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.»

She shrugged. «Then you’re not looking hard enough.»

«Come on, I want a real answer. That’s the answer of a priest. I want the answer of a scientist.»

«You want a real answer? Here it is. If I hand you a violin and say you have the capability to use it to make incredible music, I am not lying. You do have the capability, but you’ll need enormous amounts of practice to manifest it. This is no different from learning to use your mind, Robert. Well-directed thought is a learned skill. To manifest an intention requires laserlike focus, full sensory visualization, and a profound belief. We have proven this in a lab. And just like playing a violin, there are people who exhibit greater natural ability than others. Look to history. Look to the stories of those enlightened minds who performed miraculous feats.»