The Secret Garden of Eden

I just wrote a paper for my Humanities class on the Garden of Eden. I have always been fascinated by the story. It is layers deep and whether coming at it from a Christian perspective or not, it is deep and resonates to some very sacred spaces. First, God is omnipotent, present, scient, and creates Man in His image and then Woman from Man. He gives them a beautiful Garden and bids them reign freely, eat, multiply: LIVE! One thing, the are instructed NOT to do. Do not eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. But along comes the Serpent. He is clever and speaks smoothly. Tells them they will become as God and their eyes will be opened if they do eat of this strange fruit. If Man is created in his image, how will the fruit make them become as God? God later blocks of the garden with Angels and a sword of fire to keep the fruit from being eaten. To keep man from living forever. After eating the fruit, Adam and Eve see they are naked. They see and are ashamed of their transgression. They are sent from the garden and the serpent, the woman and the man are given the weight of curses they must now bear. Christians see this as the Original Sin. They see now that all humans are born into sin. Jews however see that we are all born of ONE. That we are all brothers and sisters (Rabbi Talushkin's: Jewish Literacy, pg 6-7; 250) They see that Man is allowed to argue with God. I am wondering, where is the Garden of Eden. Is it a state of consciousness that allows us the freedom to live rather than work to live? Is it an awareness that gives us the potential to live forever? Is the Garden of Eden a place that awaits us in the center vibration of each individual moment? Is it a choice?

I would love feedback as my mind is interpreting and resonating on the multiple layers the intensity of the meat of this Beautiful Story.

Namaste~
Lady Rain.