A new book set for release on December 2, 2026, claims to reveal the forgotten life of Leonardo da Vinci's mother through memories recalled under deep hypnosis. Titled Mirrors of Time: A Circassian Princess and Secrets of Mona Lisa, the book is authored by MELRA and published by Melmar Books Inc. It blends historical mystery with spiritual autobiography, offering a narrative that challenges conventional history and invites readers to decide for themselves what to believe.
According to the book, the story began in 1999 when a young woman named Melinda, now known as MELRA, sought help from Dr. John Ryder for unexplained infertility. Under hypnosis, she reportedly recalled a past life as Herminia Yegeruqway, a Circassian princess born in 1436 near Mount Elbrus. In that memory, she was the secret mother of a brilliant child named Leonardo, whom she taught to read the stars. That child would become Leonardo da Vinci, one of history's most celebrated figures, yet his mother remains largely absent from the historical record.
The book asserts that Herminia's life unfolded across the fifteenth century, from sacred learning in the Caucasus Mountains to capture and sale in Venice's silk markets, followed by nearly four years as Leonardo's secret mother before a cruel conspiracy separated them. Her journey continued from Renaissance Italy to Ottoman Constantinople, carrying a bond that the book says transcends time. MELRA describes the source of her memories not as archives or libraries but as the Universal Mind, and she says the final version of the book was dictated in just two weeks through self-hypnosis.
Mirrors of Time also proposes answers to enduring riddles surrounding Leonardo's work, including why he wrote in mirror script, the mystery of the three Mona Lisas, hidden letters in the Mona Lisa's eyes, his two-year disappearance, and the spiritual meaning of his lost horse statue. Under hypnosis, MELRA says she recalled Herminia's deathbed prophecy that Leonardo's great horse, destroyed before it was ever cast, would "stand again in 500 years." One week after her sessions ended, on September 10, 1999, the bronze Cavallo di Leonardo was unveiled in Milan.
Beyond its art-historical claims, the book explores Herminia's spiritual journey as she moves from Circassian paganism through Orthodox Christianity and Sufi mysticism, ultimately finding Christ. It includes 352 wisdom quotes from the world's religious texts and spiritual traditions, and it explicitly ranks no road above another, asking no one to believe. This inclusive approach may appeal to readers of works such as The Alchemist, Life of Pi, The Da Vinci Code, and Many Lives, Many Masters.
The publication arrives at a time of sustained public fascination with Leonardo da Vinci and alternative interpretations of his life and work. While the book's claims are not academically verified, its blend of historical mystery and spiritual introspection could attract a wide audience and spark renewed debate about the boundaries between memory, imagination, and history. A trailer is available at www.mirrors-of-time.com, and an exclusive limited leather edition is available for pre-order at www.mirrors-of-time.com/shop.
