The Book Of Immortality

An exploration of one of the most universal human obsessions charts the rise of longevity science from its alchemical beginnings to modern-day genetic interventions and enters the world of those whose lives are shaped by a belief in immortality.

Immortality shows how the quest to live forever has driven the development of human civilisation, and how that quest is now coming to a climax through modern science. It argues that humans are hardwired to pursue eternal life - and that the way they have done so has stayed remarkably consistent through the ages. All the main beliefs on defying death, from freeing your soul to freezing your brain, fall into four simple categories - the four paths to immortality. Although all four paths are ancient, science is now showing us - for the first time in human history - which of them could really lead to infinity. Immortality uses the stories of ten exceptional characters, from Queen Nefertiti to the Dalai Lama, to show how these four paths have shaped our culture from ancient times through to today. Unlike most books on this hugely popular subject, Immortality does not argue from a particular religious viewpoint.

What is immortality? Does it mean living forever in the same physical body, seeking mechanical or cloned fixes for worn out body parts? No. It means total liberation from the duality of this world and absolute freedom through spiritual mastery and higher consciousness. Immortality is your divine right and the destiny of your soul. Topics include: entities on the astral plane, what is a messenger, planes of consciousness and your divine right to immortality.

In view of progressive research advances in biotechnology and medicine, the prospect of living longer, increased longevity, increased health span, and even biologic immortality has become more real than ever before. The Secrets of Immortality evaluates humankind’s continuous quest for immortality—an integral part of human nature. With hundreds of millions of dollars being spent on anti-aging and immortality research, some futurists believe that within a few decades, man will be able to live up to 150 years, if not more. Some believe that the first person to live up to 1000 years old is already alive today. While this sounds like a premise from science fiction, The Secrets of Immortality describes the current state of biotechnology and medical research data and the possibilities of anti-aging and natural or biologic immortality within the near future. Prof. Dr. Ernst von Schwarz wrote The Secrets of Immortality from a theological point of view, examining everlasting life from the perspective of different religions (with a main emphasis on the Roman Catholic tradition). Dr. Schwarz is a physician, transplant cardiologist, and researcher, but he is also a theologian, offering a unique perspective to longevity and immortality.

A “wonderful” (Harper’s), “engrossing” (Parade) exploration of the most universal of human obsessions: immortality—from an author who is “part Mary Roach, part Joe Strummer of The Clash” (The Wall Street Journal). What have we not done to live forever? Adam Leith Gollner, the critically acclaimed author of The Fruit Hunters, weaves together religion, science, and mythology in a gripping exploration of the most universal of human obsessions: immortality. Raised without religion, Adam Leith Gollner was struck by mankind’s tireless efforts to cheat aging and death. In a narrative that pivots between profundity and hilarity, he brings us into the world of those whose lives are shaped by a belief in immortality. From a Jesuit priest on his deathbed to antiaging researchers at Harvard, Gollner— sorting truth from absurdity—canvasses religion and science for insight, along with an array of cults, myths, and fringe figures. He journeys to David Copperfield’s archipelago in the Bahamas, where the magician claims to have found “a liquid that reverses genes.” He explores a cryonics facility, attends a costume party set in the year 2068 with a group of radical life-extensionists, and soaks in the transformative mineral waters at the Esalen Institute. Looking to history, Gollner visits St. Augustine, Florida, where Ponce de León is thought to have sought the Fountain of Youth. Combining immersive reporting, rigorous research, and lyrical prose, Gollner charts the rise of longevity science from its alchemical beginnings to modern-day genetic interventions. He delves into the symbolic representation of eternal life and its connection to water. Interlaced throughout is a compelling meditation on the nature of belief, showing how every story we tell about immortality is a story about the meaning of death. “Part journalist, part detective, part scientist.” (New York Post). Adam Leith Gollner has written a rollicking and revelatory examination of our age-old notion of living forever.

