Heaven and Earth ~ part 1

The History Channel has released a TV series called 'Bible Secrets Revealed'. In the first episode, Robert Mullins, PH.D. Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Azusa Pacific University spoke of that in Genesis, in the very first statement made about humanity, it says that God made Adam, which is often translated as man in his image, as male and female, and in fact, this word Adam is a common noun meaning the entire Human Race, not a single individual.

This would mean that the passage "Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created" could equally be viewed as "Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Human Race, in the day when they were created."

I am not a biblical scholar and cannot validate whether this application of Adam as referring to Human Race is correct or not, although I am certain that the History Channel series must have instigated some deeper investigation for many.

What I am intrigued by, is the possibility that both male and female aspects of creation are contained within any one human being, irrespective of their sex or gender. There are many new testament references pointing towards that the kingdom of heaven is to be found within. So, what would a coming together or a revelation of heaven upon earth reveal within the human experience? Would it be an experience of what has been called a 'peak state', an ecstatic sense of interconnectedness and budding passion to be of service in the world?

There exists a multitude of religious and spirituality guidelines pointing as to how humanity should aspire to live in order to best move towards such a state. This includes the many references to purifying and disciplining the body and mind, cleansing, undoing, unlearning and in recent times, towards being encouraged to simply love, embrace and accept all that is. One who cares for the land might see this commitment along the lines of preparing and tilling the ground, the sowing of the seeds and then patiently waiting to see what might emerge.

In the New Testament, there is a lesson of a man who was healed by Jesus. "Teacher", his disciples asked him,"why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or his parents' sins?" Jesus answered, "He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him."

There are various esoteric accounts and texts which speak of 'hieros gamos', an alchemical and sacred union of opposites, the hermaphrodite and the great work, the androgynous idol Baphomet worshipped by the Knights Templar. There is also the symbology of the Tao, the Yin and Yang of existence - the male and the female.

Stepping aside for a moment from any spiritual and religious devotion to text or ritual, there are many people who have experienced epiphanies and peak states through being in space and gazing with awe upon the earth, being in the wilderness and beholding a rugged beauty of nature, caught up in the midst of an ecstatic union of love-making, being present at a birth or looking into the eyes of an infant. Other entry points as well have been through an ingestion of entheogens and practice of other procedures as used by shamans.

What follows is some personal observation as well as intuition. It is that as I consider the many guidelines and accounts of transcendent experience, it appears as if there is always an intent, a motivation, a willingness, sometimes through an experience of absence or longing, to reach out towards a sense of other and that which is new and unknown. There may be an inner calling to make room for and to embrace something greater than a personal sense of self, but at least a willingness to allow what has already been experienced or thought to be known to be transformed. This combination of focus and desire with surrender seems to have power in preparing the ground for or in aligning a person's will, so that they are able to shift into a transcendent experience whenever or however it occurs.