Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb [ that ] yields seed, [ and ] the fruit tree [ that ] yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed [ is ] in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb [ that ] yields seed according to its kind, and the tree [ that ] yields fruit, whose seed [ is ] in itself according to its kind. And God saw that [ it was ] good.
Genesis 1:11 & 12
To be perfectly blunt, procreation ( normally-there ARE exceptions to this rule ) requires a male & a female, with their complimentary reproductive organs. I'm no scientist, but I've heard of certain creatures that are not one or the other, but 'both/and', but even in such rare or unusual cases, the creature in question possesses both male & female reproductive organs & thus, impregnates itself. Of course, we also have the famous Birth of Jesus ( Matthew 1:18-25 ), which, according to a literal interpretation of the English Bible, occurred unnaturally, or supernaturally, without the introduction of human male sperm. We've been over this, though, so we'll go no further down that rocky road!
Everybody knows that, under normal conditions, if you plant a seed in the ground ( Earth ) & provide it with plenty of water, after some time, the seed will germinate ( death & resurrection ) & a fresh green sprout will soon appear above the surface of the ground. However, how many of us really think about the process involved? Beyond that, how many of us further ruminate on the mystery of it all & how the miracles here 'below' echo the realities 'above'?! In some way, it might be noted that the concept of 'as above, so below' has been lost on an overwhelming majority. Or at least, so it would seem....................
'As above, so below' is a very spacious term! While it may refer literally to the heavens above ( outer space ) being reflected in Life on Earth, one should understand as well that what is observable is simply a manifestation of truth originating on a higher plane. By 'a higher plane', I mean, of course, that everything begins in the mind, personally speaking, whether the conscious or the unconscious. What/how we then manifest in this limited biology is the product of what first begin in our thoughts, or our head, if you will. 'A higher plane' refers, more correctly, though, to that spiritual plane, or realm, where we grasp our Divinity, where we commune with the Source of All Life. Understanding our own Divinity, it need not be a great stretch to see that the Earth Herself carries that Spark as well, though most would probably disagree as to the extent, if they admit that She does at all!
A popular Christian concept, though based on biblical terminology ( Genesis 1:3 ( John 1:1 ) et al. ) , is that Yahweh simply spoke the Word & Life as we know it came into existence. As arguable as this may be, to this blogger, it remains clear as day that this biology had a beginning. More than that, it had an Intelligent Designer! The Beginning in view here was most likely a lot longer ago than many, especially most Christians, seem to think. Millions, even billions of years are probably not out of the question!
Biblically speaking, then, when God ( Elohim ) said, 'Let the earth bring forth...........' something ordinary, though quite miraculous, occurred; the Earth Herself was shown to have Life in Her! One might even go so far as to say that this event was significant of the True Union of Heaven & Earth! 'Ordinary', I say, because this event, though nothing short of miraculous, was quite natural. As mentioned previously, when a seed is planted in the ground, or Earth, granted it receives the correct combination of nutrients, water & light, it won't be long till it sprouts & brings forth Life of its own, after its kind. We could even go further to say that the water & light ( from the 'heavens' ), together with the necessary nutrients ( from the 'earth' ) could be likened to the fertilization of the human egg.. Beyond that, even, we find ourselves 'knocking on Heavens door', so to speak, exploring the depths of the human consciousness, even the Mind of God!
It was in the Mind of God, then, we may safely conjecture, that this biology, however old it may be, had its True Genesis. The Divinity visualized the beauty of this material creation those millions or billions of years ago & lo, it, or She rather, came to be. One might even read of this mystery in our English Bible, though it is technically more of a covenant Story than a literal textbook of the material ( biological ) creation.
Call it 'natural processes', call it 'evolution' or what you will; when the Earth brought forth all this natural beauty that we see & even that which She continues to 'birth', the glorious concept of 'as above, so below' is shouted from the rooftops, or the mountaintops, as the case may be! Even our English Bible echoes this with 'The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament[a] shows [b]His handiwork.' ( Psalm 19:1 ). The prophet Isaiah also recorded an angel ( messenger ) singing, 'Holy, holy, holy [ is ] the Lord of hosts; the whole earth [ is ] full of His glory!'
Charles Haddon Shank
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