Chapter 3
THE FALL OF
MAN
GENESIS 3, 4, and 5
Charles Fillmore
Mysteries of Genesis
ACCORDING to the Bible,
"the word of God" is the power that
created the world, as stated in
Hebrews:
"By faith we understand
that the worlds have been framed by the
word of God, so that what is seen hath
not been made out of things which
appear."
The 1st chapter of John
explains that "the Word" was in the
beginning with God and was God and that
through the Word all things were made.
So it is not true to say that the Bible
is "the creative Word" of God. The
Christ in Jesus is the creative Word.
Spiritual man is the Word of God, and
the Bible bears "witness of the word of
God." As Jesus taught: "Ye search the
scriptures because ye think that in
them ye have eternal life; and these
are they which bear witness of me; and
ye will not come to me, that ye may
have life."
Man fell because he did
not keep his mind on the source of
life. He departed from spiritual
consciousness and saw both good and
evil. If he had held to the one good,
good is the only thing that he could
have manifested.
The Word of God is the
living, creative force that is man's
spiritual mind. As Jesus said to those
Jews who searched the Scriptures for
eternal life: "Ye have not his word
abiding in you."
Those who search the
Scriptures and think that through them
they will get life are, according to
Jesus, ignoring the omnipresent
creative word and separating themselves
from its perfect manifestation,
man.
Man is falling just to
the extent that he is ignoring the
living Word in himself. Man must keep
affirming the living Word; then he will
have the transformed body.
Jesus Christ is the Word
demonstrated as perfect man, and
through Him we are saved from the fall.
In these words we find an epitome of
both the law and the gospel.
The Bible is at the same
time the simplest and the greatest of
all books. It is great because it deals
with great matters in simple ways. It
eliminates the transient, unnecessary
temporalities and goes direct to the
gist of the subject.
We have not understood
the depth and height of these simple
allegories and symbols sprinkled all
through the Bible. They are condensed
explanations, stripped of minor
details, of the great underlying laws
of existence. A mortal description of
creation would make time a necessary
element, but the author of Genesis is
not caught in this trap of mortality.
"In the beginning God
created."
Time is a human
invention and acts as a barrier to a
broader conception of creative
processes. All attempts to find a date
for the beginning of man are futile.
Years are associated with events, and
when the events are past the years go
with them. States of mind make events,
and new states of mind are constantly
being formed; consequently every moment
is the beginning of a new creation to
the individual. It is of no practical
value to a man to know that the world
has journeyed around the sun six
thousand or six million years since it
was formed. The important thing is to
know where man stands in relation to
the creative law. The Bible puts
history before us as if we were part of
every event, which we are. The one Mind
is moving in its realm of ideas "over
all, and through all, and in
all."
The allegory of the
Garden of Eden, of the man and the
woman and the serpent, represents the
development of ideas in individual
consciousness, not the development of a
planetary system. The latter is the
narrow conclusion of the casual
observer. Creation is the evolution of
ideas in mind. Creation is the
development of individuality; hence the
one object of all creative processes is
the making of man.
In the development of
individuality the factors described in
the allegory are active in every one of
us at this moment, and the creating is
going on right now. The reason why God
created man potentially perfect and
then set him the task of proving it is
found in the mysterious process called
self-identification. Man makes himself
after the pattern designed by the Great
Architect. In proving his ability to
carry out the divine plan he proves
himself perfect.
As we study mind we find
that every thought tends to find
expression; that the formless and the
formed go hand in hand; that you cannot
have an idea in your mind without its
immediately taking form as a mental
picture, which in due course is clothed
upon with substance and life, "a local
habitation and a name."
Three fundamental
factors are at the basis of all
manifestation, namely intelligence,
life, and substance.
Divine intelligence
reveals perfect ideas as the basis of
existence. Any conception other than
this is "eating" or appropriating
thoughts that seem both good and evil.
This conception of opposites leads to
all kinds of inharmonies. It is the
"serpent," "more subtle than any beast
of the field," that suggests this to
man. The serpent represents life, in
which is vibration, color, sound, in
fact all sensation. Sense consciousness
is another name for the serpent. The
word sensation, either written or
spoken, suggests the sinuous movement
and warning hiss of the serpent. The
life idea is manifest in the sinuous
shape of the mighty lightning chain
darting from sky to earth as well as in
the subtle sensations that sweep
through the soul.
The soul (Eve) is
attracted by this realm of sensation
and is psychologized by its promises of
pleasure. It is a "delight to the
eyes," is "good for food," is to be
desired to make one wise. When we
indulge any of the sensations of the
flesh for the mere pleasure that
accompanies the indulgence, we are
following the delusive suggestions of
the serpent instead of listening to the
word of God. Pain, disease, and finally
death always result from such ignorant
trangression of the divine
daw.
Life is a fundamental
factor in all existence. The most vital
word in any or all languages is "life."
Without life there could be no
existence. In man's estimation life is
so great a thing that he often uses the
word "living" as representing all
existence. But life is not all of
existence. Love, substance, power,
intelligence, these all play their
part; and above all is man, spiritual
man.
