| I always find it fascinating that in one aspect, all adults | | | | We can still be irresponsible with our emotions, but we |
| act like obstinate children without being aware of it. We | | | | carry all of that with us for a very long time, and we |
| judge each other. | | | | become aware that these emotions are ours, not |
| The only sermon I remember from my church-going | | | | anyone else's. We can do whatever we want, but |
| days was about the Ten Commandments. The | | | | where we hurt other people, we carry that action and |
| preacher had a revolutionary approach to them, in that | | | | that knowledge in our cells for ever. And we cannot |
| he said that you do not HAVE to obey them. He said | | | | blame other people or circumstances for what we |
| the real meaning was that you could ignore them, but | | | | think, say and do, because we become aware that |
| then you would have to take full responsibility for your | | | | we are responsible for ourselves. |
| actions. That made sense to me. | | | | Eating of the fruits of the tree of the knowledge of |
| I realized in later years that the first commandment in | | | | good and evil is then not about judging others. It is |
| the Bible is actually "Thou shalt not eat from the tree | | | | about growing up and accepting our own judgment of |
| of the knowledge of good and evil" (Gen 2:9). I thought | | | | ourselves. That is the result of eating those fruits - we |
| that means we must not for a moment think that we | | | | gain immortality in our own manner, and spiritually we |
| have the capacity to decide whether something or | | | | are never the same again. |
| someone is good or evil. | | | | When we read that we must not eat of the tree of |
| Why is it that we are not allowed to eat this symbolical | | | | the knowledge of good and evil, it is like saying to a |
| fruits? Is the world not a better place when we all | | | | child that it is not a good idea to drive a Ferrari racing |
| agree on what is right and what is wrong? Surely we | | | | car. Of course the child can drive the car, but what |
| all have a moral compass that we apply every day, | | | | would be the consequences? Can the child deal with |
| and that is some form of judgment? | | | | the consequences? But when the child is older, then it |
| I do not like being told what to do or not to so, so I | | | | is so much easier to deal with the consequences, and |
| became curious about this, and did some research | | | | then the adult can have fun driving the car. |
| about this magical tree. | | | | Now that makes sense to me - and I understand why |
| Like most symbols in the Bible, it appears that this | | | | the tree bears "forbidden" fruit. |
| image of a tree with the forbidden fruit existed even | | | | Early on my spiritual path, I was in a room where, |
| before biblical times. | | | | during a reading, a spiritual teacher gave a very harsh |
| In Greek mythology the Garden of the Hesperides is | | | | warning to a man about playing with his own mental |
| the grove that belonged to the goddess Hera. When | | | | health because the man was adamant to become a |
| Hera accepted Zeus as her husband, the goddess | | | | medium even though he was clearly emotionally not |
| Gaia gave Hera some branches with golden apples on. | | | | stable. That stuck with me. |
| Hera planted the golden apples and the result was a | | | | Does that mean that exploring our own spirituality is |
| grove of apple trees that gave immortality to those | | | | dangerous and we should not do it? On the contrary. |
| who ate the apples. The Hesperides were given the | | | | We become our true selves when we explore who |
| task of tending to the grove, but they occasionally | | | | we really are, and we find joy and understanding. The |
| plucked some of the apples for themselves. Hera did | | | | warning is that we need to understand that we are |
| not trust them and added a guard to the garden. It | | | | dealing with something that is far greater than our |
| was a never-sleeping, hundred-headed dragon named | | | | human minds can conceive. We must not be greedy |
| Ladon. | | | | or try to run before we can walk. And we must |
| The same tree with forbidden fruit features in early | | | | understand that once we have taken on that |
| Mesopotamian myths, going back as far as the year | | | | responsibility, there is no turning back. We can no |
| 669 BC. There is a myth about the Sumerian goddess | | | | longer blame others for what happens to us, and we |
| Inanna who ate the fruits of a tree to acquire | | | | will never see the world in the same light again. But we |
| knowledge. She was joined by her brother Utu, the | | | | will also experience indescribable joy and peace. |
| sun-god, and the Sumerian god Enki, the god of | | | | For some people things like clairvoyance and telepathy |
| wisdom and knowledge. | | | | and energy work are second nature. For other people |
| There is a similar tree in Buddhism. The founder of | | | | anything spiritual is like an awakening from a deep |
| Buddhism, later known as Gautama Buddha, sat under | | | | sleep. Nobody wants to awake from a deep sleep by |
| the Bodhi tree when he achieved enlightenment. This | | | | means of an explosion. We want to slowly become |
| tree was a fig tree with heart shaped leaves. | | | | conscious, then stretch out and leisurely open our eyes. |
| In Hinduism the Tree of Jiva and Atman appears in the | | | | And some people want to sleep on. We need to be |
| Vedic scriptures as a metaphysical metaphor | | | | patient with ourselves and one another. |
| concerning the soul. | | | | I sometimes encounter fear and prejudice when I do |
| The old Norse sagas also contain a famous tree, the | | | | readings for people - because I do not use tarot cards |
| World Tree, which is an ash tree. This tree is located | | | | and I do not rely on the interpretation of any other |
| at the center of the Universe and joins the nine worlds | | | | cards. At least tarot cards and other cards have |
| of the Norse cosmology. | | | | some entertainment value, but many people find the |
| Why are these symbolical trees so significant? And | | | | idea of just closing your eyes and "tuning in" scary. I |
| why is it so important not to eat their fruits, especially if | | | | have also encountered fear and prejudice that is so |
| eating the fruits of the tree will give us immortality and | | | | paralyzing that people avoid me and never explore the |
| knowledge that will make life so much easier? | | | | reasons for this behavior. How do I react? By loving |
| I think that eating of the tree of the knowledge of | | | | them. It is not for me to "convert" people or to assume |
| good and evil is like breaking any one of the Ten | | | | that everyone should share my beliefs - which are |
| Commandments - of course you can do it, but there | | | | right for me now, but may change as I become more |
| are consequences that you must then live with. | | | | aware and awake. |
| Eating this fruit of knowledge and wisdom is exciting | | | | This may be presumptuous, but I think I have had a tiny |
| and inspiring, and it opens up a whole new life for us. | | | | bite of the forbidden fruit, and I know there is no turning |
| However, there is no turning back, and that is why the | | | | back. Of course you can take a bite yourself and |
| fruit of this tree comes with a health warning. Once | | | | experience the joy and peace and abundance, but are |
| you understand that this existence is only a small part | | | | you ready for it? You will know in your heart of hearts |
| of the eternity called life, you tend to see life here in a | | | | and walk your own path. |
| different light. | | | | |