By Shannon Anderson
I have chosen to explore the metaphor of EDEN, also known as the Garden of Eden.
Reverse Speech Metaphor Dictionary defines the Garden of Eden as the beginning of life; the foundation stone for the Psyche; the place where the life-force is born; the place of beginning; the Architect of the unconscious; one meets self in the Garden; one goes to the Garden for energy; a place of renewal.
According to the Sumerian text E = home and den = life. One may interpret this to mean that Eden is our original home where life begins and transforms on a deep unconscious structural level and this description/ definition corresponds to the Reverse Speech Metaphor Dictionary as it describes Eden as the place of origin of our psyche.
The Smiths Bible Dictionary defines Eden as “The first residence of man, called in the Septuagint Paradise. The latter is a word of Persian origin and describes an extensive tract of pleasure land somewhat like an English park and the use of it suggests a wide view of man’s abode more than a garden. The description of Eden is found in the Bible Genesis 2:8-14.
Bible Study Tools – Salem Communications
8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east in Eden: and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil 10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first Pichon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is Gold. 12 The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and the onyx are also there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth is the Euphrates.
This description may add more detail to the bounty of food and water offered in the garden that may mean wisdom for the conscious self and in relation to” the head waters or rivers” may be correlation to the four levels of our consciousness, if each river is a different part of the psyche or landscape of the fertile areas of the mind. This could add detail in working with writing Metawalks but speaks not directly in correlation with the metaphor dictionary.
Dictionaries – Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines Eden as “The Garden in which our first parents dwelt. (Genesis 2:8-17) It’s the region where streams abound, where they divide and reunite, where alone in the Mesopotamian tract can be found the phenomenon of a single river parting into four arms, each of which is or has been a river of consequence.
The river of consequence may be directly related to our beliefs and patterns, therefore consequences may be altered in this delightful place of the mind.
Klein’s Hebrew Etymological Dictionary says the name of Eden is the region in which lays Paradise. The name is usually described as the “place of delight” additionally as a place that is well watered throughout.
Genesis 2:15
And the LORD God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and keep it.
Joseph Campbell – “The Power of Myth”
Refers to Eden as “dreamtime paradise” no time – no birth – no death – no life
Garden of Eden mythology – Wikipedia
The story of Eden echoes the Mesopotamian myth of a king, as a primordial man, who is placed in a divine garden to guard the tree of life. In the Hebrew Bible, Adam and Eve are depicted as walking around the Garden of Eden naked due to their innocence.
Carl Jung in the” The Garden of Eden: A Myth of Transformation of Consciousness” by Arthur George
The biblical story of Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis Chapter 2-3)
According to Jung this myth is the foundational to our western culture and has influenced out upbringing and psychology of all of us, whether we realize it or not. Joseph Campbell concluded, “This story yields it meaning only to a psychological interpretation” (2001 p 50) Carl Jung had written that, “cosmogonic myths are, at bottom symbols for the coming of consciousness “. Literature about the Eden story taking such a psychological approach is scant due to the traditional and problematic tensions and gaps between academia disciplines. According to Jun in “The Mythology of Eden”.
The story as told, Yahweh warns Adam (before Eve was created) not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, or he will die that very day. In many religions and mythologies, including the Canaanite – Israelite religion, sacred trees were thought of as conduits for connecting with the divine, and directly experiencing the divine. Whereas the Eden story’s author insisted upon a covenant or contract, relationship between the divine (Yahweh) on the one hand and the human (earthly, profane nondivine) sphere on the other. One way to experience the divine was to partake in the fruit or other produce of the sacred tree or plant, then imbibing the essence of the divinity immanent within the tree. Eve, was tempted by the serpent to eat the “forbidden fruit”. She decided to eat it for various reasons, but mainly she desired wisdom (Genesis 3:6) This purpose was realized immediately after Eve and Adam ate the fruit as, “the eyes of both were opened”. (Genesis 3:7) and Yahweh remarked, to other divine beings, “See the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:22) The knowledge / wisdom acquired by Adam and Eve and their transformation relate to the psyche. In the biblical world chaos was typically symbolized by a serpent, so in the Eden story, the serpent appears before Eve indicating that chaos had entered the Garden and Eves mind. Her dialogue with the serpent represents this manifestation of chaos within herself and inner turmoil. In normative terms, chaos is viewed as bad (evil), while creation is (good). God had created the ordered cosmos from chaos, the cosmos in this respect has a teleological nature, which should be respected, maintained and furthered. According to Jung – Given that evil is a form of chaos and good a manifestation of the divinely created order of creation, the knowledge of good and evil is nothing less than a godlike knowledge of how the universe works in terms of chaos and order, both at the cosmic level and at the human moral level of good and evil. This understanding was an insight into how the human psyche works. In considering the relevance of the Eden Story in todays world involves conscious application of the knowledge of good and evil and involves, at least in part, “ego-consciousness” repressing and supressing contents of our unconscious; therefore, would also serve as a foundational place to travel to alter, transform and heal supressed emotions or traumatic memories and with this a fertile area of the mind in which to alter programming and habitual patterns therefore this learning from Carl Jung supports the definition researched thus far in regards to the metaphor dictionary most.
