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Paradise

What motivates our seeking of fulfillment, happiness, balance – even soul consciousness – is our sense or vision of attaining paradise. We want it in this world, or at least a taste of it, and hope for it in the next, especially if we have religious beliefs in life after death.

The paradise we are all seeking is the underlying motivation to experience harmony, and eventual unity. Our paradise has both male and female in it, but they are integrated. It also has a serpent – a divine presence that stimulates and arouses instinct, intellect and intuition, depending upon what is needed. This will be determined by the degree of equality between male and female that exists within our current experience and expression. The serpents, of course, are archetypes that become activated at different times, following the laws governing development.

When we gain the appropriate insight that all is one – here and hereafter, inner and outer – then we come to appreciate that we are now in paradise and paradise is within us.

In paradise there are two trees which parallel the above reality and determine which fruit we eat of – i.e., which one we identify with, and which serpent will assist us. There is the Tree of Good and Evil, which is the Tree of Knowledge. This tree has the fruit of our experiences that we relate to with our senses and emotions in the experience of pain and pleasure. This level of experience is to help us make choices about what is right and aligned with our essence, and what is not. Through pain and pleasure we learn about duality and the form world, and gradually come under the guiding influence of the serpent of intellect. The experience of duality and reflection teaches us. We grow in awareness and knowledge, which then prepares us for aligning with the Tree of Life.

The Tree of Life contains the essence of things, its fruit is delivered by the serpent of intuition. It is the realm of archetypes – formative forces of life in all its expressions. As we relate to the archetypes in their universal nature, we experience the essence or soul of things, events, situations, and people. Or, as we experience the unique life of each reality, we align with its soul and the universal nature of each. Each experience develops our consciousness, or expands our consciousness – i.e., the identification with life.

Paradise is the imagined state of perpetual happiness. But both happiness and paradise are the carrots of evolution. They are states of being that we imagine we can attain and retain once experienced. But they are psychic constructs that are part of the bridge to connect personality self to soul self. The pursuit of happiness keeps us exploring and experiencing what we need to experience.

What scientific research shows is that genuine happiness is a result of improving the function of the prefrontal lobes of the brain. This is the development that occurs with expanded consciousness and heart-centered activity. It is that part of the brain, also connected to the limbic brain, that is most affected by love and compassion. Because of this happiness researchers say that if we want to have more happiness we need to focus on the little day to day things that make life more interesting, meaningful and loving.

Doing the dishes or cleaning up after yourself could contribute more to the happiness of your mate than buying a new car. We daily create the paradise we are seeking.

Exercises: 1. What are some of your principal learning in your Tree of Knowledge? 2. What do you do to grow your Tree of Life?

This is one of 150 Soul Perspective articles. For more articles visit Soul Perspectives Index.

Andrew and Bonnie Schneider are now offering personal interactive email coaching for the 4 Level Soul Journey program. Connect weekly with Andrew and Bonnie on how to develop soul consciousness. Read more about this personal coaching from Andrew and Bonnie Schneider by clicking here.