The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon) (55 page)

CHAPTER
132

Katherine Solomon’s
heart felt light as she hurried up the hill toward the base of the Washington Monument. She had endured great shock and tragedy tonight, and yet her thoughts were refocused now, if only temporarily, on the wonderful news Peter had shared with her earlier . . . news she had just confirmed with her very own eyes.

My research is safe. All of it.

Her lab’s holographic data drives had been destroyed tonight, but earlier, at the House of the Temple, Peter had informed her that he had been secretly keeping backups of all her Noetic research in the SMSC executive offices.
You know I’m utterly fascinated with your work
, he had explained,
and I wanted to follow your progress without disturbing you.

“Katherine?” a deep voice called out.

She looked up.

A lone figure stood in silhouette at the base of the illuminated monument.

“Robert!” She hurried over and hugged him.

“I heard the good news,” Langdon whispered. “You must be relieved.”

Her voice cracked with emotion. “Incredibly.” The research Peter had saved was a scientific tour de force—a massive collection of experiments that proved human thought was a real and measurable force in the world. Katherine’s experiments demonstrated the
effect
of human thought on everything from ice crystals to random-event generators to the movement of subatomic particles. The results were conclusive and irrefutable, with the potential to transform skeptics into believers and affect global consciousness on a massive scale. “Everything is going to change, Robert.
Everything
.”

“Peter certainly thinks so.”

Katherine glanced around for her brother.

“Hospital,” Langdon said. “I insisted he go as a favor to me.”

Katherine exhaled, relieved. “Thank you.”

“He told me to wait for you here.”

Katherine nodded, her gaze climbing the glowing white obelisk. “He said he was bringing you here. Something about
‘Laus Deo’
? He didn’t elaborate.”

Langdon gave a tired chuckle. “I’m not sure I entirely understand it myself.” He glanced up at the top of the monument. “Your brother said quite a few things tonight that I couldn’t get my mind around.”

“Let me guess,” Katherine said. “Ancient Mysteries, science, and the Holy Scriptures?”

“Bingo.”

“Welcome to
my
world.” She winked. “Peter initiated me into this long ago. It fueled a lot of my research.”

“Intuitively, some of what he said made sense.” Langdon shook his head. “But intellectually . . .”

Katherine smiled and put her arm around him. “You know, Robert, I may be able to help you with that.”

Deep inside the Capitol Building, Architect Warren Bellamy was walking down a deserted hallway.

Only one thing left to do tonight,
he thought.

When he arrived at his office, he retrieved a very old key from his desk drawer. The key was black iron, long and slender, with faded markings. He slid it into his pocket and then prepared himself to welcome his guests.

Robert Langdon and Katherine Solomon were on their way to the Capitol. At Peter’s request, Bellamy was to provide them with a very rare opportunity—the chance to lay eyes upon this building’s most magnificent secret . . . something that could be revealed only by the Architect.

CHAPTER
133

High above
the floor of the Capitol Rotunda, Robert Langdon inched nervously around the circular catwalk that extended just beneath the ceiling of the dome. He peered tentatively over the railing, dizzied by the height, still unable to believe it had been less than ten hours since Peter’s hand had appeared in the middle of the floor below.

On that same floor, the Architect of the Capitol was now a tiny speck some hundred and eighty feet below, moving steadily across the Rotunda and then disappearing. Bellamy had escorted Langdon and Katherine up to this balcony, leaving them here with very specific instructions.

Peter’s instructions.

Langdon eyed the old iron key that Bellamy had handed to him. Then he glanced over at a cramped stairwell that ascended from this level . . . climbing higher still.
God help me.
These narrow stairs, according to the Architect, led up to a small metal door that could be unlocked with the iron key in Langdon’s hand.

Beyond the door lay something that Peter insisted Langdon and Katherine see. Peter had not elaborated, but rather had left strict instructions regarding the precise
hour
at which the door was to be opened.
We have to wait to open the door? Why?

Langdon checked his watch again and groaned.

Slipping the key into his pocket, he gazed across the gaping void before him at the far side of the balcony. Katherine had walked fearlessly ahead, apparently unfazed by the height. She was now halfway around the circumference, admiring every inch of Brumidi’s
The Apotheosis of Washington,
which loomed directly over their heads. From this rare vantage point, the fifteen-foot-tall figures that adorned the nearly five thousand square feet of the Capitol Dome were visible in astonishing detail.

Langdon turned his back to Katherine, faced the outer wall, and whispered very quietly, “Katherine, this is your conscience speaking. Why did you abandon Robert?”

Katherine was apparently familiar with the dome’s startling acoustical properties . . . because the wall whispered back. “Because Robert is being a chicken. He should come over here with me. We have plenty of time before we’re allowed to open that door.”

Langdon knew she was right and reluctantly made his way around the balcony, hugging the wall as he went.