According to the novel by Laverne Harrell Clark – “Keepers of the Earth”
Eden is the primordial place in our psyche where the suppression and repression of the unconscious takes place and, in a place, to experience direct divinity which resulted in the elevations of Adam and Eves consciousness. It is the place where we may Endeavor to transform the human psyche to a higher-level elevation. This is also congruent to the Reverse Speech Dictionary definition
A Course in Miracles Chapter 2,3.pg 17
The Garden of Eden, or the pre-separation condition, was a state of mind in which nothing was needed. When Adam listened to the “lies of the serpent” all he heard was untruth. You do not have to continue to believe what is not true unless you choose to do so.
the Great Arcanum Gnostic Teaching – 52; Mystical Paths_7:13 YouTube Channel
The Garden of Eden, paradise of perfection is symbolic of formed man in his image.
Genesis 2:8 Jehovah Elohim planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the man who he had formed. In the beginning God creates, Elohim creates.
Elohim EL=God EOAH=Goddess.
Jehovah JE=male HOVA= female
Adam=male/Phallus Eve=female/Uterus
Eden is a paradise of perfection. Androgynous, containing both masqueline and feminine aspects of the one in perfect balance. Eden is symbolic of the innocence and happiness that was once the natural state of humanity. The humanity of Eden was pure knowing only goodness and virtue and as reflections of God, humanity embodied the seven virtues of the soul. Altruism, Right Action, Chastity, Humility, Love, Temperance and Happiness for others.
The Foundation or Garden of Eden, the two trees. The Tree of Life symbolizes the structure of the soul, free to eat and feed themselves with the science of life, fully illuminated consciousness. The science of the tree of life is a map of the universe and the human soul. Man know thyself and it might know the universe and its Gods. Possessing an illumined tree of life means ones inner senses are freely opened and active providing a direct relationship to God. Abiding in a state of perfection with an awakened consciousness is the science of God. The Tree of Knowledge,” and Jehovah Elohim commanded the man, saying of every tree of the Garden you are free to eat, but as for the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you must not eat of it; for in that day you eat of it you shall surely die (spiritually)”. Genesis 2-16-17
Knowledge in Greek translation is Gnosis and in Hebrew, Daath translated to “Hidden Sphere” Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son, relates to sexuality or the orgasm. The three primary forces or the universal symbol of the trinity represented in the pyramid that refers to the mother, EVE, the father, ADAM and the holy spirit, ORGASM. Thus, the fire in Eve became inverted and the seven sins of lust, pride, gluttony, hate, anger, greed and laziness became poison to the soul causing spiritual death, or the fall of man. This could be why the so many “sexual “phrases appear in reverse speech because it is the vital energy that we seek when not directly in reference to the sexual act. The father, the son and the holy spirit came after the separation and left the feminine aspect out. If the perfectly created ONE was androgynous, containing both anima and animus, perfectly created by God, then the discard or misconception of the feminine aspect, has therefore creating the pain, suffering and imbalance of the our psyche and our modern civilization. Eden exists within every soul that is united with God. Expelling the light of God within expels the soul from Eden and creates a great emptiness. To replace the void created by this disconnection with God mankind created civilizations, ideas and religions left with only a trace of the divine inside.
The Gnostic view of Eden appears to be the closest correlation to mapping the metaphoric nature of Eden and The Garden and the symbols in our psyche that lay within its clearings and meadows. If the Eden of Adam and Eve never really existed in the physical 3D world then it is truly the metaphors of the myth that we are to understand and integrate, not the literal meaning therefore it truly is only a metaphor for the birth of hu-man being. On a personal level, my experience of my first round of session work, traveling to and encountering the garden was truly a delight. I am excited to learn more about the architecture and deeper understandings held in that paradise within.
I recently viewed a video from Santos Bonacci, from Australia, MrAstrology on YouTube, on the symmetry of the letters in our alphabet and their correlation to the ancient symbology on runes and their relation to the English and other languages and got a greater understanding on the spellings we cast with our words in relation to how we create our reality of being. He believes that Eden resides in the right brain hemisphere where seeds are planted in the garden of consciousness and all is Atum, Adam or Atom. Interesting science he conveys and may be the cornerstone of Eden in the physical realm within our very brain.
the Great Arcanum Gnostic Teaching – 52; Mystical Paths_7:13 YouTube Channel
A Course in Miracles Chapter 2,3.pg 17
“Keepers of the Earth” by Laverne Harrell
Carl Jung: ” The Garden of Eden: A Myth of Transformation of Consciousness” by Arthur George
Joseph Campbell – “The Power of Myth”
Garden of Eden mythology – Wikipedia
Bible Study Tools – Salem Communications
Dictionaries – Easton’s Bible Dictionary
The Smiths Bible Dictionary
Klein’s Hebrew Etymological Dictionary
All is Atum – Santos Bonacci – YouTube Channel Mr Astrology