When man riots in the
realm of ideas ("birds of the heavens")
and loses sight of God in the pursuit
of his art, he becomes unbalanced. This
applies to all who are so enamored of
the outer that they lose dominion over
the inner.
When man fails to master
his sensations and gives himself up to
the uncontrolled enjoyment of life, he
is losing his dominion and must suffer
the consequences of transgressing the
law. Listen to the voice of wisdom and
keep a steady rein on "every beast of
the field": the life forces in the
natural world.
Man should therefore be
ever on the alert to maintain his
dominion and mastery over all the ideas
of the mind and sensations of the body.
The wise man never gives himself up to
pleasure seeking in the world or in his
body. Everything has its use in the
divine economy, and man as the master
builder should ever be seeking to carry
out the divine plan.
In considering a
practical application of this allegory,
let every man ask himself, Am I
entangled in the coils of the serpent
of sense? The Scripture says that the
serpent was the most subtle of all the
beasts of the field that the Lord God
created. That subtle sensuous feeling
that thrills you is the beast of the
field. The elemental life forces of
your body are minute serpents. The
reproductive elements in your body are
in the form of minute serpents. These
serpents are very obedient to your
thought. By thinking about some sense
pleasure you can concentrate them in
the function of life giving, and they
will blend all their energies to give
you pleasure. But remember that in so
doing you may be robbing some other
function of its life, and it will
deteriorate in consequence.
The person who gives up
to the pleasures of sex eats from the
tree of life until the body is depleted
in every function; even sex itself dies
of its own ignorance.
What is the remedy?
Conservation, mastery, control. Man
must control every one of the elemental
forces of his being. In other words,
instead of being tempted by the devil
of sensation, instead of yielding
completely to the pleasure of living,
he must study the object of life as a
whole.
There are two ways of
living open to man. One is Satan's way:
through experience of evil man gains by
contrast a concept of good. The other
is God's way: through consciousness of
good, man sees that evil is unreal and
unnecessary. Every man and woman in the
world is following one or the other of
these two courses in the development of
his individuality. Good and evil seem
to be pitted against each other in the
world, but it is not necessary for man
to eat of the tree of good and evil; he
need not have a knowledge of evil in
order to realize the allness of good.
If he follows God's way, which is to
know the good first, last, and always,
his mind will become so charged with
good that evil will be to him totally
unreal.
You will find men on
every side meeting temptation in God's
way, by knowing the good, affirming the
good, and living it according to their
faith in God. I know men who have never
taken a drink of whiskey. They have not
found it necessary to become
intoxicated in order to experience the
feeling of sobriety. They have better
dominion over their appetites than
those who have given up to Satan's way
of experience. There are men in the
world who are living a pure life. They
know the joy of purity in the sex
dominion. They have proved that
dominion over sex, under the guidance
of Spirit, is a necessary part of the
regeneration taught by Jesus. "For
there are eunuchs, that were so born
from their mother's womb: and there are
eunuchs, that were made eunuchs by men:
and there are eunuchs, that made
themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of
heaven's sake."
Gen. 3:1-5. Now the
serpent was more subtle than any
beast of the field which Jehovah
God had made. And he said unto the
woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall
not eat of any tree of the garden?
And the woman said unto the
serpent, Of the fruit of the trees
of the garden we may eat: but of
the fruit of the tree which is in
the midst of the garden, God hath
said, Ye shall not eat of it,
neither shall ye touch it, lest ye
die. And the serpent said unto the
woman, Ye shall not surely die: for
God doth know that in the day ye
eat thereof, then your eyes shall
be opened, and ye shall be as God,
knowing good and evil.
The serpent is sense
consciousness. It may also be called
desire, sensation, or the activity of
life in external manifestation apart
from the divine source of life. "Woman"
represents love or feeling in the
individual consciousness and symbolizes
the soul. Desire for sensation or
activity in the external first tempts
the soul, the center of feeling and
emotion. The temptation of sense is at
first very subtle, entering the
consciousness to stir up doubt and
slyly asking the question "Why
not?"
From the center of one's
being the life-giving, ever-bearing
tree of the Spirit of God spreads its
branches into every department of mind
and body. Its fruits are intelligence
to the mind, substance to the body, and
life to the entire being. The warning
given by Jehovah God was that man
should not eat of (appropriate) the
fruit of this tree. In spiritual
revelation we discern that man's
cardinal mistake is to appropriate the
pure essence of God in order to
experience selfish sensuous
pleasure.
The serpent is slyly
suggesting to the soul that it indulge
in the pleasures of sense and that the
experience will result in a deeper
understanding of God and His laws. The
individual can always find arguments
that to his own mind justify
indulgence. This tendency may be
described as sensation beguiling man
from his Garden of Eden
consciousness.
Gen. 3:6-7. And when
the woman saw that the tree was
good for food, and that it was a
delight to the eyes, and that the
tree was to be desired to make one
wise, she took of the fruit
thereof, and did eat; and she gave
also unto her husband with her, and
he did eat. And the eyes of both
were opened, and they knew that
they were naked; and they sewed
fig-leaves together, and made
themselves aprons.
