Rebellion in Creation

As a progressive Christian writer - I walk the fine line of apologist for a faith that I often find no longer speaks in a way that engages us. The specifically Christian ethos and attitudes that once were seen as the norm are no longer a part of the society we live in - with good reason, and with good riddance. 

But as a spiritual being, one who finds meaning in the deeper things, the thin places between the infinite and the known - I find the stories of our tradition are useful to set us in a context that allows us to recognize the reality of the world in a slightly askew way. Being able to question the "it just is" answer that so likely follows any plaintiff cry of "why."

It is for this precise reason that we created myths of our earliest beginnings. 

We all did. 

The Christian "God created the world in seven days, formed Adam from the ground and Eve from Adam" is just one of a thousand - itself a copy and reworking of older near eastern myths such as the Babylonian Enuma Elis. 

They are just that - cultural, religious, and traditional stories that set the stage and create a narrative for our continuing existence. 

Since I live on the East Coast of Canada, the oldest actual creation story of my "place" is that of the Wabanaki Confederacy peoples. I came to know the story through the Mi'kmaq, who tell of the creative spirit of all, Grandfather, who brought Glooscap into life. Glooscap roamed the entire planet and learned much about it - but was not complete until the Eagle came from the Great Spirit and told him he would be joined by his family. His family turns out to be a grandmother who teaches him the wisdom of the earth - and then various nephews, sisters, and others who teach him the ways of all of creation. 

It is a wonderful story that is meant to show us that alone we are not understanding the larger reality - and it is only when we become harmonious in our relationship with every aspect of creation - when we see everything as brother and sister, from the raven to the martin, to Susie on the corner - that we are fully "born."

I do not speak for the First People and so it is their story and I am only giving you a glimpse of what I heard and read so that you can, perhaps, want to learn more - from the keepers of such a sacred story. 

But more than that, I, as a keeper of my seven-day story of Adam and Eve - want you to see that no matter whether you are looking at a story written by near Asian, European, African, or North American peoples thousands of years ago - our creation stories all say the same thing: 

When "human" came to be - they were lost and alone. And in order to find wholeness they simply needed to recognize that they were part of everything - and only whole when all was in harmony. Every animal is a sister and brother, while every plant is a thing of sacred beauty. 

Of course, many of those stories go on to point out that almost immediately we rebelled against this wisdom - that human nature is, unfortunately, broken. And by broken, we mean that it is self-centred and violent and individualistic. These are not things to be proud of, the legends remind us, but problems to be overcome. 

How did we get so far away from the stories our ancestors told around the fires?

My grandfather once took me and a cousin out to supper - we were teenagers who were visiting Florida "on our own" after a fashion and in order to be the "big man" I kept insisting that I pay for my own supper. 

My grandmother turned to me at one point and said, "Put your wallet away, Your grandfather is trying to do a nice thing, you are better than that." 

It is a meaningless example, but it was powerful to me and in nearly 30 years I have never even forgotten the annoyed tone of her voice and the way it instantly brought me back to realizing how I was insulting him by trying to be important myself. 

It is her voice I hear always ringing in my ears - "you are better than that."

To reclaim the myths of our ancestors is a scary thing. Mostly because it would mean acknowledging how far we are from how we were created to be. 

It was, after all, this lie that we tell ourselves, that I am more important, that I am different, that I am capable of forging my own destiny, and that no one else matters, that is at the heart of the reason we no longer live in the garden of Eden. 

Earth ceased being a paradise when we started thinking the individual mattered more than the whole. 

And I am ashamed to say that it was the church, almost from the very beginning, that has brought us here - to the place where the only way a black woman can have her voice heard is to shout it violently in the streets. It is the church who says God created everything to be "Good" but then relegates Native Wisdom to the mutterings of savages. It is the church that somehow twisted the message of Jesus to love everyone and everything with our whole heart, mind and soul - into some sort of personal salvation mantra that comes on the backs of everyone else. 

We need to rediscover the wisdom of our ancients - but more importantly, we need to realize we are the problem and figure out how to become part of the solution. 

It starts with admitting we were wrong.