a lineage of wisdom soancient that itwasalreadyoldduringthetimeofclassicalEgypt,overthreethousandyears ago.My sense has been that if such informationdid in factexist, what better location to preserve such wisdom than in the remotespiritual retreatsof a landuntouchedbymodern technology. Itwouldbe insuchaplacethattraditionslosttotheWestlongagomightstillremainasthedailyritualsoflocal inhabitants. Isolatedfromtheoutsideworlduntil1980,thesecludedmonasteriesof theTibetanPlateauappearedtoaffordpreciselysuchanopportunity.In April 1998, I had the privilege of facilitating a pilgrimage into the

highlands ofTibet in searchof such traditions. Ironically, itwas not until Ireturnedfromthejourneythatmysuspicionwasconfirmedinwriting.Withindays of arriving home in the States, I received a recently translatedmanuscriptoftheNazirines,asectoftheancientEssenes.Thisparticulartextstated that pockets of information, like ancient time capsules, had been

strategicallyhiddenbytheEssenesduringthefirstcenturyA.D.,topreservethewisdomforfuturegenerations.AmongtheplacesclearlymentionedasarepositoryforsuchtextsweretheremotemonasteriesandnunneriesofTibet.With the aidof an expert onAsian cultureswhom I hadmet inEngland

fouryearsearlier,ourgroupwasskillfullyledthroughtheTibetancountrysideinto isolated villages, hidden monasteries, and centuries-old temples. Fortwenty-onedayswewereimmersedinthepresenceoftheTibetanpeople,thesacrednessoftheirlives,andtheruggedmagnificenceoftheirhomeland.Wecrossed shallow riverson flat board rafts, negotiatedwashed-out roads, andexperiencedtheeuphoriaofmountainpassesover17,000feetabovesealevel.Two-thirdsofthewayintoourtrip,weevenfoundourselvesabandoningthesafetyofourbusforanopen-bedfruit truckwaitingontheothersideofanimpassablesnowslideoverfourstoriestall.Nearlyone-thirdofourjourneywasinthemountainousareaofthewestern

plateau.Amongremotevillages,nunneries,andmonasteriesseldomseenbypeople outside of Asia, the people live today as they have for centuries,honoring the traditions of their ancestors. Each time we walked into thecourtyard of a temple complex, it was is if we had entered into a livingsnapshotofTibetantraditionsfrozeninanancienttime.Witheachstepofourjourney,weweregreetedwithanopennessandwarmthexceedinganythatwecouldhave imaginedin thestrangebeauty that imbuessuchdesolation.Thepurpose of our pilgrimagewas towitness, experience, and document livingexamplesofaninnertechnologythatIsuspectedwaslosttotheWestnearlytwomillennia ago. Todaywe know a fragment of this science as the innertechnologyofprayer.

BlessedbytheAbbot

Ashaftoflightbeamedfromsomewherehighabovethetemplefloor.Thesingle ray had a curious three-dimensional quality, as if I could close myhandsarounditandclimbtoitssource.Withprecision,thelightsliceditswaythroughthecool,mistyairthatwasheavywiththesmokeofcountlessbutterlampsandincense.Iturnedmyheadtoseewherethelightwascomingfrom.Followingthebeamfromthepointwhereittouchedtheslick,oil-ladenfloortoitssource,myeyesfocusedonanopeninghighaboveourheads.Throughasmall,squarewindowIcouldseetheintenseblueoftheTibetanskyoutside.ExceptforaminiatureflashlightthatIhadtakenfrommybackpack,thisrayofdirectmorningsunwastheonlylightinthemazeoftwistedcorridorsanddead-end passageways. I made a mental note of the opening overhead. Itwould be my reference to the outside in the event there were no othercorridorsleadingback.With a group of twenty,mywife and I had journeyed across the rugged

terrainoftheTibetanhighlandsandnegotiatedrockanddirtroadsthatwerelittle more than jeep trails, to be in this very place. For years, personalresearchintothetraditionsofthosewhohavecomebeforeushadhintedatalineage of wisdom forgotten in Western societies. Lost after the time ofChrist,theteachingsofmysteryschools,sacredorders,andesotericsectsallpointed to a common lineage of wisdom lost approximately seventeenhundredyearsago.Perhapstheclearestevidenceofthesetraditionsisfoundtodayamongtherecordsof themysteriouscommunitiesdescribed inearlierchapters,theancientEssenes.Persistent references to the Essenes eventually led me to a series of

journeys in search of direct, tangible evidence of their teachings and theirrelevanceinourworldtoday.Bythemid1980s,IfoundmyselfinthedesertsofEgypt, trekking thehighAndesofPeruandBolivia,anduponnumeroussojourns into thedesertsof theAmericanSouthwest inasearch formodernevidenceoftheirlostwisdom.Myreasoningwasthatateachingsouniversalwouldhavebeenleftasmorethanasingleisolatedtextormanuscript,suchastheDeadSeaScrolls.Assignificantasanyancientmanuscriptsmaybe, therealevidencewouldbe found in thehistory, teachings,and traditionsof thepeople themselves. Perhaps the possibilities are so obvious that they havebeenoverlookedinrecenttimes.Rather than speculate about two-thousand-year-old texts and what the

translationsmaybealludingto,inthepresenceofindigenouspeopleslivingthelostwisdom,wecouldactuallywitness theirpractices today.Duringourtime together, we could hone our questions and verify our answers with a

clarity never possible in the translations of temple walls and crumblingmanuscripts.Additionally,wewouldgainanewrespectforthecaretakersofourlostwisdom,anewunderstandingoftheircultureandlives.The key to such wisdom is to find records accurate enough, held by a

peoplelongenoughtoremainvirtually intactandundistortedtoday.If therereallyweresuchaplace, if itstillexiststoday,Ireasoned,Tibetwouldbeagoodplacetobegin.IsolatedasTibethasbeenfromtherestoftheworlduntil1980,manyoftheteachingsandrecordshaveremainedpreciselywheretheywereplacedcenturiesago.Tuckedawayhighuponthe“roofoftheworld,”inmonasteriesandnunneries1,500yearsold,thewisdomoftheancientEssenelineage should remain in plain view, preserved as the rituals, lives, andcustoms of the people living there. Here we were, shuffling through thedarkenedcorridorofoneofthosemonasteriestosearchforourselves.Thoughwehadacclimatedoverfourteendays,thequickmovementsofmy

glance from side to side still created a dizzying effect. Imade a consciousefforttoinhaledeeply,asInoticedthatmybreathinghadbecomeshallowandfast.Without givingmy eyes time to readjust, I cautiously stepped forwardtoward a dim light near the end of the smoke-filled corridor. Huge figurestowered besideme, creating a gauntlet of sorts, asmy light created a faintpathtowardtheopening.Withoutstopping,Iturnedfirsttoonesideandthentheother,illuminatingthehumanlikeformscarvedinmonstrousproportions.Theglowofmylighthintedatmassivepaintingsbehindeachfigure,muralsreachingintothedarknesstowardaceilingthatIcouldonlyguesswasthere.Suddenlymyattentionwasdrawnawayfromtheloomingfigurestoafaint

yetfamiliarsoundinthedistance.Beginningasalowdroneofmanycloselyrelatedsounds,thenotesmergedintoonecontinuoustone.Itappearedtobecoming from everywhere at once. I continued, stepping carefully over thelumpy floor, slick from six hundred years of spilled oils.Monks scurryingthrough this passageway with their urns of yak butter had created atreacherous route. It was the only route to the most sacred room of themonastery. The sound grew louder as I crossed a raisedwooden threshold.Stepping down to the cold floor, once again I gavemy eyes a moment toadjust.Thethreewallsofthistinychambersurroundedmewiththeflickeringof

small flames. Hundreds of yak butter candles in tarnished brass lampsilluminatedtheroomwithanalmostsurrealisticglow.Thougheachlampwassmall,theircombinedheatmadetheroomremarkablywarm.Ayoungmonksat in front ofme, rhythmically pounding a trancelike beat as he chanted asong from the prayer book in front of him. The voice of Xjinla,* ourtranslator, whispered in my ear. (In the Tibetan language, the suffix -la isadded to theendofanameasa signofhonorand respect.Thus, thenameXjinbecomesXjinla.)

“Thisistheroomoftheprotectors,”Xjinlasaid.Anticipatingmyquestionbefore I even asked, he continued. “The protectors are deities invited todiscourage dark forces that may be interested in advancing into the nextroom.”Followingmonastery etiquette,we respectfullymadeourway to the left,

past themonk, to thedoorwayof thenext room. Iwas the second toenter,following the lead of our guide. Little more than a small cube, the spaceseemedtobedwarfedevenmorebyasupportbeaminitscenter.There,inthepaleglowofahalf-dozenorsocandles,wasthereasonthat

we had journeyed halfway around theworld, traveled over two continents,crossedtentimezones,andadjustedtosomeofthemostrarefiedaironearth.Seatedwith his legs skillfully positioned on thickwoolen pads beneath hisrobeswastheabbotofthemonastery,thespiritualelderofthissectofmonks.I felthonored tohaveevena fewpreciousmoments in thepresenceof thisman. Tomy astonishment, those firstmomentswere the opening of a timesharedtogetherthatwouldlastfornearlyanhour!Theformalitiescamefirst.Eachofushadbeengivenawhitelinenscarfto

offer as a gesture of honor.Wehad been instructed how the scarf, called akata, shouldbecarefully folded,handled, andpresented to theabbot.Uponreceivinghisgift,theabbotwouldeitheracceptthescarfasagift,orblessitandreturnittotheofferer.

Ifhekeptthem,Irememberwondering,whatthismanwoulddowithourtwenty-twoscarvesinhistinyoffice!Xjinlasettheexampleasheofferedhiskatafirst,kneelingtothelevelof

thefrail-lookingmanseatedonthepads.Bowinghishead,thisnativeTibetanpresentedhisscarfasagestureofhonor,openpalmsup.Theabbotaccepted,removed,andblessed the scarf, then returned it toXjinla,placing it aroundhisneckashewasstillbowedinreverence.Iwasnext.Approachingtheabbotseatedbeforeme,Isuddenlyhadaneeriesensation

of timelessness, that feelingwhichoccursduringamomentwhen theworldslows toadreamlikecrawl. Inslowmotion, Ibowedrespectfully,presentedmykata, andwaited for the abbot to returnmyoffering.What seemed likemanysecondshadpassed,certainly longer than itshouldhave takenfor theprescribedritual.Curious,Iliftedmyheadjustintimetomeettheforeheadoftheabbotcomingtowardme.Liftinghisarmstopositionthescarfaroundmyneck, he gently cradledmy head in his palms and touched his forehead tomine.Immediately, I felt akinshipwith thismanwhomIhadseen for the first

timeonlymomentsearlier.Thekinshipquicklyturnedtotrust,asItooktheliberty to raisemy eyes and lookdirectly into his.What I knowwere onlyseconds became timeless.Knowing that I had deviated from the custom ofkeepingabowedheadthroughouttheceremonyofoffering,Iwasuncertain

howmyeyecontactwouldbereceived.Theawkwardnesslastedonlybriefly.The abbot demonstrated his mastery by replacing the uncertainty of themomentwithgraceandease.Lookingbackintomyeyes,heofferedawarm,gracious smile.Withhisgestureofopenness, Iknew thatmy timewith theceremony was complete. I also knew that an opening had occurred, anopportunity to explore this man's memories and the experience of histeachings.Itwastimeforthenextperson.

SecretofthePrayer

Followingtwentysimilarblessings,theabbotsatbackquietlyonhispads,closedhiseyes,andfocusedonourmeeting.Thiswasthe timethatwehadwaitedfor.Ihadaskedforanaudiencewiththisholymanspecificallyforthepurposeoftappingintohisancientlineageofwisdom.IftheEsseneshad,infact,migratedintoTibetafterthetimeofChrist,elementsofEssenetraditionsshouldberecognizableintheTibetanritualsoftoday.UnderXjinla'sskilledguidance,IposedthequestionsthatIhadjourneyedhalfwayaroundtheworldtoask.“Xjinla,” I began, “please ask the abbot about the prayers that we have

witnessedduringourtimeinthemonasteries.Willhedescribeforuswhatisinvolved during a prayer, and how each prayer is accomplished?” Xjinlalookedatme,asifwaitingfortherestofthequestion.“Is theremore?”he asked. “Perhaps I amnotunderstanding thequestion

thatyouhaveasked.”TherearemanywordsintheTibetanlanguagethatdonottranslatedirectly

toasinglewordinEnglish.Tocommunicateconcepts,itisoftennecessarytocreate a phrase or short sentence in our language to describe the Tibetanequivalent. I sensed that this was one of those moments. Gathering mythoughts, I restated thequestion in the simplestEnglish that I couldmusterwithout changing the intent ofmyquestion: “Specifically,whenwe see thechants, tones, mudras, and mantras on the outside,” I asked, “what ishappeningwiththepersonpraying,ontheinside?”Xjinlaturnedtotheabbot,whowaspatientlyawaitingmyquestion,andthe

processbegan.Sometimes theabbotwouldclosehiseyesanddiscourse formanyminutesatatimeinresponsetoasinglesentencefromXjinla.Atothertimes hewouldmutter a short phrase accompanied by a gesture or a sigh.Xjinladidhisbest toconvert theabbot's explanationofa subtleexperienceintotheEnglishequivalentbeforesharingthetranslation.Hearingourrevisedquestion,theabbotlookedatmewiththehintofagrinonhisface.Therearesomesoundsthatneednotranslation.“Aaaahhhh…,”hesaidinathoughtfultone.Iknewfromthetoneofhisvoicethatourquestionhadcutdirectlytothe

verycruxofwhatwaspracticedinhismonasteryandothersthatwehadseenthroughout our journey.His grin became a smile as he pursed his lips andmadeadifferentsound.“Mmmmmm…” I watched as his eyes rolled toward the ceiling, which

was blackened from the soot of uncounted butter lamps, over hundreds ofyears.He fixedhisgazeonan invisibleplaceabove.Using the spoton the

ceilingasapointoffocus,theabbotsearchedforthewordstoacknowledgetheessenceofmyquestion. I remember thinking thatwhat Ihadaskedwastheequivalentofaskingsomeone todescribe themeaningof life in twenty-five words or less. This man, who had no knowledge of my background,spiritualfoundation,religiousorientation,orintent,wassearchingforawaytohonormyquestion.Hewaslookingforaplacetostart.“Nowwearegettingsomewhere,”Ithoughttomyself.“WhatcanIdoto

help the abbot be more at ease with my question?” Thinking back totranslations of Essene manuscripts from the Dead Sea, I considered thelanguage that was used twenty-five hundred years ago to describe the losttechnologyofprayer.Thefocusof their textswason theactualelementsofprayer: thought, feeling and body. The last thing that I wanted to do wassuggestananswertotheabbot.Carefully,Irestatedmyquestion.“Xjinla,” I asked, momentarily interrupting the abbot's train of thought,

“morespecifically,Iaminterestedinhowtheprayeriscreated.Whenweseetheoutwardexpressionsofprayers in thechantinghalls,what is the result?Wherearetheprayerstakingthem?”The abbot looked on, anxious for Xjinla to share with him my new,

rephrased question. Quickly, in a remarkably short sentence, Xjinla didpreciselythat.Iknewthatourpersistencewasgettingussomewhere.Withouteven thinking, the abbot exclaimed a single word. Then he said the wordagain,followedbyaburstofTibetanlanguagesoundingverydifferentfromphrases that I had studied in the language books. Quickly, I gave up myattemptsattranslation.WhileIwatchedtheabbotandgavehimmyeyes,theattentionofmymindwasfocuseduponXjinla.Icouldalmostseetheprocessinhismind.Ratherthanconverteachoftheabbot'swordsfromTibetanintoEnglish, he would listen to the theme of the idea and then punctuate theresponsewithspecificsfromtheabbot.“Feeling!”Xjinlasaid.“Theabbotsaysthattheobjectofeachprayeristo

achieve a feeling.” The abbot's head was nodding up and down as if heunderstood Xjinla's translation. “The outward motions that you see are adisplay ofmovements and sounds that are useful in achieving the feeling,”Xjinlacontinued.“Theyhavebeenusedbyourancestorsforcenturies.”Now the smilewas onmy face.While I had suspected that the nebulous

forceof “feeling”was a factor in theTibetanprayers, for the first timemybeliefwasbeingconfirmed.Theabbotwas tellingus that feelingwasmorethanjustafactorinprayer.Heemphasizedthatfeelingisactuallythefocusofeachprayer!Immediately,mymindracedbacktotheEssenetexts.Inthewordsoftheir

time, those ancient writings brilliantly describe an experience that weconsider today as a form of prayer. Just as the teachings of the Essenesreferredtothecreativeforcesofourworldasangels, thelanguagethat they

used to speak to the angels they named “communion.” Today we call thesame language “prayer.” Through the lost texts of the Essenes we areremindedthatthroughourcommunionwiththeelementsofthisworld,weareaffordedaccesstothegreatmysteriesoflife.“OnlythroughcommunionwiththeangelsoftheHeavenlyFatherwillwelearntoseetheunseen,tohearthatwhichcannotbeheard,andtospeaktheunspokenword.”Asilencefelloverthetinyroomaswethoughtabouttheabbot'swords.It

would take a nun or monk years of training, scholarship, and directexperiencebeforeheorshewouldbeallowedtohaveasimilarconversation.Theabbotseemedalittlesurprisedatthequestionsthatwewereasking.Asifhehadheardmythoughts,onceagainXjinlaspokebeforeIhadformulatedmynextsentence.“Yourquestionsareverydifferentfromthoseofotherswhohavefoundthis

monastery,”hesaid.“Really?”Ianswered,somewhatamazed.“Ifothershavetakenthetimeto

travelfromtheWestintoLhasa,acclimateovertwomilesabovesealevelforaweekorso,thenbreatheendlesscloudsofdustwhilenavigatingjeeptrailscarved into the sheer face of cliff walls to find this monastery at fifteenthousand feet in the Himalayas, what other kinds of questions would theyask?”Xjinla laughed at the intensity of my question. The sound of his voice

broke the silence as his laughter echoed off of the walls and reverberatedthrough the countless chapels that continued from our room down thehallway.“Normally, questions are in regard to the age of themonastery,what the

monkseat,ortheageoftheabbothimself!”With that, we both laughed and looked back to the abbot, automatically

estimatinghisageinourminds.Ithoughttomyself,Thismanhasnoage.Inthesemountains,inthismonastery,agehasnomeaningforhim.Hesimplyis.IlookedbacktoXjinla.Followingourlastexchange,theabbothadremainedinhisposition,seatedwithhislegsdrawnupunderneathhisheavyrobes.Theairintheroomwascool,althoughmybodywashotfromtheexhilarationofourdialogue.Ilookedattheminiaturekeychainthermometerdanglingfromthezipperflaponmywife'sbackpack.Itreadfifty-fivedegreesFahrenheit.Iwonderedifitcouldbecorrect.An attendant chose the opportunity of silence to relight the mounds of

incense that provided relief from the pungent odor of spoiled yak buttersmoldering in the lamps and dishes. Slipping a hand under my jacket, Itouched the three layersof clothing that Ihadworn from thebusoutside. Iwasamazed.Myshirtswere soaked!Eachday inTibet is like summerandwinter: summer in the sun andwinter in the shadows, shade, and inside ofmonasteries.Ilookedbehindmejustintimetoseeagustofwindhowldown

thedimlylitcorridor,whippingpilesofstrawanddustintosmallheapsinthecorners.

TheAbbot'sMessage

My hand reached up towipe the perspiration frommy eyes as I askedXjinla the next question. I began by explaining why we had come to theabbot's monastery, and our intent in asking what we had asked. Lookingdirectlyattheabbot,Iconcludedwithasinglequestion.“Iftherewasonemessagethathecouldsharewiththepeopleoftheearth,”

I began, “whatwould the abbot like for us to carry to theworldoutsideofTibetonhisbehalf?”EvenbeforeXjinlahad finished translating, fromhiscrampedpositionat

theendofourpoorly lit sanctuary, theabbotbeganspeaking. I feltXjinla'sintensity, sometimes bordering upon frustration, as he searched for theEnglish toconveywhat theagelessmanwassaying.OnseveraloccasionsIwouldask that thewordsbe repeatedorclarified.Often Iwould restate thetranslationinmyownwords,allowingXjinla'sexpertisetohelpmethroughany inaccuracies. Turning to me specifically, his eyes betrayed what washappening within him. I sensed within Xjinla an acute awareness of hisresponsibility to communicate the abbot's words accurately. Together thethreeofusworked through thenext fewmoments tobecertainofwhat theabbotwasoffering.“Eachtimeweprayindividually,’theabbotsays,‘wemustfeelourprayer.

Whenwepray,wefeelonbehalfofallbeings,every-where.'”Xjinlapausedastheabbotcontinuedhisreply.‘Weareallconnected,’hesaid.‘Weareallexpressionsofonelife.Nomatterwhereweare,ourprayersareheardbyall.Weareallthesameone.'”Rather than answeringmy question directly, I sensed that the abbotwas

paving the way, laying the foundation for his response. Nodding inagreement,mybodylanguageconveyedwhatmyskillsofTibetanlanguagedidnot:Iheard,Iunderstood,andIwaspreparedfortherestoftheanswer.As towhatmessagewecouldcarry to theworldoutsideofTibet, theabbotresponded passionately. Though his words were being conveyed throughXjinla,histoneandthelanguageofhisbodywereclear.Motioningtowarduswithapalms-upgesturefromhisheart,theabbot'shandsspokealanguageoftheirown.HelookeddirectlyatmeasIlistenedtoXjinlacarefully.“Peaceisofthegreatestimportanceinourworldtoday,”hecontinued.“In

theabsenceofpeace,welosewhatwehavegained.Inthepresenceofpeace,allthingsarepossible:love,compassion,andforgiveness.Peaceisthesourceofallthings.Iwouldaskthepeopleoftheworldtofindpeaceinthemselves,sothattheirpeacemaybemirroredintheworld.”Each word became a source of amazement to my intellect, as well as a

sourceof joy tomysoul.Theanswers that theabbot sharedwere the sameconcepts, insome instancesnearly thesamewords, aswere recovered fromtheDeadSeatextsoftheEssenes,writtenover2,500yearsago!ThroughtheEsseneGospelsofPeace,forexample,theEssenesbeginalengthydiscourseon peace by opening with a single eloquent passage. The teaching simplybeginswiththestatement,“Peaceisthekeytoallknowledge,allmystery,alllife.”Itwascleartoeachmemberofourgrouphowimportantitwastotheabbot

thathebeheardandunderstood.Hispatiencewithourdirectandsometimesredundantquestionswas remarkable.Fornearlyanhourhe remainedcross-leggedinalotusposition,seateduponthesmallstackofthin,maroon-coloredpads that insulated him from the cold stone floor of the ancientmonastery.Therapidfirequestioningeventuallygaveway,onceagain, to thesilenceofponderingourexchanges.Foreachpersonintheroom,ourtimetogetherhadbeenbothintenseandheartfelt.Our audience with this holy man, who had devoted his entire life to

pursuingwisdominanancientmonasteryhighintheHimalayas,becameourinvitation to reconcile the experience within our lives. This man hadgraciously received us into the tiny quarters of his private study, and hispatience with our questions touched me deeply. Again a silence filled theroom.The abbot's eyes closed.This time, however, his chindropped to hischest as he placed his hands in a position of prayer, palms and fingertipstouching,pointedtowardtheceiling.Holdingthepositionwithhishands,hetouchedhisthumbslightlytohisforeheadandheldtheposition.That is thelastimageIhaveoftheabbot.He appeared to be fatigued, perhaps from entertaining these twenty-two

Westernerswho had appeared unannounced in hismonastery.As if a silentsignalhadbeengiven,weknewthatour timewith theabbotwascomplete.Almostinunison,webegantountangleourselvesfromtheintricatepositionsthathadallowedeachpersonintheroomadirectviewofthisbeautifulmanof ancient lineage. One by one, we stood silently, stretched, and, afterspeakingourrespectful“Namaste,”filedoutintothedarkenedhallway.

