Did you realise that there where two trees in the Garden of Eden?

1. Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
2. The Tree of Life

“God made grow out of the ground every tree pleasant to look at and good to eat, the Tree of Life in the middle of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” (Genesis, 2:9).

The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

God instructed Adam and Eve not to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, for eating the fruit, as God stated; “on the day that you eat from it, you will surely die" (Genesis, 2:17). Did God mean that Adam and Eve would physically die? NO, what He meant was that Adam would change his current state of existence. By not partaking of the fruit the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve were effectively residing within the spiritual realm of immortal. By disobeying God they effectively fell from grace and became mortal on the physical level. Cast out of Eden to the mortal world of the Earth.

What prompted this act of defiance? Well there are a number of factors, the first is freewill. Adam and Eve had been given this gift, they could be affected their own decisions, but also freewill gives one the opportunity to reverse previous decisions and overcome previous experiences. Secondly, Eve was seduced to try the fruit by a serpent which informed her that by partaking of the fruit she and Adam will not die (physical death), but rather "be as gods, knowing good and evil” They would know what God and his Angels knew.

Immediately of eating the Fruit they became mortal (spiritual death) and began to experience all the psychical or earthly based desires and discomforts, as exhibited by their initial realization of their nakedness.

It is interesting to note the reaction of God, 'Man has now become like one of us in knowing good and evil’. (Genesis, 3:22). Supporting statement uttered by the serpent. This literally ment that by eating the fruit their eys had been opened to the reality of the universe and how it worked.

What God was indicating is that Adam & Eve now had access to the sacred knowledge that only God and the Angels had access to. This is where the Tree of Life not takes on its importance.

The Tree of Life

During the time within the Garden of Eden the Tree of Life had little prominence within the story until now. God states that if Adam and Eve partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life they would regain their immortality and this combined with the access to the powers gained from eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, this would place them on the same level as God and the Angels. ‘Now he must be prevented from putting forth his hand and also taking from the Tree of Life, for He can eat it and live forever!’ (Genesis, 3:22).

God then placed a Cherubim with a "flaming sword" to guard against any future entrance into the garden. (Genesis, 3:24)

Cherubim are traditionally Angels of Humanity, aligned with the Moon, the source of occult power, which is also under the rulership of the Archangel Gabriel. Why does God not want Adam and Eve to gain entry to the garden once again? We attempt to answer this a little later.

Conclusion

From a Pauline Art perspective, although the story of the Garden of Eden is an allegory, its main value is in its interpretation.

1. Man has been give “freewill” by God. One of His greatest gifts.

2. Adam did not physically die when eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil; he changed existence states, from a spiritual non-materialistic existence (immortality or spiritual death) to a physical existence (mortality). Indications are that the mortality/immortality state was not a deciding factor in Adams decision to eat the fruit.

3. What was Adam prime mover? Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, what was God plan? They could not reproduce as they did not experience any physical drives, they did not have to search for food. Their life was idyllic! For man to develop he needs challenges, experiences and a sense that he has control. Adam had none of these. This was Gods plan. Man must take the initiative to develop and grow. And Adam took the challenge.

4. Through the centuries the serpent has represented knowledge, particularly occult knowledge. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil may be represented by the glyph of Mercury, the planet of knowledge and occult sciences. It has also bee suggested that the actual translation to serpent may be incorrect. In Hebrew the word Seraphim means both fiery serpent or Angel.

5. God wanted man to grow and develop, to become the best he could. Yes Adam was cast out of the Garden of Eden. But God also supplied him the tools to regain Eden or spiritual non-materialism. The fruits of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

6. The fruit on the tree, of which there were 22 In allegorical terms each of these 22 apples represented the knowledge of God, which was held equally by each of his Archangels. The reference to Good and Evil does not mean that we have to study the evil or any negative aspects of the Archangels. What it does mean is that their powers may be used positively or negatively (Freewill).

7. Adam (or man) would once again, on the physical plane, have to apply his freewill in order to select the Good or Evil Path. As we all do.

8. So why did God prevent Adam from eating of the fruit of the Tree of Life. Simple, Adam had to re-gain his spiritual non-materialist status by effort, development, growth which could be gained with the assistance of God’s Teaching Angels. The Tree of Life may be represented by the Planet Venus, who glyph is similar to the Egyptian ankh, the symbol of life.

9. Man (Adam) may choose the wrong path, but for those that wish to regain the correct path, the path the God wants us all to follow, he has provided the way forward, his Teaching Angels.

So the story of the Garden of Eden is not all gloom and doom, God recognised that Man (as well as God’s Angels) are not robots or infallible, due to the gift of freewill. We will make mistakes or even choose the path to total destruction, but for those that do not wish to go that route His Angels will help. But we all must earn this possible goal.

Would you like to know more about Angels?