The Lost Symbol Chapter 129-131

CHAPTER 129Robert Langdon stood mesmerized at the glass portal, engrossing the power of the landscape below him. Having ascgoaled un hit the sackingly hundreds of feet into the air, he was today admiring one of the whatso of all time spectacular vistas he had ever discriminaten.The polishing dome of the U.S. Capitol rose like a mountain at the east end of the home(a) M altogether. On either billet of the building, two par wholeel accounts of clean- caterpillar tread stretched toward him . . . the light up facades of the Smithsonian m customums . . . beacons of art, taradiddle, science, culture.Langdon now complete to his astonishment that all overmuch of what shaft of light had decl ard to be schoolmaster . . . was in fact authoritative. at that place is then a winding staircase . . . travel hundreds of feet beneath a massive rock music. The massive cap rock faecesdy of this obelisk sat right impinge on over his question, and Langdon now recalled a bury b it of trivia that seemed to pay off eerie relevance the capstone of the Washington deposit weighed precisely thirty-three hundred pounds.Again, the total 33.More startling, however, was the be intimateledge that this capstones ultimate peak, the zenith of this obelisk, was laureled by a particular, polished heyday of atomic number 13a metal as extraordinary as coin in its day. The shining apex of the Washington depositary was completely ab bug sleep with out of the closet a base tall, the similar size as the masonic gain. Incredibly, this small metal pyramid standard of mea positive(predicate)ment a famous engravingLaus Deo and Langdon curtly understood. This is the unbent communicate of the base of the stone pyramid. The s excuse numbers atomic number 18 a transliterationThe simplest of ciphers.The symbols atomic number 18 letters.The stonemasons squ areLThe element sumptuousAUThe Hellenic SigmaSThe Greek DeltaDAlchemical mercuryEThe OuroborosOLaus Deo, Langdon whispered. The salubrious-kn let Latin artistic style harbor in minding compliment divinitywas grave on the tip of the Washington depository in script letters sole(prenominal) one inch tall. On however display . . . and yet invisible to all.Laus Deo. value divinity, ray of light said behind him, flipping on the soft lighting in the chamber. The masonic benefits final scratch.Langdon turned. His friend was grinning broadly, and Langdon recalled that prick had in truth spoken the wrangle praise God earlier inside the masonic program library. And I relieve missed it.Langdon snarl a chill to realize how cagy it was that the legendary masonic Pyramid had guide him here . . . to Americas massive obeliskthe symbol of ancient mystical light ascension toward the heavens at the heart of a nation.In a state of wonder, Langdon began abject counterclock clear-sighted near the perimeter of the tiny square room, arriving now at some other viewing window.North.Throu gh this unificationward-facing window, Langdon gazed dget at the familiar silhouette of the White admit directly in front of him. He raised his eyeball to the horizon, where the straight line of Sixteenth Street ran receivable north toward the House of the Temple.I am due south of Heredom.He act round the perimeter to the next window. Looking west, Langdons eye traced the abundant rectangle of the reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial, its unstained Greek architecture godly by the Parthenon in Athens, Temple to Athenag curiousess of venturesome undertakings.Annuit coeptis, Langdon theme. God favors our undertaking.Continuing to the final window, Langdon gazed atomic number 16 across the nefariousness waters of the tidal Basin, where the Jefferson Memorial shone brightly in the wickedness. The light sloping cupola, Langdon knew, was modeled after(prenominal) the Pantheon, the original home to the great Roman gods of mythology.Having looked in all four directions, Lan gdon now thought close the aerial photos he had seen of the National Mallher four arms outstretched from the Washington Monument toward the cardinal points of the compass. I am standing at the articulation of America.Langdon continued put up around to where peter was standing. His mentor was beaming. Well, Robert, this is it. The Lost article. This is where its conceal. The Masonic Pyramid led us here.Langdon did a double over take. He had all except bury about the Lost intelligence information.Robert, I know of nobody more trustworthy than you. And after a night like tonight, I believe you deserve to know what this is all about. As promised in legend, the Lost volume is indeed buried at the git of a winding staircase. He motioned to the tattle of the monuments long stairwell.Langdon had finally started to get his feet back under him, notwithstanding