Cain and Abel
Genesis 4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.
Interpretation:
And Adam planted a seed (idea) for a new state of consciousness in Eve, and she produced a new and separate alter ego, through which a new state of consciousness could be experienced by the Self, and it was personified and called Cain.
It is because the seed came from the Self’s alter ego that it is said that she got it from the Lord (the Self).
Notice that Cain was conceived first.
Genesis 4:2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Interpretation:
And Eve produced another alter ego which was personified and called Abel. Cain and Abel were the first two children (descendants) of Adam (the Self’s alter ego) and Eve the alter egos mind), so they are referred to as brothers, they did not at this point have a wife (mind) of their own, there was only their mother (Eve).
The Self can only experience what it focuses its attention on and wherever its attention is focused determines the Self’s state of consciousness, and so each new alter ego forms a different state of consciousness. If the Self tries to focus its attention on more than one thing, then both lose their clarity.
Cain was a tiller of the ground which means Cain was a grower and gatherer of knowledge.
Abel was a keeper of sheep, which means Abel was a keeper of the Spirits of Truth, which are the Spirits of understanding in which there is life.
Genesis 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
Interpretation:
The fruit of the ground is the fruit of the knowledge grown from the subconscious mind.
Genesis 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Interpretation:
The firstlings of his flock are the first offspring of the Spirits of understanding. The fat of them represents the growth in understanding.
Genesis 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Interpretation:
Lack of respect means lack of admiration or excitement.
Cain was very disappointed that his offering was not as pleasing as Abels and his confidence and his pride fell.
Genesis 4:6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Interpretation:
Cain had done well in gathering knowledge and so the Lord (the Self) couldn’t understand why Cain was upset at the lack of respect. Understanding is more pleasurable than knowing.
Genesis 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
Interpretation:
Knowledge without understanding is of less worth than knowledge with understanding. It is not the knowledge that fulfills desire, it is the understanding of it.
It is not in knowledge that life is found, but rather life is found in the light of understanding.
To doest well is to bring knowledge of the truth. To doest not well is to also bring knowledge that is not of the truth, it is then that sin lieth at the door waiting to happen, and if that happens then Abel’s desire will be dependent on what Cain gives Abel. Which means Cain will rule over Abel.
Cain did well but the pleasure of fulfilling desire was in the understanding provided by Abel.
Genesis 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
Interpretation:
Imagine Cain saying to Abel, ‘pleasure can be had from both good and evil knowledge’. Then saying ‘if pleasure is all that is desired, why choose one way over the other, why not both?’
The answer to this question can only be found when the Self experiences the effects of both. It is then that wisdom is found.
Genesis 4:9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?
Interpretation:
And the Self could not find Abel in the lower conscious mind (which stretched down to the surface of the earth (subconscious mind), so the Self asked Cain where his brother Abel was. Cain didn’t know because the Self didn’t know.
Cain should have been his brother’s keeper, he should have guarded him like the pupil of his eye, because without Abel, Cain was worthless. In other words, without understanding knowledge has no worth.
Genesis 4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
Interpretation:
Blood is a metaphor for Love, and so this verse should be read; the voice of thy brothers Love crieth unto me from the subconscious mind.
Genesis 4:11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
Interpretation:
The definition of the word; curse is a solemn appeal to a supernatural power to inflict harm on someone or something.
Cain was now cursed from the subconscious mind by Abel’s Love. The subconscious mind had opened its mouth to receive Abel’s Love, meaning it had been committed to memory and so not forgotten.
Genesis 4:12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
Interpretation:
The strength of knowledge is found in its understanding, without which knowledge has no power.
Without understanding, knowledge cannot be validated and so has no strength, and so Cain would always be running and hiding from the questioning of the knowledge he provided, and he would always be a wanderer having no place to rest.
Genesis 4:13 And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Interpretation:
Imagine trying to prove what you say is true when you have no understanding of it yourself. To not be believed and persecuted for what you claim to be true is punishment indeed. The only option is to avoid being questioned. Such is the nature of blind guides.
Genesis 4:14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
Interpretation:
The face of the earth is the surface of the subconscious mind where the lower conscious mind ends. This place is also referred to as the field. Put simply this means that the Cain alter ego was put back into the subconscious mind and no longer focused on, which is why it says in the earth.
Genesis 4:15 And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
Interpretation:
The sevenfold vengeance is the vengeance of the Self’s seven spirits.
The mark set upon Cain was the mark of ignorance i.e. knowledge without understanding.
Genesis 4:16 And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
Interpretation:
out from the presence of the Lord means out of the Self’s consciousness.
The east of Eden is where the Sun (desire) rises. It is followed by the evening and then the Night, which metaphorically is the darkness of ignorance. It is the Night that is referred to as the land of Nod.