Woman, the intuitive or
feeling side of man's nature, discerns
that activity in ideas begets
knowledge, but the knowledge gained is
not necessarily of a divine nature.
Love or feeling (woman) acting
independently of wisdom (man) is not
reliable.
The "eyes" are the
perceptive faculty of mind, and unless
the perception is established in Truth
one sees or perceives duality. When one
delights in knowledge that is less than
Truth, one's capacity to receive
inspiration direct from Divine Mind is
lessened or lost. Both love (woman) and
wisdom (man) become involved in a
counterfeit knowledge through "eating"
ideas inappropriate to the divine
nature.
In the Scriptures figs
are representative of the "seed" of
man. This seed is in its original
essence mind energy, and when ideas are
kept in contact with Divine Mind, the
seed of man is the life stream in its
original purity. Man's sin is the
misappropriation of ideas, which leads
to sensation. When man and woman are
joined--that is, one in sin--they are
unclothed of the garment of Truth or
"naked."
When wisdom and love,
man and woman, are joined in the
consciousness that God inspires all
their thoughts and acts, the gross
sensations of the flesh will be "lifted
up," that is, glorified. "I, if I be
lifted up from the earth, will draw all
men unto myself." This is the "holy
marriage."
Gen. 3:8-12. And
they heard the voice of Jehovah God
walking in the garden in the cool
of the day; and the man and his
wife hid themselves from the
presence of Jehovah God amongst the
trees of the garden. And Jehovah
God called unto the man, and said
unto him, Where art thou? And he
said, I heard thy voice in the
garden, and I was afraid, because I
was naked; and I hid myself. And he
said, Who told thee that thou wast
naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree,
whereof I commanded thee that thou
shouldest not eat? And the man
said, The woman whom thou gavest to
be with me, she gave me of the
tree, and I did eat.
The "cool of the day"
represents the relaxation or emptiness
that follows sense expression. After
the high tide of sensation has
subsided, the voice of Jehovah God,
commonly called conscience, is heard.
Man is convinced that he has acted out
of harmony with divine law. After
experiencing sensation the picture
visualized by the conscious mind is
impressed on the life stream and sets
up a subconscious tendency.
Consciousness would hide from facing
this situation, taking refuge amongst
the "trees of the garden" (other
sensations), but this is not the way to
redemption. Every idea is to be dealt
with. All error is forgiven when Truth
is brought to bear on it, and if this
method is pursued, only constructive
thought habits will be put into
activity in the subconscious realm of
mind.
Jehovah God walks
continually in the garden (the body)
calling unto Adam (life), and when man
raises his thoughts and feelings
Godward, he contacts the inspiration of
Being and builds again the immortal
consciousness.
The soul or "woman" is
the feminine aspect of man. It is
through the affections (love) that man
becomes involved in sensation. When a
desire of the soul (woman) presses for
attention, man often gives way to his
feelings instead of raising them,
through wisdom, to conform to higher
principles.
In Truth feeling must be
disciplined and refined and desire for
sense pleasure eliminated. When
consciousness is purified through the
knowledge of Truth and thought force is
established in harmonious relation to
divine ideas, the woman (feeling) will
be joined with man (wisdom) and the
holy marriage (generation of divine
ideas) will again be consummated.
"Therefore shall a man leave his father
and mother, and shall cleave unto his
wife: and they shall be one flesh,"
writes the author of Genesis, and Jesus
verifies it in Matthew 19:5: "For this
cause shall a man leave his father and
mother, and shall cleave to his wife;
and the two shall become one flesh."
Indescribable joy is the heritage of
those who submit their sex relations to
God in prayer.
Gen. 3:13-14. And
Jehovah God said unto the woman,
What is this thou hast done? And
the woman said, The serpent
beguiled me, and I did eat. And
Jehovah God said unto the serpent,
Because thou hast done this, cursed
art thou above all cattle, and
above every beast of the field;
upon thy belly shalt thou go, and
dust shalt thou eat all the days of
thy life.
Man, ever seeking an
excuse for sin, puts the blame on God
for endowing him with sensation.
Sensation is itself a divine creation,
and all God's creation was pronounced
"good." This brings us to the root
cause of the appetite that craves
stimulants and goes to excess in
seeking satisfaction. Through listening
to the serpent of sense, man goes
beyond the limit set by natural or
divine law and becomes a glutton and
drunkard of sensation. The remedy is
for him to take up the problem from a
spiritual standpoint in the knowledge
that sensation is a mental quality that
can be satisfied only by his
cultivating the spiritual side of his
nature.
When the desire for
sensation leads man to dissipate the
precious fruit of the tree of life in
his earthly garden, the whole nervous
system is depleted and loses its
capacity to contact the higher life
current and supermind wisdom. Then man
feels a lack of something; he is
"naked." Sensation is no longer a
heavenly ecstasy but a fleshly
vibration, and crawls on its "belly,"
eating "dust" all the days of its
life.
