Another look at Eden

I recently asked on a Facebook group:

I'm working on a blog post about this, so I'd love to get anyone's insights.

If matriarchy indeed preceded patriarchy, what would the Eden story have looked like from a matriarchal perspective?

Interestingly enough, this is not the post I was working on!  Not by a long shot!  That's been on the back burner for over a week.  However, I got the concept for my extremely speculative answer rather suddenly late last night/early this morning--it was such that my mind felt illuminated and engaged the entire time I was writing, as if someone had it to dictate--and I sat down for about five or six hours just now to write about five or six pages.  The result is after the jump.  It's certainly controversial in some of its elements depending on how literally one believes the Eden story, but I really enjoyed writing it.  To avoid confusion, please note that I exchanged the English "Eve" for the Hebrew "Hawwah" throughout.  "Adam" apparently is already as Hebrew as I'm going to get.

And one last thing before you go and read: I love this story.  I don't get stuff like this coming through my brain very often and I felt inspired.  Whether this is "gospel truth" or not, I don't know--none of us knows--but I feel that it could be.  It could be close to the original series of events in the Garden of Eden, as told before patriarchal culture took the Creation mythology and recorded it as we have it today.  Whether it's pure truth or pure fiction or somewhere in between, I hope this take on the story of our origins touches your heart and feeds your soul the way it did mine.

Heeding the Word of Wisdom

Huh.  Wisdom.  Sophia.  Goddess.  I never thought of that before... That's an interesting meditation!  And my friend, Dryad, pointed out that the WoW was prompted by Emma's request.  Iiiiinteresting.  But onward.


Doctrine and Covenants 89 (Emphases mine, blahblah)
 18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;

 19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;

 20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.

The WoW (Word of Wisdom... not World of Warcrack) is one of my biggest pet peeves in the Church, and probably one of my biggest personal points of hypocrisy, because I am totally guilty of the stuff that bothers me.  There's a lot to be said for the fact that the Church does not micromanage us in the way we live this law, beyond the major Do Nots that can keep you from obtaining a temple recommend.  However, I don't think we manage ourselves at all on the less emphasized Dos.

• All wholesome herbs are for our constitution, nature, and use
• Eat seasonally  (Insert contemporary plug for eating locally, since we've lost that which they had no choice but to do in the early 1800s.)
• Eat prudently and thankfully
• Eat meat sparingly--it is pleasing to God that they be eaten "only in times of winter, cold or famine"
• Eat grains and fruits (This is back before "evils and designs... of conspiring men" genetically altered our food crops and the rise of rampant food allergies and sensitivities... okay, enough of that)

Including the directive from Section 88, verse 124 about sleep--which, while not explicitly part of the WoW, is certainly applicable to health matters--we're given about twice as many Dos than Do Nots, and we seem to have our emphasis flipped.  I'm as guilty of it as anyone, to be honest.  I stay up late (often whether I can afford to or not), eat junk food and too much meat.  I do use herbs and the like for healing and health, but eating seasonally or prudently, not so much.

So, what would happen to my ability to receive wisdom and knowledge, personal revelation about things presently hidden from me if I worked on the parts of the Word of Wisdom where I am less than diligent?  I think it's a worthwhile experiment.  I'm already working on going mostly-gluten-free, so cutting down sugar, increasing veggies, and sleeping more and earlier would probably be a good thing to boot.

Interesting that the way we are physically nourished (WoW, fasting) is so tied to how our spirits are nourished.  Especially when you consider the connection with women's traditional roles in most cultures as being the feeders and nourishers, nurturers, and this search for Mother, and the connection between the Feminine Divine and Wisdom.  Hmmmmmm... that is a LOT to consider!  ...Maybe this is the beginning of results from Sunday. :D

I shall let you know how the changes go!

The Serpent

RasJane posted an article on Mother Wheel for St. Patrick's Day regarding serpent mythology.  Take a minute and go read it if you haven't already, it'll give you context to what I'm going to ramble about, and it is mostly a ramble.

I couldn't quite concentrate on the questions at the end of the article, I was stuck on the paragraphs immediately preceding where she discusses Eve and the serpent, and how the associated symbolism has deeply damaged women through the ages.  I mused over my thoughts on the matter for a few days, and here's the rather stream-of-conciousness bunch of thoughts that came out.

Initiatories make it clear we are equals to and with men by the things we are anointed to [do].  We are blessed with divine entitlement to inspiration and knowledge and truth.
A veil is often primarily a feminine symbol and accoutrement.  All of us have a veil of forgetfulness placed over our minds as we enter mortality, which separates us from Father and Mother, Brother, and Comforter(?).  And indeed in the Biblical account, women have enmity placed between themselves and the symbol of the serpent, which is given to Lucifer. [Revise: taken on by Lucifer.]  Lucifer was a seeker of knowledge, a light bearer, a son of the morning--all good things, things we are encouraged to emulate.  Had Lucifer remained true and faithful, he would have been arguably among the very strongest and wisest allies of the Father.  But he fell because of his pride and desire for power; perhaps these are what we are blessed with enmity against.  Is not that enmity a protection in its aversion?  But still, how does that fit with the symbolism of being cut off from the symbol of female power and wisdom, and having it seen as the embodiment of evil?  Clearly this isn't a truism.
Is it related to the fact that we know so little about Mother?  Are we cut off from Her?  But there is no enmity between us and Her, only separation; She is no more our enemy than Father.
Lucifer becomes Satan; from light bearer to "father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not listen to [Christ's] voice." (Moses 4:4)  Father made the serpent, but "Satan put it into the heart of the serpent...to beguile Eve" and we have been confused, lied to, and cheated ever since.
Did Satan choose the serpent as a counterfeit for Heavenly Mother?  Godhood is incomplete with only one gender; he has always wanted God's power, so co-opting this feminine symbol would give him more "credibility", or appearance of it.  He took the form of female creativity and wisdom and corrupted it, ensuring that it would then be used to crush God's daughters for millenia.  Is it/It is then against this corrupted image that we are set.  We are set at enmity with Satan, and the primary animosity is between he and Christ, the Son of Eve and not Adam.

I haven't thought much beyond that, at least not to record it, but those are the majority of my thoughts so far on this subject.  What are your thoughts on mine?