Brian’s Reflection: Wednesday, February 13, 2008


When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating
and realized what she would get out of it—she'd know everything!
—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband,
and he ate. Immediately the two of them did "see what's really
going on"—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together
as makeshift clothes for themselves.

- from Genesis 2 (a reading for Lent 1)


Well gang. I’m off to the hospital very early. The surgeon took one look at my abdominal hernia(s) and said, “Bad; repair ASAP. How about Wednesday morning?” So, what’s a guy to do. Go with the flow, right!

So: just a comment on this portion of Gen 2. What wretched prude, at whatever stage of things, decided that the sewed-together-fig-leaves had to do with Sex???? Utter nonsense. This is a perfect example of human avoidance getting a hold on things. Think of all the ridiculous – and anti-human – clap-trap that has been perpetrated by hypocritical males interpreting this Myth!

God thinks Sex is a very good thing or She wouldn’t have organized us they way She did. Like everything, Sex can be demeaned by us crazy humans. But. Bottom line, Sex is one of the loveliest “tools” that can be used to enhance human relationships. Yes we have a lot to learn, but hey, we humans are intelligent!

The Myth has NOTHING to do with sex, good or bad. Fig Leaves are a metaphor for “a cover-up”. In the Myth, recognition of nakedness is a metaphor for the dawning awareness that we are cowards who refuse to accept our capacity for unhuman , unholy behaviour. Clothes have practical value, of course. But symbolically, they represent our unease at our inability to face the truth of who we are - great lovers or failed lovers.

Perhaps we might think about the “fig leaves” we could wear to express our courage to be our true selves?

Brian+