Forbidden Fruit of Gnosis

Sophia took pity on the first humans and sent the serpent to teach them how to rebel; provoked to curiousity, they ate from the Tree of Knowledge and discovered that their “creators” were monstrous parasites.

"Some of them say that the serpent was Sophia herself; for this reason it was opposed to the maker of Adam and gave knowledge to men, and therefore is called the wisest of all [Gen. 3:1]. And the position of our intestines through which food is taken in, and their shape, shows that the hidden Mother of the shape of the serpent is a substance within us." "The Sethian Ophites." The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 664.

Secrets of the Serpent Savior

Disgusted by the Rulers’ antics, Sophia sent a slithering spirit to help the hapless humans: a divine messenger known as the “Instructor” or the “female spiritual principle.” This slithering spirit (also known as “the serpent” in the Old Testament) descended to the earth and took residence in the Garden of Eden – not on the…

"Then the seven took counsel. They came to Adam and Eve timidly. They said to him… "Every tree which is in Paradise, whose fruit may be eaten, was created for you. But beware! Don't eat from the Tree of Knowledge. If you do eat, you will die." After they gave them a great fright, they withdrew up to their Authorities." ”On the Origin of the World.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 71.

The Forbidden Fruit

Hoping to keep mankind ignorant, the Archons warned Adam and Eve not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge: “Then the seven took counsel. They came to Adam and Eve timidly. They said to him… “Every tree which is in Paradise, whose fruit may be eaten, was created for you. But beware! Don’t eat from…

"Then the one who is wiser than all of them, this one who was called "the beast," came. And when he saw the likeness of their mother, Eve, he said to her, "What is it that God said to you? 'Don't eat from the Tree of Knowledge'?" She said, "He not only said 'Don't eat from it,' but 'Don't touch it lest you die.' " He said to her, "Don't be afraid! You certainly shall not die. For he knows that when you eat from it your mind will be sobered and you will become like God, knowing the distinctions which exist between evil and good men. For he said this to you, lest you eat from it, since he is jealous." ”On the Origin of the World.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 71. <i>This picture shows the gnostic symbol of the universe - the ouroboros, a vast cosmic serpent devouring it's own tail. Here the serpent is taking a break from its' steady diet of tail to force a man to smell a dirty old shoe. The man in question stubbornly refuses to recognize the cyclical nature of existence - thus he must rely on his sense of smell, the source of humanity's oldest and most powerful memories. We can only hope that he will some day awaken. </i>

Tempted by the Serpent

The serpent arose from inside Adam and Eve as a whispering voice which prompted them to curiousity and rebellion, urging them to disobey Yaldabaoth and eat from the tree. “Then the one who is wiser than all of them, this one who was called “the beast,” came. And when he saw the likeness of their…

"You are the Tree of Knowledge, which is in Paradise, from which the first man ate and which opened his mind, so that he became enamored of his co-likeness, and condemned other alien likenesses, and loathed them." ”On the Origin of the World.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 67-68.

Eating from the Tree

Adam ate from the Tree of Knowledge and absorbed some of Eve’s divine force. The surge of living, intelligent energy in his nervous system triggered a spontaneous kundalini arousal, opening a direct channel between his reproductive organs and his brain and blowing his third eye open. Suddenly able to see into non-ordinary reality, Adam could…

"Then when the Rulers knew that they had transgressed their commandment, they came in an earthquake with a great threat into Paradise to Adam and Eve in order to see the result of the help…. Then, because the Rulers did not know where they were, they said, 'Adam, where are you?" ”On the Origin of the World.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 71.

The Phony Fall

Adam and Eve awoke from the Rulers’ brainwashing and discovered that they had been experiments, built by Yaldabaoth in a misguided effort to imprison and enslave the light from above. The Rulers moved quickly to suppress this nascent rebellion, descending from the heavens with a thunderous clap: “Then when the Rulers knew that they had…

"The law was the tree. It has power to give the knowledge of good and evil. It neither removed him from evil, nor did it set him in the good, but it created death for those who ate of it. For when he said, "Eat this, do not eat that," it became the beginning of death." ”The Gospel of Philip.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 95.

The Tree of Laws

The “Tree of Knowledge” was not a positive symbol for all gnostics but instead underwent numerous revisionist interpretations, sometimes several times within the same text; according to one passage in the Gospel of Philip, the “fall” occurred when Adam’s consciousness was turned against itself in a double-bind, crippling his ability to exercise his free will:…

"There are two trees growing in Paradise. One bears animals, the other bears men. Adam ate from the tree which bore animals. He became an animal and he brought forth animals. For this reason the children of Adam worship animals. The tree whose fruit Adam ate is the Tree of Knowledge. That is why sins increased." If he ate the fruit of the other tree, that is to say, the fruit of the Tree of Life, the one which bears men, then the gods would worship man. For in the beginning God created man. But now men create God. That is the way it is in the world - men make gods and worship their creation. It would be fitting for the gods to worship men!" ”The Gospel of Philip.” The Other Bible. Ed. Willis Barnstone. Harper San Francisco, 1984. 95.

The Tree of Animals

Elsewhere the “Tree of Knowledge” becomes a symbol of humanity’s tragic, fallen status – talking apes hypnotized by language and alienated from their own divinity: “There are two trees growing in Paradise. One bears animals, the other bears men. Adam ate from the tree which bore animals. He became an animal and he brought forth…