RoomofKnowledge

Asweretracedthefootstepsthathadledustotheabbot'squarters,againweheardthesoundofalow,almostindiscernibledroneinthedistance.Itwasthe now-familiar sound of many monks in a resonant room, creating themonotone chant used in Tibetan prayer. Each person perceives the sounddifferently.Formethetonehoversbetweenthethresholdofhearingthroughmyearsandactuallyfeelingthesoundinmybody.Itappearstovibratefromsomewhere in the center ofmy chest. Once one has heard the sound, it isunmistakable.Inthismoment,itsoundedfaraway.Sunlight illuminated the end of the hallway as we approached a narrow

ladder of wooden stairs. There was no railing for support, and weimmediatelyassumedthepositionthathadworkedwellinsimilarinstancesatother monasteries. Strapping down our backpacks and handing cameras,bottlesofwater,andloosegeartooneanother,wefreedourhandstogodownthe rough-hewn timbers of each step, backwards.The stairswere at such asteepanglethatfewwerewillingtolookdownastheydescendedtheladderinaforwardposition.Modestysometimesgoesrightoutthewindowduringsuchmaneuvers.Travelingwithasmallgroupunderprimitiveconditionsfordays on end, the modesty of new friendships had already given way tofamiliaritywithinourvirtualfamily.Thoseonthegroundreacheduptoguidethepersonontheladdertoaplaceofsafefooting,oftensupportingwhateverportionofthebodydescendedtheladderfirst.Oneatatime,eachpersonwasloweredtothehardenedmudfloorbelow.A youngmonk perhaps fourteen years old had been waiting for us in a

smallantechamberbehindthe ladder.As the lastpersontouchedthegroundandreadjustedhimself,weaddressed themonkwith the traditionalgreetingof t'ashedelay. The monk surprised us with a few sentences of brokenEnglish.Hewasveryinterestedinouraudiencewiththeabbot,justmomentsbefore.Apparentlyourvisitwasrare,anditwasdifficultevenforthemonksinresidencetobegracedwithsuchanopportunity.Bythistime,Xjinlahadfoundhiswaydowntheladderaswell,andtook

chargeoftheconversation.Followingafewmomentsofformalities,Iaskedabout the existence of ancient libraries within this particular monastery. IknewthatamongthemanygiftsthattheTibetanshavekeptsafeinourworld,theyaremeticulous recordkeepers.Thebeautyof this is that theyappear todocumentwithoutplacingjudgmentonwhattheyarerecording.Perhapsitistheirability to livecompassioninall that theydothatallowstheirunbiasedrecordingof theworldaround them.In theabsenceofa“right”or“wrong”regardingtheeventsthattheyhaveexperienced,theysimplyrecordwhatthey

have witnessed. Through their documentation of the events that weremeaningful in their lives, I suspected that perhaps there would be writtenrecordsofthewisdomthattheabbothadshared.Iwasparticularlyinterestedinthemodeofprayerbasedinfeeling.Wewere led througha seriesofpassageways toadarkened roombehind

themyriadaltars.Massive statues representing themanyaspectsofBuddhaflankedeachhallwayandcontinuedintoyetanother“roomoftheprotectors.”Herewecouldbarelymakeoutthefiguresofimmenseproportionsuponthewalls that glistened with the residue of butter lamps. Knowing that thismonastery was over fifteen centuries old, I suspected that the soot hadaccumulatedforatleastseveralhundredyears.Foraradiusofeighteenfeetorso, theflickeringstrobelikeeffectofeach lampbetrayedasceneofdemonsanddarkforces.Closerinspectionshowedthateachwasengagedincombatwith the forcesof light, inancientmetaphorsmirroring the tests, successes,andfailuresofeveryhumanthroughourearthlylife.Stoopingthroughanopeningintoanotherdimlylitroom,myeyesadjusted

toaverydifferentscene.Ofallthebeautyandexperiencesthathadfilledourdaysforthetwoprecedingweeks,whatIwitnessedinthismomentwasworththe entire journey. Stacked from the floor to the ceiling, perhaps thirty feetabovemyhead,disappearingintodarkcorridorsandscatteredamongshelvescoveredwithdustmeasuredinfractionsofaninch,werebooks.Rowsuponrows of books. Somewere neatly stacked. Somewere haphazardly thrownuponothers,fallingintorandomheaps.Manyofthebooksweresojumbledand disorganized that it was impossible to tell where one row ended andanotherrowbegan.Noticingmyamazementatthedisarray,theyoungmonkspoketoXjinla.Exceptforthegaspsofaweandamazement,thesewerethefirst words that we had heard since entering the room. I suspected hewasoffering an explanation. Xjinla turned to me and spoke. “The soldiersransackedthisroomlookingforjewelsandgold.”“Thesoldiers!”Iexclaimed.“Doyoumeanthesoldiersfromtherevolution

in 1959? Surely others have been in this room since that time. It has beennearlyfortyyears.”“Yes,” Xjinla answered, “those are the ones. Others have come to these

rooms.Theyhavebeenfew.Themonksbelievethatthesoldiersbroughtbadfortune.Theirspiritsarelefthere,heldinplacebytheprotectors.”MyeyessearchedforameaningfulplacetobegininvestigatingasIstepped

forwardintooneofthecorridors.Holdingmyflashlightuphigh,forasfarasmy eyes could see there were hundreds of manuscripts, texts printed andboundintraditionalTibetanfashion.Eachbookbeganasalong,narrowcoverofwoodoranimalhide.Therigidcoveringsvariedinsize,averagingperhapstwelve inches long by three to four inches wide. Another cover of similardescription formed the topof thebook,with thepages stackedbetween the

two,asloosesheetsofcloth,paper,oryakhide.Theentiretextwasboundtokeepthepagesfromfallingout.Sometimesthebindingswereelaborate,withbrightly colored silk and linen. Sometimes they were simply held togetherwithleatherthongs.TheyoungmonknoddedwithapprovalasIreacheduptoexamineoneof

thetexts.Ihadchosenabookthatwasalreadyunwrapped,soastodisturbaslittleaspossibleinthelibrary.Tomydisappointment,andnottothemonk'ssurprise, the pages of the book were so delicate that they crumbled at mytouch. Our young guide was obviously moved by our excitement at hislibrary.Apparentlyfewpeopleknewofitsexistence,andevenfewervisitedit.IturnedtoXjinlaandaskedwhatwerecontainedwithinthesedocuments.Were they simply many copies of a single text, perhaps the teachings ofBuddha? Was there more? By this time, our group had spread out. Eachperson was exploring a different aisle of different texts, sensing thatsomethingrareandwonderfulwasheldin thepagesof theseancientbooks.Without turning to face the monk, Xjinla shouted my question out loud.Withouthesitating,theyoungmonksmiled.HeandXjinlaexchangedafewwordsbeforeXjinlaofferedaresponsetomyquestion.“Everything,” he said. “The monk says that within the writings in this

particularroomarerecordsofeverything.”StoppingtofaceXjinla,Iheldmylighttoshowjustenoughofourfacesso

thatwe could see one another speak. “What do youmean, ‘everything'?” Iasked.“Whatdoes‘everything’include?”Xjinlabegan,“Writtenintothepagesofthesebooksaretheteachingsand

experiencesthathavetouchedthepeopleofTibetforcenturies.Asfarbackasanyonecanremember,thewisdomofgreatmysticshasfounditswayheretobe preserved for future generations. In the pages of these books lie thefoundationsofmanyphilosophies,fromTibetanBonandBuddhistwritingstoChristianones,andthoseexplainedbytheabbot.Allisrecordedhereinthebooksthatsurroundusasfarasoureyescansee.”Iknewthateachmonasterywasaschoolofsorts.Designedtopreservethe

secrettraditionsoftheages,eachschoolspecializedinoneparticularformofwisdom.Ourjourneyhadalreadytakenustomonasteriesthatfocusedonthetraditions of combat and martial arts, for example. Other monasteriespreservedthewisdomoftelepathyandpsychicstudies,debate,orthehealingarts.The focusof thisparticular schoolwas thepreservationofknowledge.Withoutprejudiceor judgment, informationwassimplyrecordedandstoredupon the fragile pagesof countless numbersof books, such as theoneswewereseeingbeforeus.This is thereason thatwehavecome, I thought tomyself.Herewehave

seen the traditions of prayer and have the opportunity to document themthroughtextswrittenbythosepracticingthesetraditionsnearlytwothousand

yearsago.Thismomentisworththeentirejourney,andIknowthatthereismoretocome!In their texts, the Essenes had referred to a mode of prayer that is not

accountedforbyprayerresearcherstoday.Here,inacoldmonasterylocatedintheremotemountainsofwesternTibet,Ihadwitnessedthisprayerandwasshown sources documenting its history and origin. As the translationscontinued that day, my sense was confirmed that the Tibetans werecontinuing, at least in part, a lineage of wisdom whose elements predatedhistory. How would I share this ancient yet sophisticated technology withothers?

Allmatteroriginatesandexistsonlybyvirtueofaforcewhichbringstheparticlesofanatomtovibrationandholdsthismostminutesolarsystemoftheatomtogether.…Wemustassumebehindthisforcetheexistenceofaconsciousandintelligentmind.Thismindisthematrix

ofallmatter.

—MAXPLANCK

* The names of our guides and translators have been changed tohonortheirprivacy.

THELANGUAGEOFGOD

TheLostScienceofPrayerandProphecy

Ancient traditions suggest that the effect of prayer comes fromsomethingotherthatthewordsoftheprayersthemselves.Perhapsthisoffersaclueastowhysomanypeopleappeartohavelosttheirfaithinprayer.Afterthe biblical edits of the fourth century, details underlying the language ofprayergraduallyfadedfromthetraditionsoftheWest,leavingonlythewordsbehind.Duringthisera,manybegantobelievethatthepowerofprayerlivedin the spoken word alone. Revelations from the pre-fourth-century texts,however,remindusthattherearenomagiccodesofvowelsandconsonantsthatopendoorwaysintoforgottenrealms.Thesecretofprayerliesbeyondthewordsofpraise,theincantations,andtherhythmicchantstothe“powersthatbe.”Through texts such as theDeadSeaScrolls,we are invited to live theintentofourprayer inour lives, for if thewordsare“spokenonlywith themouth,theyareasadeadhive…whichgivesnomorehoney.”1

ToSpeaktheUnspokenWord

The power of prayer is found in a force that cannot be spoken ortransmitted as thewrittenword—the feelings that the prayer'swords evokewithinus.Itisthefeelingofourprayersthatopensthedoorandilluminatesourpathstotheforcesoftheseenaswellastheunseen.Thoughotherancientreferences often allude to this aspect of our communion with creation, theabbot in Tibet actually confirmed the feeling element of prayer during ourprivateaudience.Inansweringmyquestionaboutwhatwashappeningwithinthemonksand

nunsaswewitnessedtheoutwardexpressionoftheirprayers,theabbothadrespondedwithasingleword:feeling.Theoutwardexpressionsofprayerthatwewitnessed in themonasteries ofTibetwere a display of themovementsand sounds that the nuns and monks used to achieve the feelings within.Carryinghisansweronestepfurther,theabbotthensaidtousthatfeelingwasmorethanjustafactorinprayer.Heemphasizedthatfeelingistheprayer!Through our communion with the elements of this world, we are given

access to the greatmysteries of life, the opportunity “to see the unseen, tohear that which cannot be heard, and to speak the unspoken word.” In itspurest form, prayer has no outward expression. Though we may speak aprescribed sequence of words handed down for generations, they mustgenerateaqualityoffeelingwithinusinordertotouchtheworldaroundus.Atbest,anywordsthatwechoosetospeakourprayersoutloudcanbeonlyan approximation of the feeling they describe within. How could the greatmastersteachofsuchfeelingstwothousandyearsago?Howarewetosharethemtoday?Often,whenIamaskedtospeaktogroupsaboutthepossibilityofprayer,a

questionarisesthatremindsmeofaconversationIhadwithmymotheryearsago. One evening, as we spoke on the telephone between brief visits andacrossseveraltimezones,IwassharinginsightsintoanewworkshopthatIhadpreparedonthescienceofcompassion.AsIofferedadefinitionofprayerinvolving feeling and emotion, my mother asked a question that has beenechoed by many people in many situations since that time. Openly andinnocently, she simply said, “What is the difference between emotion andfeeling?Ialwaysthoughtthattheywerethesame.”I was interested to hear my mother's understanding of these sometimes

nebulous experiences that play such a key role in defining our lives. Notsurprisingly,herexplanationresembledthedefinitionscommonlyacceptedintheWesttoday.Forexample,somedictionariesconsiderthetwowordsnearlyinterchangeable,usingeachonetodefinetheother.InTheAmericanHeritage

Dictionary of the English Language, the word feeling is defined as “anemotionalstateordisposition;atenderemotion.”(Inthesametext,emotionisdefined in oneplace as “a strong feeling” and in another as a synonym forfeeling.)Whilethesedefinitionsmayservethepurposesoftoday'sworld,theancients recognized a distinction between them. Further, though closelyrelated, thought and feeling are identified as discrete elements, keys,whichmaybe focused toeffectchange in theconditionsorourbodies,ourworld,andbeyond.

AsAbove…

In an account twenty centuries old, the people of theHoly Land askedtheirleadersaquestionthatcontinuestoringinourmindstoday.Exceptforspecifics of the conditions, the question remains hauntingly similar. Withregard topeace inourworld, thosewhohavecomebeforeusasked,“How,then,maywebringpeacetoourbrothers…forwewouldthatalloftheSonsofMenshareintheblessingsoftheangelofpeace?”2Essenemastersofferedareplyillustratingtheroleofthought,feeling,andtheempoweringnatureofprayer.Defyingthelogicoftoday,theirwordsremindusthatpeaceismorethansimplytheabsenceofaggressionandwar.Peacetranscendstheendofaconflictorastatementofpolicy.Whilewemayforcetheoutwardappearanceof peace upon a people or a nation, it is theunderlying thinking thatmustchange to create a true and lasting peace. Inwords that sound surprisinglyBuddhistaswellasChristianinnature,theEssenemastersrepliedthat“threearethedwellingsoftheSonofMan.…Theyarehisbody,histhoughts,andhis feelings….First shall theSonofManseekpeacewithhisownbody.…Thenshall theSonofManseekpeacewithhisown thoughts.…ThenshalltheSonofManseekpeacewithhisownfeelings.”3Theancientsofferedeloquentinsightintoawayofthinkingthatallowsus

to redefinewhatwe experience on the outside by addressingwhatwehavebecomeontheinside.SimilarinsomerespectstothephilosophiesofWesternhealthpractices,oneschoolofmedicinebringsaboutchangebyattackingthecondition of illness itself. This approach eliminates foreign bodies withchemicals,orsurgicallyremovestheorgansandtissuethatappeardiseased.Asecondschoolofthoughtlooksbeyondtheoutwardexpressionofourbody'sappearance to the underlying factors that may be source of the condition,where the unseen forces of thought, feeling, and emotion become theblueprint to understanding and changing the conditions of our lives that nolongerserveus.To change the conditions of our outer world, we are invited to actually

become the conditions of our desire fromwithin.Whenwe do so, the newconditions of health or peace aremirrored in the world around us. This isessential to the Essene passage offered previously. To bring peace to thosewhomwe love in thisworld,wemust firstbecome that very peace. In thelanguageoftheirtime,theauthorsoftheDeadSeaScrollsevenofferinsightsintothetechnologythatallowsthishealingqualityofpeace:itmustoccurinourthoughts,feelings,andbodies.Whatapowerfulandempoweringconcept!AsIshare theEssenepassages ingroupsettings,Iwatchthefacesof the

audiencefrommyvantagepointatthefrontoftheroom.Thechangebegins

slowlyatfirst.Whilesomepeoplesimplyrecordthewordsintheirnotebookswith little display of emotion, others become excited as they immediatelygraspthesignificanceoftheancientteachings.Thereisamagicthatoccursinvalidatingcurrent ideas throughmanuscripts leftby thosewalking thesamepathandseekingthesamevalidationsovertwothousandyearsago.Through their insights, the Essene elders made clear distinctions among

emotion, thought, and feeling. While closely related, thought and emotionmust first be considered independently, thenmerged into aunionof feelingthat becomes the silent language of creation. The following descriptions ofeachexperiencearekeysleadingusintotheheartofourlostmodeofprayer.

EMOTION

Emotionmay be considered the sourceof power that drives us forwardtowardourgoalsinlife.Itisthroughtheenergyofouremotionthatwefuelourthoughtstomakethemreal.Initself,however,thepowerofemotionmaybe scattered andwithout direction. It is in the presence of thought that ouremotionisgivendirection,breathinglifeintotheimageofourthoughts.Ancient traditions suggest that we are capable of two primary emotions.

Perhapsmore accurately,wemay say that through our liveswe experiencevarious conditions that resolve to a single emotion.Love is one extremeofsuchconditions.Whateverwehavecometobelieveis love'sopposite is thesecond extreme, often described as fear. The quality of our emotiondetermines how it is expressed. Sometimes flowing, at other times lodgedwithin the tissues of our body, emotion is closely aligned with desire, theforcethatdrivesourimaginationtoresolution.

THOUGHT

Thoughtmaybeconsideredtheguidancesystemthatdirectsouremotion.It is the image or idea created by our thought that determines where ouremotion and attention are directed. Thought is closely associated withimagination. Surprisingly to many people, in itself thought alone has littleenergy;itisonlyapossibilitywithnoenergytogiveitlife.Thisisthebeautyof pure thought. In the absence of emotion, there is no power tomake ourthoughtsreal.Itisourgiftofthoughtintheabsenceofemotionthatallowsusto model and simulate the possibilities of life harmlessly, without creatingfearorchaosinourlives.Itisonlyinourloveorfearfortheobjectsofourthoughtsthatwebreathelifeintothecreationsofourimagination.

FEELING

Feeling may exist only in the presence of thought and emotion, for itrepresentstheunionofthetwo.Whenwefeel,weareexperiencingthedesireofour emotionmergedwith the imaginationofour thoughts.Feeling is thekey to prayer, as it is our feelingworld towhich creation responds.Asweattract or repel the people, situations, and conditions that we find in ourexperience,wemaylooktoourfeelingstounderstandwhy.To have a feeling, by definition we must first have both an underlying

thought and an emotion. The challenge in developing our highest levels ofpersonalmasteryistorecognizewhatthoughtsandemotionsarerepresentedasourfeelings.

Fromthesethreebriefandpossiblyoversimplifieddefinitions,itbecomesapparent why it is impossible to “think away” frightening and painfulexperiences.Thoughtisonlyonecomponentofourexperience,the“seeing”inourmindofpossibleoutcomes.Pain,however,isafeeling,theproductofour thought fueled by our love or fear for what our mind believes hasoccurred.Withthisformulainmind,theEssenemastersinviteustohealthememories of ourmost painful experiences by changing the emotion of theexperienceitself.As an ancient basis for the modern axiom “energy follows attention,” a

conciseparablefromthelostGospelQdescribesthisconcept:“Whoevertriestoprotecthislifewillloseit.”Thesefewdeceptivelybriefwordsexplainwhywesometimesattractintoourlivesthoseexperiencesthatweleastchoosetohave. In this example, as we prepare and defend ourselves against eachpossibility and every situation where we could lose our lives, the modelsuggeststhatweareactuallydrawingattentiontotheveryexperiencethatwearechoosingtoavoid.Inthenotwanting,wecreatetheconditionsthatallowittobe.Ratherthanfocusingourattentiononwhatwedonotwant,ahigherchoice is found in identifying thatwhichwechoose tobring intoour lives,andlivingfromthatperspective.Affirmationsprovideabeautifulexampleofpreciselythisprinciple.In recent times,affirmationshavebecomeverypopularwith followersof

somespiritualandesotericteachings.Inthesetraditionsitissuggestedthatbyaffirming the things that we choose to experience in our lives, oftenmanytimeseachday,theywillcometopass.Asaruleofthumb,thelessclutteredthe affirmation, the clearer the effect. The words of our affirmations oftenechoadesireforlifechange,suchas,“Myperfectmateismanifestingformenow,”or“Iamabundant,nowandinallfuturemanifestations.”I know people who carry their affirmations to the level of a serious

discipline. They begin preparing for their day in the bathroomwith Post-itnotes all around the mirror, reminding them of their affirmations. As theydrive towork in themorning, thenotescontinueon thedashboardsof theircarsandhang from their rearviewmirrors. In theirofficesatwork,on their

desks, bulletinboards, and stuck to the screensof their computers are evenmorenotes,eachnoteservingasavigilantreminderofthosethingsthattheychosetohave,change,orbringintotheirlives.Clearly,affirmationshaveopenedpowerfuldoorsforsomepeople.Forthe

first time, individuals have begun to feel empowered and responsible withregard to the eventsof their lives.For somepeople, their affirmationshaveobviously worked. For many, however, they have not. After months ofcountless reiterationsofcreative reminderswithno result, theyhavesimplystopped saying affirmations. Our ancient model of thought, emotion, andfeelingmayhelp thosepeople tounderstandwhathashappenedor failed tohappen.

WhenPrayerDoesn'tWork

Recently I conducted an informal survey among seminar participantsregardingprayer.Theresultsofeachsurveywereusedtoprovideamodern-dayexampleofthenatureofprayerforthatparticularaudience.Ibeganeachsurvey by simply asking the audience, “When you pray, what do you findyourselfprayingabout?”Standinginfrontofaflipchart,Irecordedthemanyandvariedscenariosthatmembersofeachgroupdescribed.Aftersixmonthsof these informal surveys, from audiences representing a cross-section ofethnic, geographic, and age-defined backgrounds, four broad categories ofprayeremergedfromthedescriptions:moremoney,betterjobs,betterhealth,andbetterrelationships,inpreciselythatorder.

Applying ourmodel of prayer as thought, feeling, and emotion,wemay

explore why our prayers work and what happens when they do not. Forexample,atthetopofourlist,themostcommonprayernotedwasfor“MoreMoney.” To have a prayer about “more money,” we must first haveperceptionsaboutthemoneythatwealreadyhave.Fillingintheblankspacesaswemoveacrossthetabletotherightoffersinsightintothequalityofthoseperceptions.WhenIaskedtheaudiencestodescribetheir thoughtsaboutmoneywhen

theyaskformoreinprayer,theanswersflewbacktomefromthroughouttheroom. Not surprisingly, they were similar in nature. Such phrases as “notenough,”“needmore,”and“runningout”werecommon.QuicklyIrecordedthewordsthattheaudiencesharedundertheheading“Thought.”Earlier, we identified thought as our guidance system, the directional

programfortheenergythatwemoveinourworld.Withoutthepowertofuelour thought, it may exist indefinitely as a possibility in our mind. Thepotentialofthoughtintheabsenceoftheenergytofuelourthought,weknowasawish. For our thought to become empowered,wemust give it energy.Perhaps this is the answer to why our prayers sometimes appear to gounanswered.Intheabsenceofthepowertobringouraffirmationsandprayerstolife,theymayexistindefinitelyaspotential:well-intentionedwishes.It is our gift of emotion that empowers the possibility of our wish.

Recognizing thatwemay choose loveor fear as the emotion that fuels ourthought,moreoftenthannotourperceivedneedforanythingisbasedinfear.

When we say we “need more,” that there is “not enough,” or that we are“running out of,” fear is generally the emotion driving such statements.Acknowledgingthattheremaybeexceptions,Iplacedtheword“fear”atthehead of the “Emotion” category in our chart. From these outwardly simpleelements of prayer,we gain tremendous clarity into themechanismof howandwhyourprayersworkastheydo.Addressing each audience with the results of its chart, I would pose a

question:“Whenwemergetheemotionoffearintothethoughtof‘notenough,’what

isthefeelingthatweget?”Theresponsewasusuallysilence.Iwasnotsurprised,becausethefeeling

is different for everyone. The word that we use to describe the feeling isunimportant.Whatisimportantisthefeeling.“Goahead,” I askagain, “whatdoes it feel likewhenyou think thatyou

havenomoneyandyouremotionisoneoffear?“Yuck!”Ihearfromsomewhereintheroom.“Crummy!”someoneelseexclaims.“Precisely,”Ireply.“Thatispreciselythepoint.”Wechoosetheconditions

of our lives through our feelings, the invisible union of our thoughts andemotions.Asweimagineanoutcomeinourmind'seyeandbecomeawareofthe emotion that is fueling our imagination, our feeling is created. Tounderstandwhatwehavecreated,weareinvitedtosimplylookattheworldaround us. How are we to create money, relationships, and health if thefeelings that empower our creation are “crummy” and “yuck”? Feelings ofunworthinessfuelthecreationoftheveryexperienceweleastchoosetohaveinour lives, theexpressionofnotbeingworthy.Nearlyeveryperson in theroomhasheardtheprinciplesoftheexercisebefore.Whatisnew,perhaps,isthe opportunity actually to understandwhat has happened to our prayers inthepast.Thatiswhereourhealingbegins.Working through suchexercises together,onan inexpensive flipchart, in

lessthantenminutes,itbecomespossibletoillustratethemechanismforwhatmaybe thegreatestpower increation.Lost to theWestamillenniumandahalfagoisthejoythatcomesfromrememberingourpowertobringwellness,abundance, health, security, and joy to our lives, and have fun doing it! Inaddition to identifyinghow our inner technology of prayerworks,we nowhave away to change the elements of our prayer to better serve us in thefuture.Immediatelytherealizationwouldsettleovereachaudience.FirstIwould

hearasigh.Thenanother,andanother.Eachbecamepunctuatedwithgigglesofnervouslaughter—perhapsanunconsciousefforttodispeltheintensityofthemoment.Looking into thefacesofeachaudience, Ihad theprivilegeofwatchingthemiraclebegin.

TheSoupofCreation

Ihavelearnedmanythingsfrommanypeople,inavarietyofsettingsovertheyears.Thougheachaudience isunique, thereareconsistent threads thatappeartobeuniversal,weavingeachgroupwithineachcityintothecommonexperienceofonefamily.Theaskingofaquestionisoneofthosethreads.Asonepersonfindsthecouragetoaskaquestion,othersintheroomareaskingthesamequestionaswell,perhapsonunspokenlevels.Somepeoplemaybeawareof theirquestion,but are simply shyabout asking inagroup setting.For others, it is not until they hear thewords that they respond, “Yes, I'vewonderedaboutthat,too.”Isavorthosemoments.Theopportunitytointeractand draw new clarity from one another is where our great moments ofcommunicationbegin.Duringoneof the firstopportunities that Ihad topresent theconceptsof

prayerinaworkshopsituation,agentlemanclosetothefrontoftheroomletout a moan that the whole room could hear. He had definitely gotten myattention! Looking his way, I saw a grimace of uncertainty on his face.Searching for away to acknowledge theman's frustrationwithout singlinghimoutspecificallyand,perhapsembarrassinghim,Iturnedtotheaudienceingeneralandasked,“Aretherequestions?”The man in the front of the room immediately seized the opportunity.

Perhapsinhismid-thirties,hehadoneelbowonthetablethathesharedwiththe others in his row.His chinwas resting casually on his hand, palm up,openedunderhisjaw.AsIwalkedinhisdirectiontohonorhisquestion,heplacedhispencilon the tablenext tohisnotebook. Iglancedquicklyat thepagethatwasfacingup.Itwascoveredwithnotes,diagrams,andscribbles.Icouldseethatthismanhadbeenverybusy.Withadeepsigh,hebegan.“I have heard all this before,” he said, with his chin still resting on his

hand.“I'vebeenonthe‘path’forover twentyyears,withmanyteachers. Inonewayoranother,theyhaveallsaidthesamething.Whatyouaresayingisnothing new. Still, you have touched on something that has never quiteclickedforme.Howdoourfeelingsinsidehaveanyeffectonwhathappensintheworldoutsideofourbodies?”I thought back to the discussion I had shared with my mother, months

earlier. The idea that the nonphysical component of thought, feeling, oremotion could have any effect whatsoever upon the physical world ofmolecules,atoms,andcellswasthemysterythatmymother,aswellas thisgentleman,hadaskedmetoaddress.IbeganwithanexplanationthatIhaveusedasananalogymanytimesovertheyears.ItcomesfromanexperimentthatIrememberperformingearlierinmylifetoprovetomyselftheprinciples

thatwewerediscussing.“Thesoupofcreationexistsasastateofpossibilities,”Ibegan.“Allofthe

componentsforallofthethingsthatwecouldeverconceiveof,includinglifeitself,existas thisstateofpossibility.Althoughthecomponentsare there tobuildthem,therehasbeennotriggerto‘nudge’themintomotion.Theideaisverysimilar tocreatingrockcandyfromajarofwatersaturatedwithsugar.Wemay placemany tablespoons of sugar into the water andwatch as thesugardissolvesanddisappears.Thoughwenolongerseethesugar,weknowthereareseveraltablespoonshiddensomewhereinthewater.“The sugar remains in the same state—invisible—until something comes

along and changes the conditions of the water. We call this a catalyst,somethingthattriggersanewopportunityforthesugarandwatertointeract.Thetriggercanbeassimpleasplacingafibrousstringintothewater.Asthesugar-laden water seeps into the string, it evaporates, leaving behind thesugar. In the absence of the water, the sugar now crystallizes into a newexpressionof itself, theshinycrystals thatfollowthelawsofairrather thanthe laws of water. Different temperatures and pressures represent differentlawsandproducedifferentcrystals.“Whenwecreatefeelingsaboutthethingsthatwechoosetoexperiencein

our world, our feelings are like the string in the sugar solution. Into thepossibilities of creation, we place a feeling picture, just enough energy toallowforanewpossibility.Thekeytothissystem,however,isthatcreationgivesbackpreciselywhatourpicturehasshown.Thepicturetellsthesoupofcreationwherewehaveplacedourattention.Theemotion thatweattach toourpictureattractsthepicture'spossibility.Whenwe‘don'twant’something— an emotion based in fear—our fear actually fuelswhatwe claim not towant. These laws invite us to empower our choices by focusing upon thepositiveexperiencesthatwechoose,ratherthanbypreparingforthenegativethingsthatwedon'twant.Creationsimplyallowsustheconsequenceofourfeeling,byperpetuatingwhatwehaveshownapictureof.Thisistheancientsecretofalostmodeofprayer,forgotteninthefourthcenturyA.D.”Isawtheman'sexpressionchangebeforemyeyes.Inamatterofseconds,

this simple experiment, replicated today in mayonnaise jars bathed in thesunlightofcountlesswindowsills inunnumberedclassrooms throughout theworld,explainedapossibilitythathadmystifiedhimforyears.

