Bibliture: Genesis - The Ten Commandments The First Seventy Chapters

By B. Conscious

Bibliture: Genesis-Ten Commandments, The First Seventy Chapters offers readers of the Bible a platform to read, question, and discuss the first seventy chapters of the Bible. The verses offer readers a seamless annotated summary of the story of creation through the deliverance of the Ten Commandments. Discussion questions encourage individuals to consider the meaning of the words used within the Bible so as to assist readers in better understanding the text. Following the verses and discussion questions that allow each individual the opportunity to form opinions about the text, Bibliture presents a commentary that is anchored in the understanding that the fundamental theme of the Bible is that all is interconnected and one. Routinely asking questions allows individuals the opportunity to consider the plot, the characters, and the characters' words and actions from the perspective of the power they hold over each other and the level of awareness they have over their own life situations. Viewing the narrative through this lens offers readers the opportunity to consider our own moment-to-moment actions in relation to such highly conscious individuals as Noah, Abraham, Rebekah, Joseph, and Moses to name a few. In so doing, reading, questioning, and discussing the Bible can be a life-changing experience.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: Jul 19, 2017
• ISBN: 9781478791546

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Bibliture

Genesis - The Ten Commandments The First Seventy Chapters

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2017 B. Conscious

v3.0

The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Anjali Patrick & Arjuna Patrick

"Standing on the bare ground, - my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, -all mean egotism vanishes.

I become a transparent eyeball; I am nothing; I see all;

the currents of the Universal Being circulate throughout me;

I am part or particle of God."

Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature

Why B. Conscious?

I write by the name B. Conscious to convey my understanding that the fundamental purpose of life--and the foundational theme of the Bible--is to strive to be highly conscious in our moment-to-moment lives. To be conscious means to be awake to each interaction during each moment. Each moment of our lives is a struggle to remain present. Memories, dreams, and preoccupations distract each of us away from what is happening at each moment. As the past and the future do not exist, we are not who we think we are. We are right now. The name B. Conscious attempts to reflect this understanding.

While individuals become conscious upon waking from sleep, few individuals live consciously aware of each moment while they are awake. Many people, the author included, live our lives awake but not fully conscious of the world in which we live. We look without seeing, hear without listening, chew without tasting, and breathe without smelling. Thoughts of I, you, yesterday, and tomorrow continually dominate our minds concealing the peace of the present moment from our conscious awareness.

With the challenge of achieving a life of moment-to-moment clarity of sight in mind, my motivation in writing Bibliture was to share the manner in which the first seventy chapters of the Bible offer humanity models of highly conscious individuals. Characters such as Noah, Joseph, and Moses serve as role models of conscious awareness in action, which is Love. Living according to their life examples and teachings can change our lives and the world in which we live.

