Sunday, June 28, 2009

Adam and Even

by Mark Barrett
Because it is not good for humankind to be alone, in the beginning God created Adam & Lilith from the fire, water & air of the earth. One man& one woman. In God's eyes, different but equal, one & the same. But of course, humankind being as it is, Adam & Lilith soon began to fight.

She said, 'I will not lie below, & stop trying to control me!' & he said, 'I will not lie beneath you, but only on top. Stop telling me what to do! For you must listen, & do as I say, because I am the stronger, superior one, & you are the weak.' Lilith responded,'Perhaps you are stronger, but my weakness is strength. Really I am better than you, for look at me, I am the more beautiful and gentle, a creator & nurturer of children.'

But when Lilith saw that Adam wouldn't listen to her, but rather used his strength to scare her, she became frustrated. She couldn't match him for physical strength, so instead she plotted, quietly, within.Inspired by God, she dreamt of a different world, faraway in place &time. A world where humankind had finally learned its lesson, where justice reigned for all: men & women living together as a community of equals.

But on waking, this dim remembrance of a beautiful dream made her all the more angry. And in a fit of rage at the barely perceptible possibility of it all, & to teach him a lesson, she decided to depart,& explore the other world of darkness. But before she left she said God's name, blessing Adam's future as she did so. And then quickly,before her resolve grew weak, she flew East.

Poor man Adam. Being addicted to her beautiful company, & in truth much weaker than he had ever cared to admit, he was now inconsolable.Having lost that part of himself which he had most taken for granted &which through his sense of ownership had made him feel whole, he considered life not worth living. Desperate, he cried out to Almighty.

Naturally God, being all compassion, felt great pity for Adam's predicament. But, at the same time S/He knew that unless Adam accepted Lilith as his equal, the world of humanity would never succeed. Then he told Adam this, the very same message communicated to Lilith before her flight: just as Lilith had been forced to accept his superior physical strength, likewise Adam must one day accept the power of the divine feminine as his spiritual guide. And, to finish the lesson God fashioned Eve from Adam's rib, so that he might one day, through his own mistakes, learn the true feminine power, great strength in the acceptance of vulnerability.

And so we are all of us the disillusioned descendants of Adam & Eve.Often fearful, and somehow lacking, we have in our desire to be in control made a desolate wasteland of this world. War, racism,ecological crises, the oppressive rule of property & the exploitation of the poor by the rich: all of these things are due to our joint fall from grace.

And men & women are yearning for the great power, courage & spirit which is Lilith, Adam & Eve together. Together they bring to communities to a new sovereignty, balance, simplicity & a sassy renewal. With them in our hearts, we can truly live; simple & free. To do God's work, going beyond sin & suffering, me, myself & mine. Finally, to make right the blood soaked centuries of patriarchy,hierarchy & all the capital punishment & pain that goes with.

Lilith is now returning to the world. Inside every woman & man she'll be felt & acted upon, bringing us to a sublime and ancient power through receptivity, wisdom, compassion & grace!

1 comment:

Amy said...

Amazing post. I hope you are having a wonderful Sunday.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Adam and Even

by Mark Barrett
Because it is not good for humankind to be alone, in the beginning God created Adam & Lilith from the fire, water & air of the earth. One man& one woman. In God's eyes, different but equal, one & the same. But of course, humankind being as it is, Adam & Lilith soon began to fight.

She said, 'I will not lie below, & stop trying to control me!' & he said, 'I will not lie beneath you, but only on top. Stop telling me what to do! For you must listen, & do as I say, because I am the stronger, superior one, & you are the weak.' Lilith responded,'Perhaps you are stronger, but my weakness is strength. Really I am better than you, for look at me, I am the more beautiful and gentle, a creator & nurturer of children.'

But when Lilith saw that Adam wouldn't listen to her, but rather used his strength to scare her, she became frustrated. She couldn't match him for physical strength, so instead she plotted, quietly, within.Inspired by God, she dreamt of a different world, faraway in place &time. A world where humankind had finally learned its lesson, where justice reigned for all: men & women living together as a community of equals.

But on waking, this dim remembrance of a beautiful dream made her all the more angry. And in a fit of rage at the barely perceptible possibility of it all, & to teach him a lesson, she decided to depart,& explore the other world of darkness. But before she left she said God's name, blessing Adam's future as she did so. And then quickly,before her resolve grew weak, she flew East.

Poor man Adam. Being addicted to her beautiful company, & in truth much weaker than he had ever cared to admit, he was now inconsolable.Having lost that part of himself which he had most taken for granted &which through his sense of ownership had made him feel whole, he considered life not worth living. Desperate, he cried out to Almighty.

Naturally God, being all compassion, felt great pity for Adam's predicament. But, at the same time S/He knew that unless Adam accepted Lilith as his equal, the world of humanity would never succeed. Then he told Adam this, the very same message communicated to Lilith before her flight: just as Lilith had been forced to accept his superior physical strength, likewise Adam must one day accept the power of the divine feminine as his spiritual guide. And, to finish the lesson God fashioned Eve from Adam's rib, so that he might one day, through his own mistakes, learn the true feminine power, great strength in the acceptance of vulnerability.

And so we are all of us the disillusioned descendants of Adam & Eve.Often fearful, and somehow lacking, we have in our desire to be in control made a desolate wasteland of this world. War, racism,ecological crises, the oppressive rule of property & the exploitation of the poor by the rich: all of these things are due to our joint fall from grace.

And men & women are yearning for the great power, courage & spirit which is Lilith, Adam & Eve together. Together they bring to communities to a new sovereignty, balance, simplicity & a sassy renewal. With them in our hearts, we can truly live; simple & free. To do God's work, going beyond sin & suffering, me, myself & mine. Finally, to make right the blood soaked centuries of patriarchy,hierarchy & all the capital punishment & pain that goes with.

Lilith is now returning to the world. Inside every woman & man she'll be felt & acted upon, bringing us to a sublime and ancient power through receptivity, wisdom, compassion & grace!

1 comment:

Amy said...

Amazing post. I hope you are having a wonderful Sunday.