We often wonder why God
cursed the serpent since He created him
for the very purpose of enabling man to
have sensation. The author of Genesis
discerned that certain principles were
in operation; that when the creative
life which Jehovah God breathed into
man's nostrils was taken away, there
would be a fall from divine union and
man would have to suffer certain
conditions that would follow. So the
curse was not imposed directly by
Jehovah but as a result of man's
breaking certain laws.
Gen. 3:15-19. And I
will put enmity between thee and
the woman, and between thy seed and
her seed: he shall bruise thy head,
and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Unto the woman he said, I will
greatly multiply thy pain and thy
conception; in pain thou shalt
bring forth children; and thy
desire shall be to thy husband, and
he shall rule over thee. And unto
Adam he said, Because thou hast
hearkened unto the voice of thy
wife, and hast eaten of the tree,
of which I commanded thee, saying,
Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is
the ground for thy sake; in toil
shalt thou eat of it all the days
of thy life; thorns also and
thistles shall it bring forth to
thee; and thou shalt eat the herb
of the field; in the sweat of thy
face shalt thou eat bread, till
thou return unto the ground; for
out of it wast thou taken: for dust
thou art, and unto dust shalt thou
return.
The seed of the woman is
from God; it is the spiritual life that
comes from the fountainhead. The seed
of the serpent is fallen sense
consciousness, and there is enmity
between the two. The effect, as set
forth in the text describing the
suffering common to most women, needs
no metaphysical interpretation. The
interpretation usually given is that
the "seed" that bruised the head of the
serpent was Jesus. But these verses
were written long before the time of
Jesus, so they must refer to certain
principles. The heel represents the
activity of the will in the body. When
one is willful the tendency is to force
the heel into the ground. When you do
that you are determined.
When you make up your
mind that you are not going to be
governed by your sensations, you plunge
the whole man into spiritual
consciousness, through which you are
protected from sense. All through the
account of the fall of man are found
these promises of redemption,
implications that man has within him a
saving consciousness.
The story of Eve
symbolizes the truth that instead of
bringing forth ideas in the realm of
supersubstance, the feminine is
compelled to clothe its ideas with
flesh and bring them forth in the
earthly consciousness.
Having lost
consciousness of God as its guiding
light, the soul turns to its highest
concept of wisdom, the intellect
(husband).
The intellect, having
lost contact with its inner light, is
no longer possessed of the ability to
ideate direct from God, and man is
forced to cultivate the ground and toil
physically. Jesus demonstrated man's
spiritual ability when, direct from the
ether as a substance base, He produced
the fishes and loaves to feed more than
five thousand persons.
Gen. 3:20. And the
man called his wife's name Eve;
because she was the mother of all
living.
The name Eve means
"elemental life," "life," "living.''
Eve represents the soul region of man
and is the mother principle of God in
expression through which life is
evolved. The I AM (wisdom) puts feeling
into what it thinks, and so Eve
(feeling) becomes the "mother of all
living." Back of feeling is the pure
life essence of God. Adam and Eve
symbolize the I AM individualized in
life and substance. They are the primal
elemental forces of Being
itself.
The Hebrew verb hoh, "to
be being" luminous, absolute life,
which forms the basis of the name Ihoh
(Jehovah) is the basis also of the word
Eve; however, due to a slight change in
characters and a hardening of the
vowels, it no longer represents
absolute life, but the struggle of
elementary existence. This indicates
the struggle of the soul to regain its
perfect state of existence in the
Absolute, God.
Gen. 3:21. And
Jehovah God made for Adam and for
his wife coats of skins, and
clothed them.
Man originally was
connected with the warm currents of
spiritual life, but when these currents
were broken by thoughts of separation,
he required protection from external
invading thoughts, hence the "coats of
skins." This need is evidenced by the
outer skin covering the sensitive
nerves of our body and the danger of
infection when this covering is broken.
When spiritual thought becomes supreme
in consciousness the "coat of skins"
gives way to the manifestation of the
spiritual body spoken of by Paul.
Corruptible flesh is the manifestation
of corrupt ideas in mind. "Be ye
transformed [changed in form] by the
renewing of your mind."
Gen. 3:22-24. And
Jehovah God said, Behold, the man
is become as one of us, to know
good and evil; and now, lest he put
forth his hand, and take also of
the tree of life, and eat, and live
for ever--therefore Jehovah God
sent him forth from the garden of
Eden, to till the ground from
whence he was taken. So he drove
out the man; and he placed at the
east of the garden of Eden the
Cherubim, and the flame of a sword
which turned every way, to keep the
way of the tree of life.
"Jehovah God" is Divine
Mind identified as the Christ Mind or I
AM man. "Good and evil," primarily
representing the two poles of Being,
are opposite but not adverse to each
other. Man developed divine
consciousness--came into an
understanding of ideas in their
relation to Being itself--and when he
became involved so intensely in the
feeling or negative side of his nature,
he lost consciousness of the
equilibrium of the Christ Mind. Will
became independent of wisdom, and an
unbalanced condition in both mind and
body was set up. And "lest he put forth
his hand [appropriating power of mind],
and take also of the tree of life, and
eat, and live for ever," using the
forces of Being toward the expression
of a consciousness adverse to the
Christ Mind, omnipresent wisdom closed
the door to the within until man should
again enter into the "garden" by
establishing the divine consciousness,
Christ, the Way.
