AT A POINT IN TIME, SOMEWHERE IN SPACE 4
Ama is the Bodhisattva of our story, she is materialized in a female body, during 17th century Macao (China), with a life of an ordinary person, she represents a female that sleeps in every one of us, Yin of Creation, a wisdom guide that with her purity extinguishes thirst of our souls’ longings. She lives at a time of amazing changes within Macao that is in the center of this spiritual spiral that is to influence generations to come.
RUBEN 24
Ruben is a Jesuit Priest living in Macao. The 16th and 17th Century events are tip-toeing through Europe like an amazing Giant would, shaking the roots of all the past beliefs, leaving huge finger prints all throughout the scientific work, and throughout the religious structures. He lives during the time of the first printed books, the time when the Bible is for the first time publicly questioned, the time of trials in the name of God, against progress and science and against individuals that are ahead of their time. He is a contemporary of Giordano Bruno, Campanella, Da Vinci and Shakespeare.
He is Ama's and Ottavio's friend and he frequents Ama's coffee house that proves to be an essential space for instigating the change. The transition into the Age of Reason needed a place where all are equal, where every-single-one can pay his bill, where any-one can sit, talk and listen. Ama's coffee-house was visited by passers-by, scholars, teachers, and students, all sitting on the floor or low benches reading and discussing the purpose of their existence. Ama's magic space was always full of story-telling, full of inspiration and mental exchange.
FATHER BENEDICT 40
Father Benedict is a scientist and a Jesuit Priest, he is Ottavio’s and Ama’s best friend and he is fascinated by Chinese customs, Chinese way of life, and philosophy. His main mission is the merge of Eastern and Western science and philosophy. He tells us: 'Every-body and every-thing on Earth live under the influences of Yin and Yang. Every single rock or plant or a water source hide within it a mixture of these two properties and for Life to manifest in its fullest potential, their proportions must be right. If there is too much heat or too much cold the earth will not be fertile and diseases will prevail and people will not live in harmony. '
A MAN TRAINING TO LOVE 71
Ruben is in love with Ama. He takes us through his own journey of discoveries of Life, Love and Human Alchemy. 'My Love for Jesus, Truths of Religion, and the quest for Self-Knowledge led me to choose this path - the path that demanded extreme Faith, extreme Sacrifice and extreme Hardship, the path of a Spiritual Warrior. Like all the others, I took the vow of poverty, and the vow of refusal of external honours, material worlds did not interest me.
When I realised I am in love, it was way too late for any struggle my mind would have wished to put up. I was completely hooked to what she was. Love I felt for Ama was the deepest and closest feeling I have ever experienced to the feeling of complete devotion I felt for Christ and his teaching. Loving Ama was closest I have ever been to God.'
AMA’S MOTHER 83
Ama's mother was a daughter of a tribal chief and as very young she was initiated into secrets of magic and sacred life. Her ancestors thought her how to fight the sickness, please the Gods, communicate with living dead. Her father’s tribe was defeated by the Portuguese and she was taken away from Kenya as a slave. She managed to find a protector in a man she saved from Death using herbs. In Portugal, she made her presence known to Ottavio De Nobille, a Portuguese alchemist and a magician who could read dreams and communicate with spirits.
He recognized her and came to her rescue, bought her and made her his companion, his wife, his teacher and seven years later – the mother of his daughter Ama.
A MAN WITH A MISSION 103
The establishment of the Chinese Annual Calendar was one of the most important affairs of the Chinese State. The Board of Mathematicians composing of 200 highly educated members gathered every year to announce the astronomical situation for the coming year.
At the time, it was difficult to see Christians as anything else but savages who can not tolerate any other religion and who want to use all means to convert and destroy already existing cultures.
Working on the Calendar was the way to Chinese trust. Ama, Ottavio, Father Benedict, understood how important the Calendar and its Reform is and they made this event, a Mission of their lives.
