The Serpent

Hey Apakhana,

Have you done the Gnostic Wisdom course here? This is covered a bit in the lectures on alchemy.

I'm not sure whether or not the story of Adam and Eve is purely symbolic, but as I understand it the story relates to sexual temptation, and that the fall from eden occurred when Adam and Eve gave in to lust.

The tempting snake is only spoken of symbolically, rather than being a real being.

That's just my intellectual understanding for the time being though!

David

I haven't studied this much yet, but it seems like I remember reading somewhere that the serpent was actually a good being, and that God in the Genesis story was actual the evil Demiurge.

Think about it, the one thing that God told Adam and Eve that they couldn't eat of was the Tree of Knowledge, a.k.a. Gnosis. And God told them that if they ate of the Tree of Gnosis, they would die.

The Serpent came along and said that God was deceiving them, and that they would in fact not die but rather become like Gods themselves. So they ate of (symbolic) Tree of Knowledge, gained Knowledge or Gnosis, and their eyes were opened and they became aware of their spiritual nature, and from that moment on they were at odds with their physical nature and with the Demiurge who had created their physical nature.

Wasn't the serpent right? Death is only an illusion, isn't it? We don't really die, as in cease to exist, only our physical bodies die but our Self is immortal. We are Divine at the core, and when Adam and Eve received knowledge by symbolically eating of the Tree of Gnosis, they came to a Self-Realization of their inner divinity and were thus at odds with their lower-nature, or physical self, and the lesser God who wanted to keep them in the darkness.

David,

I haven't taken the Gnostic Wisdom course yet, but I don't believe that the Fall had anything to do with sexual temptation, because God told Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply" before the Fall happened. Adam and Eve could not "be fruitful and multiply" without having sex.

Also, I think the symbol of the "Tree of Knowledge" is very important. What the God of the Genesis story didn't want was for Adam and Eve to receive that Knowledge by eating of the tree of Knowledge. He wanted Adam and Even to remain ignorant of that knowledge, while the Serpent came forward with the truth that, far from killing them, receiving the knowledge would make them like Gods. Which is what happened. When they ate the fruit, they did not die, but their eyes were opened.

hello Steven,

I'm no specialist of the Bible.
Not sure, but am remembering that Adam and Eve after eating from the forbidden tree, came into darkness and were ashamed of their nakedness etc.

This should mean that they were in the light kingdom, but degenerated to ordinairy humans after.

Peter

Perhaps they were ashamed of their nakedness because they became ashamed of their physical self, or lower-self, once they became aware of their higher spiritual self.

Why would God want to keep Adam and Eve from gaining Gnosis? Would a good God want to keep his children in ignorance? What do you think the "Tree of Knowledge" is symbolic of, and why would God want to keep adam and eve from partaking of that knowledge?

The Serpent told Adam and Eve that if they ate of the tree they wouldn't die, but rather they would become like Gods. Isn't that what Gnosis (i.e. Knowledge) gives us? Doesn't it lead us to the realization of our Divine Within, Divine Spark, God-within, or whatever you'd like to call it?

That's why I say that, the way I understand it, the Serpent was doing Adam and Eve a favor by leading them to this "Knowledge", while the "God" of the story had actually been lying to them and telling them that they would die if they ate of the tree. Adam and Eve may have died physically eventually, but spiritually they didn't die just like none of us ever die, spiritually "their eyes were opened". I don't see how their eyes being opened was a bad thing. The God of the story obviously wanted to keep them ignorant of their true Self, while the Serpent somehow led them to the path of self-realization and Knowledge.

This isn't actually something I believe for a fact.. it's just one interpretation that has made sense to me. I especially think it's an interesting perspective for Gnostics to consider, considering it deals with the symbol of the "Tree of Gnosis", which seems to me to by symbolic of the Source of all Gnosis/Knowledge.

I would just like to add that this was a great thread. Thanks Steven for your angle, it made a lot of sense.

Ahoy everyone!

It was a very interesting discussion. I must say that reading the Nag Hammadi library helps me to look again at my old believes and sometimes even question them. After I read the Apocryphon of John and the Testimony of Truth I had to look again at some parts of Genesis for verification and was truly surprised. I see it the same way as Steven does; the God from the Genesis clearly does not want us to grow and to be self-aware.
This has even caused a dilemma; how should I properly pray to the Creator, if there could be some other forces too (eventually I have decided to call God the Father of the Universe).

On a personal note, I also understand that if I have read this discussion a few years back I would probably perceive Gnosis as heresy or even something evil. This makes me think how much I have changed, or at least how much my believes have changed in the last two years.
However, believes are only somebody else’s narrow interpretation of the reality accepted by our intellect. That is why I will repeat what I have learnt in the courses provided by Gnosticweb; knowing is superior to believing, that is why we need to experience everything ourselves.

May the Force be with you!

Hi Everyone

This is very interesting discussion. Since I am not a master of the art of awakening to verify for my self the symbolism that is hidden in these teachings, I must rely on what is being thought by the masters and very this to be true or false when that time comes.

In my understanding the tree of life is the continues motion - the great eternal light that creates - or the third mountain, The tree of Knowledge of good and evil - is gnosis -knowing through experience in the world of duality through joining of man and woman and eating of the fruit - orgasm.

The symbolism here is that we can return to the great light with out self-aware-consciousness or we can return self-aware-consciousness through gnosis.

All that exists in the lower worlds has its blue-print in the higher worlds (or the the original word of creation) according to higher masters. We also are thought that the laws of creation increase as we get into the lower realms of creation that limits our ability to participate in the creation of the word - as we become corrupt and no longer fallow the word.

In the 4th we were reduced from God over the elements into limited half's that can create only when joined together (in alchemy -the tree of knowledge with out eating of the fruit) with the guidance of higher spirit. Thus we are fallowing the laws and are in servitude to the eternal-light by remaining in the fourth. We gain no experience - but know nothing then eternal bliss (never to become self-aware-consciousness). The big question here is can we practice alchemy in this realm and incarnate our internal being? If the answer would be NO then that would explain the need to fall.

Still in the 4th: When we join together with out the consent of higher guidance, thus disobeying the laws, and eat of the fruit (pleasure - desire) of tree of knowledge, we take servitude onto our selves (no longer serving the word) - causing a spiritual fall into the realms of separation the 3rd -clothing ourselves with the cloak of illusion) and become burdened by our experience of pain and suffering in the worlds of duality - where joy is replaced by pain and fallowed again by joy then pain, and so on (the pendulum swing)
In this realm we learn and experience causes and consequences of the greater laws. These laws limit our ability to create. The power to create is only limited to our joining (man and woman). We can replicate our selves by discharging our seed (and as consequence suffer spiritual death as we discharge the material needed for transformation into incarnated being) or we can transform this energy into super substance that reincarnates our internal being through alchemy thus we create the temple of God in higher realms for our internal being (first reaching 1st mountain - the Buddha, then the second mountain - the Christ). We return as self-aware-consciousness and are spared spiritual death.

The snake is the devil - our trainer who leads us to temptation - that we must overcome with chastity (Alchemy =Love, Wisdom, Will).

Wishing you all a great spiritual morning.