The "garden" symbolizes
the spiritual body in which man dwells
when he brings forth thoughts after the
pattern of the original divine ideas.
This "garden" is the substance of God.
"Eden" is a state of perfect relations
among the ideas of Being. The "garden
of Eden" is the divine consciousness.
Having developed a consciousness apart
from his divine nature, man must "till
the ground from whence he was
taken"--that is, come into the
realization of God as the substance of
his being--and express ideas in harmony
with Divine Mind. Wisdom and love are
joined in God, and a perfect balance is
struck in consciousness between knowing
and feeling when man spiritualizes his
thoughts.
The "east" is the
within. "Cherubim" refers to protection
of the sacred life. The inner spiritual
life is protected from the outer,
coaser consciousness. The "flame of a
sword" is the divine idea or Word of
God. Man unites with the inner Word or
sacred life through the Christ
Mind.
Gen. 4:1-2. And the
man knew Eve his wife; and she
conceived, and bare Cain, and said,
I have gotten a man with the help
of Jehovah. And again she bare his
brother Abel, and Abel was a keeper
of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of
the ground.
The story of Cain and
Abel is an allegory of the movement of
certain departments of the soul or
consciousness. The name Cain means
"possession." This refers directly to
that part of human consciousness which
strives to acquire and possess
selfishly. Cain was a tiller of the
soil, which shows that he is of the
earthly domain. The name Abel means
"breath," which places Abel in the air
or spiritual realm. The two are
brothers, that is, are closely related
in the consciousness. Abel does not
represent the high spiritual
consciousness but the life energy that
controls the animal functions: he was a
sheep raiser. The Hindu metaphysics
would call Abel the animal soul and
Cain the physical body. Paul would call
Abel the "creature" and Cain "the
flesh."
Gen. 4:3-4a. And in
process of time it came to pass,
that Cain brought of the fruit of
the ground an offering unto
Jehovah. And Abel, he also brought
of the firstlings of his flock and
of the fat thereof.
Making sacrifices unto
Jehovah is symbolic of a refining
process that is constantly going on in
consciousness. Jehovah is the one
universal Mind, which is the receptacle
of all ideas and receives all. When you
have a thought of love and good will,
you set free invisible emanations that
are impregnated with these ideas. These
ascend to a higher realm and form a
part of your spiritual soul, at the
same time relating you to Jehovah, who
is the presiding oversoul of the race.
This is the inner meaning of the
offering of sacrifices to
Jehovah.
Everything in nature is
going through this refining process,
and there is a constant ascension of
substance to mind and of mind to
Spirit. We are taught that a time will
finally come when the whole universe
will be resolved back into its original
essence in God.
Gen. 4:4b-15. And
Jehovah had respect unto Abel and
to his offering: but unto Cain and
to his offering he had not respect.
And Cain was very wroth, and his
countenance fell. And Jehovah said
unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and
why is thy countenance fallen? If
thou doest well, shall it not be
lifted up? and if thou doest not
well, sin coucheth at the door; and
unto thee shall be its desire; but
do thou rule over it. And Cain told
Abel his brother. And it came to
pass, when they were in the field,
that Cain rose up against Abel his
brother, and slew him. And Jehovah
said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy
brother? And he said, I know not:
Am I my brother's keeper? And he
said, What hast thou done? the
voice of thy brother's blood crieth
unto me from the ground. And now
cursed art thou from the ground,
which hath opened its mouth to
receive thy brother's blood from
thy hand; when thou tillest the
ground, it shall not henceforth
yield unto thee its strength; a
fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou
be in the earth. And Cain said unto
Jehovah, My punishment is greater
than I can bear. Behold, thou hast
driven me out this day from the
face of the ground; and from thy
face shall I be hid; and I shall be
a fugitive and a wanderer in the
earth; and it will come to pass,
that whosoever findeth me will slay
me. And Jehovah said unto him,
Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain,
vengeance shall be taken on him
sevenfold. And Jehovah appointed a
sign for Cain, lest any finding him
should smite him.
The thoughts of the mind
are nearer to the Spirit than are the
emanations of the body. Hence the
offering of Abel (mind) was more
acceptable to Jehovah than was that of
Cain (body). The killing out of all
human sympathy and love by the body
selfishness is the slaying of Abel by
Cain. When the body demands possession
of all the resources of mind, it
reduces existence to mere material
living; it has slain Abel, whose blood
of life then cries from the earthly
consciousness (ground) to Jehovah for
expression.
When the selfishness of
the body has killed out the finer
impulses of the mind and reduced all
the higher aspirations to a material
level of existence, there is no longer
any pleasure in living. Without the
mind the body is a mere machine with
little sensation and makes no progress.
Cain thus tills the ground, but it
yields him no strength.