Enjoy,

B. Conscious

Table of Contents

Introduction i

Genesis Chapter 1 3

Genesis Chapter 2 14

Genesis Chapter 3 23

Genesis Chapter 4 33

Genesis Chapter 5 41

Genesis Chapter 6 46

Genesis Chapter 7 51

Genesis Chapter 8 54

Genesis Chapter 9 59

Genesis Chapter 10 65

Genesis Chapter 11 71

Genesis Chapter 12 77

Genesis Chapter 13 83

Genesis Chapter 14 87

Genesis Chapter 15 91

Genesis Chapter 16 97

Genesis Chapter 17 103

Genesis Chapter 18 110

Genesis Chapter 19 117

Genesis Chapter 20 124

Genesis Chapter 21 131

Genesis Chapter 22 140

Genesis Chapter 23 148

Genesis Chapter 24 154

Genesis Chapter 25 168

Genesis Chapter 26 175

Genesis Chapter 27 183

Genesis Chapter 28 193

Genesis Chapter 29 199

Genesis Chapter 30 204

Genesis Chapter 31 209

Genesis Chapter 32 219

Genesis Chapter 33 225

Genesis Chapter 34 231

Genesis Chapter 35 238

Genesis Chapter 36 245

Genesis Chapter 37 250

Genesis Chapter 38 258

Genesis Chapter 39 264

Genesis Chapter 40 268

Genesis Chapter 41 271

Genesis Chapter 42 278

Genesis Chapter 43 286

Genesis Chapter 44 292

Genesis Chapter 45 297

Genesis Chapter 46 301

Genesis Chapter 47 306

Genesis Chapter 48 312

Genesis Chapter 49 316

Genesis Chapter 50 318

Exodus Chapter 1 326

Exodus Chapter 2 331

Exodus Chapter 3 337

Exodus Chapter 4 346

Exodus Chapter 5 358

Exodus Chapter 6 362

Exodus Chapter 7 365

Exodus Chapter 8 370

Exodus Chapter 9 376

Exodus Chapter 10 382

Exodus Chapter 11 390

Exodus Chapter 12 393

Exodus Chapter 13 402

Exodus Chapter 14 406

Exodus Chapter 15 412

Exodus Chapter 16 419

Exodus Chapter 17 425

Exodus Chapter 18 428

Exodus Chapter 19 & 20 436

Introduction

I have had the privilege of teaching an elective public high school English course that relies upon the Bible as its primary text. Over the course of the ten years that I’ve facilitated classroom discussions based on the Bible, I have consistently been asked the same question by my students’ parents and guardians: How do you get your students to be so interested and engaged in reading the Bible? Bibliture has been inspired by a determination to provide a clearly conveyed, detailed, and meaningful response to this question.

The irony of hearing this question is that I spent my childhood ignoring the Bible. As a youth, I dismissed the Bible and did not think it contained any meaningful message that would impact how I lived my moment-to-moment life. Attending a Christian elementary school and weekly church services, I considered the plot of the Bible to be confusing and references to the LORD and God to be beyond my understanding. The seven days of creation, Adam and Eve’s residence within Eden, Noah’s ability to survive a flood with two of each animal, characters communicating with the LORD or God, and Moses’ parting of the Red Sea were just a few of the Old Testament stories that I viewed with skepticism and disbelief. I emerged from my youth with little substantive knowledge about Genesis, Exodus, and the stories of Jesus beyond the most basic plot details. To no fault of my previous teachers, I could not visualize the stories taking place because the plot details were seemingly too abstract for me to understand. Confused and lacking the patience to pursue answers to my questions, I walked away from the Bible because it did not make sense to me.

The Bible made a second appearance in my life when it was hand-delivered to me in the Nepali village where I lived as a Peace Corps volunteer. Sent half-way around the world by my grandmother’s cousin, the text sat on my shelf for weeks before I felt compelled to begin the story of Genesis out of fear that I would be questioned about the book upon returning home. I began reading the text with literal eyes and immediately felt detached from the seemingly supernatural plot details that include both a serpent and a flaming bush that could talk. My previous assumption that the Bible contained nothing more than an accumulation of unbelievable stories was further reinforced.

After gleaning just enough to recite basic plot details, I returned the Bible to my shelf with no intention of picking it up again. Living amidst people that read Buddhist and Hindu texts, I curiously turned my attention to other books to see if they could speak to me in a way that I could understand. Paging through English-translated portions of the Bhagavad Gita as well as annotated versions of the classic Hindu texts the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, I read with the same shallowness of understanding that I had read the Bible. I felt removed from the characters’ words and actions, and I quickly became disinterested in those stories as well. I considered all of the ‘holy’ books I had read to be meaningless and outdated.

Fortunately for me, these texts were not completely removed from my life. After returning home from my two-year stay in Nepal, I married into a family whose members passionately understood the famous Hindu texts at a much more symbolic level than I had ever thought possible. Whereas I had already begun to forget some of the stories that I had superficially read just a few years earlier, the people with whom I spoke often referenced these stories in their daily conversations. Through these conversations about literature, and through my subsequent reading of individuals such as Jiddu Krishnamurti and Nisargadatta Maharaj, I found that the foundation upon which these ‘spiritual books’ rested was the fact that all is ultimately interconnected and one.

