The Celestine Prophecy Manuscript
By James Redfield
The Celestine Prophecy Manuscript discusses various psychological and spiritual ideas rooted in multiple ancient Eastern traditions and New Age spirituality. The main character undertakes a journey to find “the Manuscript” and understand a series of nine spiritual insights in an ancient manuscript in Peru. The story tells of the narrator’s spiritual awakening as he goes through a transitional period in life.
The Celestine Prophecy Manuscript is never quoted directly. There is no official statement of the nine insights. People who have read the Manuscript talk about the insights, but never state them directly. One meta-insight is that different individuals are drawn to specific insights. One insight may appear “special” to one person. Each individual comes to serve the development of human consciousness by teaching or by facilitating others’ assimilation of that insight. I hope to serve you by sharing these insights.
The insights are revealed to characters, in order, when they are ready for the next insight. Here are the nine insights from the Celestine Prophecy Manuscript:
1. Meaningful coincidences
We are at a point in the developmental history of human consciousness where development will accelerate. The major evidence for this is the increased number of meaningful coincidences people are noticing in their lives. These are not simply coincidences. When you notice a coincidence, you need to lean into the event to see what information you can give or receive.
2. Historical perspective
This point in human history can best be understood by a revisioning of the past millennium. In the early part of the millennium, human consciousness was dominated by beliefs promulgated by the Catholic Church: one’s proper place in society, humanity at the center of the universe, and the battle between good and evil. These beliefs gave meaning to life.
This domination was challenged during the Renaissance and Reformation. At that time, humanity established a grand project of exploring the world, using the tools of science, with the hope of getting a new answer to the meaning of life. While waiting for that answer to come in, attention turned to increasing material comfort.
That project is now at an end–material comfort has been achieved, but we have lost touch with sources of meaning. Moreover, the answers we wanted are now appearing – not necessarily from institutional science, but from a variety of sources.
3. Subtle energy
The Celestine Prophecy Manuscript’s third insight states that there is an energy, previously undetected by science, that forms the basis of all things. Human perception of that energy starts with an increased awareness of beauty: people, animals, plants, ecosystems that have a high level of that energy appear particularly beautiful. By becoming aware of that energy, we become able to notice when and how we give and receive energy.
4. Competition for energy
A fundamental assumption underlies most human interactions: we must compete for this energy, drawing it from others and protecting ourselves from others’ attempts to draw it from us. This leads to some nasty interactions. Awareness of this competition for energy can alter our interactions with others.
5. Energy abundance
In fact, competition is unnecessary because subtle energy exists in abundance. In particular, we can acquire more by eating plants which have high energy levels. (And we can ensure that the plants have high energy levels by paying attention to them, by giving them energy.) Being in a loving state not only connects our energy to the object of our love, but to a greater source of energy as well. This is the essence of mystical experience. The goal of mystical practice – and practice of the lessons of the Celestine Prophecy – is to get and remain connected with the energy. Moreover, a person’s energy is the source of the meaningful coincidences noticed in the First Insight. Each mystical experience stretches a person’s potential, causing them to exist “at a higher state of vibration.”
The best description of all this comes a little later in the book. Father Sanchez says, “Love is not an intellectual concept or a moral imperative or anything else. It is a background emotion that exists when one is connected to the energy available in the universe, which , of course, is the energy of God.” [page 153]
The Theory of Infinite Energy states that there is an infinite amount of positive energy in the universe and a finite amount of negative energy. Inside of each person is an infinite well of positive energy and an abundance of love that can be tapped into at any moment in time.
6. Getting clear of control dramas
In order to be in a state of love with the world on a regular basis, we have to let go of patterns of behavior we developed to take energy from others.
First, we have to become aware of our “control dramas” and break our controlling habits. There are four control patterns or ways of causing others to give us energy, two actively demanding energy, two passively creating conditions in which energy is sent.
“Active” control dramas include intimidation – aggressive behavior – and interrogation – asking questions and then picking apart the answers.
“Passive” control dramas include aloofness – creating an air of mystery that entices others to send energy – and poor me – creating a sense that if others don’t provide energy, something awful will happen to the controller.
Second, we have to get clear of our control dramas. We must understand our parents’ control dramas and how these shaped ours. Then we must learn what meaning our parents’ lives had for us, and how this determines our own developmental work. The things we would change about our parents – individually and together – are what we need to work on in our own lives.
Personally, my mother has an interrogation control drama which shaped her children to have aloofness control dramas.
7. Using intuition
When we are in touch with the energy, clear of our control dramas, and aware of the questions relevant to this moment, our intuition supplies the answers we need. Once we are aware of these answers, we need only watch for meaningful coincidences to show us how to act on them.
8. Relating to others
This insight comes in several pieces.
Children are raised without control dramas if they have constant, undivided access to an adult who can give them the energy they need.
Addiction to another person can block development. The subtle energy has a male and female side. If you can access one and someone else the other, then for a short time the couple can be filled with energy. But the focus on the other person eventually cuts each off from the universal energy. The two begin competing for energy, restarting control dramas. This is the falling-in-love/falling-out-of-love phenomenon.
Everyone who crosses our path has a message for us. We should give them energy and help them get clear so that they can accurately deliver the message.
Other people’s control dramas will break down if we name them (i.e., intimidation, interrogation, aloofness, or poor me) and refuse to play a role in them.
9. Conscious evolution
This insight is a vision of culture in the next millennium.
Humans consciously participate in their evolution by living according to their intuition, which guides them in such a way as to increase their energy. Population decreases so much that most of the world can be allowed to return to wilderness, creating old-growth forests full of energy. The means of survival are automated and available to everyone. Their sense of purpose is satisfied by “the thrill of our own evolution.” People will consume less and work less so that they can work on their evolution. Redfield is ambiguous about this: Lower consumption may not be necessary because people will pay you for your spiritual insights. “When people come into our lives at just the right time to give us the answers we need, we should give them money.”
The goal of this evolution is to achieve a level of vibration that makes us invisible to others, perhaps even immaterial. Jesus was the first to do this.
The Celestine Prophecy Manuscript takes you on an energetic, spiritual journey.