The body feels its
degradation, and those who get into
this degraded condition are usually
miserable. Thus Cain's punishment is
great. He fears the vengeance of the
other faculties; fears that they may
condemn the body (Cain) for its
impotency. But Jehovah, divine law, has
fixed a limit to this condemnation, and
we are warned that we must not destroy
the body, however great its sins. This
mark set upon Cain to prevent his being
slain is man's consciousness of his
divine origin. No matter how deep the
body ego may be in transgressions, it
still bears the stamp of God and can
never be killed out entirely. We cannot
kill life, for it is eternal; but we
can allow the body ego (Cain) to kill
the consciousness of life within the
individual organism.
Every man, by his
example and word, is his brother's
keeper. Jesus said, "Even so let your
light shine before men; that they may
see your good works, and glorify your
Father who is in heaven." This does not
nullify the innate freedom of your
brother, but rather strengthens your
ability to co-operate with the good and
make it manifest in your
life.
Gen. 4:16-24. And
Cain went out from the presence of
Jehovah, and dwelt in the land of
Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain
knew his wife; and she conceived,
and bare Enoch: and he builded a
city, and called the name of the
city, after the name of his son,
Enoch. And unto Enoch was born
Irad; and Irad begat Mehujael; and
Mehujael begat Methushael; and
Methushael begat Lamech. And Lamech
took unto him two wives: the name
of the one was Adah, and the name
of the other Zillah. And Adah bare
Jabal: he was the father of such as
dwell in tents and have cattle. And
his brother's name was Jubal: he
was the father of all such as
handle the harp and pipe. And
Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain,
the forger of every cutting
instrument of brass and iron: and
the sister of Tubal-cain, was
Naamah. And Lamech said unto his
wives: Adah and Zillah, hear my
voice;
Ye wives of
Lamech, hearken unto my
speech:
For I have slain a man for wounding
me,
And a young man for bruising
me:
If Cain shall be avenged
sevenfold,
Truly Lamech seventy and
sevenfold.
After he had killed
Abel, Cain went out from the presence
of Jehovah (the body consciousness lost
its contact with its spiritual source)
and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the
east of Eden. After any positive action
of the mind there is always an apparent
negative reaction. Nod, a name meaning
"wandering with uncertainty," suggests
the seemingly unguided activity of
man's subconsciousness during periods
of sleep. The fundamental idea in the
word Nod is that of uncertainty of
mind, bewilderment.
The name Enoch means
"founder," "centralizer."
Metaphysically it denotes entrance into
and instruction in a new state of
thought or understanding.
The name Irad means
"self-leading passion," "blind
whirling." Irad represents a state in
the physical or body consciousness and
organism of man, the embodiment of the
stubborn, foolish, destructive,
devouring--yet transitory and
fleeting--emotions and desires that are
the result of the sense man's ignorant,
confused thoughts and
beliefs.
The name Mehujael means
"manifestation of strength," "physical
demonstration of power." Metaphysically
Mehujael represents the belief of the
outer man that strength and power are
purely physical. This belief leads to
error manifestations and demonstrations
of power and strength that always lead
to trouble of some kind; and the outer,
personal man usually attributes to God
the afflictions and griefs that are the
result of his own error
activities.
The name Methushael
means "man of God." Metaphysically
Methushael denotes the idea that man is
a spiritual and perfect being, which is
inherent even in the body consciousness
of man (Cain and his descendants
represent the body or physical
consciousness). Methushael also denotes
the error thought of death, of the
disintegration of the outer organism
that unenlightened man thinks is
desirable, inevitable, of
God.
The name Lamech means
"strength," "health," "power."
Metaphysically Lamech represents the
thought of strength and youth that is
carnal and physical.
The name Adah means
"beauty or comeliness," "adornment,"
"pleasure." Metaphysically Adah
symbolizes a phase of the human soul,
the love nature. Love even in limited
personal consciousness and expression
has its pleasing aspect ("pleasure").
The expression of it adorns one with a
certain beauty of character and a grace
and comeliness that are lacking in
persons who are wanting in
love.
The name Zillah means
"deep," "darkness, gloom, or shadow,"
"screened," "veiled," "protected."
Zillah represents the very great or
dense obscurity of thought regarding
his true spiritual nature and
capabilities that exists in the soul of
the individual who is still living
wholly in the outer or sense
consciousness. Lack of true and clear
understanding at this phase of
unfoldment is a protection to the
individual in that it shields or
screens him from experiences that he is
not yet able to meet yet would have to
face if it were possible for the full
light of Truth to enter his
consciousness at this time.
The name Jabal means "a
stream," "a welling up," "abundance."
Jabal represents the transitoriness of
the outer, physical character of the
man who dwells in the animal-strength
consciousness. The negative aspects of
the name--"wanderer," "passing away,"
"going out"--all imply lack of
permanence. The word cattle refers to
animal strength. Stream means the "life
flow."
The name Jubal means
"principle of sound," "harmony,"
"melody." Jubal "was the father of all
such as handle the harp and pipe"; in
other words, metaphysically he
represents a principle of harmony,
which might find expression in musical
instruments. Thus Jubal symbolizes the
natural rhythm, harmony, and joy of
life that are experienced when the soul
radiates grace, beauty of thought and
character, and comeliness (Adah, mother
of Jubal), and the body is healthy and
strong.