After I had been provided a refreshing perspective on the stories I had previously discarded, the Bible entered my life for the third time. When my great-grandmother died on her one-hundred and seventh birthday, the Bible that always sat next to her chair was given to me. At the time that her Bible was placed into my hands, so too was the opportunity to teach the course that has since inspired me to write this book. Having had the opportunity to read and discuss the Bible through the lens that all is interconnected and one has been a life-changing experience. I have found that reading literature with an intense focus upon characters that transcend notions of separation and time can inspire all who read to develop these qualities within ourselves. It is for this reason that I share this book.

While readers are encouraged to read the actual Bible text, Bibliture can be read as an annotated summary of the first seventy chapters of the text, Holy Bible: The New King James Version. Bibliture was written and organized so as to provide readers a study guide supplement to their reading of the Bible. The questions following each verse offer readers the opportunity to reach their own conclusions regarding the meaning of the Bible. In addition to creating a platform from which individuals can read, question, and discuss the Bible, Bibliture offers readers a theory of biblical analysis that highlights how the Bible conveys life-changing lessons that repeatedly emphasize the truth that all is interconnected and one.

My hope as a writer is that I have adequately conveyed to you, the reader, all that I have come to appreciate about the first seventy chapters of the Bible. This book marks the first of an intended trilogy. The two remaining titles of the trilogy are Bibliture: The Promised Land, Exodus – II Kings and Bibliture: The Gospel of John and the Gospel of Luke. To the many family and friends who have assisted me throughout the writing process, I hope that you can see your impact throughout these pages. Thank you.

With Love,

B. Conscious

Description of Words used within the Bible or the Commentary

Being able to conceptualize the meaning of the words used within the text is foundational to one’s understanding of the Bible. Below is a brief explanation of my understanding of the meaning of the specific words that are used throughout the Bible:

God

God is the boundary-less unity of the present moment. As the present moment is infinite and eternal, God is always everywhere. Nothing but the illusions of the past and the future exist separate from God. While illusions are bound by time, God timelessly remains and just is.

God appears within the narrative of the first seventy chapters of the Bible when individuals achieve states of absolute awareness of the present moment and see all as interconnected and one. Within a pure state of conscious awareness of the present moment any notion of being separate from all that is disappears allowing one to engage in communion with God.

The Spirit of God

Within the totality of all that is, mass exists. Mass is energy: anything having mass has equivalent energy (E=mc²). While God is the infinite realm of the totality, the Spirit of God is the mass and energy within the infinite and eternal present moment.

The Bible illustrates the lives and interactions of those who move with the Spirit. Such individuals radiate the light of pure Life undistorted by notions of time or separation.

The LORD God

To understand the identity and meaning of the term LORD God, consider Life. Consider all the grass, the trees, the insects, the fish, and the diverse array of all plant and animal life. What does one call the unified collective of all Life that exists at any one moment? This commentary refers to the collective of all Life as the LORD God.

No individual Life form exists separate from the collective totality of all Life Itself. Individual life is created, preserved, and destroyed within its individual life cycle. The unified collective of all Life undergoes a parallel process of creation, preservation, and destruction on a moment-to-moment basis.

Within the Bible, the LORD God walks in the garden as the collective Life energy that exists within the present moment, God. The LORD God, the collective totality of all Life existing within each moment, is an active creator within the reality of each moment.

Water

Water is a prerequisite for life. Life did not emerge into being only to then ask for water. Life emerges from water because water is essential for Life to exist. Within the boundary-less unity of God, which is the timeless present moment, Life spontaneously comes into being so as to bear witness to Itself. Human life emerges from the dark, watery womb of the mother only to be born and bear witness to light. Life emerging from water is a temporary image of God coming into existence.

Within literature, water is often a symbol for rebirth. When immersed in water one is brought back to the source of creation, which is the dark, watery womb of the mother and the present moment Itself. When characters come into contact with water, they often become fully alive and awakened to the truth that all is interconnected and one within the infinite and timeless present moment.

