The Celestine Prophecy

“She gave me an intriguing look. ‘Sounds as if you’re as restless as everyone else.’”

The significance of this quote is twofold. First, within the plot, Charlene is connecting the message of the Manuscript and its diagnosis of the restlessness of late-20th-century culture with the narrator’s own character. Secondly, this quality of restlessness captures the “spirit of the age” in which The Celestine Prophecy became a bestseller. The years leading to the turn of the millennium were marked by a rise in alternative spirituality, known as the New Age Movement, in response to growing consumerism and the decline of organized religion. The quote thus looks inward at the characters of the novel but also outward at its readership.

“She looked embarrassed for a moment, then with force said, ‘The priest told me it’s a kind of renaissance in consciousness, occurring very slowly. It’s not religious in nature, but it is spiritual. We’re discovering something new about human life on this planet, about what our existence means, and according to the priest, this knowledge will alter human culture dramatically.’”

Although it is not clear why Charlene “looked embarrassed,” one can infer that the sheer boldness of the claim gave her pause. Regardless, the power of the Manuscript overcame her hesitation, and she stated “with force” the essential significance of the artifact. The movement from “embarrassment” to “force” expresses the general movement of the narrator as well, as he moves from skepticism to belief. Furthermore, this quote is significant for its acknowledgment of the basic New Age distinction between religion and spirituality.