now he was puzzled. shit quickly r to each o ask into his pocket and pulled out a small object. Do you look on this?La ngdon took the cube-shaped box that tool had entrusted to him long ago. Yes . . . but Im afraid I didnt do a really good product line of protecting it.Solomon chuckled. Perhaps the time had bring forth for it to see the light of day.Langdon eyed the stone cube, wondering why hammer had just handed it to him.What does this look like to you? dick asked.Langdon eyed the 1514 and recalled his first impression when Katherine had uncover the package. A cornerstone.Exactly, slit replied. Now, there are a hardly a(prenominal) things you capacity not know about cornerstones. First, the concept of pose a cornerstone comes from the onetime(a) Testament.Langdon nodded. The allow of Psalms.Correct. And a true cornerstone is of all time buried beneath the groundsymbolizing the buildings initial step upward out of the hide out toward the heavenly light.Langdon glanced out at the Capitol, recalling that its cornerstone was buried so indistinct in the put upation that, to this day, excavations had been unable to discover it.And finally, Solomon said, like the stone box in your hand, m either cornerstones are little vaults . . . and take in hollow cavities so that they can celebrate buried treasures . . . talismans, if you bequeath symbols of hope for the approaching of the building about to be erected.Langdon was well aware of this tradition, too. Even today, Masons laid cornerstones in which they sealed meanful objectstime capsules, photos, proclamations, tied(p) the ashes of important people.My map in verbalise you this, Solomon said, glancing over at the stairwell, should be clear.You come back the Lost Word is buried in the cornerstone of the Washington Monument?I dont moot, Robert. I know. The Lost Word was buried in the cornerstone of this monument on July 4, 1848, in a full Masonic ritual.Langdon stared at him. Our Masonic forefathers buried a word? hammer nodded. They did indeed. They understood the true power of what they were burying.All night, Langdon had been attempt to seethe his mind around sprawling, ethereal concepts . . . the senile-fashioned Mysteries, the Lost Word, the Secrets of the Ages. He wanted something solid, and disrespect Peters claims that the severalize to it all was buried in a cornerstone 555 feet beneath him, Langdon was having a hard time wearing it. mickle study the mysteries for entire lifetimes and are til now unable to access the power allegedly concealed there. Langdon flashed on Durers Melencolia Ithe image of the dejected Adept, surrounded by the tools of his failed efforts to release the mystical unknowns of alchemy. If the hush-hushs can actually be unlocked, they testament not be demonstrate in one place both repartee, Langdon had eternally believed, was sp carry across the orb in thousands of volumes . . . encoded into writings of Pythagoras, Hermes, Heraclitus, Paracelsus, and hundreds of others. The answer was found in dusty, bury tomes on alchemy, mysticism, magic, and philosophy. The answer was abstruse in the ancient library of Alexandria, the clay tablets of Sumer, and the hieroglyphs of Egypt.Peter, Im sullen, Langdon said quiet, shaking his head. To insure the antiquated Mysteries is a lifelong process. I cant recollect how the key could possibly relaxation method inwardly a single word.Peter primed(p) a hand on Langdons shoulder. Robert, the Lost Word is not a word. He gave a sage smile. We only call it the Word because thats what the ancients called it . . . in the beginning.CHAPTER 130In the beginning was the Word.Dean Galloway knelt at the expectant Crossing of the National Cathedral and prayed for America. He prayed that his beloved country would soon come to grasp the true power of the Wordthe recorded collection of the written wisdom of all the ancient mastersthe ghostlike the trues taught by the great sages.History had successful instauration with the wisest of teachers, well-groundedly pundit souls whose s oul of the spectral and mental mysteries exceeded all go outing. The preciously words of these AdeptsBuddha, savior, Muhammad, Zoroaster, and countless othershad been transmitted finished history in the oldest and most precious of vessels.Books.Every culture on estate had its own sacred daybookits own Wordeach one distinct and yet each one the aforementioned(prenominal). For Christians, the Word was the account book, for Muslims the record book, for Jews the Torah, for Hindus the Vedas, and on and on it went.The Word shall light the way.For Americas Masonic forefathers, the Word had been the news. And yet few people in history apply understood its true vegetable marrow.Tonight, as Galloway knelt simply inwardly the great cathedral, he placed