Then it began to form itself into areas of denser energy. It began to be differentiated, thicker in some places, thinner in others. It divided up and became particles and molecules, with spaces in between. As they formed there came a difference in time, for at one moment they were not there and the next moment they were, and so time existed. The molecules joined together to form atoms, which joined others to become chemical substances and rocks which were planets bearing all kinds of creatures and plants, water and air. In the air, light became visible to those creatures which had eyes, and movements of the air became sounds to those which had ears.

In this wonderful creation people developed. They had all kinds of abilities. They were able to sense and appreciate the beauty of all that surrounded them. They were able to think and speak, so they named all the creatures, and began to wonder about everything. They imagined a maker they called God, who they thought had created it all.

'He must be like us,' they said.

'Why do you say 'He?'' asked the women. 'God could just as easily be a female.' They had became aware of the different genders.

The men said, 'No, God is like us, of course.'

The women smiled quietly, knowing that God was like them.

'How did God create all this?' they asked, and to explain everything, they made up stories.

The whole creation grew and developed and evolved and changed over the millennia and it goes on and on. People made scientific discoveries and explained more and more of the process to each other, and at the same time they read the old myths that had been written in many languages and cultures, that gave them images and stories about everything that happened. They used language to share their ideas and to help them to understand themselves. For example, the story of the Fall was one way in which they tried to explain the feelings of loss and alienation they inexplicably seemed to feel at times, and the shame that somehow they had lost something valuable through their own fault.

I am now adding a few thoughts to that story in order to make sense of some ideas that have been flickering through my brain like sparks of electricity. Someone asked a question. 'Who was the snake, before?' I looked around the garden. Who else was there besides Adam and Eve and all the creatures? There was someone. There was a God walking in the garden, a real live God, with legs, not an invisible spirit, not an undifferentiated life force, but an actual God Person, who walked and talked. He was called He because the men got in first in telling the story. He talked to Adam and Eve about the creation. He encouraged them in naming all the creatures and asked them to be responsible for them. 'But', he said, 'do not eat the fruit of this special tree.' With that, he strolled off to admire other parts of the garden and to make sure the creatures had everything they needed, leaving Adam and Eve to their own devices.

After a bit, God began to get a bit lonely, because, although he had made people for company, he was the only God around. He needed a companion. All the other creatures were in pairs, after all. He had formed himself out of the life energy, so he simply did it again. There were then two Gods walking upright in the garden and they had someone like themselves to talk to. Because God likes variety, he had made the other slightly different from himself, with different ideas and tastes. 'This is bound to be a creative partnership, ' they said. As they walked, they found that one liked some things best, and the other preferred other things. They argued amiably together. The second God was female, but this difference was incidental and of no great importance.

The second one said to the first, 'You know, I disagree with you about the forbidden fruit. I think Adam and Eve should be allowed to eat it.'

The first one said, 'But if they eat that, they will understand that everything is made out of life energy, and that the differences between things is not real or permanent. It is all one. They will realise that they are not fundamentally different from each other, nor separate from the rest of creation. They will realise that all their thoughts and stories about God and the creation are their own ideas - that they are the creators, and that we Gods are only stories they have told one another. I think it's better if they don't realise this. It makes them feel safe to think they are different and special, and that there is a Father God who made them and looks after them. I love these people, and I want them to be happy. I forbade them to eat the fruit, in order to protect them from knowledge that will distress them,'

But the other said, 'I love them too, and I think it would be better for them to know the truth. It may be very hard for them, but it is not right to try to keep them safe for ever, like children, believing a fiction. They must grow up, and realise their true place in the scheme of things. I think they should be allowed to eat the fruit. At least they should have the choice.'

Now the two Gods were in conflict. They were polarised and in opposition to each other over the question of the forbidden fruit.

The stronger of the two walked boldly up to Eve and offered her the fruit, which she ate, and gave to Adam. The other God became full of righteous indignation, expelling Adam and Eve from the garden, and condemning his fellow God to go on his belly and eat dust, and bear the shame and disgrace for what had happened. Adam and Eve now knew loss, loneliness and alienation in a world where all the stories were ones they had made up themselves. They and their descendants had to live as adults, earning their living, and taking responsibility for themselves, in a harsh world where differences between them caused conflict, pain and hardship throughout the centuries. I imagine the two Gods then dematerialised, and flowed back into the unpolarised life energy, becoming one again, no longer in conflict and disagreement, leaving people to manage as best they could with the help of their very considerable ingenuity, imagination and language. The stories they told were of enormous value to them in coming to understand themselves and their world. But try as they might, they could not avoid pain and suffering.

The greatest teachers and storytellers said, 'Everything is within you. Look inside yourselves for answers. There, you will find the creative Spirit, the caring Father and Mother, the God who wants to protect you and the God who wants you to be free, the suffering, rejected One, the Healer, the Teacher and Storyteller, and the trusting little Child, who listens to the stories and believes every word.'