In the biblical creation story, the Tree of Knowledge is mentioned and plays a significant role in the fall from the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve are tempted by the serpent to partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. As a result, humanity falls from paradisiacal unity into the painful world of polarity.
In the Genesis of the Torah, it is described that in the middle of the biblical Garden of Eden stand the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge. Sometimes the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge is mistakenly described as an apple. However, the Bible only mentions one fruit. By eating from the Tree of Knowledge, man hopes to distinguish between good and evil, much like God. Adam and Eve eat from it, despite God’s warning that it would make them mortal. Through the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, they lose their existence in divine harmony and unity in favor of the world of polarity.
In this polar world, significant challenges arise in relationships such as partnership, family, and career. Pain, suffering, worry and fear are experienced in order to evolve. The Hermetic Academy equips us with keys and tools to consciously understand this process and to participate in growth and evolution.
As a result of this first sin, Adam and Eve experience for the first time guilt and shame, emotions they couldn’t perceive in unity. Eve blames the serpent for tempting her, while Adam blames Eve for tempting him to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. There is an important message here: no one else is to blame for Adam and Eve’s decision, because they had the freedom to choose. Thus, the realization that human beings sow the seeds of their destiny and must free themselves from blame for others and situations is essential for spiritual growth. Forgiveness is an important tool in this process.
Adam and Eve also experience shame. Shame is associated with sexuality. In some religions and Eastern teachings, asceticism is widely advocated as the correct path of spirituality. However, asceticism leads to the suppression of a powerful force that can have terrible effects. On the other hand, other teachings propagate that total indulgence and promiscuity are necessary to experience freedom and evolution. This, however, represents the other extreme and brings more suffering than liberation.
The middle way, or the path of balance, involves purifying the sexual force from perverse, degrading and selfish concepts and living sexuality as an expression of love in a relationship. The courses of the Hermetic Academy support an understanding of where we come from, what our task as human beings is, and where human development leads.
Questions about the Tree of Knowledge in the Bible:
What is the forbidden fruit?
The forbidden fruit referred to in the biblical story comes from the Tree of Knowledge, which played a crucial role in the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Although it is sometimes depicted as an
apple, the Bible refers to it only as a fruit.
What is the Tree of Knowledge?
Described in Genesis of the Torah, the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life stand in the biblical Garden of Eden. Eating from the Tree of Knowledge represents man’s effort to discern between good and evil as God does, causing a shift from divine harmony and unity to the polar world.
Where is the Tree of Life?
Described in Genesis of the Torah, the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge stand in the midst of the biblical Garden of Eden. The Hermetic Academy offers a way to decipher the symbolic language of the Bible and other wisdom writings.
What did Eve eat?
Eve ate the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge.