LORD

The term LORD fluctuates throughout the Bible narrative but its use is ultimately based upon notions of power. Differing from the meaning of the word God, the commentary within Bibliture considers references to the LORD as identifying specific individuals that possess power over others due to their family status, feudal position, or ability to transcend illusionary notions of separation and fear.

Within the Bible narrative, the LORD derives power over individuals who owe their existence and life to another. The power of the LORD can be acquired through military might, family status, or conscious awareness of the present moment.

Descriptions of Words used in the Commentary

The Present Moment

While not specifically referred to within the Bible, readers will find mention of the present moment throughout the Bibliture commentary.

The present moment is the timeless gap between the past and the future; it is now. Whereas the past and the future exist as mental concepts in our heads, the present moment is the only reality. While memories are clouded by individual emotions, judgments, and biases that rise and fall within our individual consciousness, the present moment timelessly and infinitely remains. Focusing one’s attention on the present moment without being distracted by thoughts related to past memories, judgments, or concerns about the future can assist individuals in becoming more aware of what is really happening at any particular moment. Being present, or consciously aware, helps one connect with the world, and from that union comes an energy to live one’s life in peace and to act with love towards others. Moments of deep peace are possible when one begins to open oneself to observe that which we all ultimately are, which is the present moment, or God. Within the Bible, characters communicate with God during moments of clarity.

Living in the present moment is a challenge to humanity. The Bible narrative illustrates the reasons why humanity finds it so difficult to live aware of the present moment, and the Bible offers radiating examples of individuals who lived their moment-to-moment actions as highly conscious individuals. Seeing such individuals can inspire us all to live full, loving, and meaningful lives.

The Ego vs. True Self

The ego is not a term used within the Bible narrative but without understanding the concept of the ego, one may miss a fundamental lesson the Bible has to offer. The ego is the time-bound accumulation of thoughts and perceptions each individual has about his or her own personality and self-worth, founded upon experiences, talents, abilities, possessions, social status, and physical appearance. The ego is the self-image that an individual develops over the time of one’s individual life. The thought of I is the individual ego that each individual believes him or herself to be. This sense of separation is the intrinsic quality of the ego and this is what is bound by time and will die amidst the timeless present moment, which is God.

Attaching one’s self to notions of separation and to external possessions or identity creates and sustains intense feelings of desire, fear, jealousy, and anger within each individual. Attachment to such egocentric thoughts is what is commonly referred to as the original sin.

The present moment, God, does not exist to one lost in egocentric thought. Like clouds that block the sun’s light, thoughts of I being separate from you restrain one from seeing one’s true Self, which is the ego-less Life of the present moment. The true Self is a person’s Life energy, spirit, or light that is the essence of all Life. The true Self is one’s egoless nature that recognizes that all Life is a manifestation of the interconnected and unified whole. Our true Self is eternal as we are ultimately right now.

Highly Conscious Individuals; Unconscious / Unaware

Although the words, consciousness, highly conscious, unconscious, and unaware are not used within the Bible, coming to an understanding of what these words mean will assist one in better understanding the life perspectives of the various role models that exist within the Bible narrative.

Awareness is a prerequisite for existing in a heightened state of consciousness. With minds that are clear of egocentric thoughts, judgments, emotions, or notions of I, highly conscious individuals see themselves in the world and more clearly understand what they need to do in any given situation.

Highly conscious individuals live their moment-to-moment lives with a strong realization that they are interconnected and united with all that is. Highly conscious individuals are present for themselves, others and the world around them and are quiet leaders known for being accepting, creative, passionate, and wise. These individuals are empathetic, fully engaged, and non-judgmental. They live without attachment to notions of the individual ego (I) or feeling attachments to external things. Highly conscious people such as Noah, Joseph, Moses, and Jesus conducted their lives removed from the constant monologue of the self-conscious ego. These individuals, as well as many others within the Bible narrative, exude wisdom and teach through their example of life. The manner in which these characters achieved fearless states of awareness despite their many difficult circumstances serves as a model for all humanity.

