Book excerpt: The Sign of the Serpent spans the chasm that has long separated ancient insight and modern knowledge. The image of the hooded serpent or Cobra - revered in India as a symbol of consciousness and the life force -has in the West lain buried in shame throughout 2000 years of history. In 1986, however, scientific evidence for the substantial reality of universal life-force energy fields in accordance with the ancient edicts shattered the reductionist's view that life and intelligence are mere effects of physical causes. CREATIVE PHYSICS, echoing a once universal 'Science of Life', is swiftly emerging with far- reaching implications that touch every facet of the human experience. The serpent is at last re-emerging from its long period of hibernation. MARK BALFOUR is a well-known photo-journalist and long time student of the culture of the Indian sub-continent. In recent times he has worked closely with physicists in documenting the discovery of the life-force energy field and the resulting breakthrough in the control of cancer.