The Power of Human Thought

The philosopher Manly P. Hall said: “If the infinite had not desired man to be wise, he would not have bestowed upon him the faculty of knowing."

I finally finished Dan Brown’s novel “The Lost Symbol”, and I have to say I was blown away not only by his sheer genius in the knowledge he acquired to write the novel, but the way he used the study of Noetics to bridge the gap between science and religion.  Although the book was a bit dark and gruesome, the end proved to be surprising and enlightening.  You may wonder, “how in the world could this novel be enlightening?”  I have included an excerpt that opened my eyes to the extraordinary potential that lays dormant within each one of us.  We truly are children of God and He is waiting for us to harness our divine heritage and do great things in the world. 

“Robert,” Katherine whispered, her gaze still fixated on the massive figures of America’s greatest 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 profound 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 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’s 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 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.”

            “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 arachnoids’—a veil of weblike tissue.”

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 scan 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.”

             . . . “On the 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 from heaven? “ She tapped her temple. “Magically heals the body? Creates no waste? Don’t you see? These are code moves, 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, she explained 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 detailed in 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.”

            “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.”

            “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. 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 needed 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 of 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 laser like focus, full sensory visualization and a profound belief.  We have proven this is 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.”

            “Katherine, please don’t tell me you actually believe in miracles.  I mean, seriously . . .  turning water into wine, healing the sick with the touch of a hand?”

Katherine took a long breath and blew it out slowly.  “I have witnessed people transform cancer cells into healthy cells simply by thinking about them. I have witnessed human minds affecting the physical world in myriad ways.  And once you see that happen, Robert, once this becomes part of your reality, then some of the miracles you read about become simply a matter of degree.”

            Langdon was pensive.  “It’s an inspiring way to see the world, Katherine, but for me, it just feels like an impossible leap of faith.  And as you know, faith has never come easily for me.”

            “Then don’t think of it as faith. Think of is simply as changing your perspective, accepting that the world is precisely as you imagine.  Historically, every major scientific breakthrough began with a simple idea that threatened to overturn all of our beliefs.  The simple statement ‘the earth is round’ was mocked as utterly impossible because most people believed the oceans would flow off the planet.  Heliocentricity was called heresy.  Small minds have always lashed out at what they don’t understand.  There are those who create . . . and those who tear down.  That dynamic has existed for all time.  But eventually the creators find believers, and the number of believers reaches a critical mass, and suddenly the world becomes round, or the solar system becomes heliocentric.  Perception is transformed, and a new reality is born.”