[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.The Sun is the father, the Moon the mother.Earth must be separated from Fire, the subtle from the dense, with gentle heat and good judgment.This ascends from the earth into the sky.Again, it descends to earth, and takes back the power of the above and the below.By this means you will receive the Light of the whole world, and Darkness will fly from thee.This is the strength of all power, for it will penetrate all mysteries and dispel all ignorance.By it the world was created.Edie quickly read the list.“Hey, I actually know this one.” She underlined the first line with her finger.“ ‘As above, so below.’ It’s a famous saying.Although I didn’t know until just now that it was carved onto the Emerald Tablet.”“During the Middle Ages, Thoth the Thrice Great, also known by his Greek name, Hermes Trismegistus, was always depicted in the garb of an Egyptian high priest holding an armillary sphere aloft.A pictorial representation of that very precept.”“What’s an armillary?”“An armillary is a skeletal sphere composed of metal bands that represent the heavens, the equator, the ecliptic, meridians, and latitude,” Caedmon replied.“Thoth holds the armillary aloft to convey the idea that a connection to the heavens is a requisite for the creative process to take place on the earthly plane.”“‘The creative process.’ A quaint way of saying the Big Bang.Got it.But to get back to my original question”—she placed her palm over top the opened book with the Eight Precepts—“how did the Knights Templar get a hold of the Emerald Tablet?”Caedmon, frowning, tugged at his blue plaid robe, pulling it more securely over his kneecaps.Edie had the distinct impression that he regretted not having dressed before heading downstairs.“During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the Knights Templar were instrumental in liberating Spain from the Moors.Grateful for their military assistance, various Christian monarchs bequeathed large Spanish land tracts to the Templars.”“Which is how the Knights Templar made contact with the Spanish Kabbalists,” Edie said, the story beginning to make sense.“The Templars, deservedly famed for their religious tolerance, were the only Christian order that maintained strong relations with European Jews and were known to come to their aid during times of duress.” As he spoke, Caedmon reached for another macaroon.“If there really is a Genesis code encrypted within the pictograph, why didn’t the Knights Templar, you know, take the Emerald Tablet out for a test drive? Or why didn’t Francis Bacon try to create something?”“For the simple reason that neither the Templars nor Sir Francis possessed the encryption key,” Caedmon replied.Then, elaborating, he said, “As with any code or cipher, an encryption key is required in order to correctly decode the hidden message.In cryptography, there is a famous axiom, Kerckhoff’s principle, which states that ‘only secrecy of the key provides security.’ Without the encryption key, the Genesis code can’t be deciphered.Be that as it may, the Emerald Tablet is still a highly desirable relic.”Edie shot both of them a meaningful glance.“Okay, guys.When do we take the scavenger hunt to the next level?”“You, Edie Miller, are a woman after my own heart.” Placing an arm around her shoulders, Caedmon pulled her close.Rubin dolefully shook his spiky white head.“I wouldn’t pop the corks just yet.We have no idea where to begin the hunt.”Caedmon picked up the Mylar-encased frontispiece.“You never did say, Rubin, how you came by this.”“And with good reason.”Looking decidedly guilty, their host walked over to the piano, retaking his seat at the upholstered bench.A few moments later, Edie suppressed a smile, recognizing the dirge-like opening to the punk-rock anthem “London Calling.”Banging out the final note, Rubin removed his hands from the keyboard and turned toward the divan.“Oh, very well.I bought it from a young chit who clearly had no idea as to the engraving’s true value.She sent me an unsolicited e-mail in which she alluded to having something that I might be interested in purchasing.” He mirthlessly cackled.“She’d invented some outlandish story about finding it behind a wall panel at her place of employment.”“And why, may I ask, was that an ‘outlandish’ claim?” Caedmon stared intently at the antiquarian.“Well, because of where she is employed,” Rubin churlishly retorted.“Good God, the chit works at Craven House.”“Get out of town! That’s right here in London.”Turning to her, Caedmon raised a questioning brow.“You’re familiar with this Craven House?”“Oh, I’ve never been there,” Edie was quick to clarify.“But a few years back I read a Franklin biography.Most people don’t know this, but he lived in London for nearly thirty years.As I recall, Craven House was his last residence in Merry Olde.”Clearly stunned by the revelation, Caedmon’s eyes opened wide.“As in Dr.Benjamin Franklin?”“None other.”CHAPTER 54Craning his neck, Mercurius gazed upon the night sky, dazzled by the glittering array.Like a beacon fire, the stars, the planets, and the celestial bodies beckoned.The Lost Heaven.That luminous place that gave birth to the divine spark—the soul—that resided within each living creature.And where each soul yearned to return.He pulled his robe tighter across his chest as he strolled to the other side of the slate terrace.Through the limbs of his neighbor’s towering oak, Mercurius easily sighted the Orion constellation.The most conspicuous of all the starry configurations, it was known to the ancient Egyptians as Unas.So named for the pharaoh who rose to military greatness by eating the flesh of his mortal enemies.A ghoulish custom that married the Egyptians’ lurid fascination with death to the art of war.“The business of barbarians” as Napoleon so adroitly referred to it.But the Egyptians were not the first civilization obsessed with warfare.Before Egypt came to the forefront of the ancient world, there was the mighty Atlantis.The fabled island of Atlas.The continent rose to prominence twelve thousand years ago.Even then, its culture, medical arts, and highly advanced technology were legendary [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]