The Celestine Prophecy

The first word of the novel is “I,” which establishes both the story’s narrative voice and its universal application. A quality of mystery is evoked in the opening paragraph as the narrator wonders why an old friend, Charlene, whom he has not seen for six years, summoned him to dinner at a restaurant. As he steps out of his truck and walks toward the restaurant, the narrator reflects on the beauty of the setting sun and the summer evening that “felt cool and renewed” after a brief thunderstorm (1). These natural descriptions provide a light foreshadowing of the renewal through the power of natural beauty that will form an integral part of the story’s message.

In the first reference to the Manuscript, Charlene tells the narrator, “You’re going to love what this manuscript says—it’s just your kind of mystery” (2). This provides a rare reference to the narrator’s prior beliefs. Apparently, according to Charlene, his interest in the Manuscript is not restricted to the adventure itself but is also motivated by a deep and unresolved spiritual interest. The exposition, in which Charlene describes the Manuscript for both the narrator and the reader, uses the technique of procatalepsis, or the anticipation of rebuttal of objections before they are raised. For example, the narrator expresses disbelief that an ancient manuscript written in Aramaic, an ancient language of the biblical lands in the Middle East, would be found in South America. In this way, the storyteller can anticipate and, thereby, dismiss some of the more improbable elements of the plot.

While Charlene and the narrator are talking about the “profound sense of restlessness” (5) that is evident in the world, an argument breaks out at a nearby table. This is the first of many coincidences that will punctuate the story: The argument is a perfectly timed example of the concept being discussed. Moreover, this coincidental occurrence illustrates that the First Insight “occurs when we become conscious of the coincidences in our lives” (6).

After Charlene leaves by plane on the next step of her flight, the narrator returns home and goes to bed. In the novel’s first instance of the recurring motif of wakefulness and sleep, the next morning when he awakes, the narrator remembers a dream that he describes as a “quest.” In this dream, he finds himself lost in various situations until “a person would appear out of nowhere as though by design to clarify where I needed to go next” (14-15). The plot of the “hero’s journey” is, thus, firmly established early in the novel, including the device of bringing helpers or mentors to the hero’s aid. One final coincidence ends Chapter 1, as a cancellation “by chance” on a flight to Peru allows the narrator to begin his quest.

Chapter 2 opens with the narrator boarding his flight to Peru. In keeping with the hero’s journey, he passes through a threshold to a different realm of experience as he leaves his home. This sense of otherworldliness is captured by the description of the takeoff: “I closed my eyes and felt a mild dizziness as the big jet reached the critical speed and lifted into a thick cloud cover” (17). Passing through the lounge area of the plane, the narrator happens to overhear a conversation about the Manuscript—a coincidence that will direct him to a succession of mentors and helpers.

The man he overheard, Wayne Dobson, is a history professor from New York who is returning to Peru to continue his own search for the Manuscript. Dobson found translations of the first two insights behind a priest’s house in Peru, “[b]ehind some trash, under a loose board in the wall” in an old storage shed behind the house (21). The narrator’s skepticism is evident as he asks, “You just happened to find them?” (21). During the long flight to Peru, Dobson expounds the Second Insight to the narrator, presenting a shift in historical perspective from a spiritual perspective of life in the Middle Ages to a secular and materialistic one. Thus, the Second Insight lays the premise for the remainder of the spiritual quest.

Some significant anachronisms and inconsistencies are evident in Dobson’s presentation of the Second Insight. First, the novel presents a Eurocentric view of medieval and modern history. Dobson conflates “history” with “Western history,” thus devaluing or erasing non-Western traditions and influences, although the Manuscript is written in a non-Western language and located in formerly colonial lands. Second, if it is true that the church has lost its authority in the modern age, then this undercuts the plot rationale for the church-military alliance that opposes the Manuscript.

As the plane lands in Lima, Dobson invites the narrator to “tag along” as he continues his pursuit of the Manuscript. While leaving the airport in a taxi, the narrator notices that he is being followed and decides to change course to Dobson’s hotel. These elements seem incidental to the story, but they provide the framework for more mentors and helpers to be introduced along the way. While approaching the hotel, the narrator hears gunshots ring out and sees Dobson being pursued. The narrator runs frantically away, but an unexpected hand on his shoulder stops him, introducing the next mentor in the story, Wil James.