Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark [Hardcover]

Gardner's contention is that the Biblical Ark of the Covenant was in reality: a capacitor that made it a powerful and deadly weapon, a superconductor that allowed it to levitate above ground, and a machine for manufacturing a substance called "Mfkzt" by the ancient Egyptians, "manna" by the Hebrews, and the "philosophers stone" by alchemists. At first glance, these propositions seem preposterous, and yet, after following his trail of logic, one wonders how it could have been anything other than what he insists it was.

A 1904 expedition to Mount Horeb (which the King James Version of the bible claims was the place Moses received the Ten Commandments) discovered the ruins of an Egyptian temple with hundreds of artifacts including: huge statues, obelisks, round tables, crucibles, vases and wands, and most significantly tons of a white powder conceled beneath flagstone. Through his research Gardner has ascertained that this white substance called "mfkzt" was a monotomic powdered gold.

By a special process of arc heating, gold and other platinum group metals, can be turned into a single atom or monotomic substance, that has superconductive properties. Superconductive materials are capable of leviation above magnetic fields, and Gardner speculates, that the powdered substance contained in the ark might have given it such capabilities. How else, he asks would it have been possible for four men to carry the ark when the lid alone, which was made of pure gold, has been calculated to have weighed around 2,714 pounds. It has been determined that a superconductive material will lose about 40% of its weight as a result of repulsing the earths own magnetic field. This could have made the transport of the ark manageable and therefore consistant with biblical references of the ark being marched around the city of Jericho for example.

The ark's design gives credence, as well, to stories of the destrutive powers of the ark. Biblical records clearly specifiy that the ark was constructed of wood sandwiched between layers of gold. Gardner realized that these are the specifications of a simple capacitor, and calculates that the ark would have charged to several thousand volts, making it a powerful and deadly weapon.

As we find out in this story, the superconductive properties of mfkzt was really only a by-product that the ancients might have stumbled upon. Its main purpose was that of consumption. Numerous ancient references of mfkzt, often called "white bread" or "manna" relate to it being eaten for its healthful affects. Recent biochemical experiments have confirmed that monotomic platinum group metals have shown antiaging affects by increasing melatonine production, stimulate the pineal and pituitary glands, and in turn reactivation "junk DNA."

Gardner parallels the story of this ancient mystery with contemporary physics, as well as a tale of intrigue and government conspiracy regarding a farmer, who discoverd the monotomic substance on his Arizona ranch!

At times, this book was a bit tedious for me, because of the endless historical references, but this is only a criticism of my own lack of knowledge and interest in this area. For the most part, however, this book read like a good mystery novel and I'm glad that I stuck with it for the wealth of knowledge within. All in all this book was a gem.

This review by David J. Kreiter: Author of "Quantum Reality: A New Philosophical Perspective

Partly due to the reaction by his reading public, Gardner promised a whole book on the subject, but, in the meantime, came out with another book (Realm of the Ring Lords), which, while very interesting, didn't add to the information about MFKZT he had given us in his previous book. At long last, Gardner has kept his word, and has published Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark.

Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark is Gardner's account of the famous Ark of the Covenant. In relating the fascinating information about the Ark, Gardner gives us a comprehensive explanation of the whole concept of MFKZT, its role in the powers of the Ark, and its history through the ages, including up to the present day. Gardner's theory is that MFKZT is actually the mysterious and elusive Philosophers' Stone. We have heard so much about alchemists throughout history attempting to turn lead into gold, when all the while the real transformational process so closely guarded over the past five millennia has been that of turning gold into this astonishing substance.

If you only read one of Gardner's four major works, I suggest that it be this one. However, you should do yourself the favor of reading all four (the others being Bloodline of the Holy Grail, Realm of the Ring Lords, and Genesis of the Grail Kings), as they separately and collectively have brought us compelling, important, and groundbreaking insights to the understanding of our ancient history and our religious belief systems and institutions.