“This ceiling is absolutely amazing,” Katherine marveled, her neck craned to take in the enormous splendor of the
Apotheosis
overhead. “Mythical gods all mixed in with scientific inventors and their creations? And to think
this
is the image at the center of our Capitol.”

Langdon turned his eyes upward to the sprawling forms of Franklin, Fulton, and Morse with their technological inventions. A shining rainbow arched away from these figures, guiding his eye to George Washington ascending to heaven on a cloud.
The great promise of man becoming God.

Katherine said, “It’s as if the entire essence of the Ancient Mysteries is hovering over the Rotunda.”

Langdon had to admit, not many frescoes in the world fused scientific inventions with mythical gods and human apotheosis. This ceiling’s spectacular collection of images was
indeed
a message of the Ancient Mysteries, and it was here for a reason. The founding fathers had envisioned America as a blank canvas, a fertile field on which the seeds of the mysteries could be sown. Today, this soaring icon—the father of our country ascending to heaven—hung silently above our lawmakers, leaders, and presidents . . . a bold reminder, a map to the future, a promise of a time when man would evolve to complete spiritual maturity.

“Robert,” Katherine whispered, her gaze still fixated on the massive figures of America’s great inventors accompanied by Minerva. “It’s prophetic, really. Today, man’s most advanced inventions are being used to study man’s most ancient ideas. The science of Noetics may be new, but it’s actually the
oldest
science on earth—the study of human thought.” She turned to him now, her eyes filled with wonder. “And we’re learning that the ancients actually understood
thought
more profoundly than we do today.”

“Makes sense,” Langdon replied. “The human mind was the only technology the ancients had at their disposal. The early philosophers studied it relentlessly.”

“Yes! The ancient texts are obsessed with the power of the human mind. The Vedas describe the flow of mind energy. The
Pistis Sophia
describes universal consciousness. The
Zohar
explores the nature of mind spirit. The Shamanic texts predict Einstein’s ‘remote influence’ in terms of healing at a distance. It’s all there! And don’t even get me started about the Bible.”

“You, too?” Langdon said, chuckling. “Your brother tried to convince me that the Bible is encoded with scientific information.”

“It certainly
is
,” she said. “And if you don’t believe Peter, read some of Newton’s esoteric texts on the Bible. When you start to understand the cryptic parables in the Bible, Robert, you realize it’s a study of the human mind.”

Langdon shrugged. “I guess I’d better go back and read it again.”

“Let me ask you something,” she said, clearly not appreciating his skepticism. “When the Bible tells us to ‘go build our temple’ . . . a temple that we must ‘build with no tools and making no noise,’ what
temple
do you think it’s talking about?”

“Well, the text does say your body is a temple.”

“Yes, Corinthians 3:16.
You
are the temple of God.” She smiled at him. “And the Gospel of John says the exact same thing. Robert, the Scriptures are well aware of the power latent within us, and they are urging us to harness that power . . . urging us to build the temples of our
minds
.”

“Unfortunately, I think much of the religious world is waiting for a
real
temple to be rebuilt. It’s part of the Messianic Prophecy.”

“Yes, but that overlooks an important point. The Second Coming is the coming of
man
—the moment when mankind finally builds the temple of his mind.”

“I don’t know,” Langdon said, rubbing his chin. “I’m no Bible scholar, but I’m pretty sure the Scriptures describe in detail a
physical
temple that needs to be built. The structure is described as being in two parts—an outer temple called the Holy Place and an inner sanctuary called the Holy of Holies. The two parts are separated from each other by a thin veil.”

Katherine grinned. “Pretty good recall for a Bible skeptic. By the way, have you ever seen an actual human brain? It’s built in two parts—an outer part called the dura mater and an inner part called the pia mater. These two parts are separated by the arachnoid—a
veil
of weblike tissue.”

Langdon cocked his head in surprise.

Gently, she reached up and touched Langdon’s temple. “There’s a reason they call this your
temple
, Robert.”

As Langdon tried to process what Katherine had said, he flashed unexpectedly on the gnostic Gospel of Mary:
Where the mind is, there is the treasure.

“Perhaps you’ve heard,” Katherine said, softly now, “about the brain scans taken of yogis while they meditate? The human brain, in advanced states of focus, will
physically
create a waxlike substance from the pineal gland. This brain secretion is unlike anything else in the body. It has an
incredible healing effect, can literally regenerate cells, and may be one of the reasons yogis live so long. This is real
science
, Robert. This substance has inconceivable properties and can be created
only
by a mind that is highly tuned to a deeply focused state.”

“I remember reading about that a few years back.”

“Yes, and on that topic, you’re familiar with the Bible’s account of ‘manna from heaven’?”

Langdon saw no connection. “You mean the magical substance that fell from heaven to nourish the hungry?”

