The Tree of Intimate Acqaintance

Also called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But knowing, here, I suspect, is more than a cognitive recognition of these entities.

It was so named because this tree was a meeting place. It was where Good and Evil would hold tryst in a cosmic drama- a place of Intimate Acquaintance between the two.

The serpent tempted them somewhat prophetically. Eat and you shall become intimately acquainted with Good and Evil. Like God.

Yes, God was acquainted with the serpent. But not nearly as intimately as was to come.

And they ate. Hungrily. Their hunger was appeased, but it was an eating and receiving outside of the giving of the good God. The eating and receiving by the giving of the good God was to be had everywhere. But not at this tree. This was the only place to eat by the Self taking, rather than receiving by the giving of the good God.

And they looked at themselves. Their vulnerable, soft, creature skin. And they looked at the tree. It's tough, sharp, barky skin. They chose to eat by Self Taking. Could they live in soft skin surrounded by fangs, claws, sharpness and splinters? If they were to eat by Self Taking they must also hide their softness from sharpness.

Fig leaves. As futile as eating by Self Taking. And when the good God sought, their softness stung and quivered and shrank in dread because there was no eating nor safety for their softness apart from the good Giver they had betrayed.

And so they betrayed him with a kiss. And his softness was pierced. Again and again and again and again. The bitter fruit was pressed into his mouth from another giver, because his arms were pinned to the tree.

The good Giver was broken into food and drink himself. The lie was that they would be like God in eating by Self Taking. The truth was that God became like them, giving self for their eating.

Good knew Evil here. They had met before. They were intimately acquainted. As close as fangs to heel and heel to head.

Then the old skin that had been slashed open, pierced with holes and out-spilled was made new with new wine put into it that could never, ever be spoiled or despoiled again.

The Tree of Intimate Acquaintance has come to be the Tree of Life.