So much of life is arranged to avoid the very paths of darkness that lead us to the light we long to know. -Michael Meade One of the Christian bible stories I learned when young- and which I think all children in churches learn- has to do with the tree in the Garden of Eden, the first two people there named Adam and Eve, an apple and a snake. I acknowledge that some people take the story literally and as a belief that they are sinful when they are born, and that by living an upright life and following bible teachings they will have a chance to be redeemed from their inherent wickedness and go to heaven after their death. In studying many different religious and spiritual traditions throughout my adult life, I have learned to take for myself bible stories, religious teachings, myths and folk tales as teaching...