The name Tubal-cain
means "diffusion of Cain," "diffusion
of worldly possessions," "flowing of
centralized might." Cain represents the
sense selfishness centered by an
individual in his own physical being.
Tubal-cain denotes a broadening out of
the selfishness represented by Cain, or
the same selfishness operating on a
broader, more universal base.
Tubal-cain is sometimes said to have
been the inventor of the art of forging
metals into cutting
instruments.
The name Naamah means
"amity," "social unity," "grace,"
"sweet or pleasant." Metaphysically
Naamah represents the animal soul in
pleasing, harmonious combination with
youth even though the consciousness
here is of the strength and youth of
the outer man.
Gen. 4:25-26. And
Adam knew his wife again; and she
bare a son, and called his name
Seth: For, said she, God hath
appointed me another seed instead
of Abel; for Cain slew him. And to
Seth, to him also there was born a
son; and he called his name Enosh.
Then began men to call upon the
name of Jehovah.
The third son of Adam
and Eve, Seth, was born after the death
of Abel. The name Seth means
"compensation," "substituted"; but more
particularly it carries the idea of
settled, placed, set. The root idea is
that of surrounding sympathetic forces
which envelop a thing and define its
limits. Some mystics have seen in the
meaning of the name a reference to the
law of destiny: that which
predetermines a thing and settles the
order of its occurrence.
While man is in a sense
a creature of free will, yet in a
larger sense he is a son of God, made
in His image and likeness and destined
to express and demonstrate spiritual
perfection. There is in all the
universe, including man, a balancing
power of good, of protection, that
causes readjustment and healing to
supervene after every transgression of
law or wandering away from that which
is wholesome and true. This is set
forth very clearly in Bible symbology
and history. Every time man has
wandered away, gone to some extreme, he
has experienced a reaction and been led
back to a saner standpoint. It is thus
that he evolves and grows into a full
consciousness of his perfect good. His
growth in Christlikeness is greatly
accelerated however when he comes into
a knowledge of the Truth that makes him
free, and begins to think and act
consciously and voluntarily in harmony
with it.
The spiritual idea
killed out by the carnality of Cain
(represented by his slaying of Abel)
was reincarnated or reborn in another
spiritual idea (identified with the
personality of Seth), as compensation
for the loss of the original
concept.
"And to Seth, to him
also there was born a son; and he
called his name Enosh. Then began men
to call upon the name of Jehovah." The
name Enosh means "a miserable man,"
"mortal man." When man comes to the end
of his personal resources and sees the
nothingness of all his efforts in the
outer, apart from Spirit, he begins to
look for a higher ideal to express in
his life. He calls on the name of
Jehovah. It is the activity of the
awakening spiritual ideas within him
(Seth) that causes him first to realize
the futility of his human efforts to
better himself, and then to recognize
the one Source of all true uplift and
good.
Gen. 5. This is the
book of the generations of Adam. In
the day that God created man, in
the likeness of God made he him;
male and female created he them,
and blessed them, and called their
name Adam, in the day when they
were created. And Adam lived a
hundred and thirty years, and begat
a son in his own likeness, after
his image; and called his name
Seth: and the days of Adam after he
begat Seth were eight hundred
years: and he begat sons and
daughters. And all the days that
Adam lived were nine hundred and
thirty years: and he died.
And Seth lived a
hundred and five years, and begat
Enosh: and Seth lived after he
begat Enosh eight hundred and seven
years, and begat sons and
daughters: and all the days of Seth
were nine hundred and twelve years:
and he died.
And Enosh lived
ninety years, and begat Kenan: and
Enosh lived after he begat Kenan
eight hundred and fifteen years,
and begat sons and daughters: and
all the days of Enosh were nine
hundred and five years: and he
died.
And Kenen lived
seventy years, and begat Mahalalel:
and Kenan lived after he begat
Mahalalel eight hundred and forty
years, and begat sons and
daughters: and all the days of
Kenan were nine hundred and ten
years: and he died.
And Mahalalel
lived sixty and five years, and
begat Jared: and Mahalalel lived
after he begat Jared eight hundred
and thirty years, and begat sons
and daughters: and all the days of
Mahalalel were eight hundred and
ninety and five years: and he
died.
And Jared lived a
hundred sixty and two years, and
begat Enoch: and Jared lived after
he begat Enoch eight hundred years,
and begat sons and daughters: and
all the days of Jared were nine
hundred sixty and two years: and he
died.
And Enoch lived
sixty and five years, and begat
Methuselah: and Enoch walked with
God after he begat Methuselah three
hundred years, and begat sons and
daughters: and all the days of
Enoch were three hundred and sixty
and five years: and Enoch walked
with God: and he was not; for God
took him.
And Methuselah
lived a hundred eighty and seven
years, and begat Lamech: and
Methuselah lived after he begat
Lamech seven hundred eighty and two
years, and begat sons and
daughters: and all the days of
Methuselah were nine hundred sixty
and nine years: and he
died.
