What The Garden of Eden Means?

Continued from yesterday…

The names of the Garden of Eden and its characters were carefully chosen to communicate a more profound truth:

The Garden of Eden is probably a metaphorical reference to the hidden eternal dimension in us that are in union with God. The word Eden comes from the Hebrew word ednah, which means delight, pleasure, and is closely related to the words eternal, moment, and presence. Interestingly enough, the Hebrew term for heaven or paradise is in fact Gan Eden—meaning the Garden of Eden.

When we think of heaven or paradise, we immediately assume it’s an unknown location far removed from ours. But right here at the outset of the Bible, it seems to imply that heaven is not a geographically separate place from the earth, as much as a state of being. Paradise, heaven, and the Garden of Eden are cast as metaphorical expressions for being in a state of pure bliss, delight, and pleasure, where we are awake to the divine presence of love.

To be continued tomorrow…

Adapted from Section 2 of Awakening To I Am Love by David Youngren