"Gollner goes to the ends of the earth to talk to people who want to beat the clock--forever. So far, there's no proof of success, but their efforts prove entertaining, and, through Gollner's lens, touching as well." The Globe and Mail The author of the widely acclaimed The Fruit Hunters weaves together religion, science and magic in this Mark Kurlansky-style exploration of the most universal of human obsessions, immortality. With his singular curiosity, Gollner delves into a strange array of contemporary and historical characters and cults, religions and myths, and businesses all devoted to some form of immortality. His journey begins at a costume party thrown by a group of immortalists in California and ends on David Copperfield's archipelago in the Bahamas, where Copperfield claims to have found the fountain of youth. Along the way he visits St. Augustine, Florida and its purported fountain of youth; Harvard University, where he attends an anti-aging symposium; and Esalen, where he meets a whole host of quirky characters who embody our fascination with escaping death.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER As seen on The Joe Rogan Experience! A groundbreaking dive into the role psychedelics have played in the origins of Western civilization, and the real-life quest for the Holy Grail that could shake the Church to its foundations. The most influential religious historian of the 20th century, Huston Smith, once referred to it as the "best-kept secret" in history. Did the Ancient Greeks use drugs to find God? And did the earliest Christians inherit the same, secret tradition? A profound knowledge of visionary plants, herbs and fungi passed from one generation to the next, ever since the Stone Age? There is zero archaeological evidence for the original Eucharist – the sacred wine said to guarantee life after death for those who drink the blood of Jesus. The Holy Grail and its miraculous contents have never been found. In the absence of any hard data, whatever happened at the Last Supper remains an article of faith for today’s 2.5 billion Christians. In an unprecedented search for answers, The Immortality Key examines the archaic roots of the ritual that is performed every Sunday for nearly one third of the planet. Religion and science converge to paint a radical picture of Christianity’s founding event. And after centuries of debate, to solve history’s greatest puzzle. Before the birth of Jesus, the Ancient Greeks found salvation in their own sacraments. Sacred beverages were routinely consumed as part of the so-called Ancient Mysteries – elaborate rites that led initiates to the brink of death. The best and brightest from Athens and Rome flocked to the spiritual capital of Eleusis, where a holy beer unleashed heavenly visions for two thousand years. Others drank the holy wine of Dionysus to become one with the god. In the 1970s, renegade scholars claimed this beer and wine – the original sacraments of Western civilization – were spiked with mind-altering drugs. In recent years, vindication for the disgraced theory has been quietly mounting in the laboratory. The constantly advancing fields of archaeobotany and archaeochemistry have hinted at the enduring use of hallucinogenic drinks in antiquity. And with a single dose of psilocybin, the psychopharmacologists at Johns Hopkins and NYU are now turning self-proclaimed atheists into instant believers. But the smoking gun remains elusive. If these sacraments survived for thousands of years in our remote prehistory, from the Stone Age to the Ancient Greeks, did they also survive into the age of Jesus? Was the Eucharist of the earliest Christians, in fact, a psychedelic Eucharist? With an unquenchable thirst for evidence, Muraresku takes the reader on his twelve-year global hunt for proof. He tours the ruins of Greece with its government archaeologists. He gains access to the hidden collections of the Louvre to show the continuity from pagan to Christian wine. He unravels the Ancient Greek of the New Testament with the world’s most controversial priest. He spelunks into the catacombs under the streets of Rome to decipher the lost symbols of Christianity’s oldest monuments. He breaches the secret archives of the Vatican to unearth manuscripts never before translated into English. And with leads from the archaeological chemists at UPenn and MIT, he unveils the first scientific data for the ritual use of psychedelic drugs in classical antiquity. The Immortality Key reconstructs the suppressed history of women consecrating a forbidden, drugged Eucharist that was later banned by the Church Fathers. Women who were then targeted as witches during the Inquisition, when Europe’s sacred pharmacology largely disappeared. If the scientists of today have resurrected this technology, then Christianity is in crisis. Unless it returns to its roots. Featuring a Foreword by Graham Hancock, the NYT bestselling author of America Before.