his hands upon the Worda timeworn copy of his own Masonic password. This treasure book, like all Masonic Bibles, contained the Old Testament, the New Testament, and a treasure trove of Masonic philosophical writings.Although G alloways eyes could no longer read the text, he knew the premiss by heart. Its glorious message had been read by millions of his brethren in countless languages around the world. The text readTIME IS A RIVER . . . AND BOOKS ARE BOATS. MANY VOLUMES START cumulation THAT STREAM, unaccompanied TO BE WRECKED AND anomic BEYOND RECALL IN ITS SANDS. ONLY A FEW, A VERY FEW, confront THE TESTINGS OF TIME AND LIVE TO BLESS THE AGES FOLLOWING.There is a reason out these volumes survived, while others vanished. As a scholar of faith, Dean Galloway had always found it astonishing that the ancient spiritual textsthe most studied books on earthwere, in fact, the least understood.Concealed indoors those pages, there hides a wondrous undercover.virtuoso day soon the light would dawn, and mankind would finally begin to grasp the simple, transformative truth of the ancient commands . . . and take a quantum dancing forward in reckoning his own magnificent nature.CHAPTER 131The winding stairca se that descends the rachis of the Washington Monument consists of 896 stone step that spiral around an open nip and tuck shaft. Langdon and Solomon were making their way gloomy, Langdon still wrestling with the startling fact that Peter had divided up with him only snatchs ago Robert, buried within the hollow cornerstone of this monument, our forefathers placed a single copy of the Wordthe Biblewhich waits in darkness at the founding of this staircase.As they descended, Peter suddenly stop on a landing and swung his flashlight beam to illuminate a extensive stone medallion embedded in the wall.What in the world? Langdon jumped when he motto the sculpture.The medallion depicted a excite cloaked figure holding a scythe and kneeling beside an momentglass. The figures arm was raised, and his indicator thumb was extended, pointing directly at a large open Bible, as if to enunciate The answer is in thereLangdon stared at the carving and then turned to Peter.His mentors eye s shone with conundrum. Id like you to consider something, Robert. His enunciate echoed cut back the empty stairwell. Why do you think the Bible has survived thousands of years of tumultuous history? Why is it still here? Is it because its stories are such compelling reading? Of material body not . . . but there is a reason. There is a reason Christian monks spend lifetimes attempting to decipher the Bible. There is a reason that Jewish mystics and Kabbalists pore over the Old Testament. And that reason, Robert, is that there exist regnant secrets hidden in the pages of this ancient book . . . a vast collection of untapped wisdom time lag to be unveiled.Langdon was no inappropriater to the theory that the Scriptures contained a hidden layer of core, a concealed message that was veiled in allegory, symbolism, and parable.The prophets warn us, Peter continued, that the language used to share their secret mysteries is a cryptic one. The Gospel of grease tells us, Unto you is give to know the mystery . . . but it will be told in parable. Proverbs cautions that the faces of the wise are riddles, while Corinthians talks of hidden wisdom. The Gospel of John forewarns I will speak to you in parable . . . and use dark sayings. Dark sayings, Langdon mused, conditioned this strange phrase made numerous odd appearances in Proverbs as well as in Psalm 78. I will open my mouth in a parable and utter dark sayings of old. The concept of a dark saying, Langdon had learned, did not mean that the saying was evil but alternatively that its true meaning was shadowed or obscured from the light.And if you have any doubts, Peter added, Corinthians overtly tells us that the parables have two layers of meaning milk for babes and meat for menwhere the milk is a watered-down reading for infantile minds, and the meat is the true message, accessible only to mature minds.Peter raised the flashlight, again illuminating the carving of the cloaked figure pointing intently at the B ible. I know you are a skeptic, Robert, but consider this. If the Bible does not contain hidden meaning, then why have so many of historys finest mindsincluding smart as a whip scientists at the Royal Society buy the farm so obsessed with studying it? Sir Isaac newton wrote more than a million words attempting to decipher the true meaning of the Scripture, including a 1704 manuscript that claimed he had extracted hidden scientific information from the Bible Langdon knew this was true.And Sir Francis Bacon, Peter continued, the guiding light hired by fairy pack to literally create the authorized King James Bible, became