HowDoWePray?

Followingour exercise of affirmations and prayer, I asked the audiencemembersiftheyfeltthattheirprayersofthepasthadbeenanswered.Atfirsttherewasasilence,ahesitancytoanswer.Slowly,peoplebegantoraisetheirhandstosay“no”or“onlysometimes.”Thesepeopleweretellingmethatforthe categories of prayer regardingmoney, jobs, relationships, and teachers,manyfeltthattheirprayershadnotbeenanswered.My next question was “Why?” Where do we turn to understand the

sophisticatedtechnologyofprayer,andhowdoweapplyitinourlives?Forpurposes of study, prayer researchers divide the many applications andmethods of prayer used in the West into broad categories. For example,Margaret Paloma, a sociology professor at the University of Akron, Ohio,identifiesfourclasses,ormodes,asdescribedbelow:

ColloquialPrayer

We speak toGod in our ownwords, informally describing problems orgivingthanksfortheblessingsinourlives:“DearGod,please,thisonetime,ifyouallowmycartogettothegasstationatthenextexitofthefreeway,IpromisethatIwillneverletthegastankofmycargetthislowagain.”

PetitionaryPrayer

Inthistype,weclaimourgoodfromthecreativeforcesofourworldforspecificthingsoroutcomes.Petitionaryprayermaybeformalorinourownwords:“Mighty‘IAm’presence,Iclaimtherighttoheal.”

RitualisticPrayer

Herewe repeat a predetermined sequence ofwords, perhaps on specialoccasions or at prescribed times. Bedtime prayers such as “Now I lay medowntosleep”orthe“Godisgreat,Godisgood”ofmealtimesarefamiliarexamples.

MeditativePrayer

Ameditativeprayerisaprayerbeyondwords.Inmeditationwearesilent,still,open,andawareofthepresenceofthecreativeforceswithinourworldandourbodies.Inourstillness,weallowcreationtoexpressitselfthroughus

inthemoment.Tomanypeople,thepracticeofmeditationisbeyondthescopeofprayer.

In the strictest sense of the word, if the meditation involves a thought, afeeling,andanemotion,itmaybedefinedasbothmeditationandprayer.

Theabovefourmodes,used individuallyorcombinedwithoneanother,constitutethebulkofprayermodalitiesusedintheWesttoday.Throughoutmyexperienceoftheindigenousandesoterictraditions,there

havealwaysbeenreferencestoamodeofprayerthathasneverseemedtofitinto any of these categories. Journeys into some of themost sacred placesremainingonearthtodayhaverevealedamodeofprayerthatisreservedforinitiatesandseriousstudentsofspiritualstudies.ThetemplewallsofEgypt,thecustomsofNativeAmericansintheNorthandthecuranderos(healers)inthemountainsofPeruhavealldemonstrateda formofprayer thatdoesnotappear to be accounted for inWestern traditions. Is it possible that a fifthmode existswhich allowsus tomergeour thoughts, feelings, and emotionsinto a single, potent force of creation? Furthermore, is this the force thatopensdirectlytothehealingprocessesofourbodiesandourworld?Ancienttexts,aswellasmodernstudies,suggestthattheanswerisyes.The examples of the healed cancer, the disappearing neck wound,

compressed time in the Sinai desert, and the mysterious reversal of theintendedbombingsinIraqoffercluestothesecretofourlostmodeofprayer.Throughournewunderstandingsoftimeandchoicepoints,quantumphysicsallowsforthepossibilityofeachoftheseapparentmiraclesasoutcomesthatalreadyexist.Thesecretofourlostmodeofprayeristoshiftourperspectiveof life by feeling that the “miracle” has already happened and our prayershavebeenanswered. Indigenouspeoplesof theworld share thismemoryofprayer in their most sacred texts and oldest traditions. Now we have theopportunity to bring this wisdom into our lives as prayers of gratitude forwhatalreadyexists,ratherthanaskingforourprayerstobeanswered.

David'sPrayer

I reached overmy shoulder and pulled a fresh bottle ofwater frommybackpack. It was only eleven o'clock in the morning and already the highdesert sun had penetrated the thick nylon, sapping any remaining coolnessfromthebottle.Forweeksnow,thewarningshadbeenissued:nocampfires,noburningofrefuse.Eventossingacigarettefromthewindowofamovingvehicle could subject a person to a hefty fine. This was the third year ofdroughtintheAmericandesertSouthwest.Thoughitwasatimeofweatherextremes everywhere, it seemed as though themountains of northern NewMexicowereespeciallyaffected.Skiareashadnotopenedthatyear,andtheRio Grande slowed to a trickle before merging with the Red River nearQuesta.Openingthebottle,mygriponthesoft,warmplasticforcedasmalltrickle

to erupt around the cap. Iwatched, fascinated, as thewater splashed to theground. The surface was so parched that the droplets merged into a poolbefore rolling intoa smalldepressionnearby.Even in that shallowpit, theydidnot spreadandsoak into theground.Tomyamazement, theentirepoolevaporatedwithinseconds.“Thegroundistoothirstytodrink,”Davidsaidsoftlyfrombehindme.“Haveyoueverseenitthisdrybefore?”Iasked.“Theoldonessaythat ithasbeenoveronehundredyearssincetherains

haveleftusforsolong,”Davidreplied.“That iswhywehavecometothisplace,tocalltotherain.”IhadmetDavidyearsearlier,beforeIactuallymovedintothehighdesert

north of Santa Fe.We had each been on a sacred journey away from ourhomes,families,and lovedones.Hispeoplecalledsucha journeya“visionquest.”Forme, itwasanopportunity toescapemycorporatecommitmentsandliveclosetotheland,aperiodicevaluationofmypurposeanddirectioninlife.Fivemonthsafterourfirstmeeting,Ifoundmyselflivingfull-timeinthemountainsthatIhadpreviouslyvisitedforsolitude.ThoughDavidandIseldomsawoneanother,whenwediditwasasifwehadspokenonlythedaybefore.Therewasneveranyawkwardnessorneedtoapologizeforourlackofcorrespondence.Weeachknewthatwehadtoplaceprioritiesontheeventsof our lives that demanded our attention in the moment. In the presentmomentweweretogether,sharingahotmorninginthesummerdesert.After a long,warm drink frommy bottle, I stood up and beganwalking

towardDavid.Alreadyhewasagoodtwentystepsaheadofme. I followedhimalonganinvisiblepaththatonlyhecouldsee.Ourpacequickenedaswemadeourwaythroughthickstandsofknee-highsageandchamisobushes.I

watched theground in frontofme.Eachofhis footstepskickedupa smallpuffofdustthatdisappearedinthehot,drybreeze.Behindustherewasnotatrace of the trail thatwewere creating.David knew exactlywhere hewasgoing,toaspecialplacethathadbeenknowntohisfamilyandtheirancestorsformanygenerations.Yearafteryear,theywouldcometothisveryplacefortheirvisionquestsandritesofpassage,andonspecialoccasionssuchasthisday.“Over there,” David said. I looked where he was pointing. It looked

remarkablysimilartotheotherhundredthousandorsoacresofsage,juniper,andpinethatsurroundedusinthevalley.“Overwhere?”Iasked.“There,wheretheearthchanges,”Davidreplied.Ilookedcloser,studyingtheland.Scanningthetopsofthevegetation,my

eyessearchedforirregularitiesinspacingandcolor.Suddenlyitleapedoutatme, like a hidden image in one of those three-dimensional charts with apicturedisguisedamongthedots.Ilookedcloserandsawthatthetipsofthesagebusheswerespaceddifferently.Walkingtowardtheapparentanomaly,Icould see something on the ground, something large and unexpected.Stopping to positionmyself in the shade created bymy body in the sun, Icouldmakeout a seriesof stones, beautiful stonesof all kinds, arranged inperfect geometries of lines and circles. Each stone was situated perfectly,betraying theprecisionwithwhich ancient handshadplaced it hundredsofyearsbefore.“What is this place?” I asked David. “Why is it here, in the middle of

nowhere?”“Thisisthereasonwehavecome,”helaughed.“Itisbecauseofwhatyou

call‘nowhere’thatwearehere.Todaythereisonlyyou,me,earth,sky,andourCreator.That isall.There isnothingelsehere.Todaywewill touch theunseen forces of thisworld, speaking toMotherEarth, Father Sky, and themessengersofthein-between.“Today,”Davidsaid,“weprayrain.”Iamalwaysamazedathowquicklyoldmemoriescanfloodthepresent.I

am equally amazed at how quickly they disappear. Immediately my mindracedtotheimagesofwhatIexpectedthenextmomentstolooklike.InmymindIrecalledprayerscenesthatwerefamiliartome.Irememberedgoingtoneighboring villages and seeing native peoples dressed in garments of theearth. I remember studying themas theymoved rhythmically to thebeatofwoodenmallets pounding on drums of elk hide stretched tightly over pineframes.Nothinginmymemory,however,preparedmeforwhatIwasabouttowitness.“Thestonecircleisamedicinewheel,”Davidexplained.“Ithasbeenhere

for as long asmy people can remember. Thewheel itself has no power. It

servesasaplaceoffocusfortheoneinvokingtheprayer.Youcouldthinkofitasaroadmap.”Imust have had a puzzled look onmy face. David anticipatedmy next

thought,andansweredbefore Ihadfinishedformulating thequestion inmymind.“Amapbetween humans and the forces of thisworld,” he replied to the

question that Ihadnotyetasked.“Themapwascreatedhere, in thisplace,becauseheretheskinsbetweentheworldsareverythin.FromthetimeIwasayoungboy, Iwas taught the languageof thismap.Today Iwill travel anancientpaththatleadstootherworlds.Fromthoseworlds,Iwillspeakwiththeforcesofthisearth,todowhatwecameheretodo:toinvitetherain.”Iwatched asDavid removed his shoes. Even theway that he untied the

laces of his tatteredwork bootswas a prayer—methodical, intentional, andsacred.Withhis feetbare to theearth,he turnedhisbackandwalkedawayfrommetowardthecircle.Withoutasoundhenavigatedhiswayaroundthewheel,takinggreatcaretohonortheplacementofeachstone.Withreverenceforhisancestors,heplacedhisnakedfeetontotheparchedearth.Witheachstep,histoescamewithinfractionsofaninchoftheouterstones.Neveroncedidhetouchthem.Eachstoneremainedpreciselywherethehandsofanotherhadplacedit,fromagenerationlongdeparted.Asheroundedthefarthestrimof thecircle,David turned,allowingme toseehis face.Tomyamazement,hiseyeswereclosed.Theyhadbeenclosed theentire time.Onebyone,hewashonoringtheplacementofeachround,whitestonebyfeelingthepositionof his feet! As David returned to the position closest to me, he stopped,straightenedhisposture,andmovedhishandsintoaprayingpositioninfrontofhisface.Hisbreathingbecamenearlyindiscernible.Heappearedoblivioustotheheatofthemiddaysun.Afterafewbriefmomentsinthisposition,hetookadeepbreath,relaxedhisposture,andturnedtome.“Let'sgo,ourworkisfinishedhere,”hesaid,lookingdirectlyatme.“Already?” I asked, a little surprised. It seemed as though we had just

arrived.“Ithoughtyouweregoingtoprayforrain.”Davidsatonthegroundtoputhisshoesbackon.Lookingup,hesmiled.“No,IsaidthatIwould‘prayrain,'”hereplied.“IfIhadprayedforrain,it

couldneverhappen.”Thatafternoontheweatherchanged.Therainbegansuddenly,withafew

splats on the deck facing the mountains to the east. Within moments thedropletsgrewlargerandmorefrequent,untilafull-fledgedthunderstormwasunder way. Huge black clouds hovered over the valley, obscuring theColoradomountains to the north for the rest of the afternoon and into theevening. The water accumulated faster than the earth could absorb it, andbeforelong,localfearsoffloodingbecameareality.Istaredoutattheelevenmiles of sage between me and the mountain range to the east. The valley

lookedlikeavastlake.Later in evening, I watched the weather reports on the local stations.

Though not surprised, I remember feeling a sense of awe as the coloredclimatemapsflashedacrossthescreen.Animatedarrowsindicatedatypicalpattern of cool,moist air angling down from the PacificNorthwest, acrossUtah, and into Colorado, as it often did for the summer months. Then,unexplainably,thejetstreamchangeditscourseanddidsomethingunusual.Iwatched, amazed, as the air mass dipped with precision into southernColoradoandnorthernNewMexicobeforeloopingtightlybacktothenorth,resuming its path across theMidwest.With the dip came low pressure andcoolairtomixwiththewarm,moistairmovingupfromtheGulfofMexico,theperfectrecipeforrain.Fromthereports,itsoundedasthoughtherewouldberain,andalotofit.IcalledDavidthefollowingmorning.“Whatamess!”Iexclaimed.“Roadsarewashedout.Homesandfieldsare

floodedeverywhere.Whathashappened?Howdoyouaccountforallofthisrain?”Thevoiceontheotherendofthephonewassilentforafewseconds.“Thatistheproblem,”Davidsaid.“ThatisthepartoftheprayerthatIhave

notfiguredoutyet!”Bythefollowingday,thegroundwaswetenoughtoacceptmorewater.I

drovethroughseveralsmallvillagesonmywayintothenearesttown.Peoplewereecstaticwiththecomingoftherain.Childrenwereplayinginthemud.Farmers were at the feed and hardware stores, resuming the business oflivestock and agriculture. The crops had sustainedminimal damage. Cattlehadwaterinlivestockponds,andit lookedasthoughnorthernNewMexicowouldbe spared theheartacheofdrought, at least for the remainderofonemoresummer.

Gratitude:BreathingLifeintoOurPrayers

David's story beautifully illustrates the inner workings of the mode ofprayerforgottenbyourculturenearlytwothousandyearsago.Followinghisbrief ceremony inside the medicine wheel, David had looked at me andsimplysaid,“Let'sgo,ourworkisfinishedhere.”Theremainderofmytimewith David that day now makes much more sense and has much greaterrelevance.NowIknewwhatDavid'sresponse,“Icametoprayrain,”meant.Therest

ofthestoryisperhapsbestsharedinDavid'sownwords.“WhenIwasyoung,”hehadsaid,“ourelderspassedontomethesecretof

prayer.Thesecretisthatwhenweaskforsomething,weacknowledgewhatwedonothave.Continuingtoaskonlygivespowertowhathasnevercometopass.“Thepathbetweenmanandtheforcesofthisworldbeginsinourhearts.It

isherethatourfeelingworldismarriedtoourthinkingworld.Inmyprayer,Ibeganwiththefeelingofgratitudeforallthatisandallthathascometopass.Igavethanksforthedesertwind,theheat,andthedrought,forthatisthewayofit,untilnow.Itisnotgood.Itisnotbad.Ithasbeenourmedicine.“Then I chose a newmedicine. I began to have the feeling ofwhat rain

feelslike.Ifeltthefeelingofrainuponmybody.Standinginthestonecircle,IimaginedthatIwasintheplazaofourvillage,barefootintherain.Ifeltthefeelingofwetearthoozingbetweenmynakedtoes.Ismelledthesmellofrainonthestraw-and-mudwallsofourvillageafterthestorms.Ifeltwhatitfeelsliketowalkthroughfieldsofcorngrowinguptomychestbecausetherainshavebeensoplentiful.Theoldonesremindusthatthisishowwechooseourpath in this world. We must first have the feelings of what we wish toexperience. This is howwe plant the seeds of a newway. From that pointforward,”Davidcontinued,“ourprayerbecomesaprayerofthanks.”“Thanks?Doyoumeanthanksforwhatwehavecreated?”“No, not for what we may have created,” David replied. “Creation is

alreadycomplete.Ourprayerbecomesaprayerofthanksfortheopportunityto choosewhich creationwe experience. Through our thanks,we honor allpossibilitiesandbringtheoneswechooseintothisworld.”Inhisway,inthewordsofhispeople,Davidhadsharedwithmethesecret

of communingwith the forces of ourworld and our bodies. Though I hadheardwithmy ears and understoodwhat he had said, hiswords have evenmoremeaningtoday.

OurLostModeofPrayer

Following my time with David, again I searched in the texts, someancient, some contemporary. I discovered that many groups, organizations,andphilosophieshadhintedatourlostmodeofprayer.Manycontinuetodoso today, with techniques suggesting that we “think like our prayers havecometopass”or“comefromtheplacethatourprayerisaccomplished.”AsIhavesearchedfurtherintotheirtechnologies,however,almostuniversallytheelementoffeelingisabsent.Inthemid-twentiethcentury,themanknownsimplyasNevillebroughtthe

lost mode of prayer to the forefront of contemporary thinking through hispioneering work in the laws of cause and effect. Born in Barbados, WestIndies,Neville eloquently described his philosophy of bringing our dreamsalivethroughtheuseoffeelingbyinvitingusto“make[our]futuredreamapresent factbyassuming the feelingof [our]desire fulfilled.”4Additionally,Nevillesuggests that it isour loveforournewstate thatempowers itsbirthintoexistence.“Unlessyou,yourself,entertheimageandthinkfromit,itisincapableofbirth.”5Examiningaspecificprayer,suchasaprayerofpeace,mayaddadegreeofconcretenesstothesesometimesnebulousconcepts.MuchofourconditioninginWesterntraditionshasinvitedusto“ask”that

peace come to pass in specific circumstances of our world. In asking forpeacetobepresent,forexample,wemayunknowinglybeacknowledgingthelack of peace in ourworld, perhaps inadvertently reinforcingwhatmay beviewed as a state of nonpeace. From the perspective of our fifth mode ofprayer, we are invited to create peace in our world through the quality ofthought,feeling,andemotioninourbody.Oncewehavecreatedtheimageofourdesire inourmindand felt the feelingofourdesire fulfilledwithinourheart,ithasalreadyhappened!Thoughtheintentofourprayermaynothaveappeared in fullviewofour immediatesenses,weassumethat it isso.Thesecrettothefifthmodeofprayerliesinacknowledgingthatwhenwefeel,theeffect of our feelings has occurred somewhere, upon some level of ourexistence.Ourprayer,then,originatesfromaverydifferentperspective.Ratherthan

askingthattheoutcomeofourprayercometopass,weacknowledgeourroleasanactivepartofcreationandgivethanksforwhatwearecertainthatwehave created. Whether we see immediate results or not, our thanksacknowledgethatsomewhereincreationourprayerhasalreadybeenfulfilled.Nowourprayerbecomesanaffirmativeprayerofthanks,fuelingourcreation,allowingit toblossomintoitsgreatestpotential.Followingisasummaryofourprayerofpeace,throughthetraditionalaskingandfromtheperspectiveof

ourlostmodeofprayer.

RecenttranslationsoforiginalAramaictextsoffernewinsightsastowhy

referencestoprayermayhavebeensoambiguousinthepast.Twelfth-centurymanuscripts reveal the degree to which liberties were taken to condensesentence structure and simplify their meaning. Perhaps one of the mostobvious and, at the same time, subtle of these references is a prayer thatstudentsof religious studies and inSunday school classeshavebeen taughtforgenerations.Thisfragmentofourlostmodeofprayerinvitesusto“ask”thatourheart'sdesirecometopassandweshall“receive”thebenefitofour

prayer, as in the familiar admonition “Ask and you shall receive.” AcomparisonoftheexpandedAramaictextwiththemodernbiblicalversionofthe prayer offers powerful insights into the possibilities of this losttechnology.Themodern,condensedversion:WhatsoeveryeshallasktheFatherinmyname,hewillgiveittoyou.Hithertohaveyeaskednothinginmyname:askandyeshallreceive,that

yourjoymaybefull.6Theoriginal,retranslatedAramaicversion:Allthingsthatyouaskstraightly,directly…frominsidemyname,youwill

be given. So far youhavenot done this.Askwithout hiddenmotive and besurrounded by your answer. Be enveloped by what you desire, that yourgladnessbefull….7Through the words of another time, we are invited to embrace our lost

modeofprayerasaconsciousnessthatweembody,ratherthanasaprescribedformofactionthatweperformonoccasion.Ininvitingustobe“surrounded”by our answer and “enveloped” by what we desire, this ancient passageemphasizes the power of our feelings. In the modern idiom, this eloquentphraseremindsusthattocreateinourworldwemustfirsthavethefeelingsofourcreationalreadyfulfilled.Ourprayers thenbecomeprayersofgivingthanksforwhatwehavecreated,ratherthanofaskingthatourcreationscometopass.

ANewFaith

IcannotsayforcertainthatDavid'sprayerplayedanyroleinthestormsthatfollowedourtimetogether.WhatIcansayisthattheweatherinnorthernNewMexico changed that day. Fromweeks of drought, failing crops, anddehydrating cattle, in one day the weather shifted into torrential rains thatgavewaytoapatternofdailyshowerslastinguntiltheautumnfrosts.Further,Icansaythat therewasasynchronicitybetweentheunexpectedshift in theweather and the experience I had sharedwithDavid.The timebetween theevents was a matter of hours. How are we to prove an event of suchmagnitudeandsignificance?The people of the native villages in the desert Southwest need no proof;

beyond doubt, they know that within each of them lives the power tocommunedirectlywiththecreativeforcesofthisworldandbeyond.Theydosowithout expectations, without judging the outcome of their communion.Forexample,iftherainshadnotcome,Davidwouldhaveviewedtheabsenceofrainasapartofhisprayer,ratherthanasasignoffailure.Hisprayerwaswithout condition. He placed no time frame on the outcome of hiscommunionwiththeforcesofnature.Davidhadsharedasacredmomentwiththepowers of creation, planted the seedof a possibility throughhis prayer,and given thanks for his opportunity to choose a new outcome. Hisunwavering faith that his prayer had accomplished something is the key toembracingourlostmodeofprayer.Inourmodernworld,weoftenfindourselvesexpectingquickgratification

andarapidresponse.Theprocessingtimeofourcomputers,forexample,ismorethanfiftytimesfasterthanwhenmicrocomputerswerefirstintroducedintheearly1980s.Wethoughtthattheywerefastthen.Waitingformorethana fraction of a second after typing our command into the keyboard oftenevokes anxiety from a response that was state-of-the-art only a few shortyearsago.Microwaveovenshavehalvedthetimerequiredtoboilwaterwithconventional electricity or gas. Now, we wait impatiently as the digitalcounter marks down the seconds until our water boils. There has been atendencytoviewtheresultsofprayerinmuchthesameway.Ifresultsarenotimmediately forthcoming,wemay feel thatourprayerhasnotworked.Theancientsknewbetter.WhenDavid prayed rain, he knewbeyond anydoubt that his prayer had

invited a newpossibility to bepresent.He alsoknew that his prayerwas apossibilityonly.Perhaps theeffectwasnot immediatelyvisible tooureyes.As he and I stood in the sage field, high in the deserts of northern NewMexico, the fact that we did not immediately see rain was of little

consequence to David. He was confident in his ability to choose a newoutcome,andhisconfidencecamenaturallyforhim.David'scertaintythathehadplantedaseedofpossibilitysomewhereinthe

ethersofcreation,leadsustoreexamineawordthatmayhavelostmeaninginrecent times. That word is faith. Though it is defined in The AmericanHeritageCollegeDictionaryas“beliefthatdoesnotrestonlogicalprooformaterialevidence,”theancientandindigenouspeoplesofourworldacceptamuchbroaderdefinitionoffaith.Theirunderstandingsremainasvalidtodayas in generations past, when faith was the key to communicating with theunseenforcesofourworld.Throughtheirwonderfullyintegratedviewofourrole in creation, faith becomes the acceptance of our power as a directiveforceincreation.Itisthisunifiedperspectivethatallowsustomoveforwardin life, trusting that through our prayerswe have planted the seeds of newpossibilities. Our faith allows us to rest assured that our prayers areaccomplished.Inthisknowledge,ourprayersbecomeexpressionsofthanks,givinglifetoourchoicesastheyblossominourworld.

ThepathsoftheInfiniteGarden“mustbetraversedbythebody,theheartandthemindasone.…”

—THEESSENEGOSPELOFPEACE

THESCIENCEOFMAN

SecretsofPrayerandHealing

In the fourth century A.D., our relationship to the forces of the worldaroundus,aswellaswithinus,begantochange.Whenthewordsvalidatingthese relationships were edited from the texts that had preserved them, webegan to view ourselves as observers, passivelywitnessing the wonders ofnatureandthefunctionsofourbodies.TraditionssuchasthoseoftheEssenesandNativeAmericanssuggest thatour relationship to theworldextendsfarbeyondtheroleofobserver,remindingusthatweareapartofallthatwesee.Inaworldofsuchinterconnectedness,itisimpossibletowatchpassivelyasaleaf falls from a tree or an ant races across the ground. The very act ofobserving,placesusintheroleofparticipant.ThephysicistNielsBohrofferedatheoryinthelate1920sthatsuggested

thisvery relationship, anddescribeda similarview inmodern terms. Ithadbeennoted thaton theatomic level,mattersometimesbehavedstrangely, incontradictiontoacceptedtheory.Insimplifiedterms,Bohr'stheory,knownastheCopenhagenView,postulatedthattheobserverofanyeventbecomespartoftheevent,justbytheactofobserving.Intheverysmallworldofatoms,theobservation takes on a greater significance as “atom-sized objects aredisturbedbyanyattempt toobserve them.”1From this lineof thinking it isclear that modern science is searching for a language to describe therelationshipofunitythattheEssenesemployedasthebasisoftheirprayers.Viewingourselvesasindependentoftheworldaroundushasprecipitateda

senseofseparateness,an“inhere”versus“outthere”attitude.Fromthetimeof our childhood, we begin to believe that the world “just happens.”Sometimesgoodthingsoccur,atothertimesthingsthatarenotsogood.Our

world appears to happen all around us, often for no apparent reason. Inpreparing for the whatifs of life, we spend much of our time buildingstrategies to survive and navigatewhatever challengesmay come ourway.Newresearchintotherelationshipbetweenthepowerofourfeelingsandthechemistry of our bodies suggests that the implications of such “us” and“them”viewpointsarefar-reachingand,attimes,unexpected.Science has demonstrated, for example, that specific feelings produce a

predictablechemistryinourbodiesthatcorrespondstothatparticularfeeling.Aswechangeourfeelings,wechangeourchemistry.Weliterallyhavewhatmaybeviewedas“hatechemistry,”“angerchemistry,”“lovechemistry,”andsoon.Biologicalexpressionsofemotionappearinourbodiesasthelevelsofhormones, antibodies, and enzymes present in our state of wellness. Lovechemistry,forexample,affirmslifebyoptimizingourimmunesystemandtheregulatory functions of our body. Conversely, anger, which is sometimesdirectedinwardasguilt,maybeexpressedasasuppressedimmuneresponse.In the summer of 1995, Glen Rein, Ph.D., Mike Atkinson, and Rollin

McCraty, M.A., published a paper in the Journal of Advancement inMedicine. Titled “The Physiological and Psychological Effects ofCompassion and Anger,” it focused upon the study of salivaryimmunoglobulinA(S-IgA), anantibody found inmucus,whichdefendsourupper respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urinary tracts from infection. Theessenceof thepaper stated that “higher levels ofS-IgAare associatedwithdecreasedincidenceofdiseasetoupperrespiratoryinfections.”2Theabstractof the paper concluded that “anger produced a significant increase in totalmood level disturbance and heart rate, but not S-IgA levels. Positiveemotions,ontheotherhand,producedasignificantincreaseinS-IgAlevels.Examiningtheeffectsofasix-hourperiod,weobservedthatanger,incontrasttocare,producedasignificantinhibitionofS-IgAfromonetofivehoursafterthe emotional experience”3 (my emphasis). Further studies point to specificqualities of emotion as a powerful factor in hypertension, congestive heartfailure,andcoronaryarterydisease.Livingas if theworld“out there”weresomehowseparate fromusopens

thedoortoabeliefsystemofjudgmentandthechemicalexpressionsofthatjudgment in our bodies. Thuswe tend to see our world in terms of “goodgerms” and “bad germs,” and use words such as “toxins” and “waste” todescribetheby-productsoftheveryfunctionsthatgiveuslife.Itisinsuchaworldthatourbodiesmaybecomeacombatzoneforforcesatoddswithoneanother, creating the biological battlegrounds that play out as illness anddisease.TheholisticperspectiveoftheEssenes,ontheotherhand,seesallfacetsof

our bodies as elements of one sacred and divine force moving through

creation. Each is an expression of God. In a world where all that wemayknowandexperienceoriginatesfromsuchaunifiedsource,bacteria,germs,and the by-products of our bodieswork together to imbue our bodieswithstrength and life. This view invites us to redefine the tears, perspiration,blood, and products of digestion thatwe have known as “waste” as sacredelementsof theearth thathave servedus, rather thanabhorrentby-productsthatmustbeeliminated,discarded,anddestroyed.

