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I am a pastor and a clinical psychotherapist. My life's passion is defining healthiness from a human perspective and paralleling it to the holiness of God, divine perspective. Shifting perspectives creates a paradigm that is alongside of rather than over and against. The parakalein of God and the paradoxes of humanity are redefined. Humanity is all about winning and yet we are losing ground everywhere. Divinity is all about letting go of the desire to win and the fear of loss. The Divine embraces the world with loving care regardless of anything.

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Bruised heel, bruised head

Posted by Don Paine

Year ago when I first heard the Biblical account of creation I was mystified and comforted at the same time.  God did create the world.  I was also puzzled and perplexed.  How can a good and loving God create a world that seems so wrong.

Interpretations are often projections of our internal needs and desires or may be a reflection of the creator free of needs and desires but full of passion and power.  Humanity has perverted passion adn power to be about sex and violence.  Passion and power is about deep feelings and internal power of the free soul.

When judgment came in many forms it seemed to say, "you deserve to be punished so here is your punishment".  What if there was another deeper message.  A meta message beyond the apparent and verbal message.

And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring[a] and hers; 
he will crush[b] your head, 
    and you will strike his heel.”  Genesis 3:15

 I hear that the prophecy "the heal and the head will be bruised" was to pronounce a judgment on the serpent and hope on creation.  The interpretation was that the enemy will bruise his heel but his head will be crushed.

The other day out for a walk mediating on this passage I found myself imagining that this was God's awareness that the polarity between the good woman, mother of all living things, and the evil of self absorption the driver of dead things were intentionally present to invite creation to harmonize and balance the enmity with love and understanding.  Her offspring will learn adn see that that which impacts the blow to the head in how we think burdens humanity with the thought that we are bad, and unloveable. and the inclination to run away from rather than to the thing that permeates and presents the polarization.

Adam and Eve both thought let's run and hide in shame and despair.  The heel is the symbol of running away in fear of judgment and criticism.  Adam and Eve both thought our heads are pounding with the guilt that is beyond grace.  Fear had changed what they saw in each other and in God but nothing had changed except their head was filled with a lie:  God is angry and we are in big trouble.  There that
which crushed the head with overwhelming guilt and shame is the same thing that causes them to rise up on the heel of shame and despair and run away from the grace of God's presence.

The offspring of darkness and the offspring of light create perennial conflict that is only softened in the presence of peace and love.  The heel and the head represents light of the mind and fear that turns the heel to run.

Change the core belief that your head thinks:  "that you are unloved" and watch the core belief and propellant of "fear that causes you to run and hide" dissipate.

Enmity gives way to peace and love.  It invites us to stop running away from fear to running with courage into the fear.  It invites us to stop thinking with our head that we are guilty and shamed so are stuck and overwhelmed.

Freedom is letting go of fear and embracing peace and love.  Enmity of all kinds dissipates in the presence of all accepting, abundant loving.


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