Perhaps what makes the Bible narrative so relevant to each generation is that the narrative instructs humanity on how to live in conscious awareness of the present moment while illustrating the fate of those who live, and act, on a moment-to-moment basis in pursuit of fulfilling their own egocentric desires. When seen in relation to highly conscious individuals, unconscious or unaware individuals live their lives going through the motions with their minds constantly inundated with judgements, emotions, thoughts, desires, and notions of the future. Unconscious individuals are frequently unaware that their thought-filled minds are distracting them from being present for themselves, others, and the world around them. Living unconsciously and distracted from each moment, unaware and egocentric individuals feel separate from others and fearful leading them to act in unjust and violent ways. Highly conscious individuals awaken those who live their lives in an unconscious manner and bring peace to their lives.

SEVEN ENTRY POINTS TO THE FIRST SEVENTY

CHAPTERS OF THE BIBLE:

I: Genesis Chapters 1-10

The Foundational Philosophy of the Bible:

All is Interconnected and One

God, Spirit of God, and Water

The Seven Days of Creation

Adam and Eve & the Garden of Eden

Cain, Abel, and Seth

Noah and his wife, his sons, and his sons’ wives

II: Genesis Chapters 11-23

The Story of Noah’s Great-to-the-Seventh-Degree

Grandson’s Unified Family in Canaan

The Tower of Babel

Noah’s Son Shem

Noah’s Great-to-the-Seventh Degree Grandson, Terah

Hagar, Abram, Sarai

Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac & Circumcision

III: Genesis Chapter 24

The Highly Conscious Mother of Israel

Rebekah

IV: Genesis Chapters 25-36

Brotherly Love in Canaan

Esau and Jacob

Jacob, Laban the Syrian, Leah, and Rachel

Jacob’s Sons, Jacob’s daughter, Hamor, and Shechem

Edom and Israel

V: Genesis Chapters 37-50

Love Amidst Hatred and Violence Saves the World

Joseph

VI: Exodus Chapters 1-18

Moses’ Quest to Emancipate the Children of Israel from Physical and Mental Slavery

Moses and the Burning Bush

I AM WHO I AM

Jethro and the Elders

The Plagues

The Red Sea Crossing

VII: Exodus Chapters 19 & 20

Fundamental Lessons of Conscious Awareness

Moses & The Ten Commandments

I: Genesis Chapters 1-10

The Foundational Philosophy of the Bible: All is Interconnected and One

God, Spirit of God, and Water

The Seven Days of Creation

Adam and Eve & the Garden of Eden

Cain, Abel, and Seth

Noah and his wife, his sons, and his sons’ wives

Genesis Chapter 1

Genesis 1.1-1.2

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."

Who or what is God?

Who or what is the Spirit of God?

Who or what is the face of the deep?

Who or what is the face of the waters?

God, the Spirit of God, and water each existed prior to the allowance of light to be. How is God, the Spirit of God, and water each essential to allow light to be?

Darkness

Prior to discussing the beginning of the Bible with my public high school students, I encourage all of us to experience the darkness that marks the beginning of the Bible. On the evening before our first reading of Genesis, I ask my students to immerse themselves in complete and total darkness for a period of five minutes. Immersing oneself in total darkness allows one to experience the timelessness that preceded creation. Upon emerging into light, the students of the class are to immediately record their thoughts and experiences and we discuss those experiences prior to beginning our reading of the Bible.

Sitting in darkness brings our thoughts into the open. Within darkness, speculations about time arise: I wonder how long I’ve been in the dark is a common thought. Fearful thoughts may also arise as individuals think of being touched by spiders or separate lurking entities. Individual thoughts about time and fears of what is perceived to be separate from one’s self manifest themselves in periods of darkness. Many students report that after their initial fears within the darkness begin to settle, they begin to lose a sense of time and space all together.

After discussing our experiences within darkness, we collectively begin reading the first verses of the Bible. Beginning in the void of total darkness, the early verses of Genesis lay the philosophical foundation that separation does not exist within reality. Experiencing darkness for a period of time prior to beginning one’s reading of the narrative allows one to see this truth.