WhyPrayer?

Thevoicecamefromsomewheretowardthebackoftheroom.Myeyesdarted to the left, searching each row to locate the source of the question.Fromthestageattheendoftheballroom,Ilookedoutovertheparticipantsinour three-day program. I have always considered the opportunity to speakwithanaudienceanhonoraswellasasignoftrust.Animportantaspectofhonoring each audience is to acknowledge the questions that are certain toariseattheendofanymeaningfuldiscussion.Igazedintothefacesfocuseduponme.A glaring bank of overhead lights illuminated the first few rowsfrom theceiling.As I looked toward thebackof the room,eachsuccessiverowbecamemorefaint,mergingintoadarknessthatextendedtowallsIcouldnotsee.Theonlylightvisibleacrosstheroomwasthegreenglowoftheexitsignsoverthedoors.“Whoaskedthatquestion?”Directedbythegesturesoftheaudiencepointingtotheleft,Isteppedoff

theplatformandwalkedtotheaisleinthehopeofeyecontact.Anaudiencefacilitator with a microphone met me at the row where the fingers werepointing.“HereIam,”afrailvoiceechoed.“Good,”Isaid.“Iseeyounow.Whatis

your name?” “Evelyn,” the tiny voice whispered awkwardly into themicrophone.“MynameisEvelyn.”“Evelyn,wouldyoupleaserepeatyourquestion?”Iasked.“Certainly”shereplied.“Isimplyasked,‘Whyprayer?’Whatgooddoesit

do,really?”I heard the question that Evelyn was asking. I sensed an innocence

underlyingherquestionasmymindlistenedtothewordsthemselves.Inthecircles of my friends and conversations, the role of prayer and prayer'srelevance were common themes of our everyday discussions. Over long-distance conference calls andworldwide vigils coordinated on the Internet,we discussed the applications, origins, and techniques of prayer. Often ourconversationsweredirectedtothespecificsofglobaleventsunfoldinginthemoment. In my recollection of our conversations, however, we had neverdiscussedtheactualpurposeofprayer.Notreally.Evelynwasdoingherworkwell.By asking her question, shewas invitingme to draw an answer fromdeepwithinmyselftoaquestionthatIhadneverbeenasked.Itwasoneofthosemomentsthatoccuronlyrarely.Somehowherquestion

threaded itsway through the sentries of logic and reason, slipping into therealityofthemoment.IhadlittleideaofwhatIwasabouttosay.InresponsetoEvelyn's question, I openedmymouth to reply, trusting implicitly in the

process unfolding between us. One by one, the words tumbled from mymouth, in theprecise instant that eachwas formed.Thoughnotparticularlysurprised, Iwas in awe of the process, how easily eachword flowed, howconcisemyreply.“Prayer,”Ibegan,“is,tous,aswateristotheseedofaplant.”That was all!My response was complete. A silence fell over the room.

Together theaudienceand Ipaused toconsider thepowerandsimplicityofthosethirteenwords.IthoughtaboutwhatIhadsaid.Theseedofaplantiswholeandcompleteuntoitself.Undertherightconditions,aseedmayexistfor hundreds of years simply as a seed, a rigid shell protecting a greaterpossibility. Only in the presence of water will the seed realize the greatestexpressionofitslife.Wearelikethoseseeds.Wecomeintothisworldwholeandcompleteunto

ourselves, carrying the seed of something even greater. Our time with oneanother, in the presence of life's challenges, awakenswithin us the greatestpossibilitiesof loveandcompassion. It is in thepresenceofprayer thatweblossomtofulfillourpotential.AsmilecameoverEvelyn'sface.Isensedthatshealreadyknewtheanswer

thatshehadmasterfullydrawnfromme.Itwasasifshehadknownthattheroom would benefit from hearing the words that, apparently, I would nototherwise have spoken that day.Early in the twentieth century, the prophetand poetKahlilGibran stated that theworkwe do in our lives is our lovemadevisible. In her courage to stand in a roomof several hundredpeople,mostofwhomwerestrangerstoher,andspeaktimidlyintohermicrophone,Evelyndrewfrommearesponsethatservedeachofusinthatmoment.Sincethatday,thesameresponsehasservedmanypeopleinmanycities.Inthosemoments,EvelynandIdidourwork—ourlovemadevisible—welltogether.

BeyondtheWords

Irememberprayingalotasachild.IsaidmyprayersinthewaythatIhadbeentaught,atmealtime,bedtime,duringholidays,andonspecialoccasions.ItwasduringthesemomentsofprayerthatIwouldgivethanksforthegoodthings inmy life and reverently askGod to change the conditions that hurtme,orcausedsufferinginothers.Oftenmyprayerswereforanimals.Ihavealways felt especially close to the animal kingdom, and took the liberty ofsharing our family homewith thewildlife that Iwould find in thewoodedareasnearourhouseinnorthernMissouri.Notallowedinthehouseproper,my animal friends would often compete for space with the family stationwagon in our single-car garage. At any given time, nearly every class ofanimalwas represented in thegarage-sanctuary,apartofourhome thatmymothercametocallthe“menagerie.”Irememberfeelingthatourhomewasarefugeofsorts,ashelteruntilthe

inhabitants could fly, run, swim, or scamper back into their naturalenvironment. Sometimes the animals were sick or injured. With brokenbones,shatteredbeaks,ortornlimbs,Iwouldfindtheminthewild,leftaloneto fend for themselves.Lookingback, I nowknow that someofmyguestswerejusttooslowtoescapemywell-intentioned“rescue.”Living within customized habitats—individualized containers, glass jars,

and converted bathtubs—each animal had a label of its own, meticulouslyidentifyingspecies,locationfound,andfavoritefoods.Inanefforttoexplainwhy some animals were abandoned by their own kind, friends and familygently reminded me that this was “nature's way.” I remember wondering,“Whatifnature'swaycouldusealittlehelp?Whatifallthisanimalneedsisafew days in a safe home with the right food to heal from its injury?”Myreasoningwasthatfollowingabrieftimeofhealing,theanimalscouldreturnto thewild forwhatever lifeheld instore for them.Whether they livedonemoredayorformanyyearswasunimportanttome.Whatdidmatterwasthattheanimal'ssufferingended.Evenifthecreaturebecameamealforanotheranimalthenextday,inthemeantimeitwouldbestrong,healthy,andfreeofpain.Iwouldprayformyanimalseverynight—fortheirsafety,fortheirhealing,

fortheirlives.Sometimesmyprayerswouldwork.Sometimestheydidnot.Ineverunderstoodwhy.IfGodwaseverywhere,listening,whydidhehesitatetoanswer?Ifhecouldhearallofmyprayersandanswersomeofthem,someofthetime,whywouldherefusetodothesameforanotheranimalatanothertime?Theinconsistencymadelittlesense.IcontinuedtoprayasIgotolder.ThoughIbelievedthatIwasprayingin

moreadultways,thethemesofmyprayersneverreallychanged.Istillspokewith the “powers that be” on behalf of the animals in my life. For thoserunning in the wild as well as motionless casualties crumpled along theroadside, I asked for the blessings of safe journeys and peace in theirafterlives.ThoughIhadalwaysprayedforpeopleaswell,duringthistimemyprayers

for others grew beyond the realm of familiar faces. In addition to family,friends,andlovedones,myprayerswereoftenforpeoplewhomIhadnevermet.Iknewthemonlyasnamelessfacesthatwouldflashacrossthescreenoftheblack-and-whitetelevisioninourlivingroomorstarebackatmefromthepagesofLookandLife.Foranimalsandpeoplealike,Iprayedfortheirlives,andahealingofthethingsthathurttheminthisworld.Eventually, my feelings about prayer began to change. Specifically, the

feelings that I had while I was praying began to change. I sensed thatsomething was missing. Though the sacredness of the moment wascomforting to some degree, I always had the feeling that there was more.Often I would notice a nagging sensation deep inside myself, an ancientfeelingthattheprayerIhadcompletedinthemomentwasjustthebeginningofsomethinggreater.Ifeltthattherewasatimewhenwewereclosertotheunseenforcesofourworld,andtooneanother.Intheabsenceofreligionandritual,Isensedthatprayeritselfwasthekeytoourcloseness.Somewhereinthemistsofourancientmemory,Iknewthattheremustbemoretothesilentlanguagethatallowsustocommunewiththeforcesofourworldandbeyond.Intheearly1990s,Ireceivedthefirstinklingastowhymyprayershadfelt

incomplete.TheclueappearedunexpectedlyonedayasIwasleafingthrougha copy of an ancient text given tome by a friend.What set this documentapart fromsimilarworkswas that the translatorhad returned to theoriginallanguageof theauthors forhis references, rather thanreiterate thewordsofotherscholars,possiblydistortedovertime.There,infreshtranslationsoftheoriginal Aramaicmanuscripts, were the actual details of how tomerge thethreecomponentsofprayerintoasingle,empoweringforceinourlives.Thetextthatmyfriendhadofferedwascompiledbyarenownedscholarof

ancient studies, Edmond Bordeaux Szekely, the grandson of AlexandreSzekely,who compiled the first grammarof theTibetan languageover 150years ago. Working from the original Aramaic version of the Gospels,Szekely'stranslationsillustratedtherichlanguageoftheoriginalprayersandstoriesofferedbyJesusandhisdisciples.Thoughnotsurprised,Iamstillinaweat theclarity that such translationscontinue toshedupon the teachingsand science of prayer. A fresh look at these works from the viewpoint ofquantum physics offers subtleties that have been lost in other translationsthroughoutlatertimes.Through the eyes of the Aramaic authors, for example, the way that a

courseofeventsunfolds inour lives isamatterofperspective.Whetherweconsiderglobalhistoryorpersonalhealing,ancientscholarsremindusthatallpossibilities have already been created and are already present.Rather thanforcingsolutionsupontheeventsofourlives,weareinvitedtochoosewhichpossibilityweidentifywith,andliveasifithasalreadyoccurred.Clearly,thisisnottosuggestthatour“will”isimposeduponothersintheformofprayer.Rather,itisourwillingnesstoallowforallpossibilitieswithoutjudginganyof them,andknowingthatwemayattractorrepeleachthroughthechoiceswe make in our lives that provides the subtle difference. Choosing anoutcome through prayer does not guarantee that it will come to pass; ourprayersimplyopensthedoortothepossibilityofthatoutcome.Thequestionnow becomes, Howmay we bring specific outcomes into the focus of thepresentthroughprayer?

WhenThreeBecomeOne

ThroughtheirwritingsweknowthattheancientEssenesbelievedthatwecommunewithourworldthroughourperceptionsandsenses.Everythought,feeling, emotion, breath, nutrient, or movement, or combination of any ofthese, was considered to be an expression of prayer. From the Esseneperspective,aswesense,perceive,andexpressourselvesthroughoutourday,weareinconstantprayer.Through the poetic grace and powerful metaphors of their time, Essene

texts remind us that our body, heart (feelings), andmind work together inmuch the same way as a chariot, horse, and driver.4 Though consideredindependently,thethreeworkhandinhandtoprovideourexperienceoflife.Inthisanalogy,thechariotisourbodyandthedriverisourmind.Thehorserepresentsthefeelingsofourheart,thepowerthatcarriesthehorseanddriverover the road of life. It is through the strength of our physical body, thewisdom of our heart's experience, and the purity of our intentions that wedetermineourqualityoflife.If prayer is, in fact, the forgotten language throughwhichwechoose the

outcomesandpossibilitiesof life, inaveryrealsenseeachmomentmaybeconsideredasaprayer.Ineachmomentofourwakingandsleepinglives,wearecontinuouslythinking,feeling,andemoting,contributingtotheoutcomeof our world. The key is that sometimes our contributions are direct andintentional,while at other timeswemaybeparticipating indirectly,withoutevenknowingofourcontribution.Experienceofthelattertypemaybestbedescribedbythosewhofeelthat

life “just happens” to them. People having this experience often sense thatthey are “bystanders” simply observing the processes of life happeningaroundthemtotheirfriends,family,andlovedones—eventotheearthitself.Feelingsofthisexperiencerangefromtheaweandwonderofthebirthofanewbabytoasenseofhelplessnessatthetragiclossoflifeintimesofwarornaturaldisaster.WatchingthehorrorsofrefugeesdrivenfromtheirhomesintheKosovocrisisof1999,ortheoutrageofmasskillingsinapublicschool,areexamplesofsuchmomentsoffeelinghelpless.Recentlytranslatedtexts,someofthemovertwothousandyearsold,offer

another way to participate actively, to “do something” during suchexperiencesoflife.Recognizingtheeffectivenessofprayer'ssilentpower,theancients describe a form of prayer known today asactive prayer. As thesecomponentsofprayeraremerged intoone,weareofferedabridge into thelanguageofcreation.Through thisbridgewemaychoose theoutcomeofagiven situation from a series of possibilities. Five hundred years before the

birth of Jesus, theEssenemasters invited us to focus the power of prayer'sindividualelements—thought,feeling,andemotion,experiencedasourheart,mind,andbody—intoasinglefocusedoutcome.Thekeytosuchmasteryisechoedinasinglepassage:“ThepathsareseventhroughtheInfiniteGarden,andeachmustbetraversedbythebody,theheartandthemindasone….”5Itis this unified force of heaven's language, spoken through our bodies, thatimbueslifeintoourprayersandassuresusthat“whosoevershallsayuntothismountain,bethouremoved,andbethoucastintothesea…thatthosethingswhichhesaithshallcometopass….”6Consider the effects of prayer through a simple model. Over fifty years

ago, in 1947, Dr. Hans Jenny (pronounced “Yen-knee”) developed a newscience to explore the relationship between vibration and form.7 Throughwell-documented studies, Dr. Jenny demonstrated that vibration producedgeometry.Inotherwords,bycreatingvibrationinamaterialthatwecansee,thepatternofthevibrationbecomesvisibleinthatmedium.Whenwechangethevibration,wechangethepattern.Whenwereturntotheoriginalvibration,theoriginalpatternreappears.Throughexperimentsconductedinavarietyofsubstances, Dr. Jenny produced an amazing variety of geometric patterns,rangingfromverycomplextoverysimple,insuchmaterialsaswater,oil,andgraphite and sulfurpowder.Eachpatternwas simply thevisible formof aninvisibleforce.ThesignificanceofthesetestsisthatDr.Jennyproved,beyondanydoubt,

thatvibrationcausesapredictablepatterninthesubstancethatitisprojectedinto.Thought, feeling,andemotionarevibration. Just like thevibrations inDr.Jenny'sexperiments,thevibrationsofthought,feeling,andemotioncreatea disturbance in the “stuff” that they are projected into. Rather thanwater,sulfur, and graphite,we project our vibrations into the refined substance ofconsciousness.Eachhasaneffect.In chapter 4 we discussed the science that suggests that our future may

alreadyexistasoneofmany“possibilities,”dormantinthesoupofcreation.Aswemakenewchoicesinourliveseachday,weawakennewpossibilities,andfine-tunetheeventualoutcome.Thisviewimpliesthateachtimeweaskfor something in prayer, a possibility exists where our prayer is alreadyanswered.Ifthisviewofourworldiscorrect,theninthegaragemenagerieofmychildhood,forexample,eachshatteredbeak,tornlimb,andbrokenbonewas one possible outcome for that moment. In the same moment, anotheroutcome existed where each animal in my care was already healed. Eachoutcomealreadyexisted.Eachpossibilitywasreal.Thekeytochoosingoneoutcomefromamongmanypossibleoutcomesis

our ability to feel as if our choice has already come to pass. From ourprevious definition of prayer as “feeling,” then, stated anotherway,we are

invitedtofindthequalityofthoughtandemotionthatproducessuchafeeling—livingasifourprayerhadalreadybeenanswered.Forhowmaywebenefitfrom the effect of our thought and emotion, if each pattern ismoving in arandomdirection?If,ontheotherhand,thepatternsofourprayerarefocusedintounion,howcanthe“stuff”ofcreationfailtorespondtoourprayer?When thought, feeling, and emotion are not aligned, each may be

consideredasoutofphasewiththeothers.Whiletheremaybebriefareasofoverlap,muchofthepatternisunfocused,workingin

Fig.1.Thought,feeling,andemotionasunalignedpatterns.Intheabsenceofunion,theymaylosetheirfocus.

differentdirections,independentoftherestofthepattern.Theresultisascatteringofenergy.For example, if our thought is “I choose the perfectmate inmy life,” a

pattern of energy is released that expresses that thought. Any feeling oremotionthatisnotinsyncwithourthoughtisincapableofempoweringourchoiceofaperfectmate.Iftheyaremisalignedthroughfeelingsthatwearenotworthyofhavingsuchaperfectpartneroremotionsoffear,ourpatternsmay actually hinder our choice from becoming our outcome. In thisnonaligned state we may find ourselves asking why our affirmations andprayershavenotworked.Throughthesesimpleexamples,itbecomesclearwhyprayerbringsabout

thegreatestchangewhentheelementsofprayerarefocusedandalignedwithoneanother.

Fig.2.Thoughtmisalignedwithfeelingandemotion.Thisconditionmayrenderourprayerscatteredandineffective.

Withoutusingthewordprayer,andcertainlyinalesstechnicalfashion,theideaof unifying thought, emotion, and feeling and living from theplaceofour heart's desire was offered early in this century using a very differentlanguage.Furtheraffirmingtheuseofourfifthmodeofprayer,ofassumingthat our prayer has already happened, the work of Neville offers thefollowing: “You must abandon yourself mentally to your wish fulfilled inyour love for that state, and in sodoing, live in thenewstate andnomorefromtheoldstate.”8Thougheffective,Neville'sdescriptionsofourabilitytochange outcomes and choose newpossibilities in our livesmay havemadelittle sense to the people of the early twentieth century. As with so manythinkerswhoseideasareaheadoftheirtime,littlewasknownaboutNeville'sworkuntilafterhisdeathin1972.Understandingssuchas theseallowus toviewprayerasbotha language

and a philosophy bridging the worlds of science and spirit. Just as otherphilosophies are expressed through unique words and specializedvocabularies, prayer has a vocabulary of its own in the silent language offeeling.Sometimesanideathatmakesperfect

Fig.3.“…whosoevershallsayuntothismountain,Bethouremoved…thosethingswhichhesaithshallcometopass.”(Mark11:23).Thekeyto

effectiveprayeristheunionofthought,feeling,andemotion.

sense tous inone languagehasvery littlemeaning in another languagethatwearenotfamiliarwith.Still,thelanguageexists.The philosophy of peace, for example, may be expressed through

languagesasdiverseasphysicsandpolitics,aswellasprayer.Forexample,thegreatestpeaceinphysicsmaybedescribedastheabsenceofmotioninasystem.Insuchalanguage,whenfrequency,velocity,andwavelengthreachzero, the system is at rest and we have peace. In politics, peace may beinterpretedastheendofaggressionortheabsenceofwar.Ourprayersmaybethoughtofinmuchthesameway.Through the language of prayer, peace may actually be described as an

equation,bringingprayerevenclosertooursciencethatmanyhavedaredtobelieve.Ratherthantheequationsofnumbersandvariables,however,logic,feeling, and emotion become the components in our equation of prayer.Taking the formof a standardmathematical proof—if such-and-such is so,then wewitness such and-such an outcome—our equation of active prayermaybeseenasfollows:

In the presence of this union, the forces of our inner technologymay be

focused and applied to our outer world. As we align the components ofprayer, we find ourselves speaking the silent language of creation—thelanguagethatmovesthemountain,endsthewars,anddissolvesthetumors.

Thebeauty of prayer is that it is not necessary to knowprecisely how itworkstobenefitfromitsmiraculouseffects.Inthisuniversaltechnology,wearesimplyinvitedtoexperience,feel,andacknowledgewhatourfeelingsaresaying to us.Our prayers come to life aswe focus upon the feeling of ourheart'sdesire,ratherthanthethoughtofourknowingworld.

TheForgottenKey

Iknewthattheanswerexistedsomewhereinthetextsthatsurroundedme.Somewhereamongthebooks,papers,documents,andmanuscriptsscatteredontheflooraroundmewerewordsthatancientmastershadwrittenovertwothousandyearsago,withmoments just like this inmind.Theyknewthat insomefuturegenerationthesamequestionswouldbeaskedthatwereposedtothemastersinthefirstmillenniumA.D.Thoughitwouldbeadifferentworld,thequestionswouldbethesame,questionsregardingourrelationshiptothecosmos,ourCreator, and one another. Specifically, they knew that those intheir futurewould reachapointofdevelopmentwhere theachievementsoftheirdaywouldcalltothem,invitingthemtoremembertheveryfoundationofhumannatureandreclaimtheessenceoftheirlives.Iknewthatcluesintoanancient lineageofwisdomwereleftforustoday,foramomentpreciselylikethis.Itwastwoo'clockinthemorning.Ihadbeenseatedonthefloorforhours,

poringoverthetextsthatsurroundedme.Istoodupandwalkedtooneofthewindowsoverlookingthousandsofacresofhighdesertsage.Inthemoonlesslandscape,Icouldbarelymakeoutthesilhouetteofthemountaintothenorth,risingovertwothousandfeetabovethevalleyfloor.Takingadeepbreath,Iwalkedbacktothecenterofthefive-sidedbuilding,thelargestroomontheproperty. Looking to the ceiling, once again I pondered themystery of thebeamsthatappearedfromeachwall,angledtowardtheskythatmetatapointabovethecenterof theroom.Apartfromthesesquarebeamsmadeofpine,therewerenoothersignsofsupportholdingtheroof.Ihadalwaysmarveledathoweachbeam,eightinchessquare,wasanchoredintotheearthenwalls,twenty-fourinchesthick,toholduptheceiling.Thestructureprovidedaverysacredspace.ItalwaysfeltasthoughIwereinthewomboftheearthwhenIfoundmyself in the“dome,”assomepeople in thevalley liked tocall it. Itwasperfectforeveningssuchasthisone.Takingadeepbreath,Isighedandreclaimedmyspaceonthefloor.Ihad

dedicated several weeks to piecing together fragments of an understandingthatwoulddescribewhatIbelievedweretheelementsofasciencelosttotheWestnearlyseventeenhundredyearsago.ReachingforadocumentthatIhadseenhundredsoftimesbefore,oncemoreIbegantoleafthroughthepages.Suddenlymyeyes focusedonasequenceofwords that Ihadskimmed justfractionsofasecondbefore.Somethinginthatparticulargrouping,apatternofwords,caughtmyattention.Ihadprobablyseenthesamewordsonmanyoccasions. This time, however, they looked different and I found myselfflipping through thebook, scanning the text forwordsof familiarity.About

three-quartersof thewaydownonepage, I found them.The text that Iwasleafing throughhad converted the ancient languageof theMiddleEast intoEnglish.ItwastherethatIsawtheonekeythatIwassearchingfor:thesinglewordpeace.“How,then,maywebringpeacetoourbrothers…forwewouldthatalloftheSonsofMenshareintheblessingsoftheangelofpeace?”9Thetextinmyhandsechoedthequestionaskedtwothousandyearsago,a

question that isoftenheardrepeated inpublicforumstoday.Howarewe tofeed our hungry, house our homeless, heal our ill, and end our wars andsuffering? Though relief aid, military solutions, and fragile treaties mayaddress the outward expressions of suffering on a physical level, and itremainsimportanttodoso,thekeytolastingchangecomesfromshiftingthethinkingthatallowstheseformsofsufferingtocontinue.Perhapsinresponseto the same questions that modern seekers ask today, the visionaries andscribesofourpast leftus theirunderstandings, explaininghow tobring thepowerofprayertobearuponthechallengesofsociety.Religious and spiritual practices in our time have asked us toweave the

threadsofprayerintothefabricofourlives.Seldom,however,havewebeenshown how. At very best, the well-intentioned instruction offered today isvague,inexact,andnebulous.In texts carrying a lineage of wisdom that predates our history, we are

shown the fine points of this powerful technology lost long ago. Afteridentifyingtheelementsofthought,feeling,andemotion,theEssenesactuallyshowushowtomergethethreecomponentsintoafocusedapplication!Theydo so by identifying a commondenominator that links the endof sufferingwithaligningtheelementsofprayer.Thatthreadmaybestbedescribedbythemastersofprayerintheirownwords:

First shall the Son ofMan seek peacewithin his own body; for hisbodyisasamountainpondthatreflectsthesunwhenitisstillandclear.Whenitisfullofmudandstonesitreflectsnothing.Then shall the Son of Man seek peacewithin his own thoughts.…

There isnogreaterpower inheavenandearth than the thoughtof theSonofMan.Thoughunseenbytheeyesofthebody,yeteachthoughthasmightystrength,evensuchstrengthcanshaketheheavens.ThenshalltheSonofManseekpeacewithhisown feelings.Wecall

ontheAngeloflovetoenterourfeelings,thattheymaybepurified.Andall thatwasbefore impatienceanddiscordwill turn intoharmonyandpeace.10

