The Garden of Eden

Return to Eden

By Tina Heathers

Most religions have their own version of the creation story.  We all want to know where we came from and who we really are. The bible story of the Garden of Eden is known by many people.  But how many actually believe it is a literal truth?  Probably not many.  Was it just a story to explain where we came from because our existence needed to have a beginning?

Did we really reside with God in a beautiful garden living peacefully?  We apparently existed in harmony with the animals and God himself.  And then we choose to know more, to desire knowledge over peaceful bliss.  The essence of human nature is our curiosity and need to understand through experience.  So did the God of this Garden of Eden,  that created our curious nature, really kick us out because of it?

Or was there actually some deeper truth hidden within a simple tale?  Could it be that we are blessed with the right to choose, and that our curious nature leads us into situations that we can learn through first hand experience?  Perhaps we are just not content with peaceful bliss, we want to know all the possibilities of human nature, and therefore choose the road of experience so that we can feel and know it for our selves.

I am thinking that the story of Eden is a metaphor for our natural condition.  Perhaps we originally did reside in peaceful bliss with God.  And yet, we choose to experience life for our selves.  Many enjoy their trip through life and all the rich, meaningful experiences it has to offer.  Others want to know all adventures, even dark ones, no matter what the outcome.  They will choose tragic choices and venture down the road to despair and yet they seem to be willing to accept the pain for the privilege of the experience.  We all know people who make what we would classify as ridiculous choices, knowing they will get themselves into trouble.  And yet these people make those choices even when anyone could see the result.  It is almost as if they want the tragic outcome, as if they want the experience regardless of the fallout.

If so, then everyone is are welcome to experience the life of their choosing. After all, if this God who created us is fine with us tripping down some dark and painful alleys, why should we interfere with those around us who are seeking challenging adventures?  Perhaps we should mind our own business and allow each other to taste the sweet and salty, or bitterness of life as they so chose.

What if we are also welcome to return to Eden anytime we wish,  to once again reside in peaceful bliss?  What if the Garden of Eden is a state of mind and this Peace resides within us?

Meditation

Through meditation I have learned to go inside myself and awaken  a quiet, blissful and peaceful state of mind.  In this place I feel happy, content, worry free,  and as if everything is right in the world.   Have I returned to Eden? Perhaps if we returned to the mental state symbolized by the Garden of Eden on a more regular basis,  we would be able to live a life more in line with the simple beautiful conditions we generally associate with Eden.

I guess we wont know until we try.  I love meditation and the wonderful benefits it brings to my life.  But what if meditation is so much more than learning to relax and de-stress?  What if this simple tool actually awakened a completely different way of interacting with the world?  What if meditation and silencing the questioning mind was actually the gateway to return to the garden of Eden?

Definitely worth experimenting with the idea, don’t you think?