Bridging between the Tree of Knowledge (the source of dualities) and the Tree of Life (which symbolizes the unity of all beings)
According to Kabalistic scholars, the biblical story of Adam and Eve and the Tree of Knowledge suggests a dualistic understanding of life as it appears in the Garden of Eden. Etz ha'daat tov ve'ra - The Tree of Knowledge: of good and evil - as it appears in the book of Genesis can be understood as the tree of union of good and evil, and the source of societal polarities. Adam and Eve's eating of the forbidden fruit symbolizes the merging of good and evil as an outcome of earth's creation. Therefore, eating from the Tree of Knowledge does not recreate evil, or lead to an awaken awareness of good or evil, but instead provokes a vagueness of the clear boundaries between the two. According to this interpretation, eating the forbidden fruit was not really a sin, but an inevitable stage in human development that is parallel to developmental stages of individuation and separation. Just as Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden to struggle with their isolation and aloneness, so are we as human beings called to become separate and unique entities as we leave the sanctuary our mother's wombs.
Yet, the Tree of Knowledge was not the only tree that existed in this biblical paradise - The Tree of Life was an integral part of Adam and Eve's surroundings as well. In contrast to the Tree of Knowledge which appears as the source of dualities and polarities, The Tree of Life symbolizes the unity and unison of all beings. The Kabala teaches us that the implicit goal of human creation is to evoke our innate yearning for individuation and separation, so that we will reconnect with our divine inseparability from all beings. This state of altered conscious awareness embraces unity and duality in a harmonious flow of life energy - each mirroring the other as a manifestation of the Divine. Healing or tikkun is about finding our way back to the Tree of Life, to the sacred place where unity integrates all polarities. It is a place of differentiation, of reconnection, of rejoining and realigning our realities so that we may reach a sense of inner equilibrium and external balance.
Integrating the realities of the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life are crucial when dealing with the obstacles and complexities of confusing situations that life presents to us. It is here where the greatest good and the darkest evil seem to be mixed together as one. If we learn to see this state of paradox as an opportunity to confront our own inner darkness and the darkness of others; if we allow ourselves to be spacious enough within our own being to hold space for good and bad in ourselves and in others; we will inevitably begin to release the toxicity of our past and thus invite processes of self-healing to commence.
Yet, the Tree of Knowledge was not the only tree that existed in this biblical paradise - The Tree of Life was an integral part of Adam and Eve's surroundings as well. In contrast to the Tree of Knowledge which appears as the source of dualities and polarities, The Tree of Life symbolizes the unity and unison of all beings. The Kabala teaches us that the implicit goal of human creation is to evoke our innate yearning for individuation and separation, so that we will reconnect with our divine inseparability from all beings. This state of altered conscious awareness embraces unity and duality in a harmonious flow of life energy - each mirroring the other as a manifestation of the Divine. Healing or tikkun is about finding our way back to the Tree of Life, to the sacred place where unity integrates all polarities. It is a place of differentiation, of reconnection, of rejoining and realigning our realities so that we may reach a sense of inner equilibrium and external balance.
Integrating the realities of the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life are crucial when dealing with the obstacles and complexities of confusing situations that life presents to us. It is here where the greatest good and the darkest evil seem to be mixed together as one. If we learn to see this state of paradox as an opportunity to confront our own inner darkness and the darkness of others; if we allow ourselves to be spacious enough within our own being to hold space for good and bad in ourselves and in others; we will inevitably begin to release the toxicity of our past and thus invite processes of self-healing to commence.