Thesewere thewords!Thesewere theclues that theEsseneshad left for

futuregenerations.Notonlydidtheysharewithusthepossibilitiesthatprayermaybringintoourlives,theyopenedthedoortopossibilitiesofprayerthat

Westernscienceexplainsawayas“miracles.”Knowingthatwewouldreachapoint in our evolution where we would be asked to redefine the role oftechnologyinourworld, theyleftus thekeytoaffirminglife in thescienceandmysteryoflifeitself.Theirsecretistheancientcodeofpeace.Subtleandperhaps deceptively simple, the power of our lostmode of prayer is foundwithintheframeworkofpeace!I turned the pages excitedly, looking for further confirmation, perhaps a

hidden clue describing the role that peace may play in the present day.Exceedingmyexpectations,thewordsnearlyjumpedatmefromthemiddleofthenextpage.“SeektheAngelofpeaceinallthatlives,inallyoudo,ineverywordyouspeak.Forpeaceisthekeytoallknowledge,toallmystery,toalllife.”11In the tradition of their time, the Essene word for “angel” could be

translatedanumberofways,including“powersorforcesthatbe.”Withthisin mind, the words power or force may replace the word angel for thosewhose beliefs suggest that angels are a religious orChristian term.Clearly,the technology offered through the gift of prayer transcends any secular orreligious orientation. The Essenes appear to be describing a universaltechnologythat,insomeinstances,datestofivehundredyearsbeforethetimeofChrist.Revealing itself inall aspectsof their lives, even themomentsofgreeting and departing were viewed by the Essenes as an opportunity toaffirm the power of peace within their world. The last words spoken bymembersofthebrothersandsistersoftheEsseneswere“Peacebewithyou.”Now the pieces were in place. Through these words, in the language of

their time, we are offered insight into a sophisticated technology, oftenoverlooked in theWest today.Beyond themicrocircuitsandcomputerchipsofmodernappliances, the technologyofprayer isbased incomponents thatare so sophisticated we have yet to duplicate them in our machinery. Thecomponentsarelogicandemotion,empoweredthroughtheoperatingsystemofpeace!AsImarkedthepagesforfuturereference,IfoundIwasalmostdizzywith

excitement.Ihadtosharetheresultsofmyeveningwithsomeone.Glancingatthesmalldigitalclockacrosstheroom,Iblinkedindisbelief.Itwasnearlyfour in the morning, certainly too early to call anyone. Reaching for myquiltedjacket,Istoodupandwalkedtowardthedoor.Mywifewassleepinginourhome,arusticbuildingseveralhundredfeetfromtheoffice.Openingthedoortostepoutside,Ifeltarushofheatfromthewoodstove

behindme,escapingintothefrostyairofthedesertnight.Thethermometerbesidethebuildingwashoveringatnearlytwentydegreesbelowzero,typicalfor this time of year. With the first rays of the high desert sun, morningtemperatureswouldquicklyrisesixtydegreeswithinanhourortwo,creatingabalmyafternoon in themid-forties.Closing thedoorbehindme, Iwalked

acrosstheloosegravelthatformedawalkwaybetweenthebuildings.Forjustamoment,Istopped.Itwasapreciousmoment.Withtheexceptionofmybreath,hangingincloudsofsteaminfrontofmy

face, therewasno sound. Itwas absolutely silent.Therewasnowind.Thefew leaves that hadnot fallen from theRussianolive trees besidemewerecurledandbrown.Theslightestmotionofwindwouldhaverustledthemintothe familiar sound of autumn. Theywere silent. I looked into the sky of acloudless night, right through the edge of the Milky Way. I had seen ithundredsoftimesbefore.Tonight,everythingseemeddifferent.Theancientshadshownushowtotouchthosestars,andbeyond,throughourinnerscienceof prayer. The reach of our prayers, they reminded us, is mirrored in ourbeliefsconcerningwhatwearecapableof.Inthatsilentmoment,itallmadesense.Irusheduptheflagstonewalkwayandacrossthedeck,intothetinyhouse

wheremywifewassleeping.Excitedly,Isatontheedgeofthebedandbegantosharewithhermydiscoveries.Sheopenedoneeyetosignalthatshewashearing me, and I paused briefly. She smiled her warm, supportive smile.Quietlysheasked,“Canwedothisinthemorning?”“Ofcourse,”Isaid,alittleembarrassedbymyexcitement.“Good,”shesaid.“Thissoundsimportant.I'dliketobeawaketohearwhat

you'vefound.”Though I was surprised at the intensity of my enthusiasm, I was not

disappointed bymywife's response.Maybe itwas time forme to sleep aswell. After all, these texts had held their secrets for two thousand years. Iknewthattheycouldwaitafewmorehoursuntilsunrise.

Knowledge,Wisdom,andPeace

Iseeasubtledistinctionbetweenthequalitiesofknowledgeandwisdom.Knowledgemaybeviewedas theelementofourexperiencethatdealswithinformation.All of the data, statistics, and behavior patterns of our past orpresentmaybesharedasknowledge.Wisdom,ontheotherhand,ishowwelive our knowledge. Knowledge may be taught and passed down forgenerationsas textsandtraditions.Theexperienceofwisdommustbelivedby each individual of each generation to know the consequences of directexperience.TherewasathemethatranthrougheachpieceofEsseneknowledgethatI

had found theprevious evening.Thecommondenominatorwas the ancientkeyofpeace.Iviewedthepoetry,analogies,andparablesleftin2,500-year-oldtextsjustasIwouldthecodeinaninstructionalbooktoday.TheEssenecodeofpeaceisbasedinfamiliarqualitiesthatwealreadyexperienceinlife:logicandemotion.Intheirway,theEssenesleftustheirknowledgeofpeace,reminding us of two things. First, we are shown the significance of peacethroughoutallofcreation.Second,weareshownhowapplyingpeacetoourinnerworldcreateschangeinourouterworld.ThescholarsoftheQumrancommunitieshaveremindedusofthepotential

that prayer may bring into our lives. Through their description of prayer'scomponents,we are given the equation formoving electrical energy acrossthemembranesofourcellwalls,generatingcomplexpatternsinthesubstanceof human consciousness, and creating specific chemistries within thelaboratoriesofourbodies. In thepresenceof suchpower, is itpossible thattheimageof“movingthemountain”isaliteraldescriptionofthegreatpowerthat lives as our greatest potential? In light of science's confirmation ofprayer'seffects,wemustreconcilethepossibilityofsuchapowerwithinourlives.Ofallthedistortionthathasoccurredinthetranslationsofourmostsacred

texts, the last key to our technology of prayer is one element that slippedthrough the fourth-centuryeditsof theNiceanCouncil and remainswithustoday. Though thewordsmay have been streamlined somewhat, enough oftheoriginalintentremainstousheranewperspectiveintoourlives.Elementsof this key exist today in our biblical texts as well as in the EssenemanuscriptspredatingourBiblebyseveralhundredyears.Such“crossover”passagesfuelthebeliefthatthetwodocumentsarosefromacommonorigin.Insometeachings,thelostcodeisknownastheGreatCommandment.The

BookofMark,chaptertwelve,versethirtysolvesthelastmysterytomergingtheelementsofprayerintofocusedunion.Tocreatethispower,weareinvited

to love inaveryspecificway.“Thoushalt love thyGodwithall thyheart,withallthysoul,withallthymind,withallthystrength.”Perhapsthekeytounderstanding thismysteriouspassage is tobe found in theEsseneviewofourrelationshipwithourCreator.Fromtheirperspective,weareonewithourFather inheaven.“Beside theriverstands theholyTreeofLife.Theredothmy Father dwell, andmy home is in him.TheHeavenly Father and I areOne.”12Within each person thatwalks thisworld lives the divine spark ofcreation and of our Creator. This understanding, then, becomes the greatchallenge to our mystery. To focus our prayer, we must love the creativeprinciple of life itself, our Creator, with all of our heart, soul, mind, andstrength.BecauseweareonewithourFatherinheaven,indoingso,wehavejust lovedourselves.Through these four specifics,we are remindedhow tohonorthelovethattheEssenesreferredtoas“thesourceofallthings.”Thekey is that it is only in thepresenceof thiskindof love that thequalityofpeacemaybefoundtorewardthelaborofourprayer.Thewordshavebeenofferedbefore.Preciselywhatdo theymean?Whatdoes itmean to love inthisway?Howarewetolovewithallofourheart,soul,mind,andstrength?The lost code of the Essenes reminds us how this peace may be

accomplished.Itisthroughourbody,heart,andmindthatweexperienceourthought, feelings, andemotions.Whilewemaysense little controloverourperceptions,itisthroughourlinktoourperceptionsthatwemaychoosethequality of our experience. The last portion of our code, based in logic andemotion,isperhapsthefinalkeyinourquesttounifyourprayers.“Knowthispeacewith thymind,desire thispeacewith thyheart, fulfill thispeacewiththybody.”13Throughthe logicofourmind,wemustknowpeacetobe true.Wemust

proveittoourselves,demonstratingtheviabilityofpeaceinourlivesandinourworld.Throughthestrengthofourhearts,wemustthendesirethispeacein all that we experience. Peace already exists in our world. We arechallengedtoseekitout,tofindpeaceeveninplaceswhereitmaylookasifpeacedoesnotexist.Itisthroughourbodiesthatweexpressourmindsandour hearts.We choose the actions thatwe offer to theworld. This passageremindsustoallowouractionstomirroroutwardlythechoicesthatwehavealreadymadewithin.In this way the Essenes challenged us to a code of conduct, of sorts.

Thoughothersmaychooseactionsintheirlivesthatdenylifeinthemselvesorothers, through thesewordswemayholdourselves toahigher standard.Weareinvitedtocreatepeaceineachoftheseelements,toachievethelovethatbringsunitytoouractions.

SecretsofPrayerandHealing

Wemaylooktopre-ChristiantraditionsoftheancientEssenesforsomeoftheleastdistortedrecordsofourforgottentechnologies.PerhapsthegreatestinsightintotheeloquenceofsuchwisdommaybefoundintheEssenemodelofprayer andhealing,whichmakes anassumption thatbeginswheremanymodern therapiesconclude.The fundamental tenetofEssenehealing is thatwe are already healed.Within each moment of our time in this world wemake choices either affirming or denying the life that already exists in ourbodies.Essene masters viewed the expressions of illness as powerful illusions,

stemming from choices and actions made by the individual, rather thanlookingtoexternal“causes.”Theybelievedthatwedetermineourresponsetothe conditions of our world—sometimes consciously, other times not.Throughtheirmostsacredwritings,weknowtheEssenephilosophyviewedtheblueprintofoursoulsasadivineexpressionofourCreator,untouchedanduntaintedbytheexperiencesoflife.Oursoulsarealreadyhealed,andseektoexpressthatstatethroughourbodies.Acceptingourhealingthroughourownbeliefsandforgiveness,ourhealingismirroredthroughoursouls’expressioninthisworld,ourbodies.This perspective invites us to view the conditions thatwewitness in our

bodiesasindicatorsofthequalityofourchoices.Ifwecoulddistillthemanyproverbs,parables, teachings,andsayings intobrief,concisesummaries,wewoulddiscoverthat this thinkingsuggests thatweaffirmordenylifeinourbodies through the quality of four assumptions or tenets. Each tenetcontributes toouroverall expressionof health andvitality.Each testifies tothe interrelated nature of spirit,matter, and life.Wemay view these tenetstoday, through twentieth-century idiom, as possiblemodels offering insightintothechoicesthatwemakeonadailybasis—theirnature,ourreasonsformakingthem,andtheirpossibleoutcomes.Onthefollowingpages,eachtenetisstatedconcisely,inafewwordsora

single sentence. An explanation follows, in the form of an example or asimple description.Thenwe examine the implications and consequences ofthetenet,focusingonwhyitisimportant.Finally,weareshownhowtoapplyaparticulartenetinourlivestoday.

TENET1.WEAREALREADYHEALED.

Explanation

Thekeytounderstandingthistenetissameonethatallowsustochoosenewoutcomesforexistingconditions.Theunderstandingthatwearealreadyhealed stems fromourviewof theworld as an arrayofpossibleoutcomes,andfromourabilitytochoosewhichoutcomeweexperience.Inherentinthisfaith isouracknowledgmentofour roleasanempoweredforce increation,bringing new outcomes into focus while releasing those that have alreadyservedus.Ourbodyisthefeedbackmechanism,mirroringtousthequalityofour choices of thought, feeling, emotion, breath, nutrients, and movement,andourhonoringoflife.Intheexampleofthedisappearingtumor(chapter4),ratherthanimposing

thewillofhealingupontheconditionofthecancer,thepractitionerschosetofeel, think,andemote fromanoutcome inwhich the tumorhadneverbeenpresent. In doing so, they attracted the new outcome, the overlay of aquantumpossibilitymirroringtheirbeliefsofthemoment.Intwominutesandfortyseconds, thenewbelief replaced theoldbelief.Theancientsknewthepower of such technology as amode of prayer, transcending any religious,mystic,orscientificprinciples.

Implications

Toacceptthetenetthatwearealreadyhealed,weareinvitedtoallowforthepossibilitythattherearemanyoutcomesforagivencondition.Theactofmakingnewchoicesinourlivesisthetechnologythatallowsustoselectnewpossibilities.From theviewpoint thatdefinesprayer as aqualityof feeling,prayeralsobecomesourlanguagetofine-tunelife-affirmingchoicesofhealthandrelationship.Thetenetthatwearealreadyhealedremindsusthateachtimeweasktobe

healed in one outcome, a possibility exists where our prayer is alreadyanswered in another. With this possibility in mind, each time we arediagnosed with a condition of ill health or lifethreatening disease, we arebeingshownonlyoneofmanypossibleoutcomesforthatmoment.Thediagnosisofaconditionisnotnecessarilyeitherincorrectorcorrect.In

theabsenceofallowingforotherpossibilities,itissimplyincomplete.Inthesamemoment,anotheroutcomemustexistinwhichtheillhealth,disease,orconditionisnotpresent.Eachpossibilityalreadyexists.Eachoutcomeisreal.Throughtheeyesofthistenet,thedifferencebetweenoutcomesisamatterofourperspective.

AppliedtoOurLives

Ineachmoment,wemakechoicesthataffirmordenylifeinourbodies.

Consciously or unconsciously, we choose the quality of six parameters:thought, feeling, emotion, breath, nutrient, andmovement. For each of theparameters,wemustaskwhetherweprovideourselvesthehighestqualityofeach thatwearecapableof. In theevent thatwediscoverconditionswithinourbodiesthatwechoosetochange,ourqualityofhealthisoursignaltolookatoneoracombinationofthesixparametersoflife.Applyingour lostmodeofprayer to the tenet thatwearealreadyhealed,

our prayer becomes a clarification of the condition(s) that we choose toportraytotheworld,ratherthanapleaforachangeinourpresentcondition.Feelingandlivingfromtheknowledgethatnewconditionsarepresenttunesustotheoutcomeofournewchoice.

TENET2.THEREISONLYONEOFUSHERE.

Explanation

Global census figures indicate that there are approximately 6 billionpeople living on earth today. This tenet reminds us that each person is aunique, individualizedexpressionofasingle,unifiedawareness.Within thisoneness, the choices and actions of each person affect all others to somedegree.

Implication

Theimplicationsofthistenetarevastand,atthesametime,tremendouslyrelevant.Initsbroadestsense,ourrolewithinaunifiedawarenessmeansthattherecanbenoisolatedactions,no“them”and“us.”Nolongercanweviewtheconditionsofourworldas“theirproblems”and“ourproblems.”Inafieldofunifiedconsciousness,eachchoicethatwemakeandeveryactweperformin eachmoment of each daymust affect every other person in this world.Someactionsproduceagreatereffectandsomealesserone.Still,theeffectisthere.Each timewe choose a newway to dealwith the challenges of life, our

solutioncontributes to thediversityofhumanwill thatensuresoursurvival.As one of us pioneers a new creative solution to the seemingly smallchallenges of our individual lives, we become a living bridge for the nextpersonwho findshimself orherself facedwith the samechallenge, and thenext,andsoon.Eachtimeoneofusfacestheconditionthatothershavefacedinthepast,wehavemoreoptionsfromourcollectiveresponsetodrawfrom.Relatively few individualsmay create possibilities that become choices forthewhole.

Impliedinsuchaworldofunifiedawarenessaretheconsequencesofouractions.Eachtimewehurtothersthroughourwordsoractions,ineffectwehavehurtourselves.Each timewe take the lifeofanother,wehave takenapartofourownlives.Theverythoughtsthatallowustohurtanotherlimitourabilitytoexpressthewillofcreationthroughourselves.Atthesametime,eachtimeweloveanother,wehavejustlovedourselves.

Each time we create time for another, strive to understand another, makeourselves available for another,we have just done each of these things forourselves.Whenwedisapproveof theactions,choices,orbeliefsofothers,wewitness through them those portions of ourselves that ask for a greaterhealing.

Application

Asothersperformactionsthatwemayjudgenegatively,weareinvitedtoacknowledge their role inunityas thepartofus thathaschosenadifferentway.Withoutcondoning,consentingto,orevenagreeingwiththeactionsofanother,we are compassionately invited to bless the action as a possibilityandmoveforwardwithourchoiceofanewway.Thekeytoouronenessistheleveragetotransformourworld.Thepower

ofouronenessallowsforarelativelyfewindividualstoaffectthequalityoflifeforanentirepopulation.

TENET 3.WE ARE IN RESONANCE, “TUNED” TO OURWORLD.

Explanation

Weareapartofallthatweperceive.Asbundlesofatoms,molecules,andcompounds,we aremade of precisely the same elements that ourworld ismadeof,nothinglessandnothingmore.Thefoundationofmanyancientandindigenous beliefs, this tenet invites us to remember that through unseenthreadsandimmeasurablecords,wearepartofeveryexpressionoflife.Inaworldofsuchresonance,everyrock,tree,mountain,river,andoceanisapartofus.Whateverhappenstothematerialsofourworldisfeltbyourbodies.The materials that surround us in our daily lives mirror the quality of

choices thatwehavemade inour lives.Without exception, ourhomes, ourautomobiles,ourpets,andourearthmirrortous,ineachmoment,thequality,implications,andconsequencesofourlifechoices.

Implication

As we learn to recognize what the conditions of our outer world aresaying tous,weare shownempoweringpossibilities for creatingchange inourworldthroughchangesinourlives.Researchershavedocumentedshiftsin the earth in direct relationship to the changes in human consciousness.Fromtheextremesofanger to theheightsofcompassion, sensorsplaced inthe ground surrounding the individual experiencing the emotions detect thechangeinbiologicalfrequency.Whatistheoutwardeffectofmanypeople,perhapsentirecommunitiesor

cities,sharingcommonemotionsofangerorcompassion?Is itpossible thatthehealingofemotionswithinthesmallworldofourbodieshaseffectsuponthe world around us, on such things as weather patterns and earthquakeactivity?

Application

In each moment of life, we are in relationship to the elements of ourworld. Through our friendships, romances, homes, vehicles, and thecircumstances of life, we are offered powerful insights into our beliefsystems, judgments, and intentions.Aswechangeourbeliefs and findnewways toexpressourselves, this tenetstates that theworldaroundusmirrorsourchoices.Turbulentsystemsbecomepeacefulinthepresenceofourpeace.Life-affirmingchoiceswithinourbodiescreateconditions inourworld thatmirrorourchoices.Perhapsthis isanexplanationfor theancientsuggestionthat to heal our world, we begin by becoming the conditions of healingourselves.

TENET 4. THE TECHNOLOGY OF PRAYER ALLOWSDIRECTACCESSTOOURBODIES,ONEANOTHER,ANDTHECREATIVEFORCESOFOURWORLD.

Explanation

Through our inner technology of prayer we commune with the unseenforces of our world. We have always had the ability to access and workthroughtheseforcestodeterminethequalityofourlifeandourworld.

Implication

Theexperiencesofourouterworldmirrorthechoicesthatwehavemadeineachmoment,witheachbreath.Sometimesweareawareofourchoices,

sometimes not. Recent research has documented that our emotions andfeelingsdirectlyinfluencetheexpressionofDNAinourbodies.14Additionalstudies now suggest that it is our DNA that influences the way atoms andmoleculesofourouterworldbehaveaswell!15We have witnessed the response of human tissue to specific qualities of

feeling,as in the“healing”of lesionsand tumorswithinmoments.The linkhasbeendemonstrated,thoughtheimplicationsarebeyondtheframeworkofmodernscience.Ourchoicetorecognizetherelationshipisadeeplypersonalone,invitingusonceagain“tothinkthethoughtsofangelsanddoasangelsdo.”16

Application

Prayermaybethesinglemostpowerfulforceincreation.Individually,wearegiven thesilent language thatallowsus toparticipate in theoutcomeofevents and the challenges of our lives. Together, mass prayer is ouropportunitytoshareintheoutcomeofourworld.Ancient traditions and modern scientists suggest that prayer is the

sophisticatedtechnologythatallowsustorecognizethepossibilitiesoffutureoutcomesandchoosewhichoutcomeweexperience.Aswebecometheveryconditionsthatwechoosetoexperienceinourworld,weattracttheoutcomethatmirrors our choice. In doing so,wars, disease, and suffering no longersimply“happen”;rather,weareshownamechanismfortheiroccurrence.Atthesametime,weareofferedthepowertochooseagain.Howironic it is that the findingsof twentieth-century technology, largely

the product of defense and military applications, have led to the insightsdirectingus to thepowerfulyet simplescienceofprayer.The foundation isnow inplace.Thedatahavebeenmeasuredand theexperimentshavebeenrun. We have proved, at least under certain conditions, that thought andemotionproducefeeling,andthatfeelingproducesthevibratorypatternsthataffect our world. As we change the quality of our feeling, we change thepatternofthevibration,thusshiftingpatternsofourouterworld.The question now becomes how, and towhat degree, do our patterns of

feelingaffecttheworldaroundus?Ifwecanfindalinkbetweentheinvisibleforceofhumanfeelingandtheeffectofourfeelingsontheworldaroundus,then we have come full circle. Such a link would give new credibility toancient traditions and the abilities of mystics and yogis reported over theyears. Perhaps the work of Vladimir Poponin may offer some of the firstevidencetoconfirmadirectlinkbetweenmatterandhumanDNA.

MovingMountains:TheDNAPhantomEffect

In the early 1990s,Moscow's RussianAcademy of Sciences reported astartling relationship between DNA and the qualities of light, measured asphotons.17 In a report detailing these early studies, Dr. Vladimir PoponindescribedaseriesofexperimentssuggestingthathumanDNAdirectlyaffectsthephysicalworld throughanewandpreviouslyunknownfieldconnectingthetwo.Recognizedasaleadingexpertinthefieldofquantumbiology,Dr.PoponinwasonloantoanAmericanresearchinstitutionwhenthisseriesofexperimentswascarriedout.Theexperimentsbeganasthepatternsoflightinavacuumweremeasured

inacontrolledenvironment.Afteralloftheairwasremovedfromaspeciallydesignedchamber, thepatternsandspacingof the lightparticles followedarandom distribution, as expected. These patterns were double-checked anddouble-recorded, to be used as a reference for the next portion of theexperiment.ThefirstsurprisecameasphysicalsamplesofDNAwereplacedinsidethe

chamber.Inthepresenceofgeneticmaterial,thespacingandpatternsofthelight particles shifted. Rather than the scattered pattern that the researchershad seen before, the particles of light began to fall into a new patternresembling the crests and troughsof a smoothwave.TheDNAwas clearlyinfluencing the photons, as if shaping them into the regularity of a wavepatternthroughaninvisibleforce.ThenextsurprisecametotheresearchersastheyremovedtheDNAfrom

thechamber.Fullybelieving that theparticlesof lightwould return to theiroriginal state of random distribution, something very unexpected occurred.The patterns were very different from those seen before the DNA wasintroduced. In his own words, Poponin described the light as behaving“surprisingly and counterintuitively. ”After rechecking the instruments andrerunning the experiments, the researchers were faced with finding anexplanation forwhat they hadwitnessed. In the absence of theDNA,whatwasaffectingtheparticlesoflight?DidtheDNAleavesomethingbehind,aresidual force of some kind, that lingered long after the biologicalmaterialhaddisappeared?Poponin writes that he and the researchers were “forced to accept the

working hypothesis that some new field structure is being excited….” ToemphasizethattheeffectwasrelatedtothephysicalDNAmolecule,thenewphenomenon was named the “DNA phantom effect.” Poponin's “new fieldstructure”soundssurprisinglysimilar to the“matrix”ofMaxPlanck's forceandtheeffectssuggestedinancienttraditions.

This series of experiments is important because it clearly demonstrates,perhaps for the first time under laboratory conditions, a relationship thatoffersevengreatercredibilitytotheeffectofprayerinourphysicalworld.Inthis instance the DNAwas more or less a passive collection of moleculesunattached to thebrainof a conscious livingbeing.Even in the absenceofdirectfeelingpulsingthroughitsdouble-helixantenna,therewasaforceandameasurableeffectinitsimmediateworld.Researchers suggest that the average-sized person, of average height and

weight, has many trillions of cells in his or her body. If each cell, eachantenna of feeling and emotion within an individual, carries the samepropertiesaffectingtheworldaroundthem,howmuchistheeffectamplified?Now, rather than random feelings coursing through the cells of that oneperson,whathappens if the feeling isa resultofa specific formof thoughtandemotion,regulatedasprayer?Multiplytheeffectsofthisoneindividual,empowered through a specificmode of prayer, by even a fraction of the 6billionor sopeople in ourworld today, andwebegin to get a senseof thepowerinherentinourcollectivewill.Itisthepowertoendallsufferingandavertthepainthathasbeenthehallmarkofthetwentiethcentury.Thekeyisthatwemustworktogethertoachievesuchagoal.Thismayprovetobethegreatestchallengeofthethirdmillennium.In our own language we have the vocabulary to describe our forgotten

relationshiptotheforcesofourworld,theintelligenceofthecosmos,andoneanother. Using some of the most sensitive devices of our time to measurefieldsofenergy thatwedidnotevenacknowledge fiftyyearsago,ourownsciencehasnowvalidatedtherelationshipofwhichtheancientsremindedusover two thousand years ago. We have direct access to the forces of ourworld,andwehavecomefullcircle.Thisisthelanguagetomovemountains.It is thesamelanguage thatallowsus tochoose lifeovercancerous tumors,andcreatepeaceinsituationswherewemaybelievethatpeacedoesnotexist.Whenwereadofhealingmiraclesintimespast,nolongerareweleftwishingthat the same miracles could occur today. The miraculous outcomes arealreadyhere;wearesimplyaskedtochoosethem.TodayIcontinuetopray.Forme,eachmomentoflifehasbecomeaprayer.

Istillgivethanksforthegoodthingsandnowfeelempoweredtochoosenewconditionsinplaceofthosethathavecausedsufferinginthepast.Mytraininginthehardscienceshasshownmethattherearefewmysteriesandlittlewecannotvalidate, ifwedare toaccept the“laws” thatnature showsus in themiracleofeachday.Prayer has demonstrated tome that certain things are, regardless of our

ability toprove themin themoment.Forexample, Iknowthatsomeof themost sacred memories of our heritage have been scattered throughout themonasteries,churches,tombs,andtemplesofthosewhohavecomebeforeus.