“Exactly. The substance was said to heal the sick, provide everlasting life, and, strangely, cause no waste in those who consumed it.” Katherine paused, as if waiting for him to understand. “Robert?” she prodded. “A kind of nourishment that fell from
heaven?
” She tapped her temple. “Magically heals the body? Creates no waste? Don’t you see? These are
code words
, Robert!
Temple
is code for ‘body.’
Heaven
is code for ‘mind.’
Jacob’s ladder
is your spine. And
manna
is this rare brain secretion. When you see these code words in Scripture, pay attention. They are often
markers
for a more profound meaning concealed beneath the surface.”

Katherine’s words were coming out in rapid-fire succession now, explaining how this same magical substance appeared
throughout
the Ancient Mysteries: Nectar of the Gods, Elixir of Life, Fountain of Youth, Philosopher’s Stone, ambrosia, dew,
ojas,
soma. Then she launched into an explanation about the brain’s pineal gland representing the all-seeing eye of God. “According to Matthew 6:22,” she said excitedly, “ ‘when your eye is
single,
your body fills with light.’ This concept is also represented by the Ajna chakra and the dot on a Hindu’s forehead, which—”

Katherine stopped short, looking sheepish. “Sorry . . . I know I’m rambling. I just find this all so exhilarating. For years I’ve studied the ancients’ claims of man’s awesome mental power, and now
science
is showing us that
accessing
that power is an actual physical process. Our brains, if used correctly, can call forth powers that are quite literally superhuman. The Bible, like many ancient texts, is a detailed exposition of the most sophisticated machine ever created . . .
the human mind.”
She sighed. “Incredibly, science has yet to scratch the surface of the mind’s full promise.”

“It sounds like your work in Noetics will be a quantum leap forward.”

“Or
backward,
” she said. “The ancients already knew many of the scientific truths we’re now rediscovering. Within a matter of years, modern man will be forced to accept what is now unthinkable: our minds can generate energy capable of
transforming
physical matter.” She paused.
“Particles
react
to our thoughts . . . which means our
thoughts
have the power to change the world.”

Langdon smiled softly.

“What my research has brought me to believe is
this
,” Katherine said. “God is very real—a mental energy that pervades everything. And we, as human beings, have been created in
that
image—”

“I’m sorry?” Langdon interrupted. “Created in the image of . . . mental energy?”

“Exactly. Our physical bodies have evolved over the ages, but it was our
minds
that were created in the image of God. We’ve been reading the Bible too literally. We learn that God created us in his image, but it’s not our
physical
bodies that resemble God, it’s our
minds
.”

Langdon was silent now, fully engrossed.

“This is the great gift, Robert, and God is waiting for us to understand it. All around the world, we are gazing skyward, waiting for
God
. . . never realizing that God is waiting for
us
.” Katherine paused, letting her words soak in. “We are
creators,
and yet we naively play the role of ‘the
created
.’ We see ourselves as helpless sheep buffeted around by the God who made us. We kneel like frightened children, begging for help, for forgiveness, for good luck. But once we realize that we are truly created in the Creator’s image, we will start to understand that we,
too,
must be Creators. When we understand this fact, the doors will burst wide open for human potential.”

Langdon recalled a passage that had always stuck with him from the work of the philosopher Manly P. Hall:
If the infinite had not desired man to be wise, he would not have bestowed upon him the faculty of knowing.
Langdon gazed up again at the image of
The Apotheosis of Washington
—the symbolic ascent of man to deity.
The created . . . becoming the Creator.

“The most amazing part,” Katherine said, “is that as soon as we humans begin to harness our true power, we will have enormous control over our world. We will be able to
design
reality rather than merely react to it.”

Langdon lowered his gaze. “That sounds . . . dangerous.”

Katherine looked startled . . . and impressed. “Yes, exactly! If
thoughts
affect the world, then we must be very careful
how
we think. Destructive thoughts have influence, too, and we all know it’s far easier to destroy than it is to create.”

Langdon thought of all the lore about needing to protect the ancient wisdom from the unworthy and share it only with the enlightened. He thought of the Invisible College, and the great scientist Isaac Newton’s
request to Robert Boyle to keep “high silence” about their secret research.
It cannot be communicated,
Newton wrote in 1676,
without immense damage to the world.

“There’s an interesting twist here,” Katherine said. “The great irony is that all the religions of the world, for centuries, have been urging their followers to embrace the concepts of
faith
and
belief
. Now science, which for centuries has derided religion as superstition, must admit that its next big frontier is quite literally the science of
faith
and
belief
. . . the power of focused conviction and intention. The same science that eroded our faith in the miraculous is now building a bridge back across the chasm it created.”

Langdon considered her words for a long time. Slowly he raised his eyes again to the
Apotheosis.
“I have a question,” he said, looking back at Katherine. “Even if I could accept, just for an instant, that I have the power to change physical matter with my mind, and literally manifest all that I desire . . . I’m afraid I see nothing in my life to make me believe I have such power.”