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by James N. Judd, Ms.D., D.D.
Xlibris Corporation, 2000
 .the
symbols of myth form a picture language which enables us to
integrate both the inner and outer consciousness and so receive
the benefits of greater wisdom from the central core of our
being.
~ J. N. Judd
I cannot remember the last
book I read on a "religious" topic but, with a title
like The Female, The Tree, and Creation, I could not
resist further investigation! James N. Judd takes the traditional
Judeo-Christian interpretation of the story of First Man and
First Woman, dissects it, and returns it to us with the original
archetypal symbology renewed. Dr. Judd's assimilation of the
creation mythologies of the Christian Bible, the Torah, Kabbalahist
tradition, ancient Egyptian worship, Eastern metaphysics,
and Native American cultures brings us a renewed sense of
the hope of the story of Adam and Eve and how that story is
still relative to our daily mystical journeys. We cannot afford
to continue to ignore how the creation story evolved from
a celebration of the life-force vibration to the presumed
guilt of the female. Dr. Judd raises the bar for self-published
books by writing a clear, insightful, and intelligent treatise
with introductions by Rabbi Joseph H. Gelberman and Dr. Carol
Parrish-Harra.
Dr. Judd explains in clear,
layman's language the difference between reading the story
of Adam and Eve as a teaching myth, as opposed to an accurate
historical account. Drawing on evidence as long ago as the
Sumerian culture in 7500 B.C.E., Judd offers us insights
into the ancient view of the serpent as a symbol of a powerful
life-giving force and the female as the symbol of our receptiveness
to our mystical connection to all that is. In this context,
the serpent is seen as the one who encourages Adam to step
out into the world and know the existence of our duality
in order to truly understand where consciousness begins.
God does not cast out his children for eating forbidden
fruit, but rather allows his children's souls to experience
the fullness of creation.
In The Female, The
Tree, and Creation, Judd examines each archetypal symbol
in the creation story, how the creation story represents
the evolution of our human spiritual experience, and the
turn that the creation story takes from one of the life-force
to one of guilt and shame. Judd does an excellent job of
engaging us in the history of the agricultural societies
of the middle east and the advent of the hunter society
of the Semitic tribes as they conquered those societies.
It appears that this change in political power was also
the beginning of the turn from the Kabbalahist mysticism
inherent in our myth of creation to the current Judeo-Christian
interpretation. Now we have the serpent as a slimy creature
that seduces the female who in turn seduces the male, and
everyone winds up thrown out of the house! When you think
about it, God must have really been off his game the day
he created a couple of humans with so little intelligence.
Dr. Judd truly excels as he finishes with an analysis of
the "if" and where modern religious practice is
going in the 21st century.
James N. Judd is a thoughtful
author who has presented us with a clear vision of the creation
story in relation to the Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah.
The appendix of the book gives excellent details of the
similarities of the ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses
and the concepts that became an integral part of the Kabbalah.
References are contemporary and thorough representing a
broad range of sources. As a female fortunate enough to
be born in a society and in a time when women have fought
for and achieved greater equality, I recommend reading The
Female, The Tree, and Creation by anyone seeking a greater
understanding of the perception of women in those middle
eastern societies that have become part of our heightened
global awareness since September 11.
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