Ialsoknowthatthesamememoriesliveoninthecustomsandtraditionsofpeoplesthatwemaypreviouslyhavejudgedasprimitive.Iknowthatwearecapableofbeautifuldreams,greatpossibilities,andunspokendepthsoflove.Perhapsmostimportant,Iknowthatapossibilityalreadyexistsinwhichwehaveendedthesufferingofallcreaturesbyhonoringthesacrednessofalllife.Thatpossibility is alreadyhere andwithusnow. I know these things tobetrue,becauseIhaveseenthem.Themomentweallowforsuchpossibilitiesonamassscalebecomesthefirstmomentofnewhope.Itisthatmomentthatwewillalwaysremember.Itisthemomentwhenweoverridethelastdayofprophecy.

Nationshallnotliftupswordagainstnation,neithershalltheylearnwaranymore:Fortheformerthingsarepassedaway.

—THEESSENEBOOKOFREVELATION

HEALINGHEARTS,HEALINGNATIONS

RewritingOurFutureintheDaysofProphecy

Onlymomentsearlier,Ihadbeenalone.Walkingalongtheoldroadthatparalleledthevalleytothewest,Ithreadedmywaythroughchest-highstandsofmountainsage,stillwetfromthemorningfrost.Thegroundwassoftanddrybeneatha thin layerof ice thatcrunchedundermyfeet.Witheachstep,my feet sank into the fragile mixture of clay and soil, leaving a perfectimpression of my lug-soled work boots in the desert floor behind me.Searchingintheglowofpredawn,Icouldseesomeonewalkingtowardme.AsIsquintedtoadjustmyeyes,IknewthatitwasJoseph.Wehadagreedtomeet,asweoftendid,simplytowalk,talk,andsharethemorning.Thefirstraysof thewinter sun cast long shadows frombehind theSangredeCristoMountainstoweringtotheeast.Togetherwestoodwithourbackstotherocksandgazedatthemagnificentvistabeforeus.Standing on the rim of a valley containing over 130,000 acres of an

especiallyfragrantsage,Josephstoppedandinhaledadeepbreath.“This entire field,” he began, “as far as our eyes can see, functions as a

singleplant.”Hiswords formedbrief cloudsof steamashisbreathmergedwiththechillofairstillcoldfromthenight.“Therearemanybushes in thisvalley,”hecontinued,“andeveryplant is

joined to theothers througha root system that isbeyondourview.Thoughtheyarehiddenfromoureyes,beneath theground, therootsstillexist.Theentire field is one family of sage. As with any family,” he explained, “theexperienceofonememberissharedtosomedegreebyallothers.”IlistenedtowhatJosephwassaying.Whatabeautifulmetaphor,Ithought,

ofthewaythatpeopleareconnectedtooneanotherthroughlife.Thoughwesee many bodies that we believe are strangers, living independent lives ofunrelatedtasks,thereisasinglethreadofawarenessthatbindsusasafamily.Ourconnectionis throughasystemthatwedonotsee.Still, theconnectionexists as what some have called a “universal mind”: the mystery of ourconsciousness. Like the sage plants, we are all related during our journeythroughthisworld.Inconsciousness,thereisonlyoneofushere.Sometimes the great mysteries of life become clear only when we stop

thinking about them. Though we may know information in our minds, themeaningofamysterymustbefeltbeforeitcanbelived.Intheinnocenceofthe moment, sharing the experience of another sometimes becomes thecatalysttoawakennewunderstandingswithinourselves.NowIknowwhy.I often think back to thatmorning, awedby the eloquent simplicitywith

which Joseph described the relationship of the sage plants. In addition tounderstandinghowweareconnected,Joseph'sexplanationalsodescribedthepossibilities of such a relationship. For example, when one area of sagedevelops a tolerance to an insect or a particular chemical, the entire familydemonstrates the same tolerances. The key is that many benefit from theexperiencesofjustafew.Recentstudiesintotheeffectofmassprayer—manypeople'sfeelingfocusedonacommontheme—documentsimilarrelationshipsin human consciousness.Thequality of life for an entire neighborhoodhasbeenshowntobeaffectedbythefocusedprayerofafewindividuals.Almost universally, ancient traditions believe that the relationship runs

even deeper between the world of every day and the inner world of ourconsciousness.Viewingour bodies and the earth asmirrors of one another,they suggest that the extremes witnessed in one may be considered asmetaphors for changes within the other. This thinking relates destructiveweather patterns and storms, for example, to theunsettled consciousness ofpeoplewherethestormsoccur.Atthesametime,suchholisticviewssuggestthattheextremesofearthquakes,life-threateningstorms,anddiseasemaybeeased,oreveneradicatedthroughsubtleshiftsinourbeliefsystems.If in fact these relationshipsexist, thenperhaps for the first timewemay

look to the twenty-first century with a new sense of confidence and trust.Beyondlong-standingpropheciesofathirdworldwar,beyondpredictionsofcatastrophiclossoflifeandend-of-centurychaos,the2,500-year-oldsecretofprayermay provide a rare opportunity to define our time in away thatwehaveonlyseenindreams.Rather thanprotectingourselvesfromevents thatmayappeartohavepoweroverus,wemayactuallychoosethelife-affirmingconditionsthattranscendillness,suffering,andwarinourfuture.

SoftTemples

Inthewordsoftheirtime,Gnosticscholarsappealedtofuturegenerationstorememberthattheearthisinus,thatweareinher,andthatthetwoofusareintimatelyenmeshedinallthatweexperience.NewtranslationsofEssenedocuments from theDead Sea caves illustrate even greater, and sometimesunexpected depths, of their authors’ understanding. The motivation for theceremonies,rituals,andlifestyleofearlyEssenecommunitieswastheirdeepconvictionhonoringthelivingthreadthatbindsalllife,throughoutallworlds.Essenemastersviewedourbodyasaconvergencepointthroughwhichthe

forcesofcreationjoin toexpress thewillofGod.Theyconsideredour timetogether as an opportunity to share the very experiences of anger, rage,jealousy, and hatred that we sometimes shun and judge in our lives. It isthroughthesamebodiesthatwehonethequalitiesoflove,compassion,andforgivenessthatelevateustothegreatestexpressionsofourhumanness.Forthis reason, they regardedourbodyasa sacredplace, a soft andvulnerabletempleforoursoul.It is within our body-temple that the forces of the cosmos unite as an

expressionof time,space, spirit,andmatter.Moreprecisely, it iswithin theexperience of time and space that spirit works through matter to find thefullestexpressionshonoring life. Interestingly, theQumranscholars focuseduponaparticularplacewithinthebody,ratherthanonthebodyitselfasthelandscapeofdivineexpression.InthewordsofafragmentfoundintheDeadSea Scrolls,we are reminded that through our bodieswe have “inherited aholyland…thislandisnotafieldtobeplowed,butaplacewithinuswherewemaybuildourholytemple.”1Withintheinnermostrecessesofancienttemplesarefoundthemostsacred

portions of the sanctuary. In the temples ofEgypt, for example, the holiestchapel is nestled deep in the interior of the complex. Timeworn scripturesrefertothesingleroom,oftensmallincomparisontotherestofthestructure,embedded within winding corridors and preparatory shrines as the bethelohim,theholyofholies.Itisintheholyofholiesthattheinvisibleworldofspirittouchesthephysicalmatterofourworld.Carryingthismetaphorfromthehardtemplesofstonetothesofttemples

oflife,ourbodiesmusthaveaholyofholiesaswell.Perhapsinamanneryettoberecognizedbythescienceoftoday,theinnermostportionofourlivingtemples represents the sacredplacewhere thebodyofmatter is touchedbythebreathofspirit.Doessuchaplaceexistwithinus?InareportfromthethirdannualconferenceoftheInternationalSocietyfor

theStudyofSubtleEnergiesandEnergyMedicine,scientistsdocumentedthe

nonphysical force of emotion actually changing the physical molecule ofDNA. Based in rigorous testing of individuals capable of emotional self-management,aswellascontrolsubjectswithoutanyspecializedtraining,thestudyreportedthat“individualstrainedingeneratingfocusedfeelingsofdeeplove…wereabletointentionallycauseachangeintheconformation[shape]oftheDNA”(myemphasis).2Specificqualitiesofemotion,producedatwill,determinedtowhatdegreeandhowtightlythetwostrandsofthemoleculeoflifewerecoiled!This study is important for a number of reasons.Theway that our basic

buildingblockoflifeisconfiguredplaysakeyroleinthewayDNArepairsand reproduces itself in our bodies. The question has remained as to whatdeterminestheactualshapeoftheDNAmolecule.Confirmingthelong-heldsuspicion that emotion greatly affects our health and quality of life, thesereports now demonstrate, perhaps for the first time, that emotion is themissinglink,adirectlineofcommunicationtotheverycoreoflifeitself.Could theDeadSeaScroll references to a “holy land…aplacewithinus

wherewemaybuildourholytemple”beadescriptionof theactualcellsofourbodies?Afterall, this is theplacewheresciencehasnowwitnessed themarriagebetweenspirit andmatter. If this is thecase, theneachcellwithinthetempleofourbodiesis,bydefinition,aholyofholies.Eachcellmustbeconsidered sacred! Themoment that our technology allowed us to witnessspirit shaping theworld ofmatter (emotion shapingDNA), we opened thedoortoaneweraacknowledgingtherelationshipbetweenourbeliefsandourexperience.Theunderstandingsgleanedfromsomethingasunlikelyas2,300-year-old

texts,nowvalidatedbytwentieth-centuryscience,maybeconsideredakindof“biologicalunifiedtheory.”Suchatheoryoffersalong-soughtmechanismtodescribeour relationship to all life.Beyond science, religion, andmystictraditions,wehave no name for our revisedworldview as yet.Echoing theindigenous traditionsofagespast,viewsof thiskindare reminiscentof thewordsthatourabbotleftwithusinTibet.“Weareallconnected,”hehadsaid.“Weareallexpressionsofonelife….Weareallthesameone.”PerhapsthesimilarityofhiswordstothoseofJosephdescribingthesage,

andtotheEssenetexts, isnocoincidence.Recordsindicatethataparticularsect of theEssenes, theCarmelites ofMountCarmel, transported copies oftheirmostsacredwritingsintoremoteregionsoftheworldtopreservethemfromthecorruptionthatwasbefallingsuchtextsfollowingthetimeofJesus.Native American elders describe tribal memories of emissaries bringingEssenetraditionstoNorthAmericanearlytwothousandyearsago.AdditionaltextsfoundtheirwayintosecludedmonasteriesofcentralAsia

duringthesameperiod.Oneofthesedocuments,knowntohistoriansastheAramaicGospelofMatthew, isalsoknownas theGospelof theNazirenes,

the Gospel of the Hebrews, and the Gospel of the Ebionites. All of thesenamesrefertothesamemanuscript.Thisparticulartextisclearlydocumentedas having found its way into isolated monasteries of Tibet during the firstcentury A.D., and has been established as “considerably older” than thefinishedversionoftheNewTestament.3

GatewayBeyondtheWorlds

Anironyoftenappearswiththedevelopmentofanadvancedtechnology.Generally,thesimplerthetechnologyappearstotheuser,themorecomplexthe systems are behind the scenes to allow such simplicity. A beautifulexample of this conceptmaybe found in our picture-driven computers and“pointandclick”technology.Eachtimewemoveourcomputercursoracrossthescreenandclickonthepictureofaprogramthatwechoose,wehavesetinto motion an amazingly complex series of operations. Internal pointers,machinelanguage,shellsofoperatingsystems,andapplicationprogramsarebrought to life at the speed of electrons racing along pathways ofmicrocircuits. All we did was point to a picture and push a button.Fortunately,wearenotrequiredtoknowanyoftheeventsoccurringbehindthescenes.Infact,itmaybeareliefnottoknow.Ourinnertechnologyofaccessingcreationoperatesinmuchthesameway.

Aswemastercertainexperiencesinourlives,itisthoseveryexperiencesthatopen the doors to other worlds and possibilities that we may only havedreamed of in the past. Perhaps without even realizing the power of theirwritings,ancientscholarsremindusthatfromthemomentofourbirthweareconduitsof theeasyto-use,yethighlysophisticated, technologytotransformourworld.The teachings of theEbionite andNazirene communities hint atthelostlanguageandforgottenpowerlivingwithineachofus.Itisthissilentlanguagethatallowsustobecomegateways,bringingthequalitiesofheavento earth. The wisdom, peace, and compassion that we experience in ourdreams,forexample,maybecometherealityofourworldbyreflectingsuchqualitiesinourdailylives.Through an excerpt from an Essene text, we are reminded of the

possibilitiesofsucharelationship:“…whodothbuildonearththekingdomofheaven…shalldwellinbothworlds.”4Ourlostlanguageofprayeristhebridge linking the worlds of heaven and earth. “Only through thecommunions…willwelearntoseetheunseen,tohearthatwhichcannotbeheard,andtospeaktheunspokenword.”5As deceptively simple as our most advanced computer technology, the

implicationsof thesepre-Christianconcepts touchour lives inways thatwemay never suspect. They imply thatwe each participate in the outcome ofglobal events as well as the health of our bodies and the quality of ourrelationships. Sometimeswe are aware of our participation, and sometimesnot.Inlightoftheseunderstandings,centuries-oldreferencessuggestingthatour lifetime isa rarewindowofopportunitynowtakeonnewmeaningandperhaps greater significance. It is during our time, through managing our

choices, that we are invited to create an outer world that mirrors ourinnermostprayersanddreams.

MiracleintheAndes

In the spring of 1998, theweather phenomenon known asElNiñowaswreakinghavocthroughouttheworld,intheformofextremesoftemperature,rainfall,andwinds.InthemountainsalongthewestcoastofSouthAmerica,PeruwasexperiencingthebruntofstormsystemsmovingontothemainlandfromthePacificOcean.Aftermassiverainsofrecordproportions,thefloodedlowlandsrantogether,forminganewlakecovering2,300squaremiles.Richfarmlandsthathadbeenhandeddowninfamiliesforgenerationshadchangedintoapermanentfreshwaterlandformsolargethatthenewlakeisnowvisibleonsatellitephotographs.6InotherpartsofPeru,however,ElNiñocreated the reverseeffects,with

below-averagerainfallandadryingofthedensejunglegrowthcreatedfromrainsearlierintheyear.Themountainhighlandsinthesouthernportionofthecountrybecameparticularly susceptible to a rare periodof extremedrynessandthedangerof inaccessibleforestfires.Locatedatanaltitudenearly twomilesabovesealevel,theancienttemplecomplexofMacchuPicchu,portionsofwhicharenowbelievedtohavebeenbuiltbeforethetimeoftheIncas,issituatedinthemidstofsomeofthemostluxuriantforestinthecountry.Oneof themost popular andmysterious archaeological sites remaining on earthtoday,themassivetemplecomplexdrawsthousandsoftouristseachyearandis a national treasure. The absence of rain, combinedwith the already lowhumidity of such elevations, created the conditions for fires that couldbecomeadisasterofcatastrophicproportions.IwasguidingaprayertrekthroughthemountainsoutsideofCuzcoinMay

of1998,whenourPeruvianguideandtranslatorsharedastorythat touchedeachmemberofourgroupdeeply.Atthesametime,herstoryconfirmedourbeliefinthefocusofourjourney:toexploreandembracethelostscienceofprayer.MariastoodatthefrontofourtourbusaswewoundourwaythroughthenarrowroadstotheancientsiteofPissiac,withatemplecomplexsituatedovertwomilesabovesealevel.ThenextmorningwewouldbeginafourdaytrekthroughtheAndestoourdestinationatthe“lostcity”ofMacchuPicchu.Inaddition to thephysicalchallengeof the trek, thepurposeofour journeywastocreateexperiencesthatwoulddrawfromusthestrength,wisdom,andcompassiontomovethroughourliveswithgrace.During each morning of our journey, we would begin our day with a

meditativethemethatwouldtakeondeeperandgreatermeaningaswefacedthechallengesofeachday.Thesemomentswouldbecomeexperiencestobecarriedback into theworldofour families,careers,and thecirclesof thosewhomwe loveandholdmostdear.Forexample, thestrength requiredeach

nighttocarryourbodiesintoourcampsite,locatedonashelfat14,000feet,wouldbecomeamodelforthesamestrengththatallowsustomoveforwardin the face of life's greatest challenges. Each day of the journey became areferencepointforonequalityofprayerthatheldthepotentialofservingusinthepresenceoflife'sgreatestchallenges.WhenlightninghadignitedfiresinthehighAndeanjunglesearlierinthe

year,thelocalcommunitieshadorganizedtobattletheblazesandsavetheirvillages.Despite theirefforts, the fireshadburnedoutofcontrol, spreadingfor days as government officials and local people looked on, helpless andexhausted. The fires cut a widespread path of destruction, appearing to beburninginalldirectionsatonce.Oneafternoonthewindsshiftedandthefireheaded directly toward the temples ofMacchu Picchu.Mobilizing the fewresources available, firefighters mounted an effort to smother the flamesbeforetheyreachedthismostfamousexampleofAndeanhistory.Withlittleequipment, railroads washed out, and trails blocked with mudslides fromearlierrains, theonlysourceofwaterwasthenarrowUrubambaRiver, inacanyon several thousand feet below. Efforts to rescue the temples werefruitless.Thefrontlineofthefireadvanced,razingtheperipheralsitesofthemulti-acrecomplex.AstheflamesscorchedtheoutlyingtemplesonthepeakofnearbyWyannuPicchu,thesituationlookedhopeless.Exhaustingallothermeansofstoppingtheinferno,localvillagersresorted

toatechnologythathadbeenapartoftheircultureforcenturies.Ingroupsoffamilies and as individuals, publicly and privately, they began to pray.Thoughthespecificprayersvaried,theunderlyingthemewasconsistent:theyprayed to spare the temples of Macchu Picchu. Collectively they weredirecting their prayers to a common challenge.Within hours the people ofSouthern Peru witnessed an event that many consider to be a miracle. Alowpressure system developed over their portion of the Andes. A mass ofmoist,warmairfromthecoastmergedwiththecold,dryairofthemountains,theskiesclouded,anditbegantorain.Therainbecameadownpour,soakingthedenseforestwherethefirehad

jumped from treetop to treetop.Rainwaterpoureddown throughgullies cutfrom the baremountaintops, into the parched earth below.Mixingwith therich soil to create a thick blackmud, the slurry steamed as it poured overheated rocks into the fire zone. Within hours the flames had disappeared,leavingsmoldering tree trunks in thewakeof theworst fire in the recordedhistory of the area.Outsiders looking on hadwitnessedwhat they believedwas a fortunate coincidence. Government officials were mystified. Localvillagersweresimplyrelieved.Tothemtherewasnomystery.Godhadheardtheirprayers,andanswered.Similar stories have been shared regardingmass prayers accelerating the

peace process in Northern Ireland, avoiding the loss of life from NATO

bombingraidsinIraq,andthemysteriouscoursechangeofanasteroidonapathtocollidewithearthin1996.Ineachinstance,circumstancesthatwerecertain to result ina tragicoutcome,with theequallycertain lossofhumanlife,shiftedunexpectedly. Ineach instance theshiftwascoincidentwith theeffort ofmany individuals and groups coordinated inmass prayer.Westernsciencehasnowvalidatedthat,atleasttoadegree,ourouterworldofatomsandelementsmirrorsourinnerworldofthoughtandemotion.Couldcreatingpeaceandcooperationinourworldbeassimpleasjoininginunifiedprayersofthesame?Forhundredsofgenerationstheframeworkofprayerasasupportsystemin

times of joy as well as crisis has played a central role in the lives ofindividuals, families, and communities. Crossing the boundaries of culture,age,religion,andgeography,thesilentlanguageofprayerisperhapsthemostuniversal custom that we share as a species. It is almost as if somewhere,hiddeninthemistsofourcollectivehistory,wehaveamemoryofthissacredlanguagethatspeakstotheunseenforcesofourworldandoneanother.Perhapsit isourdeepandverypersonalviewsofprayerthathasallowed

ouruniversal custom tobecomea sourceof our separateness aswell.Eventoday,aswestepintothefirstdaysofthethirdmillennium,emotionsrunhighasscienceandphilosophydebatethepowerofprayer.Totheancients,totheindigenouspeopleofourworld,and inmanyWesternhouseholds today,nophysical proof of the power of prayer is required. Those who pray havewitnessed the outcome of their prayers for generations in the absence ofvalidation,measurement, orwhatmany todaymay call scientific proof. Topeopleoffaith,themiraclesintheirlivesarealltheprooftheyneed.Forothersofourtime,however,itistheabilitytomeasure,document,and

validate thewondersof life thathaveallowed them tobuild the technologythathasbroughtussafelytothismomentinourlives.Eachpathisvalid.Bothinviteustomakethechoicesthatdefineourfuture.

WhatWouldItTake?

Masses of people have always fascinated me. Gazing into hundreds offacesfromthesolitudeofanairportcaféorabenchontheedgeofabustlingcity square,many times I havewonderedwhat itwould take to bring eachperson, independently carrying out seemingly unrelated tasks, together in acommonmomentofpeaceandcooperation.Whateventcouldpossiblyreachbeyondthedifferencesofappearance,past theconcernsofdailyroutines, toawakenthememoryofacommonhistory,leadingintoasharedfutureintheonlyworldthatweknow?Oneschoolofthoughtsuggeststhataspeopleandnationswehavegrown

soseparatefromourearthandfromoneanotherthatonlyacrisisofimmenseproportionswillawakenourmemoriesofonenessandrenewthepossibilityofcooperation. Strangely, it appears that times of adversity draw from us ourdeepestknowledge,expressedasourgreatest strengths, to triumphoveroursharedordeals.Duringsuchtimes,acommongoaltakesprecedenceoveranydifferencesofethnicorigin,socialclass,andculture.Historydemonstratesthatdiversepopulationstendtopulltogetherintimes

ofcrisis.DuringtheKobeearthquakeinJapan,forexample,thegreatfiresinMexico,or theunprecedentedhurricaneseasonof1998,peopleofallwalksoflifeabandonedtheirsocialstatustoofferassistanceinplaceswhereitwasmost needed. Suddenly, corporate executives were standing beside streetvendorsintheremainsofcollapsedbuildingstofreechildrentrappedintherubble. Bank presidents were working with the national guard to shore upflooded levees.During one of theworst ice storms in recorded history, 5.2millionpeoplesurvivedwithoutpower for thirty-threedays in thewinterof1998.InportionsofCanadaandthenortheasternUnitedStates,communitieswhere people had barely known one another only days before sharedemergencykeroseneheatersandcookstoves.It may be that a similar scenario, perhaps on a global scale, will be the

impetus tomergeour inner technologyofprayer,quantum thought, and thepowerofhumanemotion.Thethreatofarogueasteroidhurtlingtowardearth,forinstance,oradiseasethatcannotbestoppedwithconventionalmedicine,might be a catalyst for such cooperation. Fortunately, these examples arehypothetical, at least for now. Not so hypothetical, however, is a growingthreattothefragilepeacethathasgracedourworldsincetheendofthelastworldwar,overfiftyyearsago.

NationAgainstNation

At the birth of the twenty-first century, the conditions appear to be inplaceforagreatpolarizationofworldpowers,bringingthethreatofaglobalwarwellwithintherealmofpossibility.Countriesthathavepreviouslybeenviewed as less of a factor in global strategies are taking on new andunexpectedrolesintheunfoldingdramathatisreshapingourworld.Thelasttwoyearsofthetwentiethcentury,forexample,sawanumberof

newcountries joining theexclusive ranksof thosepossessingnuclear arms.Ofparticularnotewere thesurpriseweapons testsof IndiaandPakistan. Inspiteofadamantpleas for restraintby theUnitedNationsSecurityCouncil,Russia,andtheUnitedStates,thetwotechnologicalrivalshavecontinuedtotesttheirweaponsanddeliverysystems,defendingtheirpeacetimeescalationofnuclearweaponsintheinterestofnationalsecurity.Thoughmany scoff at the possibility of a global war, believing that the

horrorsofWorldWarIIaretoofreshinourmemorytoallowsuchaneventagain,it isimportanttoremainvigilantanddiscerning,andtorecognizethesignificance of global events that, at first, may seem far away with littlerelevancetohome.The late-centurycrisis inKosovoofferedanexampleof just suchevents.

Thoughtheyappearedtocasualobserverstohave“comeoutofnowhere,”theconflicts leading to the Kosovo crisis actually stem from centuries-oldtensions in a portion of Eastern Europe that many analysts refer to as the“Balkanpowderkeg.”FollowingtheethniccleansingandwartimeatrocitieswitnessedbytheworldinBosnialessthatadecadebefore,thenationsoftheWestwereunwilling to allowa similar tragedy to continue inKosovo.Theintent,duration,andformofmilitaryintervention,however,werefactorsthatdividedeventhealliedforcesattemptingtointervene.Thestruggleforpowerin Eastern Europe offers a clear study on how regional strife mayunexpectedlypolarizethegreatpowersoftheworldintoprecariouspositionsonoppositesidesofthenegotiatingtable.The Balkan area is only one example of a political situation with vast

militaryimplications.AstheUnitedNationsmonitorstheeventsunfoldinginEurope, it alsocontinues toenforceanembargoandmilitary restrictionsonIraq.Threatenedbythebuildupofchemicalandbiologicalweapons,Iraqhasbeenviewedasyetanotherpowderkeg,thisoneintheMiddleEast.Eventhatcountry's Arab neighbors, those traditionally considered to be its allies,disapproveofIraq'snewweaponscapabilitiesandthedestabilizationofwhatwasalreadyadelicatebalanceofpowerinavolatilepartoftheworld.During a time thatmany have considered relatively peaceful on a global

scale, the last twenty years have, in fact, been a time of tragedy andtremendous suffering on a localized basis. The death toll resulting fromseparatistmovementsandreligiousandcivilwarsisestimatedtobeoverfourand a halfmillion lives, a number representing the entire population of thestateofLouisianaortheentirecountryofIsrael.WhentheconflictinTibetisfactored in, the lossofhuman lifeescalatesbyat least anothermillion, andpossiblymore.

These statisticscertainlydescribe somethingother thanapeacefulworld!

Until the late 1990s, however, such conflicts appeared to be localized and,though tragic, less relevant in the daily lives of the people of theWesternworld. Events late in 1998 and in 1999, however, changed our worldview,withmassmediabringing thehorrorof regional conflicts and isolatedwarsinto our homes and classrooms in a way never seen before. Additionally,situationssuchasthebreakdownofpeacenegotiationsbetweenIsraelandthestateofPalestine,continuedtensionsinNorthernIreland,andasuddenleapinChina's nuclear technology contribute towhatmany scholars believe arethe precursors of well-known prophecies tumbling into place, the globalpositioning of a third great war. The sheer number of conflicts presents athreat to global stability that becomes a greater possibility as tensionsincrease.

