The Snake Represents Creation And Free Will

God Is Light And Evil Is Light Dimmed-So With Free Will Comes A Higher
State Of Consciousness—And Evil

Nova Scotia Campground
Kabbalah Conversation Concluded
Aug., `82

"You might have to refresh my memory," I said. "Aside from Adam's
rib—Eve, and, sinfully eating the apple, I don't remember much about
the creation story."

"No problem," Michelle replied. "The Genesis story had Adam and Eve
being the first humans, and Adam was more or less seduced by Eve into
eating the forbidden fruit. But Eve wasn't totally to blame because
the wily serpent told her to do it. She was told that she and Adam
would win the knowledge of good and evil upon eating the fruit, and
become like gods. Some say the snake was actually Satan in disguise,
and, as far as Eve was concerned, the snake probably was the devil
because women have lived in hell ever since, but that's a story for
another time. Anyway, according to plan, she ate from the tree of
knowledge and then convinced Adam to do the same. Because they actively
disobeyed God, both were thrown out of paradise, and so began the
dismal history of human suffering. However, the Kabbalah tells a
different story."

"Don't tell me, I bet the characters are the same," I said, "but they
mean something different."

"How did you know?" replied Michelle.

"It just makes sense," I said. "The Bible is more than a history
book. It's too important for that, but I don't think anybody knows its
real meaning."

"Now you sound like Robert," Michelle responded. "According to the
Kabbalah, the creation story is not about Adam and Eve; it's about the
creation of the image of God—the birth of free will. Adam and Eve
represent the principal of duality—the principle of opposing
opposites, while the serpent represents the principle of division. In
the Bible, the Garden of Eden is described as a true paradise. Before
the apple was eaten, there were no negatives, no separation, and no
sense of identity. Everything was different from the way that we see
things now. Adam and Eve did not know they were naked. They did not
know right from wrong. They did not know suffering. Then, with the
apple, they were offered a sense of separateness, identity, and
individuality. Not eating the forbidden fruit meant living in a
perfect, preconditioned world, but—one without depth and the potential
for creativity. The `gift' of discriminating thought, however, brought
with it `free will' and punishment. Challenging and/or disobeying God
marked the beginning of freewill and creativity, as well as the vital, but
imperfect world of the human being."

"So the serpent represents creation and free will?" I replied.

"According to this interpretation, yes," responded Michelle. "I found
this story shocking. After all, how often does the devil get redeemed
in a religion? Martin says that without the energizing of creation,
without the serpent, we would never have an opportunity to know God.
We would never have an opportunity to walk the path that, ultimately,
takes us straight into the heart of a loving, compassionate God—our
Divine source."

"That sure is an interesting take on the creation story," I replied.
"But what about evil; is it just the outcome of free will?"

"I don't think anybody, or any religion for that matter has a good
answer for that one," Michelle said, "but, according to Martin, free
will births the potential for a new awareness, one that mirrors the
divine in all of us, and evil is related to that awareness. God is
light, and evil is that light dimmed. Evil represents the darkening
shadows that hide and distort light. In other words, God is veiled and
those veils, depending on context, are perceived as good or evil. Evil
is here to stay; that is the down side. The up side is that light
illuminates darkness, illuminates the path that takes us to the source
of all light."

"So, with free will comes a higher state of consciousness—and evil,"
I said. "Is that what I'm hearing?"

"That's what Martin would say," replied Michelle. "In the creation
story, God cursed the serpent, but Martin says that the meaning of
that curse is the subject of great debate. The words head and heel are
code words in the Kabbalah. They signify the different epochs
unfolding in the process of creation. The head represents the earliest
part of an era, while the heel represents the end of an era. According
to Martin, God's curse represents the changing of eras. The serpent
biting its own heel indicates a future era wherein messianic
consciousness arises. Rather than a cursed serpent, according to Martin’s
interpretation, the serpent represents the coming of a new `God
consciousness,' whatever that means. Apparently, at the very least,
the serpent represents more than just an `evil snake!"

"You can say that again," I replied.