And Lamech lived
a hundred eighty and two years, and
begat a son: and he called his name
Noah, saying, This same shall
comfort us in our work and in the
toil of our hands, which cometh
because of the ground which Jehovah
hath cursed. And Lamech lived after
he begat Noah five hundred ninety
and five years, and begat sons and
daughters: And all the days of
Lamech were seven hundred seventy
and seven years: and he
died.
And Noah was five
hundred years old: and Noah begat
Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
The name Adam means
"red," "ruddy," "firm." Adam is the
first man of the human race according
to the Bible. Metaphysically Adam
represents the first movement in the
evolution of the man idea in its
contact with life and substance. Adam
also represents generic man; that is,
the whole human race epitomized in the
typical individual-man idea.
Adam in his original
state was a spiritually illumined
creation. Spirit breathed into him
continually the necessary inspiration
and knowledge to give him superior
understanding. But he began "eating" or
appropriating thoughts of two powers:
God and not-God, good and evil. The
result, so the allegory runs, was that
he fell away from spiritual life and
all that it involves.
Man is Spirit, absolute
and unconditioned; but man forms an
Adamic consciousness into which he
breathes the breath of life; this, in
its perfect expression, is the Son of
man, the expression of the divine idea.
This Adam is all of what we term soul,
intellect, and body. We are continually
at work with this Adam; we can breathe
into his nostrils the breath of life,
insiring him with the idea of life in
all its unlimited fullness. We can lift
up this Adam by infusing into him this
sublime idea, and in no other
way.
The name Seth means
"substituted," "settled,"
"compensated." Seth represents the root
idea of surrounding sympathetic
forces.
The name Enosh means
"transient man," "mortal man." Enosh
represents the outer or body
consciousness in its limited, material,
corruptible concept of the
organism.
The name Kenan means
"self-centered one," "possession
invading space." Kenan denotes the
seemingly established materiality of
consciousness and organism. But the
higher, more spiritual thought
represented by Seth is at work, and the
man, though seemingly established in
materiality, is reaching out of the
lesser self ("possession invading
space") and upward toward something
that has more power to uplift,
enlighten, heal, renew, and restore
than anything to be found in the
material. Thus Kenan brings forth
Mahalalel.
The name Mahalalel means
"mighty rising," "glory of brightness,"
"praise of God." Metaphysically
Mahalalel denotes that in man which
praises and blesses and glorifies God,
the good.
The name Jared means
"descending," "low country."
Metaphysically Jared denotes the
descent of Spirit through praise and
acknowledgment of God (Mahalalel,
father of Jared), into the seemingly
earthly or physical in man ("low
ground") in order to lift man wholly
into spiritual consciousness (Enoch,
son of Jared).
The name Enoch means
"founder," "instructor," "repentance."
Enoch walked with God and did not die.
He was translated into the spiritual
consciousness. Enoch represents
entrance into and instruction in the
new life in Christ.
The name Methuselah
means "man of the sword," "sting of
death." Methuselah has the record of
having lived in the earthly body longer
than any other man. Metaphysically
Methuselah denotes a quick, piercing
thought or word ("sword," "dart") of
life, power, and oneness with God,
which while it causes a renewal of
youth to a degree and serves to
lengthen one's life in the body, does
not become abiding enough in the
consciousness at the Methuselah stage
of man's unfoldment to put away the
appearance of death
entirely.
The name Lamech means
"strong young man," "health," "power."
Metaphysically Lamech represents the
strength of youth, the vital something
in us that overcomes thoughts and
tendencies leading to dissolution. The
vital life principle constantly
inspires us from within to keep on
living. This thought of youth was in
Lamech, the father of Noah, and it
found expression in Noah. The strength
and youth symbolized by the Lamech
descended from Adam through Cain is
carnal and physical. The Lamech
descended from Adam through Seth, which
God sent to replace Abel, represents a
higher, a more spiritual
understanding.
Lamech signifies the
principle of life, which not only tends
to keep one alive in the body but also
brings about the building of a new body
and re-entrance into manifest existence
for each one who lets go of his
consciousness of life in the body for a
time.
The name Noah means
"rest," "calm," "peace." Noah was the
son of Lamech, the "strong young man."
It is in the strength of our youth that
we idealize the material and attach our
spiritual enthusiasm to the things of
sense. But the law of reaction sets in:
Noah (rest) finds "favor in the eyes of
Jehovah." If in the strength of your
youth you have indulged in the things
of sense, the law of spiritual
equilibrium (the Lord, Jehovah) is now
working itself out in a "rest" and you
may have bodily ills. Thus your race of
wicked thoughts is drowned and your
earth cleansed. Noah can also denote
the obedience through which seed for a
new state of consciousness is saved.
Again Noah represents the consciousness
at rest in God (Gen. 6:9). In Genesis
6:10 the sons of Noah represent typical
states of mind. Shem ("renowned")
represents the spiritual; Ham ("warm")
represents the physical mind, and
Japheth ("extended") represents the
intellect or reason.