VisionsofWar

Ancient prophecies do, in fact, abound with visions of a millennialbreakdown ingovernments, followedbya timeofanespeciallywidespreadandhorriblewar.TheapostleMatthew, forexample, referred toour time inhistoryasonewhen“youwillhearofwarsandreportsofwars…nationwillrise against nation andkingdomagainst kingdom.”7Often included in suchprophecies are a variety of interpretations as to the cause andnature of theoutcome.Rangingfromshortagesofnaturalresourcessuchaswaterandoiltodisagreementsoverfertileland,manyprophetshaveseenthebirthofthethirdmillenniumasatimeofunprecedentedwarfarebetweenthegreatpowersofthe earth.A nearly universal theme of conflict pervades the end-of-centuryforecasts from thewell-knownvisions ofEdgarCayce andNostradamus tothose of such lesser known prophets as Bishop Christianos Ageda and aBavarianvisionarynamedStormberger.Born in the eighteenth century, Stormberger demonstrated remarkable

precision in his prophecies of a twentieth-century world. Among hispredictions were the specifics of a conflict that becameWorldWar II, theGreatDepression,andathirdglobaltribulation,anotherworldwar:“Afterthesecond great struggle between the nations will come a third universalconflagration, which will decide everything. There will be entirely newweapons. In one day more men will perish than in all the previous warstogether.Enormouscatastropheswilltakeplace.”8OfparticularinterestinStromberger'sfuturevisionishiscommentthatthe

warwillcomeasasurprisetomany.Heseesthosethatdorecognizewhatishappeningasincapableofsharingtheirinsights:“Thenationsoftheearthwillenterintothesecalamitieswithopeneyes.Theyshallnotbeawareofwhatistakingplace,andthosewhowillknowandspeakwillbesilenced.Thethirdgreat war will be the end of many nations.”9 Stromberger is unclear onwhether theendof thenationswillbedue to theirbeingabsorbedbyotherpowersortotheirdevastationfromthenewweapons.In some of his clearest quatrains, Nostradamus describes his millennial

visionofwarasoccurringin theyear2000.InCenturiesX,quatrain74,hewrites: “In the year that the great seventh is completed [2000], there shalloccuratthetimeofslaughternotfarfromthestartofthegrandmillennium.…”10Calling tomind the hundreds of thousands of refugees forced to flee the

Balkanstatesinthelastyearsofthesecondmillennium,BishopChristianosAgeda foresaw in his fourth-century prophecy a time when “there will bewarsandfurythatwilllastalongtime;wholeprovincesshallbeemptiedof

theirinhabitants,andkingdomsshallbethrownintoconfusion.”11In a document that became know as the Prophecy of Warsaw, an

eighteenth-century Polish monk described the great war as a time of“poisonous clouds, and rays which burn more deeply than the sun on theequator; armies will march encased in iron; flying ships full of dreadfulbombsandarrows,andflyingstarswithsulfuricfirewhichexterminateentirecitiesinaninstant.”12From theprevious sampling, a clear threadof similarity emerges as each

prophecydescribesatimeoftragedy,war,anddeath.Whilesuchpropheciesarecertainlyopento interpretation, thefact thatvirtuallyeverymajorbeliefsystemseesitspropheciesbeingfulfilledinthiseracertainlywarrantsacloselookatcurrentsituations.Thekeytoreadingsuchpropheticstatements,someas old as India's epic poem, the Mahabharata,* is that they representpossibilities only, descriptions of events that have not played out as yet.Previous discussions offered an explanation of how accounts of such detailmay have been inspired centuries before their time. Additionally, thediscussions have offered a context within which to view these and otherpredictions as glimpses of a vast array of possible futures. Rather thandiscounting such visions as “millennial madness” or “apocalyptic jargon,”perhapswearebetterservedbyaskingourselveswhatwecanlearnfromsuchinsights.Amid the ambiguity of ancient prophecies and predictions, one thing

remainscertain.Forhundredsandinsomecasesthousandsofyears,ancientprophetshaveseensomethinginourfuturethatdisturbedthem.Whethertheprophecy was made fifty or 2,500 years ago, the visions of the prophetsremain remarkably similar. In the words of their day, they have describedtheir experiences in an effort to avert the tragedy of their visions. Theopportunityofourtimeistoreconcilecurrenteventsanddeterminetheroleandviabilityof

ancient visions in our modern lives. We must ask ourselves if theconditionsofourworldtodayfulfillthevisionsseenfromanothertime.Ifso,perhaps our lifetime represents the days when “every secret thing shall berevealed”13andwhenatlastweemployourforgottentechnologyofprayertoredirecttheancientvisionsoftragedyandsuffering.

MassPrayerandMustardSeeds

Inaddition to thewrittenpredictionsof ancientprophets, theconditionsthat precede a timeof greatwarfare are held in the oral traditions ofmanynativepeoples.Perhapstheeventsthatpavethewayforsuchtragedyarebestsummarizedbythepeopleofpeacethemselves,theHopi.Inaportionoftheirnative prophecy, the Hopi eloquently remind us that each time humanitystrays from the natural laws that affirm life in this world, our choices aremirrored inoursocietiesand thesystemsofnaturearoundus.As theheartsandmindsofmankindbecomeso separate that they forgetoneanother, theearth acts to bring the memory of our greatest attributes back into focus.“Whenearthquakes,floods,hailstorms,drought,andfaminewillbethelifeofeveryday, the timewill have then come for the return to the truepath.” Inaddition to offering the signs of such a time, the Hopi traditions go evenfurther, recommending a course of action to bring the hearts andminds ofmanintoalignmentwiththeearthonceagain.Deceptively simple, the prophecy reminds us that “when prayer and

meditation are used rather than relying on new inventions to create moreimbalance,thenthey[humanity]willalsofindthetruepath.”14ThewordsoftheHopiserveassimpleremindersofthequantumprinciplewhichstatesthattochangetheoutcomeofeventsalreadyinmotion,weareinvitedtoshiftourbeliefsregardingtheoutcomeitself.Indoingso,weattractthepossibilitythatmatches our new belief, and we release the present conditions, even thosealreadyunderway.Recent studies into the effects of prayer offer new credibility to ancient

propositionssuggestingthatwemay“dosomething”aboutthehorrorsofourworld, both present and future. These studies add to a growing body ofevidencesuggestingthatfocusedprayers,especiallythoseofferedonalargescale,haveapredictableandmeasurableeffecton thequalityof lifeduringthetimeoftheprayer.Documentingstatisticalchangesindailylife,suchasspecific crimes and traffic accidents, while prayers are offered, a series ofstudies shows a direct relationship between the prayers and the statistics.Duringthetimeoftheprayers,thestatisticsdrop.Whentheprayersend,thestatisticsreturntopreviouslevels.Scientistssuspectthattherelationshipbetweenmassprayerandtheactivity

of individuals in communities is due to a phenomenon known as the fieldeffectofconsciousness.MuchlikeJoseph'sdescriptionofthesage,wheretheexperienceofoneplantaffectstheentirefield,studiesofspecificpopulationsamplesappeartobearoutthisrelationship.Twoscientistsconsideredtohaveplayed a key role in the development of modern psychology clearly

referencedsucheffectsinstudiesofferednearlyonehundredyearsago.In a paper originally published in 1898, for example, William James

suggestedthat“thereexistsacontinuumofconsciousnessunitingindividualminds that could be directly experienced if the psychophysical threshold ofperception were sufficiently lowered through refinement in the functioningnervous system.”15 James's paper was a modern reference to a zone ofconsciousness,alevelofuniversalmind,thattoucheseachandeverylife.Byusingspecificqualitiesofthought,feeling,andemotion,wemaytapintothisuniversalmind and share in its benefits. The purpose ofmany prayers andmeditativetechniquesistoachievepreciselysuchacondition.In the words of their day, ancient teachings suggest a similar field of

consciousness, accessed by similar methods. The Vedic traditions, forexample,speakofaunifiedfieldof“pureconsciousness”thatpermeatesallofcreation.16Insuchtraditions,ourexperienceofthoughtandperceptionareviewedasdisturbances,interruptionsinanotherwisemotionlessfield.Atthesametime,itisthroughourpathofmasteringperceptionandthoughtthatwemayfindtheunifyingconsciousnessasindividualsorasagroup.This is where the application of such studies becomes crucial in global

effortstobringpeacetoourworld.Ifweviewconflict,aggression,andwarinour outerworld as indicators of stress in our collective consciousness, thenrelieving collective stress should relieve global tensions. In the words ofMaharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the Transcendental Meditation (TM)programs, “All occurrences of violence, negativity, conflict crisis, orproblems in any society are just the expression of growth of stress incollectiveconsciousness.Whenthelevelofstressbecomessufficientlygreat,it bursts out into large-scale violence, war, and civil uprising necessitatingmilitaryaction.”Thebeautyofthefieldeffectisthatwhenstressisrelievedwithinagroup,theeffectsareregisteredbeyondtheimmediategroup,intoaneven larger area.This is the thinking that led to studiesofmassmeditationandprayerduringtheIsraeli-LebaneseWarintheearly1980s.In September 1983, studies were conducted in Jerusalem to explore the

relationship between prayer, meditation, and violence. Applying newtechnologiestotestanancienttheory,individualstrainedinthetechniquesofTM,consideredtobeamodeofprayerbyprayerresearchers,wereplacedinstrategic locations within Jerusalem during the conflict with Lebanon. Thepurposeofthestudywastodetermineifareductionofstressinthelocalizedpopulationswould, infact,bereflectedaslessviolenceandaggressiononaregionalbasis.The 1983 studies followed earlier experiments indicating that as little as

onepercentofamasspopulationpracticingunifiedformsofpeacefulprayerand meditation was enough to reduce crime rates, accidents, and suicides.

Studies conducted in 1972 showed that twenty-four U.S. cities, each withpopulations over ten thousand, experienced a statistically measurablereductionincrimewhenasfewasonepercent(onehundredpeopleforeveryten thousand) of the population participated in some form of meditativepractice.17Thisbecameknownasthe“MaharishiEffect.”Todeterminehowcertainmodesofmeditationandprayerwouldinfluence

thegeneralpopulationintheIsraelistudy,thequalityoflifewasdefinedbyastatisticalindexbasedonthenumberoffires,trafficaccidents,occurrencesofcrime,fluctuationsinthestockmarket,andthegeneralmoodofthenation.Atthe peak of the experiments, 234 participants meditated and prayed in thestudy, a fraction of the population of greater Jerusalem. The results of thestudyshowedadirectrelationshipbetweenthenumberofparticipantsandthedecrease of activity in the various categories of quality of life. When thenumbers of participants were high, the index of the various categoriesdeclined. Crime, fires, and accidents increased as the number of peopleprayingwasreduced.18These studies demonstrated a high correlation between the number of

people in prayer and the quality of life in the immediate vicinity. SimilarstudiesconductedinmajorpopulationcentersoftheUnitedStates,India,andthe Philippines found similar correlations. Data from these cities between1984and1985verifieddecreasesincrimeratesthat“couldnothavebeenduetotrendsorcyclesofcrime,ortochangesinpolicepoliciesorprocedures.”19

TheHarvestIsGreat,ThoughtheLaborersAreFew

For centuries, prophets and sages have suggested that one-tenth of onepercent of humanity, working together in a unified effort, may shift theconsciousness of the entire world. If those numbers are accurate, then asurprisingly few individuals may plant the seeds of great possibilities. Atpresentthepopulationofourworldisestimatedtobeapproximately6billionpeople.Onepercent of ourglobal neighborhood, then, is representedby60million,withonetenthofthatnumberapproaching6millionpeople.Forscale6millionpeopleisroughlythree-quartersofthepopulationofLosAngeles.Althoughthesestatisticsmayrepresentanoptimumnumbertobringabout

change, the studies in Jerusalem and the other large population centerssuggest that the numbers to initiate such changemaybe even smaller!Thestudies indicate that the first effects of the mass meditation/prayer becamenoticeablewhenthenumberofpeopleparticipatingintheprayerswasgreaterthan the square root of one percent of the population.20 In a city of onemillion people, for example, this value represents only one hundredindividuals!Applyingthelocalizedfindingsofthetestcitiestoalargerpopulationona

global scale offers powerful and perhaps unexpected results. Representingonlyafractionofeventheancientestimates,thesquarerootofonepercentofearth'spopulationisjustundereightthousandpeople!WiththeadventoftheWorld Wide Web and computerized communication, organizing a time ofcoordinated meditation/prayer supported by a minimum of eight thousandpeopleiscertainlyfeasible.Clearly,thisnumberrepresentsonlytheminimumrequiredfortheeffecttobegin—athresholdofsorts.Thegreaterthenumberparticipating,thegreatertheaccelerationoftheeffect.Suchnumbersremindus of ancient admonitions suggesting that a very few people may make adifferencetoanentireworld.Perhaps this is the “mustard seed” of the parable that Jesus used to

demonstratetheamountoffaithrequiredofhisfollowers.Ofsuchfaith,weare reminded in the lost Gospel Q that “the harvest is abundant, but theworkers are few.”21 With the evidence of such potential, what are theimplicationsofdirectingsuchacollectivepowertowardthegreatchallengesof our time? Perhaps we have already witnessed the effect of such globalchoicesininstancessuchasthepeaceprayerontheeveofthemilitaryactioninIraqinNovember1998.

ToThinktheThoughtsofAngels

Scholars, researchers, and scientists have identified the conditions thattheybelievewillprecipitatedisastersofcatastrophicproportionswellintothetwenty-first century. A combination of politics, social changes, and rogueweather patterns have already taken the lives of hundreds of thousands ofindividuals,primarilywomenandchildren, in the lastdaysof the twentiethcentury. While wellintended efforts are under way to alleviate the presentconditions,theyhaveproventemporaryatbest.Rather than viewing political treaties and military solutions as answers,

perhaps now is the time to recognize them as bridges to a new way ofthinking. It appears thatwehave reacheda critical time in the evolutionofgovernments and nations, when the pattern of demands followed by forcesimply does notwork theway it did even fifty years ago.Thewise use offorcemayserveusinisolatedincidentsofshortduration.Eachtimeweapplyamilitarybandage,however,itisakintoplacingourfingeroveratearinthefabricofaballoonfilledwithwater.Whatappearstobea“fix”inoneplacebecomesabulgesomewhereelseontheballoon.Thisispreciselythescenariothatisunfoldingwithrespecttoglobalpolitics.Tochangetheconditionsthatallowwar,oppression,andmasssuffering,wemustchangethethinkingthathasallowedtheconditionstobepresent.We live in a world of collective consent. The conditions of war and

suffering on a large scale mirror the elements that make such conditionspossible on a small scale. Sometimes consciously, and sometimes not, weconsenttoexpressionsofourgroupwillinwaysthatwemayneversuspect.On levels that we may not even be aware of, our thoughts, attitudes, andactions towardoneanothereachdaycontribute to thecollectivebeliefs thatagreetothewarsandsufferingoftheworld.For example, the creation of a wartime mentality of expecting and

preparingforconflictinourinternationalworldcanhappenonlyifweallowfor such conflict in our personal lives. As we live individual episodes of“defendingourselves” in romance andpersonal relationships, “outsmarting”others in our schools, and “out-strategizing” coworkers and competitors,quantum physics reminds us that these individual expressions of our livespavethewayforsimilarexpressions,amplifiedbymanyordersofmagnitude,in another time and place. To know peace in our world, we must becomepeace in our lives. From the quantum perspective, it makes little sense toshovepeopleimpatientlyoutofthewaytogettoourparkedvehicle,thendartinandoutoftrafficrudelycuttingoffotherdriversasweraceacrosstowntoarallysupportingglobalpeace.

The subtlety of this concept became even clearer to me in the finalmoments of an interview that I was completing shortly after the crisis inKosovo began in early 1999.On a syndicated radio station that was heardthroughouttheUnitedStates,themoderatorhadgraciouslysetasidethefirsthour of a live program for us to develop concepts and offer broadbrushstrokesofpossibilitybeforetakingquestionsonacall-inline.Ihadjustfinisheddescribingthequantumconceptsofmanyoutcomesandthepowerofprayer to choose our future, when the call came in. After introducing thecaller,ourhost invited thegentlemanon theotherendof the line toaskhisquestion. Following praise for our interview and compliments for theprogram,thecallerbegan.“Gregg, I understandwhat you have said about the power of prayer and

howmanypeopleprayingtogetherhaveagreatereffectthanrandomprayersofindividuals.Now,”hecontinued,“myquestionis,whydon'tyouorganizeavigil,andlet'suseourpowerofprayertocauseaheartattackinthedictatorresponsibleforallofthistroubleineasternEurope?”Therewasanawkwardstillnessontheair,asboththemoderatorandIreeledfromthequestion.“I suppose that would be my question to answer,” I said, breaking the

silence.“It'sallyours,Gregg,”themoderator'svoicereplied.“Takingthelifeofaworldleader,eventostoptheviolenceinhiscountry,

istomissthepointofourpowerofprayer.Itispreciselythiskindofthinkingthathasallowedtheatrocitiesofwarinthefirstplace,”Ireplied.“Whilewemaydeceiveourselves intobelieving that the takingofa lifehassolved theimmediateproblem, somewhere, in somepart of theworld,wewill see theconsequence of our actions, possibly in ways that we would never expect.Prayer transcends imposing our will upon others. Prayer represents ouropportunity to becomemore than such cycles by employing our science offeelingtobringnewpossibilitiestoanexistingsituation.”“I think I understand what you are saying,” the caller replied. “I hadn't

thoughtofitquiteinthoseterms.Maybe,insteadofkillinghim,wecanjusthurthim.Maybethatwilldothetrick!”The moderator interrupted with a commercial break, followed by an

opportunityformetosummarizeourinterviewandcloseouttheprogram.Fortherestoftheeveningandfordaysafterward,Ithoughtaboutthecallerandthepainthatmusthavebeeninhislifetoleadhimtosuchconclusions.WhileIbelievethathisquestionrepresentedanextremeviewpoint,atthesametimethecallerdemonstratedhowdeeplyembeddedwarlike thinkinghasbecomeinourculture.Whyarewesurprisedatmasskillinginourhomes,offices,andschoolswhenweagreetothesamethinkingonalargerscaleinthenameofpeace?Whetherweviewourworld from theperspectiveof ancient traditionsor

quantumphysics,weareinvitedtocompletelyrethinkthewaythatwehaveapproached conflict in the past. Both paradigms, science and ancientphilosophy, remind us that there can be no “us” and “them.”There is only“we,” andwehaveoutgrown the conditionswhere it is effective to imposeourwillandideasofchangeuponthelivesofothers.Onelookattheconflictslistedonpage229remindsusthatwhilesuchsolutionsmayhaveappearedtoworkinthepast,theyhaveprobablyboughtustimetorecognizenewchoicesrather than lasting solutions. As we choose to honor life in our everydayworld,wewitnessthepowerofourchoicestoendwarandrenderaggressionobsolete.Prayer has often been referred to as a passive act. Onmany occasions I

havebeenaskedwhat Iam“reallygoing todo,”with regard toaparticularworld crisis. In these instances prayerwas viewed as secondary to actually“doing something.” From the perspective offered by ancient traditions andnowsupportedbymodernresearch,ourabilitytocommunewiththeforcesofthe cosmos, to choose our path through time and determine our course offuturehistory,maybethesinglemostsophisticatedandempoweringforcetograceourworld.Prayerisaconcrete,measurable,anddirectiveforceincreation.Prayeris

real.Toprayistodo“something!”Whatelsecanwedo?Thesolutionsofthepastarefailingusinthepresent.Prayeristheactofredefiningthefoundationof hate, ethnic violence, andwar. The doing simply occurs in a form verydifferentfromourideaofdoinginthepast.Coulditbesoeasy?Isitpossiblethattomirrorthepeaceofourheartsintherealityofourworld,wearesimplyasked to choose such a reality by feeling the outcome as if it had alreadyhappened? Recent events, in the eyes of the world, appear to say that theanswerisyes.Atthedoorwaytothetwenty-firstcentury,westandonthethresholdofa

timewhenthesurvivalofourspeciesmayactuallydependuponourabilitytomarryour inner andouter sciences into precisely such technologies.Asweredefine the roles of political affiliations, military alliances, and theboundariesof nations, thepowerofmassprayer cannot bediscounted.Theimplications of applying our technology of prayer on a global scale are ofimmense, perhaps unfathomable proportions. Our lifetime represents a raremomentwhen,perhapsforthefirsttimeinourhistory,wecandeterminetheoutcome of this moment! Transcending science, religion, and mystictraditions,theEssenessuggestthatitisduringthistimeinhistory,throughtheuse of our lost science of prayer and prophecy, that healing comes to allbeings,thoseformedandunformed,andthatpeaceprevailsinallworlds.Itisduringourlifetimethatthepeopleofearthwillknowallofthesecretsofthe“angelsinheaven.”Without judgingtheeventsofeachdayasgood,bad,right,orwrong,we

are invited to choose a new viewpoint, a higher option in response to thehorrorofsuchevents.Ifthetenetsofprayerandpeacearevalid,thenthepainof those inAfrica, theBalkans, theMiddle East, and anywhere elsewherehumanlifeissufferingisoursufferingaswell.Theancientsecretsofhealingremindusthatthereisonlyoneofushereinourworld.Aswealleviatethepain of others, we alleviate our pain as well. As we love others, we loveourselves.Eachman,woman,andchildofthisworldhasthepowertocreateanewpossibility,tochangethethinkingthatallowssuffering.Those who have come before us prepared us well for this time in our

history.We have the opportunity to choose a new way in the presence ofchallengesthatappeartobemountingonadailybasis.Weareinvitedtothinkand do in our world as those of the heavens do in theirs. In so doing, weawakenaforgottentechnologyfromthesleepofourcollectivememoryand,atlast,bringtheconditionsofheaventoearth.Intheirownwords,thescholarsofQumranrecordedtheteachingsoftheir

greatmasterspreservedformomentssuchasthis,whentheencouragementofthosewhohavecomebeforeusgivesusthestrengthtoliveandloveinthisworld,onemoreday.Weareremindedthat“toliftoureyestoheavenwhentheeyesofothersareonthegroundisnoteasy.Toworshipatthefeetoftheangelswhenothersworshipfameandrichesisnoteasy.Butperhapsthemostdifficultofallistothinkthethoughtsoftheangels,tospeakthewordsoftheangels,andtodoasangelsdo.”22

*Used to teachHindu traditions, theMahabharata is composed ofapproximately 100,000 dual-lined couplets describing dharma, or rightaction.

Completions

ThestorycametomyattentiononlymomentsbeforeIwastobeginthefirst night of a conference that would last for the next three days. For thebetterpartof theafternoonIhadwonderedhowIwouldbegin theprogramthatevening.ThoughIhadagoodideaofwhatourtimetogetherwouldlooklike following the opening, precisely how the first moments of the nightwouldunfold remained amystery. In suchmomentsof uncertainty,when itseemsasifreasonablesolutionsexistonlyasglimmersofadistantpossibility,I have found that there is usually a piece of the puzzle that is missing,somethingthathasyettocometomyattention.Mytrustinthatfeeling,andknowingthatthereismoretocome,oftenreplacesanxiousmomentsofpanicwithastrangecalmness.Iwalkedintothediningareaofourhomeandopenedalargeenvelopethat

had been given to me earlier in the day. It contained several accounts ofhumantriumph,oneofwhichmovedmesodeeplythatIfoundmyselfwipingthetearsfrommyfacebeforeIhadevenfinishedreadingthepaper.Laterthatevening, I shared the storywith a live audience of several hundred people.Thestoryhadthesameeffectonthem.Thepaper thathadcometomethatdaydescribedanincidentoccurringattheSpecialOlympicsof1998.The Special Olympics was organized as an opportunity for children and

youngadultstojointogetherinthespiritoffriendlycompetition.Whatmakesthese Olympic games different is that each individual competes with thechallenge of physical or mental conditions that prevent him or her fromparticipating in the International World Olympics that capture the world'sattention every four years. This particular article was the story of ninechildrenwhohadbecome friendsduring their timeat theOlympiccamp in

1998.Onemorningtheyfoundthemselvescompetingtogetheronthesametrack,

inthesameevent.Atthesoundofthestartinggun,theywereofftowardthefinish line at the other end of the course. Itwas a young boywithDown'ssyndrome that made this account so powerful. As the other competitorsboundeddown the trackusingwhatever skills theyhad towork toward thefinish,thisspecialboysloweddownandlookedbacktothestartingline.Hesawthatoneofhisteammateshadfallenatthebeginningoftheraceandwasstrugglingtostandup.The boy with Down's syndrome suddenly stopped, turned, and began

walking back toward his friend.One by one, each of the other competitorsrealized what was happening, turned and followed, until they had retracedtheirstepstothepointwheretheyhadbegun.Liftingtheirfriendtohisfeet,they locked arms, and togetherwalkeddown the track to the finish. In thatmoment thoseninechildrenredefinedtherulesof thecompetition.Withtheclock still ticking away, theymovedbeyond the limits of time and sport tocreate an experience where they each finished in their ownway, all at thesametime.Itmadenosenseforoneofthemtoarriveatthefinishwithouttheothers.Thisstoryisimportantfortworeasons.Eachtimeitisshared,theimageof

thechildrenworkingtogetherelicitsapowerfulemotion.Ratherthansadnessorfrustration,itisoftendescribedasanemotionofhope.Thatemotionopensthedoortogreaterpossibilitiesandnewoutcomesinourlives.Additionally,theaccountprovidesabeautifulexampleofhowagroupofyoungpeople,inthe innocence of their love for one another, redefined the outcome of theirexperiencebyapplyinganewruletoanexistingcondition.Intheirownway,thechildrenoftheSpecialOlympicsremindusofthegreatpossibilitiesofourlives,aswemovethroughararemomentofhistory.We have been shown that it is possible to redefine the parameters of

prophecy for our future.The evidence reminds us thatwe intercede on ourownbehalfeachtimewerespondtothechallengesofourdailylives.Perhapsthebestway todemonstrate suchpossibilities toourselves is toexplore thenatureofcompassion,time,forgiveness,andprayerthroughtheeyesofthosewhohavecomebeforeus. In thewordsof their time,weare reminded thatthereisonlyoneofushereand,aboveallotherreasons,wehavecometothisworldtolove.

Notes

INTRODUCTION1. The New American Bible, Saint Joseph Edition, “The Book of

Isaiah,”chapter24,verse3 (NewYork:CatholicBookPublishingCo.,1970),847.

2.Ibid.,chapter35,verses6–7.3.Ibid.,chapter29,verse18.4.DavidW.Orme-Johnson,CharlesN.Alexander, JohnL.Davies,

Howard M. Chandler, and Wallace E. Larimore, “International PeaceProjectintheMiddleEast,”TheJournalofConflictResolution32,no.4(December1988),776–812.

5.MichaelC.Dillbeck,GarlandLandrith III, andDavidW.Orme-Johnson, “The Transcendental Meditation Program and Crime RateChangeinaSampleofForty-EightCities,”JournalofCrimeandJustice4(1981),25–45.