God

Consider the present moment. The present moment, in relation to notions of the past and the future, exists as truth. The qualities of God specifically parallel the qualities of the present moment: infinite and all-encompassing as well as eternal and timeless. God is the truth of the comprehensive oneness of the totality of all that is within the present moment. All came to be because of God because all is God. All is the present moment.

The Spirit of God

Embedded within the totality of the present moment, God, is the energy of the present moment. The collective mass, or energy, within the present moment is the energy, or Spirit, of God.

Water

Water’s existence with both God and the Spirit of God preceded the allowance of light, and Life, to be. Clear and transparent like the present moment, water brings forth Life. Water is fundamental to creation.

The Face of the Deep

God existed with both the Spirit of God and with water prior to the existence of light. Space (God), energy (the Spirit of God), and water need to be present for the light of conception to occur. The energy of the father, the space within the mother, and the water comprising the womb similarly bring forth the light of conception.

The first two verses of the Bible reflect the moment prior to the conception of our individual lives. Prior to the creation of light, the narration states that darkness was on the face of the deep. Within a totality of complete darkness, no thing or time existed as no Life, or light, existed to perceive It. The face of the deep metaphorically refers to the dormant and eternal possibility for the face of the universe to awaken through the light of conception. Life and the consciousness of Life timelessly await the opportunity to spontaneously be.

The Face of the Waters

The introductory image of the Bible portraying the Spirit of God…hovering over the face of the waters reflects the moment of conception when the male hovers over the dark and watery womb of the woman during union.

Nothing is separate within the boundary-less union of all that is. Early Genesis offers the suggestion that human reproduction serves as a metaphor for how the light of consciousness comes to exist. Women will, like God, allow the light of conception to come into being within their dark, watery wombs.

Genesis 1.3-1.5

"Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day."

How would the meaning have been altered had God said I want to make light and I made it?

With the allowance of light to be, what will consciousness be conscious of?

What is light?

Why is light good?

Who or what is the God that divided the light from the darkness?

God allowed light to exist. Had the narration stated that God wanted to make light, so He made it, the narration would have implied that separation fundamentally exists. Had the narration been written in this manner, a separate God would have been making entities separate from Itself. But this is not the case.

The conception of light happened because space, energy, and water allowed it to happen from within the infinite and eternal present moment, God, which just is. Nothing exists that is separate from the inherent oneness of the universe and light illuminates this truth. The unified totality of all creation is that which is identified as good. The creation of the division between light and darkness amidst that which is inherently one marks the first division on the first day of creation.

The narration metaphorically illustrates creation through the consideration of Life within the womb. Light comes into being within the dark, watery totality just as the light of the conception of Life comes into being within the dark, watery womb of the mother. The conception of light within the womb of the woman is a spontaneous event that occurs when the male hovers over the female. The dark and watery womb of the woman is a realm where no light exists only to then spontaneously contain light with the conception of Life. The allowance of light to exist amidst darkness allows the previously unconscious face of the deep, or unconceived Life, the opportunity to become conscious, awake, and aware of Itself. Just as light is not separate from the universe, the light of conception is not separate from the mother and becomes the face of the waters within the womb.

Genesis 1.6-1.8

"Then God said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.’ Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day."

A firmament is an atmospheric arc that surrounds a form of mass, such as the earth. Why is creation of a firmament the second prerequisite before the appearance of life on the third day?

Why is the progression of creation marked in days?

What is the purpose of italicizing the word "were"?

The second day of creation highlights the creation, or coming into being, of that which is essential for Life to exist. A firmament is essential. The firmament in the midst of the waters simultaneously refers to both the atmospheric arc created around a developing planetary object as well as a placenta that forms around Life within the womb.

The establishment of an atmospheric arc above a newly forming planet and a placenta around newly conceived Life illustrates the second noted division that follows light and darkness. Being under the atmospheric arc offers the perspective of that which lies above the atmosphere, which is referred to as Heaven. While Heaven offers the perception of being separate from that which is under the firmament, separation does not exist in reality.

Genesis 1.11-1.19

"Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth’; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day. Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth’; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day."

What is the significance of the third day of creation?

