THE MISTAKEN IDEA OF A SERPENT stems from a dream or a mist, which originates with the mythical Bible story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.
This hazy view of God's creation begins in the second chapter of Genesis, after the declaration of God's perfect creation is made in the first chapter. In the original explanation of creation, the identity of man is completely spiritual and perfect. Nothing can be added or taken away from it. "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31).
But following that explanation, in the allegory of Eve (see Gen. 3:1—6), she is tempted by a "serpent" who makes her doubt her true identity as the perfect reflection of a perfect Father-Mother, God. The talking snake asks Eve to trust something foreign—to trust the five material senses, which tell us that life is both good and evil. Her uncertainty about God's unchangeable laws of good, and her acceptance of the serpent's wily whisperings, leads her to the hardships that come from believing we have to take the good with the bad. A fate that our loving Father-Mother, God, could never have bestowed upon us.