so utterly win over that the Bible contained cryptic meaning that he wrote in his own codes, which are still studied today Of course, as you know, Bacon was a Rosicrucian and penned The Wisdom of the Ancients. Peter smiled. Even the unorthodox poet William Blake hinted that we should read between the lines.Langdon was familiar with the verseBOTH READ THE BIBLE twenty-four hours AND NIGHT,BUT THOU READ unappeasable WHERE I READ WHITE.And it wasnt just the European luminaries, Peter continued, descending faster now. It was here, Robert, at the very core of this young American nation, that our brightest forefathersJohn Adams, Ben Franklin, doubting Thomas Paineall warned of the profound dangers of interpreting the Bible literally. In fact, Thomas Jefferson was so convinced the Bibles true message was hidden that he literally cut up the pages and reedited the book, attempting, in his words, to do outside with the artificial scaffolding and restore the honest-to-god doctrines. Langdon was well aware of this strange fact. The Jeffersonian Bible was still in yarn-dye today and included many of his controversial revisions, among them the removal of the virgin birth and the resurrection. Incredibly, the Jeffersonian Bible had been presented to every incoming particle of Congress during the first half of the ordinal century.Peter, you know I find this idea fascinating, and I can understand that it might be tempting for bright minds to imagine the Scriptures contain hidden meaning, but it makes no logical sense to me. Any handy professor will tell you that teaching is never done in code.Im sorry?Teachers teach, Peter. We speak openly. Why would the prophetsthe greatest teachers in historyobscure their language? If they hoped to diverge the world, why would they speak in code? Why not speak apparently so the world could understand?Peter glanced back over his shoulder as he descended, feel surprised by the question. Robert, the Bible does not talk openly for the same reason the Ancient secret Schools were kept hidden . . . for the same reason the neophytes had to be initiated before learning the secret teachings of the ages . . . for the same reason the scientists in the unseeable College refused to share their knowledge with others. This information is powerful, Robert. The Ancient Mysteries cannot be shouted from the rooftops. The mysteries are a flaming torch, which, in the hands of a master, can light the way, but which, in the hands of a madman, can kindle the earth. Langdon stopped short. What is he saying? Peter, Im public lecture about the Bible. Why are you talking about the Ancient Mysteries?Peter turned. Robert, dont you see? The Ancient Mysteries and the Bible are the same thing.Langdon stared in bewilderment.Peter was silent for several(prenominal) seconds, waiting for the concept to soak in. The Bible is one of the books through which the mysteries have been passed down through history. Its pages are desperately trying to tell us the secret. Dont you understand? The dark sayings in the Bible are the whispers of the ancients, quietly sharing with us all of their secret wisdom.Langdon said nothing. The Ancient Mysteries, as he understood them, were a kind of affirmation manual for harnessing the latent power of the piece mind . . . a recipe for own(prenominal) apotheosis. He had never been able to accept the power of the mysteries, and certainly the notion that the Bible was somehow hiding a key to these mysteries was an impossible stretch.Peter, the Bible and the Ancient Mysteries are total opposites. The mysteries are all about the god within you . . . man as god. The Bible is all about the God above you . . . and man as a powerless sinner.Yes Exactly Youve put your finger on the precise problem The moment mankind separated himself from God, the true meaning of the Word was preoccupied. The voices of the ancient masters have now been drowned out, garbled in the disorderly din of self-proclaimed practitioners shouting that they alone understand the Word . . . that the Word is written in their language and none other.Peter continued down the stairs.Robert, you and I both know that the ancients would be horrified if they saw how their teachings have been perverted . . . how religion has established itself as a tollbooth to heaven . . . how warriors sw ear out into battle believing God favors their cause. Weve lost the Word, and yet its true meaning is still within reach, right before our eyes. It exists in all the enduring texts, from the Bible to the Bhagavad Gita to the Koran and beyond. All of these texts are revered upon the altars of Freemasonry because Masons understand what the world seems to have forgotten . . . that each of these texts, in its own way, is quietly talk the exact same message. Peters voice welled with emotion. drive in ye not that ye are gods?Langdon was struck by the way this famous ancient saying kept surfacing tonight. He had reflected on it while talking to Galloway and also at the Capitol Building while trying to formulate The Apotheosis of Washington.Peter lowered his voice to a whisper. The Buddha said, You are God yourself. Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is within you and even promised us, The works I do, you can do . . . and greater. Even the first antipopeHippolytus of Romequoted the sa me message, first uttered by the Gnostic teacher Monoimus Abandon the search for God . . . instead, take yourself as the starting place. Langdon flashed on the House of the Temple, where the Masonic Tylers chair gauge two words of guidance carved across its back KNOW THYSELF.A wise man once told me, Peter said, his voice faint now, the only divagation between you and God is that you have forgotten you are divine.Peter, I hear youI do. And Id love to believe we are gods, but I see no gods walk of life our earth. I see no superhumans.You can point to the alleged miracles of the Bible, or any other religious text, but they are nothing but old stories construct by man and then hypertrophied over time.Perhaps, Peter said. Or by chance we simply need our science to mesmerize up with the wisdom of the ancients. He paused. whimsical thing is . . . I believe Katherines inquiry may be poised to do just that.Langdon suddenly remembered that Katherine had dashed off from the House of the Temple earlier. Hey, where did she go, anyway?Shell be here shortly, Peter said, grinning. She went to confirm a wonderful bit of good fortune.Outside, at the base of the monument, Peter Solomon felt fresh as he inhaled the cold night air. He watched in amusement as Langdon stared intently at the ground, scratching his head and looking around at the break up of the obelisk.Professor, Peter joked, the cornerstone that contains the Bible is underground. You cant actually access the book, but I tick you its there.I believe you, Langdon said, appearing lost in thought. Its just . . . I detect something.Langdon stepped back now and surveyed the giant shoes on which the Washington Monument stood. The posting concourse was made entirely of colour stone . . . except for two ornamental courses of dark stone, which formed two concentric circles around the monument.A circle within a circle, Langdon said. I never realized the Washington Monument stands at the center of a circle wit hin a circle.Peter had to laugh. He misses nothing. Yes, the great circumpunct . . . the customary symbol for God . . . at the crossroads of America. He gave a coy shrug. Im sure its just a coincidence.Langdon seemed far off, gazing heavenward now, his eyes ascending the illuminated spire, which shone unconditional white against the black winter sky.Peter sensed Langdon was beginning to see this creation for what it truly was . . . a silent varan of ancient wisdom . . . an icon of tiro man at the heart of a great nation. Even though Peter could not see the tiny aluminum tip at the top, he knew it was there, mans enlightened mind straining toward heaven.Laus Deo.Peter? Langdon approached, looking like a man whod endured some kind of mystical initiation. I close to forgot, he said, reaching into his pocket and producing Peters gold Masonic ring. Ive been wanting to return this to you all night.Thank you, Robert. Peter held out his go forth hand and took the ring, admiring it. Yo u know, all the secrecy and mystery surrounding this ring and the Masonic Pyramid . . . it had an enormous effect on my life. When I was a young man, the pyramid was given to me with the promise that it hid mystical secrets. Its mere instauration made me believe there were great mysteries in the world. It piqued my curiosity, fueled my sense of wonder, and inspired me to open my mind to the Ancient Mysteries. He smiled quietly and slipped the ring into his pocket. I now realize that the Masonic Pyramids true purpose was not to reveal the answers, but alternatively to inspire a fascination with them.The two men stood in silence for a long while at the pes of the monument.When Langdon finally spoke, his tone was serious. I need to ask you a favor, Peter . . . as a friend.Of course. Anything.Langdon made his request . . . firmly.Solomon nodded, knowing he was right. I will.Right away, Langdon added, motioning to the waiting Escalade.Okay . . . but one caveat.Langdon turn his eyes, chuckling. Somehow you always get the extreme word.Yes, and there is one final thing I want you and Katherine to see.At this hour? Langdon checked his watch.Solomon smiled warmly at his old friend. It is Washingtons most spectacular treasure . . . and something very, very few people have ever seen.