Last week, I visited the Temple of the Universe in Alachua, Florida. The Temple was built in 1975 by Michael Singer, author of the book “The Untethered Soul”. I was visiting to listen to a talk from Michael himself. Michael doesn’t give a schedule of what his topics will be, so it wasn’t known what I was going to be hearing about.

As Michael progressed in his talk, a warm flush came over me as I realized that the topic of the talk was going to be about falling from and returning to the Garden of Eden. This notion is extremely resonant for me, and has been a constant discussion topic with some others who share aspects of it with me. Before I get to the talk, I wanted to give context to the resonance. In Human Design, each person has an Incarnation Cross that is said to define the life path and purpose that we are to carry out, if we live according to our strategy and authority. I’ve always said in the past that I’m an alien on Earth, that I felt like I got off on the wrong stop coming here, and home was somewhere else. My Incarnation Cross is called the “Right Angle Cross of Eden 3”, and this description of that cross not only encapsulates everything I’ve felt about myself, but the premise of Michael’s talk as well:

“The Right Angle Cross of Eden 3 (6/36 | 12/11)

So you were thrown out of Eden, or at least that may be what birth felt like to you. Many who carry this Cross enter the world reluctantly as the womb provides everything that is needed. Over time, you carry the energy to go out and explore the world and to live life. Ultimately your energy is about exploration, not to make your way back to Eden but to move forward and find a slice of Eden here on earth and then share it with those around you.”

As you might imagine, the notion of bringing that divinity here rather than just going back, has been contemplated by myself throughout this life. Needless to say, I knew in my soul that I was meant to be at the Temple, on that night, for that exact talk.

Michael described the aspects of the fall and return in these following nutshells:

1) When it comes to the fall from the Garden of Eden, it is the falling from the inner state of oneness down into being distracted by thoughts, emotions, and things coming in through the physical senses. Simply put, the focus of awareness on consciousness itself was shifted to focus on those other objects outside of consciousness. Consciousness gets lost by looking outside of itself, and the fall happens.

2) The return to the Garden of Eden, then, is to return to the seat of consciousness, focusing awareness on consciousness itself.

Some tidbits of Michael’s expanding on these nutshells:

You are, at the highest level, consciousness, and that the quality of consciousness is awareness. Thus the essence of your being is awareness. Everything that you experience, you are aware that you experience it, but you are not that experience. When you come here to Earth and exit the womb, you are lost and panic. You have this amnesia, and an influx of experiences coming in through your physical senses, and between your thoughts, emotions, and senses, these distractions keep you from returning to the Garden. This repeats through life and these inputs and distractions consume you. He mentioned that Yogananda said that “ego is the masquerading self.” Consciousness looked out away from consciousness, and panics, and grabs all these things to create a self concept. This being done to try to create a world out here that matches the inside, thus the masquerading self. This outer creation needing to match the inside so that you don’t have to feel the panic. Michael even briefly mentioned parallels from the Bible, of Adam and how he hid from God in the Garden from embarrassment of being naked and was wearing a leaf (as looking away from consciousness and out towards the thoughts, emotions, and senses), as well as the Cherubim with the flaming sword at the East gate of Eden (representing the hot stuff in your heart that you don’t want to feel…the panic…that you would rather just avoid, than addressing head on and re-entering the ecstasy).

For returning to the Garden of Eden, Michael describes the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as the method of his choice to do so. These include (but not limited to) exercising Pratyahara, which is “withdrawal of the senses”. You take focus away from things coming in through your physical senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing). Next being Dharana, which is concentration. You focus single-pointedly on something, no longer distracted by thoughts or emotions, either. Then, Dhyana, which is meditation…where you bring it all the way back to the seat of consciousness, and that’s where you experience God.

Michael expands on much of this in detail from a higher level in his latest book, “Living Unthethered”. At the end of his talk that night, I went over to him for a brief discussion of realization I was getting in the moment.

I introduced myself, and told him I was a little less than a quarter of the way through Living Untethered. Then:

Me: “With this returning to the garden…” - and he closed his eyes, soaking in my words, and it gave me chills - “…we can do that while still here in this physical life”

Michael: “yes!”

Me: “That’s the realization of Heaven on Earth.”

Michael: “That’s beautiful, I love your words!”

Me: “So then while we are in that state, we just allow consciousness to flow through us to show us what to experience?”

Michael: “YES! That’s exactly it. It’s being back in that seat of consciousness like the masters”

It is in this talk and discussion, that this segment of my Incarnation Cross description from above began to gain clarity:

“Ultimately your energy is about exploration, not to make your way back to Eden but to move forward and find a slice of Eden here on earth and then share it with those around you.”

When I got back to the hotel after the talk, and began to read more of the book, I finished the chapter I was on and turned to the next page to see the following chapter name: “Fall from the Garden.”

I’ve always had an inkling that it was about bringing something divine here to share, and not knowing what. It feels closer now. Facing the flaming sword at the East Gate of the Garden (and Heart) is not new to me, but it is worth continuing to clear all blockages for. Imagine letting go of all self concept from the ego, dissolving any panic from being lost, drawing focus back to consciousness itself, and seeing where that takes you…I’m built for it.

The bulk of Michael’s talk that evening can be heard here, if you’d like to take all of that in: https://templeoftheuniverse.net/talks/finding_your_way_back_to_the_garden.mp3