Toinyette's Journey

A reflection on judgment, unity, and the quiet path back to the Tree of Life.

In the story of the garden, two trees stand at the center: the Tree of Life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For a long time, I read this story as many people do, simply as an account of something that happened long ago. But the more I reflect, the more I sense that these two trees represent something happening within us even now.

They reflect two different ways of living. Two states of consciousness.

The Tree of Life represents a life lived in union with the Most High. It is the state where awareness flows from trust, love, and divine presence. In this state, life is not forced or controlled. It is received. Peace flows naturally because the heart rests in the source of life itself.

The other tree represents something very different. The knowledge of good and evil is not merely about information or learning. It represents the mind stepping into constant judgment; measuring, analyzing, deciding what is right, wrong, acceptable, or unacceptable according to its own understanding. It is the state where we begin trying to manage life apart from God.

When consciousness shifts into that mode, fragmentation begins. Fear appears. Shame appears. The mind becomes restless, trying to control outcomes and protect itself. The story tells us that when Adam and Eve ate from that tree, their eyes were opened, but what they first saw was their own vulnerability.

Perhaps this is why the Tree of Life fades from view in the story. Once awareness becomes absorbed in judgment and separation, it forgets the quiet life that flows from union with God.

Yet the invitation to the Tree of Life never truly disappears.

Christ spoke often about returning to that deeper state of awareness. He said the Kingdom of God is within. He spoke about abiding, about becoming like children, about loving God with the whole heart. These teachings point toward a way of living that moves beyond constant judgment and returns to simple trust in the divine presence.

In this sense, the two trees are not only symbols in an ancient garden. They are choices that appear within the human heart every day.

We can live from the restless mind that endlessly judges and divides.

Or we can return, again and again, to the quiet awareness where life flows from God.

Perhaps the path of faith is not about mastering knowledge at all.

Perhaps it is about remembering the Tree of Life.

And maybe the choice between the two trees still appears before us each day, quietly waiting for the heart to remember where life truly flows.

Toinyette’s Journey Blessing

May the quiet wisdom of the Most High guide your steps.
May your heart remember the life that flows from the Tree of Life.
And may peace grow within you as you walk gently in the presence of the I AM.

Toinyette