A MAN TRAINED TO HATE 136
Fra Thomas hates Ama, he believes she is a witch and he tells us about his encounter with her: 'Obsessed with my-own mission to destroy this woman, I didn’t listen to what she was trying to tell me. My focus had only one goal, to discover a thief, a liar, a deceiver, a witch, I was looking for a proof that I was right thinking that she put a spell on Ruben, that I was right that she devours children, that I was right that she is a hidden monster that feeds on people’s energies and blood, and that we must accuse her and we must stop her'...
A MAN TRAINED TO KILL 145
A Journey to Enlightenment and Alchemy of Soul continues with a Man who is Trained to Kill and who has no name. He was sent on a mission by Dutch Military to discover the secrets of martial arts that were carefully developed within China's Monasteries for centuries. He was trained to fight with many different weapons, and was trained to kill from the age of 13. He knew how to hide, endure hardship, wait, sneak like an animal, and appear un-noticed killing quickly. He met Ama during the Dutch attack to Macao in 1622. She healed his wounds and helped him recover after the defeat. Ama changes his life, challenges his every thought and guides him to an alchemical transformation.
Through his purification, he explores why is it so natural for a human being to be negative, why is it so easy to kill, steal and attack another human being. Purification for him meant training love and accepting happiness as a conscious choice.
LILITH 183
Lilith is a gate-keeper of the worlds of darkness. She exists within people’s minds and she is the raw, untamed, murky secret of people’s nature, the suppressed, shadow-side of our personality, our deep desire to separate from God and live in her embrace, suffering.
All through the human existence we stayed with the question: Why do we need suffering to grow?
Lilith takes us into Ruben's mind following his Journey of Enlightenment, following his inner transformation, his Alchemy of Soul.
A MAN TRAINING TO BE 202
Ruben is at the end of his transformation, he tells us: 'Living love was the most beautiful and the most difficult thing I have ever experienced. Facing prejudices, facing fears, dilemmas, battling thoughts, I run away whenever I could, hiding from my beautiful love so that I do not ‘appear’ weak. Looking for excuses, searching for imperfections, I begged Heavens to send me signs to leave this path, to leave her work, to leave Love...'
AN ALCHEMIST 220
A-Ma takes us through the Alchemy of Soul and Alchemy of Humanity. Through the lives of Ama, Ruben, Ottavio, Father Benedict, and the Man with No Name, we follow different paths to enlightenment: a path of solitary existence, a path of men with a mission, a path of love, always closely examining two very different approaches to life, destiny and soul: an Eastern and a Western Approach to God.
An alchemist tells us of symbolic secrets of Alchemy: 'Sulphur is a male fiery manifestation of the Universe, it is activity, desire, excitement, fire, and creative, it is the initiative of all Being. Mercury is fluidity, intelligence and power of transmission, it is the energy sent forth. Salt is the vehicle of two forms of energy.
The formula of our Universe is Love governed by Will. Venus symbolizes the highest spiritual with the lowest material qualities: Love materialised on Earth. Born in water, from mud, she bears the lotus. In the process of creation, the Black King is marrying the White Queen, the male and the female principle in Nature merge. The result of the marriage is the Orphic Egg that is the essence of Life – the colour of egg is grey. It is capable of taking any possible form.
Any Thought merging from Life becomes a Separation and it can be balanced if it is married with its Contradiction. The formula of continued life is death. The formula of ascending above the Abyss is resurrection.'
A LOVER 224
A lover opens the gate to the Path of Love. Worshiping his lover, he tells us of a sacred merge 'Uplift the heart and feel kisses of stars and breath of angels upon your body, She is around. Force and fire, beauty and strength, laughter of delight and souls filled with divine drunkenness, her nature is Love, her blood is immortal divine nectar, Ambrosia that brings eternal life. Through Her Beauty the Wonder of Universe opens in front of my eyes, she gives unimaginable joy and to love her is better than all things. Her body is a palace of which each stone is a separate jewel and I marvel it and worship it, one by one. Her presence is the very light of God and my thoughts are smitten dead before her.'