Is life separate from God or is life a manifestation of God?

Do the divisions of day, night, seasons, and years suggest that separation exists?

The narration states that "He made the stars also. Why is God" referred to in the masculine?

God (the infinite and eternal unified space of the present moment), the Spirit of God (the energy of all that is within the present moment), and water (the source of all Life) allow creation to occur. Reflecting the trinity of all creation, Life was allowed to be on the third day.

Genesis 1.11 notes that grass, herbs, and fruit are created from plants whose seed is in itself. This first Life on the earth, plant life, is not separate from the infinite and eternal realm from which it was brought forth. Plant life being sustained by the seed within itself illustrates that all creation emerges from within the unified totality. Life allows the universe to bear witness to Itself. The interconnected unity of all creation is good.

While Life is simultaneously being created, preserved, and destroyed, mass is being transformed in ways to sustain Life Itself. The two great lights and the stars that are to rule over the day and over the night refer to the sun, the moon, and the stars which came into existence prior to human life bearing witness to them.

The narration refers to God in the masculine He. The reference to the masculine He offers readers some insight into the nature of the creator. Life is not separate from the present moment: Life is a manifestation of the present moment. Life is both God and He. The womb of the mother, like God, allows the Life energy of successive generations of forefathers, He, to exist and thereby perceive the present moment. The narration that "He made the stars also serves as an explanation that the energy of the father emerges from the womb of the mother and perceives the universe. The energy of Life, He, did not know the stars existed until He" perceived the stars to be. The existence and perception of Life bearing witness to the stars thereby "made the stars."

Genesis 1.20-1.27

"Then God said, ‘Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens. So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth. So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind’; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them."

Why does the narration switch from the plural reference of God as Us to the masculine reference of God as He?

What does the narration mean with the statement God created man in His own image?

What does the narration mean with the words And God blessed them?

Following the allowance of vegetative life to emerge into existence, Life emerged from the waters of the oceans, only to be followed by birds that fly between water and land. After sea and bird life, land animals appeared.

The narration states after all plant and animal life had been created that God said Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. The reference to God in the plural form (Us) implies that God is the plural collective of the totality Itself. God in the plural form comprises all of creation including the stars, fish, birds, cattle, and everything that creeps on the earth (1.25).

Consistent with the truth that all is one and that separation does not exist, God has repeatedly said Let throughout creation. The words of God suggest that the possibility for Life to exist has timelessly existed. All that comes into being from the infinite and eternal present moment is an impermanent image of the present moment, which is God.

To illustrate this point, consider the following question: ‘Where do you go after you die’? As separation does not exist within the unified totality, ‘we’ go back to where ‘we’ came from prior to conception, which is the unified whole of the present moment that timelessly exists.

In addition to being mortal images of the present moment, human beings are similarly made in the image and likeness of the generations of parents that preceded each of us. The image of one’s father and forefather’s Life energy is sustained through the dark, watery womb of the mother. The dark watery totality of the present moment from which all Life comes into being and the womb of the woman are one and the same: God. The mother, like God, allows Life to be from within her body. Upon being born, the consciousness of the mother and father is sustained as the universe remains conscious of Itself through Life. Hence, individual life is an image, or temporary manifestation, of the Life that came before as well as an image of all that is.

The God that blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply’ was the articulation of the womb of the present moment allowing Life to flourish. All exists within the timeless present moment, God. No thing that is different is separate from the common unified source. Man is not separate from God: individual Life is an ephemeral image of God.

Genesis 1.31

"Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

Is the sequence of creation consistent with modern evolutionary theory?

Life existed, perceived the world, and saw everything through the collective consciousness of all Life. Living without notions of separation or time, the interconnected unity of all Life "saw everything…was very good. (The italicized word was" draws attention to the difficulty of discussing events of the past when time is an illusion). The narration suggests that the sixth day of creation marked the time when all Life on the planet lived in balance with Itself.

The sequence of creation that follows the allowance of light to be, beginning with the creation of a firmament, or atmosphere, and following with the arrival of plant life, sea life, bird life,