Feeling cut off from nature is a trait within many of us. Human exceptionalism, rather than a mode of philosophy, is an assumed fact. Humans believe they are better than nature, seperate from it and will use it to its advantage. Where has this mode of thinking come from? Is it the same for humans unanimous? Is it a fundamental belief?
From a young age, many of us will have discouraged to play freely outside, in order to avoid getting dirty or sick or hurt. To a parent, the natural world seems brimming with threats that could harm their youngsters. By their nature, parents are on alert to protect their offspring as of course they should. But it can feel like they are fearful of a threat that isn’t really there. So what is really going on?
In Japan, there is a glorious interest in the beauty of nature and cooperation with nature, so that in some gardens you don’t know where nature begins and art ends. Wildlife interact and coexist with humans as if brothers. Deer that would fearfully bolt as soon as it registers a nearby human in england, would be at peace with humans in japan. It would appear not a coincidence that Japan boasts the greatest number of centenarians – people who live past 100. Clearly then this is not a fundamental belief all humans are born with. How can cultures in the East and West differ so greatly?
Japanese culture is based around Shinto text; one of which states ‘the process of nature cannot be evil.’ Every natural impulse is not to be corrected, but to be sublimated, to be beautified. This is is vast contrast to the Christian teachings of Europe. Whereby Adam and Eve, part of the glorious Garden of Eden, were banished for commiting sin.
The story as it has been told shows that Adam and Eve (and therefore humanity) were relegated from heaven on Earth and cast seperate from it. No longer welcome. Leading to a life of deep shame and in a constant desperate need for forgiveness and mercy. Mankind desperately blamed itself for this separation causing shame-driven self-flaggellation in the form of mental torment and in its worst, physically torturing ourselves in the Dark Ages. Hoping that punishing ourselves for our sin will please the eye of God and he would allow us back into Eden.
When this seemed to have no avail – we began to separate ourselves further from nature by dividing ourselves away from our true nature within in the assumption that this part was sinful. In a desperate attempt to understand why we were still being punished with suffering we distanced and elevated ourselves away from the natural/animal self and condemned it. Misunderstanding the line in the Bible ‘man is made in the image of God’ to mean that man is the closest thing to God and therefore hierarchically superior to all other beings. It did not say ONLY man is made in the image of God, all things are the image of God. As buddhism describes ‘all things are Buddha things.’
Nature seeing itself as separate from itself…
This story has been in our consciousness for thousands of years. Leaving us with several subliminal beliefs.
1. We deserve to suffer.
Mankind deserves to be evicted from Eden because we did something wrong. We brought this suffering to ourselves.
2. We are not a part of nature.
The eviction made it clear we are not welcome as a part of nature. Further attempts to rid ourselves of sin has guided us further and further away from our true identities as we try to move closer to God. God that we assume is without and not within.
3. We don’t know how to connect.
This story has gripped us for millennium. Many of us are still roaming the world with no compass, lost in the waves of suffering. Finding no sacredness, joy or happiness in life and its endless interconnectedness. The garden of Eden is here but we have forgotten how to be a part of it.
How has this message permeated so much of our history if it is wrong? This, to me, seems to be a fatal case of missing the point. The story of Adam and Eve is the compass we need but it has been misinterpreted. At its core: Adam and Eve had access and were part of the Garden of Eden, which was blissful. They listened to the serpent and acted in accordance with it. They then lost access to the garden of Eden. (I personally feel, the big God man kicking them out forever for breaking a random rule in rage and judgement is some extra flavour added in by organised religion in order to make people feel bad and therefore get control and money.)
The serpent represents the devil, which represents all things out of alignment. What does that mean?
All universal connections, including the intricately balanced system here on Earth, are founded upon energetic sharing and exchange in the form of love. Anything that works against love and therefore the natural flow of life – is out of alignment. Examples of things out of alignment may be: fear, rage, contempt. And actions in accordance with these feelings are out of alignment. Adam and Eve, gave space to some from of unaligned feelings by listening to them (the serpent), believing them, probably identifying with them (“I am the anger that I feel” is an example of identifying with emotion) and finally acting in accordance with the unaligned feeling. This brought adam and eve out of the natural flow of life and they then became separate from it. Following more and more unaligned feelings (doubt, self hatred, bitterness) until they could not find there way back to Eden. Maybe even doubting they were there in the first place.
The Garden of Eden is here, it always has been, we just need to wake up to it. Allow ourselves to see our natural connection to the world. The first step, as always, is meditation. Find the serpent in your own mind. Become aware of the thoughts, feelings that arise and crucially the space of which they arise in. This place is the founding of peace and bliss in this life and we all have the right to live in heaven on Earth.
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Article also available on Medium.