6.JohnF.Harris,“U.S.Launches,ThenAbortsAirstrikesafterIraqRelentsonU.N.Inspections,”WashingtonPost,15November1998.

CHAPTER1.LIVINGTHEDAYSOFPROPHECY

1.MatthewBunson,Prophecies:2000:Predictions,RevelationsandVisions for theNewMillennium (NewYork:Simon&Schuster,1999),31.

2.RonCowen, “Gamma-RayBurstMakesQuite aBang,”ScienceNews 135 (8 April 1998), 292. Originally reported by S. GeorgeDjorgovski of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena inNature,7May1998.

3.DougIsbell,BillSteigerwald,andMikeCarlowicz,“TwinCometsRace to Death by Fire,” NASA Goddard Space Flight Center(http://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/comets/comet_release.html, andhttp://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/comets/SOHO sungrazers. html), 3 June1998.

4. JonathanEberhart, “FantasticFortnight ofActiveRegion5395,”ScienceNews153(9May1998),212.ReportedbyPatrickS.McIntoshoftheNationalOceanographicandAtmosphericAdministration'sSpaceEnvironmentLaboratoryinBoulder,Colorado.

5. Joseph B. Gurman, “Solar Proton Events Affecting the EarthEnvironment,” NOAA Space Sciences Environment Services Center(http://umbra.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEP/seps.html).Fromrevisionof25August1998.

6.RichardMonastersky, “RecentYearsAreWarmest Since 1400.”ScienceNews153(9May1998),303.OriginallyreportedbyMichaelE.MannoftheUniversityofMassachusetts,Amherst,inNature,23April1998.

7. Richard Monastersky, “Satellites Misread GlobalTemperatures,”Science News 154 (15 August 1998), 100. Originally reported byDouglas M. Smith of the United Kingdom Meteorological Office inBracknell,inGeophysicalResearchLetters,15February1998.

8. Richard Monastersky, “Antarctic Ice Shelf Loses Large Piece,”Science News 153 (9 May 1998), 303. Originally reported by TedScambos of the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder,Colorado.

9. Richard Monastersky, “Signs of Unstable Ice in Antarctica,”ScienceNews 154 (11 July 1998), 31. Originally reported by Reed P.SchererofUppsalaUniversity,Sweden,inScience3July1998.

10.MattMygaff, “SuddenOccurrence ofRadioWaves atGalacticCenter Puzzles Scientists,” reported in Valley Times (Livermore,California),fromAssociatedPressreport,5May1991.

11.TomMajeski,“AirportRenames2RunwaysasMagneticNorthPole Drifts,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, 7 October 1997. Report ofinterview with Bob Huber, assistant manager of the Federal AviationAdministration'sAirportsDistrictOffice.

12.RichardMonastersky,“Earth'sMagneticFieldFolliesRevealed,”ScienceNews147(22April1995),244.OriginallyreportedbyRobertS.CoeoftheUniversityofCalifornia,SantaCruz,andMichelPrevotandPierreCampsoftheUniversityofMontpelierinFrance.

13.EdmondBordeauxSzekely,ed.andtrans.,TheEsseneGospelofPeace(Matsqui,B.C.,Canada:I.B.S.Internacional,1937),19.

14.MichaelDrosnin,TheBibleCode(NewYork:Simon&Schuster,1997),173.

15.DavidW.Orme-Johnson, et al., “International PeaceProject inthe Middle East,” The Journal of Conflict Resolution 32, no. 4(December1988),778.

16. Jeffrey Satinover,M.D.,Cracking the Bible Code (New York:WilliamMorrow,1997),244.

CHAPTER2.LOSTWORDSOFAFORGOTTENPEOPLE

1.The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden(NewYork:NewAmericanLibrary,1963).

2.Ibid.,prefacetoBookOne.3.Ibid.4.Ibid.,introductiontoBookTwo.5.Ibid.,“TheGospeloftheBirthofMary,”chapter2,verse10,19.6.Ibid.,“TheFirstBookofAdamandEve,”Chapter1,Verse1–2,

page4.7.EdmondBordeauxSzekely,ed.and trans.,TheEsseneGospelof

Peace,BookThree(Matsqui,B.C.,Canada,I.B.S.Internacional,1937),39.

8.Ibid.,11.9.Szekely,TheEsseneGospelofPeace,39.10. The Dead Sea Scrolls, translated and with commentary by

Michael Wise, Martin Abegg Jr., and Edward Cook (New York:HarperSanFrancisco,1999),8.

11.Szekely,TheEsseneGospelofPeace,BookFour,34.12.Ibid.,BookOne,10.13.JamesM.Robinson,ed.,TheNagHammadiLibrary, translated

andintroducedbymembersoftheCopticGnosticLibraryProjectoftheInstitute for Antiquity and Christianity, Clearmont, California (NewYork:HarperSanFrancisco,1990),279.

14.Ibid.15.Ibid.,285.16. Robinson, The Nag Hammadi Library, “The Thunder: Perfect

Mind,”295.17.Ibid.,297.18.Ibid.19.BurtonL.Mack,TheLostGospel.TheBookofQandChristian

Origins(NewYork:HarperSanFrancisco,1994),295.20.Robinson,TheNagHammadiLibrary,“TheGospelofThomas,”

128.

CHAPTER3.THEPROPHECIES

1.Michael D. Coe,Breaking theMayaCode (NewYork: ThamesandHudson,1993),61.

2. JoseArguelles,TheMayanFactor (SantaFe:Bear&Company,1987),145.

3.Ibid.,126.4.RichardLaurence,tr.,TheBookofEnochtheProphet,chapterVII,

verses 11–12, translated from an Ethiopic manuscript in the BodleianLibrary (San Diego: Wizards Bookshelf Secret Doctrine ReferenceSeries,1983),7.

5. JimSchnabel,RemoteViewers: The SecretHistory of America'sPsychicSpies(NewYork:BantamDoubledayDell,1997),12–13.

6.Ibid.,380.7. John Hogue, Nostradamus, The Complete Prophecies (Boston:

ElementBooks,1999),798.8.MarkThurston,Ph.D.,MillenniumProphecies,Predictionsforthe

Coming Century from Edgar Cayce (New York: Kensington Books,1997),5.

9.Ibid.,6.10.Ibid.11.Ibid.,35.12.Ibid.,34.13.TomMajeski,“AirportRenames2RunwaysasMagneticNorth

Pole Drifts,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, 7 October 1997. (Report ofinterview with Bob Huber, assistant manager of the Federal AviationAdministration'sAirportsDistrictOffice.)

14.Thurston,MillenniumProphecies,34.15.Ibid.,35.16.Ibid.,110.17.Laurence,TheBookofEnochtheProphet,4.18.Ibid.,1.19.Ibid.,57.20.TheNewAmerican Bible, Saint Joseph Edition, Preface to the

BookofDaniel(NewYork:CatholicBookPublishingCo.,1970),1021.21. John F. Walvoord, Every Prophecy of the Bible (Colorado

Springs,Col.:ChariotVictorPublishing,1999),212.22.NeilDouglas-Klotz,Prayersof theCosmos:Meditationsonthe

AramaicWordsofJesus(NewYork:HarperSanFrancisco1994),12–13.23.EdmondBordeauxSzekely,TheEsseneGospelofPeace,Book

Two(Matsqui,B.C.,Canada:I.B.S.Internacional,1937),114.24.Ibid.25.Ibid.,125.26.Ibid.,page126.27.Ibid.28.Ibid.,127.29.Ibid.,55.30.MichaelDrosnin,TheBibleCode(NewYork:Simon&Schuster,

1997),19.31.Ibid.,174.32.JackCohenandIanStewart,TheCollapseofChaos(NewYork:

PenguinBooks,1994),44–45.33.Drosnin,TheBibleCode,155.

CHAPTER4.WAVES,RIVERS,ANDROADS

1. Jeffrey Satinover, M.D., Cracking the Bible Code (New York:WilliamMorrow,1997),233.

2.Ibid.,232.3.Ibid.,244.4.EugeneMallove,“TheCosmosandtheComputer:Simulatingthe

Universe,”ComputersinScience1,no.2(September/October1987).5.FredAlanWolf,ParallelUniverses:TheSearchforOtherWorlds

(NewYork:Simon&Schuster,1990),33,38.6.EdmondBordeauxSzekely,ed.and trans.,TheEsseneGospelof

Peace,BookTwo(Matsqui,B.C.,Canada:IBSInternational,1937),37–39.

7.JackCohenandIanStewart,TheCollapseofChaos (NewYork:PenguinBooks,1994),191.

8. Robert Boissiere,MeditationsWith theHopi (Santa Fe: Bear&Company,1986),110.

9.Ibid.,113.10.ThomasE.Mails andDanEvehema,Hotevilla:HopiShrineof

theCovenant(NewYork:Marlowe&Company,1995),564.11.Boissiere,MeditationsWiththeHopi,117.12. John Davidson, The Secret of the Creative Vacuum (TheC.W.

DanielCompanyLimited,1989).13.MichaelDrosnin,TheBibleCode(NewYork:Simon&Schuster,

1997),173.

CHAPTER5.THEISAIAHEFFECT

1. The New American Bible, Saint Joseph Edition, “The Book ofIsaiah,”chapter24,verse5 (NewYork:CatholicBookPublishingCo.,1970),847.

2.Ibid.,chapter24,verse23,847.3.Ibid.,chapter65,verses17–20,890.4.JohnF.Walvoord,EveryProphecyoftheBible(ColoradoSprings:

ChariotVictorPublishing,1999),279.5.Informationregardingongoingprayersofpeace,suchasthevigil

coordinated on November 13, 1998, is available on the Internet atwww.worldpuja.org.

6.NewAmericanBible,“TheBookofIsaiah,”chapter29,verse11,853.

7.Ibid.,chapter25,verses6–7,848.8.Ibid.,chapter25,verse4,848.9.Ibid.,chapter25,verse6,848n.10.Ibid.,“BibleDictionary,”335.

CHAPTER7.THELANGUAGEOFGOD

1.EdmondBordeauxSzekely,ed.and trans.,TheEsseneGospelofPeace, Book Two (Matsqui, B.C., Canada: I.B.S. International, 1937),32.

2.Szekely,TheEsseneGospelofPeace,BookFour,30.3.Ibid.,30–31.4.Neville,ThePowerofAwareness(MarinadelRey,Calif.:DeVorss

Publications,1961),10.5. Neville, The Law and the Promise (Marina del Rey, Calif.:

DeVorssPublications,1961),14.6. Holy Bible, Authorized King James Version, New Testament,

“John” chapter 16, verses 23–24 (Grand Rapids, Mich.: WorldPublishing,1989),80.

7.NeilDouglas-Klotz,Prayers of theCosmos:Meditations on theAramaicWordsofJesus(NewYork:HarperSanFrancisco,1994),86–87.

CHAPTER8.THESCIENCEOFMAN

1.FredAlanWolf,ParallelUniverses:TheSearchforOtherWorlds(NewYork:Simon&Schuster,1990),48.

2. Glen Rein, Ph.D., Mike Atkinson, and Rollin McCraty, M.A.,“The Physiological and Psychological Effects of Compassion andAnger,”JournalofAdvancement inMedicine8,no.2 (Summer1995),87–103.

3.Ibid.4.EdmondBordeauxSzekely,ed.and trans.,TheEsseneGospelof

Peace,BookTwo (Matsqui,B.C.,Canada: I.B.S. Internacional, 1937),64–65.

5.Ibid.,61.6. Holy Bible, Authorized King James Version, New Testament,

“Mark,”chapter11,verse23 (GrandRapids,Mich.:WorldPublishing,1989),34.

7. Hans Jenny, Cymatics: Bringing Matter to Life with Sound,videotape(Brookline,Mass.:MACROmedia,1986).

8. Neville, The Law and the Promise (Marina del Rey, Calif.:DeVorssPublications,1961),13.

9.Szekely,TheEsseneGospelofPeace,BookFour,30.10.Ibid.,30–33.11.Ibid.,15.12.Szekely,TheEsseneGospelofPeace,BookThree,71.13.Szekely,TheEsseneGospelofPeace,BookTwo,66–68.14. Glen Rein, Ph.D., and Rollin McCraty, M.A., “Modulation of

DNAbyCoherentHeartFrequencies,”proceedingsoftheThirdAnnualConferenceoftheInternationalSocietyfortheStudyofSubtleEnergiesandEnergyMedicine,Monterey,Calif.,June1993.

15. Vladimir Poponin, “The DNA Phantom Effect: DirectMeasurementofaNewFieldintheVacuumSubstructure,”unpublishedreport,InstituteofHeartMath,ResearchDivision,BoulderCreek,Calif.

16. Szekely, The Essene Gospel of Peace, Book Two, 31. 17.Poponin,“TheDNAPhantomEffect.”

CHAPTER9.HEALINGHEARTS,HEALINGNATIONS

1.EdmondBordeauxSzekely, ed. and trans.TheEsseneGospel ofPeace,BookTwo (Matsqui,B.C.,Canada: I.B.S. Internacional, 1937),32.

2. Glen Rein, Ph.D., and Rollin McCraty, M.A., “Modulation ofDNAbyCoherentHeartFrequencies,”proceedingsoftheThirdAnnualConferenceofTheInternationalSocietyfortheStudyofSubtleEnergiesandEnergyMedicine,Monterey,Calif.,June1993,2.

3.TheGospel of theNazirenes, edited and restoredwith historicaldocumentation by Alan Wauters and Rick VanWyhe, “Prologue: TheHistoricalContext”(Arizona:EsseneVisionBooks,1997),xxviii–xxix.

4.Szekely,TheEsseneGospelofPeace,BookTwo,71.5.Szekely,TheEsseneGospelofPeace,BookTwo,47.6.“WhentoJumpIn:TheWorld'sOtherWars,”Time,19April1999,

30.7.MatthewBunson,Prophecies:2000:Predictions,Revelationsand

Visions for theNewMillennium (NewYork:Simon&Schuster,1999),31.

8.Ibid.,30.9.Ibid.10.Bunson,Prophecies:2000,31.11.Ibid.,35.12.Ibid.,38.13.RichardLaurence, tr.,TheBook of Enoch theProphet, chapter

LI, verse 5 (SanDiego:WizardsBookshelf SecretDoctrineReferenceSeries,1983),58.

14.RobertBoissiere,MeditationsWiththeHopi(SantaFe:BearandCompany,1986),113.

15.DavidW.Orme-Johnson,CharlesN.Alexander,JohnL.Davies,HowardM.Chandler,WallaceE.Larimore,“InternationalPeaceProjectin the Middle East,” The Journal of Conflict Resolution 32, no. 4(December1988),778.

16. Michael C. Dillbeck, Kenneth L. Cavanaugh, Thomas Glenn,DavidW.Orme-Johnson,VickiMittlefehldt,“ConsciousnessasaField:TheTranscendentalMeditationandTM-SidhiProgramandChanges inSocial Indicators,”TheJournalofMindandBehavior8,no.1 (Winter1987),67–104.

17.Orme-Johnson,etal.,“InternationalPeaceProjectintheMiddleEast,”781.

18.Ibid.,782.19. “Maharishi Effect: Increased Orderliness, Decreased Urban

Crime,”ScientificResearchontheMaharishiTranscendentalMeditationand TM-Sidhi Programs: A Brief Study of 500 Studies, MaharishiUniversityofManagementPress(Fairfield,Conn.:1996),21.

20.Orme-Johnson,etal.,782.21.BurtonL.Mack,TheLostGospel:TheBookofQandChristian

Origins(NewYork:HarperSanFrancisco,1994),87.22.Szekely,TheEsseneGospelofPeace,BookTwo,31.

Acknowledgments

Our time in thisworld isa journeyofserviceboth toourselvesand tooneanother.Sometimeswearefortunateenoughtobegiventheopportunityto acknowledge the efforts of others. This book represents the cooperativeskills,focusedefforts,andsharedvisionofmanytalentedindividuals.Whileit is impossible tomentionbynameeachpersonwhosework is reflected inTheIsaiahEffect,Itakethisopportunitytoexpressmydeepestgratitudeandheartfeltthankstothefollowing:MydearfriendJohnSammo,thoughtheopportunitytoshareourthoughts

slippedpastusboth,mysenseisthatwewereonthesamepathinthesamemoment. Imiss you in thisworld and felt your presence often in the finalstagesofthisbook.Thankyouforourtimetogether.The many people at Harmony Books from the editorial, art and design,

foreign rights, marketing, and publicity departments— especially BrianBelfiglio,TinaConstable,AlisonGross,DebbieKoenig,KimRobles,KarinSchulze, Kristen Wolfe, and Kieran O'Brien. Your skills, expertise, andwillingness to co-create have produced awork thatwe can be proud of.Avery special thanks tomy editor, PatriciaGift, for listening, understanding,after-hoursphonecalls,late-nightcounseling,andpatience.Mostimportantly,thankyoufortheblessingofyourfriendshipinourlives.Stephanie Gunning, your expertise honed the flow of my words while

honoringtheintegrityofmymessageduringourfirst-passedits.Manythanksforyourpatience,clarity,andforbeingopentothepossibilities.Tomyagent,NedLeavitt,youareeverythingthatIeverimaginedagreat

agentwouldbe.Thankyouforyourguidanceonoursacredjourneythroughtheworldofcorporatepublishing.Manyblessingstoyouandyourabilityto

leadotherstothefulfillmentoftheirdreams.Tomypublicist,ArielleFord,andherstaffatDharmaDreams, it isyour

expertise and dedication that is helping The Isaiah Effect reach newaudiences,openingthedoortopossibilitiesofpersonalhealingandplanetarypeacethatwereonlyimaginedinthepast.LauriWillmot, theangelwhoholdsouroffice together,providingme the

freedom to focus andbepresent for thosewhoparticipate inourprograms.My sincerest thanks for your long hours, short weekends, and being therewhenitcounts.RobinandJerryMiner,ourseminarcoordinatorsandsupportstaff,mygratitudeandheartfeltthanksfortrustingintheprocessevenwhenthepathhasbeendifficult.Togetherwehave foundnewways tomarry therealityofbusinesstoamessageofpersonalhealingandglobalpeace.Toeachofyourfamilies,mydeepestgratitudeforsharingyouwithus.Toallthevenuesandproductioncompaniesthathaveinvitedusintotheir

communities,oftenwithoutseeingourprograminadvance.Irecognizesuchdemonstrations of trust and consider it an honor to be part of your family.AmongthosearePattyPorterofTheCornerstoneFoundation;DebraEvans,GregRoberts,KeilisiFreeman,JustinHilton,GeorgiaMalki,andallthegreatstaff of theWhole Life Expo; RobertMaddox and the staff of theKripaluYogaCenter;CharlotteMcGinnisandthePalmBeachCenterforLiving;allof thewonderfulUnityChurches that have hosted us; Suzanne Sullivan ofInsightSeminarsforhervision;RobinandCodyJohnsonofAxiomforyourexcellence; Linda Rachel, Carolyn Craft, and the dedicated staff of TheWisdomNetwork;LauraLeeofTheLauraLeeShow; PaulRoberts ofTheRadioBookstore;ArtBellandHillyRoseofArtBellRadioPrograms;TippyMcKinseyandPatriciaDiOriooftheParadigmShifttelevisionprogram;andHowardandGayleMandellforyourfriendshipandthesupportofTransitionsBookstore.Averyspecialthankstotheproduction,art,andsalesstaffatSoundsTrue.

Tami Simon, your ability to lead, and draw from others their greateststrengths,hascreatedararestandardofexcellenceincorporateintegritythatIamproudtobeassociatedwith.MichaelTaft,Iespeciallyvalueyourcreativegenius andwillingness to rewire SoundsTrue's studio to accommodate ourunique requirements. LizWilliams, your guidance, honesty, and friendshiphavebeenatremendousblessinginourlives.Toallof thebrilliantmindsandwarm,wonderfulheartsofour extended

family at ConsciousWave, including Greg Glazier, Ellen Feeney, RebeccaStetson,andRussellWright,youhavemadeourjourneythroughfilmingandproduction a joy as well as a success. Lynn Powers and Jirka Rysavy, mydeepest gratitude for your patience, flexibility, vision, and belief in themessageofmywork.JayWeidner,ourfriendshipbegannearlyadecadeago,under very different conditions. Thank you for rememberingmywork and

recognizingthepowerofcompassion.Averyspecial thankstoRickHassenforyourattention todetailand thesensitivitywithwhichyouhavehonoredourwork.OurdaysoffilmingwithafullcrewinthemountainsofnorthernNewMexico conjure upmemories of dedication, patience, and the joy thatcomesfromworkingtowardagoalthatweeachbelievein.Youforeverholdaveryspecialplaceinourhearts.Mygratitude to themanyscientists, researchers,andauthorswhosework

has become the bridge between science, spirit, and consciousness. Amongsuch researchers, many thanks and deepest respect to Robert TennysonStevens for your commitment to “upgrade” the way that we communicatethrough the science of conscious languaging.Many of you have conductedstudiesregardingconceptsthatwereshunnedonlyafewyearsearlier.Eachofyourfindingsremindsusofourrelationshiptothecosmos,oneanother,andthe world around us. I am greatly indebted to your relentless pursuit tounderstand, and I accept full responsibility for themanner inwhich I haveapplied your findings and extrapolated your results. Please accept myapologies if I have, in any way, misinterpreted, misrepresented, orprematurely presented unpublished work. My intent has been only toempowerthosethatwelove.Toeachpersonwhohas journeyedwithus throughseminars,workshops,

travels,recording,filming,andproduction,mydeepestgratitudeandthanks.Youareredefiningwork,family,andpartnershipsandweconsideryouamongthegreatblessingsinourlives.VivianGlyck, in someways it seems as though our partnership began a

longtimeago,althoughourtimetogetherisjustbeginningtobearfruit.Manythanksofmydeepestgratitudeforyourguidance,patience,expertise,andtheclaritythatyouhavebroughtintoourlives.To Toby and Theresa Weiss, founders of Power Places Tours, your

willingnesstocreatenewadventuresandyourcommitmenttotakesuchgoodcareofusweconsideramongthegreatblessingsinourlives.Youhavemadeitpossibleforustoopenupsomeoftheworld'smostsacredsitestotheeyesandheartsofmanyofthosewhotrustustoguidethemthere.Iconsideryoursupportstaffthefinestintheindustry,withaveryspecialthankstoMohamedNazmy,EmilShaker,MedhatYehia,MariaAntoinetteNunez,WalterSaenz,Harry andRuthHover, and LaurieKrantz, each ofwhomwe consider ourbrothers,sisters,andamongthedearestoffriends.ToGaryWintz,we are forever grateful to yourwisdom and expertise in

guidingusthroughthemostchallengingandrewardingjourneyofourlives—ourpilgrimageintoAsia.Thankyouforyourloveofthelandaswellasthepeople,and foryourwillingness toshareTibet'smagnificence throughyoureyes. You represent a rare standard of dedication that remains a constantinspirationandpowerfulforceinmylife.

ToJamesTwyman,LizStory,andDoreenVirtue, ithasbeenanhonor toshare many stages with you, bringing to life our prayers of peace. Liz, aspecialthanksforkeepingthememoryofMichaelaliveinourheartsandforreminding me of the “Unaccountable Effect.” Doreen, thank you for yourabilitytoinstillconfidenceinothersbyremindingthemoftheirdivinity,thesign of a true teacher. Jimmy, my dear friend and partner in peace, mygratitudeandrespectforyourunwaveringtrustinGodanddeepreverenceforall life, a quality of our friendship that I treasure. To each of you, yourcourage,conviction,andvisionofgreatpossibilitieshas forgeda friendshipthatfeelswonderfullyancient.TomParkandParkProductions,it iswithtremendousgratitudethatIsay

thank you for believing inmywork and trusting the process. Together wehavepushedtheenvelope,offeringanewstandardofpresentationsinaworldwhere few models exist. A very special thanks for sharing your extendedspiritual family, thosewho studiedwith you in the ashrams of India. Theirhonoringoflifehasmadeeachofourdaysawayfromhomefeellikehomesuntothemselves.Tomymother,SylviaBraden, thankyou forbelieving inme,evenwhen

you did not understandme. Through a lifetime of dramatic and sometimespainful change, your friendship has remained a constant, your love anunfailingsourceofstrength.MybeautifulMelissa, thankyou for sharingyour lifewithme.From the

endlesshoursof travel,nonstop telephonecalls,and latenighthotelarrivals,you are always there. Together we have journeyed into some of the mostmagnificent,remote,andmysticalplacesremaininginthisworld.Mydeepestthanksforyourtirelesssupport,unfailingfriendship,andthestrengththatyoubringtoeachofourdays.

AbouttheAuthor

Author, lecturer, and guide to sacred sites around the world,GREGGBRADENhasbeenfeaturedontelevisionandradioprogramsnationwide.HelivesinthemountainsofNewMexicoandinFlorida.

InHisOwnWords:AudiosandVideobyGreggBraden,

fromSoundsTrue

JointheauthorofTheIsaiahEffectinfurtherexplorationsontherelevanceofancientwisdominmodernlife.

Audio:

TheLostModeofPrayerIsthereaforgottensciencethatofferseachone of us the inner tools we need to heal ourselves, our relationshipswith others, and even our enduring planet? Through newly translatedtextsoftheEsseneDesertFathers,Bradenrevealstheinnerworkingsofthis powerful spiritual tool—“the Fifth Mode of Prayer”—and showshowwecanuseittocreateprofoundchangesinthiscrucialpointinthehistory of humanity. 3 hours / 2 audiocassettes / $18.95 / Order#AW00408

BeyondZeroPointBradensharesnewscientificresearchessentialtounderstandingthepropheciesoftheEssenes,Hopis,Mayans,Egyptians,and others.Hiddenwithin these ancient teachings, assertsBraden, is auniversalsetof“sacredtechnologies”meantspecificallyforusenow,atthiscriticaljunctureinourexistence.Listenerswilllearnhowtoactivelyparticipateinthegreatchallengesthatlieahead.Arethesethelostkeysthatwillopenthedoortothenextphaseofhumanevolution?Listentothe facts and decide for yourself. 3 hours / 2 audiocassettes / $18.95 /

Order#W407

Video:

WalkingBetweentheWorlds:UnderstandingtheInnerTechnologyofEmotion A visual odyssey into ancient prophecy. The recovery of losttexts and theirmessage allowsus tomake sense ofmodern chaos andmove forward. Viewers see and hear fascinating evidence for arevolutionary shift in human consciousness that will accelerate theevolution of human biology, emotions, and consciousness—and showhowwecanparticipateinitourselves.4hours/2videocassettes/$39.95/Order#Y002

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Copyright©2000byGreggBraden

IllustrationonpageixbyMelissaEwingSherman

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,including

photocopying,recording,orbyanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher.

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Braden,Gregg.

TheIsaiaheffect:decodingthelostscienceofprayerandprophecy/byGreggBraden.Includesbibliographicalreferences.1.Prayer.2.Prophecy.3.Time—Religiousaspects.I.Title.BL560.B632000001.9—dc2199-049249

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