That which has been called God and will herein be referred to as Spirit is neither male nor female, but rather is both androgynous and asexual, and which exist as pure love. Because we as humans find it difficult to identify with someone or something that is simultaneously male, female, and neuter we attempt to understand Spirit by associating it as one or more of many archetypes, including male, female, and even sometimes animal forms as in Ancient Egyptian and Native American belief systems.
Spirit experiences what it means to be alive through the divine spark within all life. Spirit shares the full range of human and non-human experience, such as falling in love, being scared, being lonely, being hungry, being happy, being healthy, etc….Through the divine spark in the plants and animals, Spirit knows what it means to be sacrificed as food in order for other life to continue, what it means to be planted in the Earth as a seed, to grow and sprout and join the natural order. Therefore, Spirit has the highest compassion for every living thing and the desire for all living things to be in harmony with one another.
Before time was, there was the One, and the One drew unto itself and created the Astral World, a place of pure thoughts and high ideals where spirits dwelled in harmony. Thought gave way to form, and the Material World manifested, but all form ran together and chaos ensued. The One brought balance and order to the material world and gave it purpose. The spirits moved over the earth in awe and wonder. The One drew unto itself again creating the first humans. These humans were more like the One than any other thing in creation, and the spirits feared that they would have to worship the humans. The spirits gathered together and cursed the humans, dividing them into male and female. In the confusion, each person lost the man or woman who had previously been a part of themselves.
The One, in retribution, divided the spirits into the elementals and bound them to the very matter which they thought into creation. So that they may one day redeem themselves, the elementals were charged to serve humankind. Out of great compassion, the One divided itself into male and female--- The God and the Goddess. So they could watch over their children, the Goddess took the body of the Moon, and the God took the Sun.
Once a month when the Moon is New, the God and Goddess lie in their marriage bed to ensure the fertility of the earth and everything upon it. Again, once a month when the Moon is Full, the Goddess turns her attention to her children to fulfill their needs. As the humans adapted to their new existence, they grew and prospered. Spreading over the earth, the humans took with them their love of the God and Goddess, and adapting their shape and essence to suit their needs, in this way, many traditions or path arose---all leading to at-one-ment with the God and Goddess.
EXERCISES
· Are you a loner or a people person?
· Are you an early bird or a night owl?
· Do you prefer to stay in one place, or move around a great deal?
· What types of food do you prefer?
· What do you consider as your natural environment?
· Do you resemble any animal in particular?
· When you were a child, what did you consider your favorite animal?
· Have you ever had a profound experience with an animal? If so, explain.