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The Blessing Seed: A Creation Myth for the New Millennium
A modern reinterpretation of the traditional Christian story of creation tells how Man and Woman are amazed by the many animals and plants with which they share their home and eventually eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Teacher's Guide available. Reprint.
- GenresSpiritualityChildrens
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
53 people want to read
About the author
Caitlín Matthews
146 books191 followersCaitlín Matthews is a writer, singer and teacher whose ground-breaking work has introduced many to the riches of our western spiritual heritage.
She is acknowledged as a world authority on Celtic Wisdom, the Western Mysteries and the ancestral traditions of Britain and Europe. She is the author of over 50 books including Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom, a study of Divine Feminine in Gnostic, Jewish and Christian thought and King Arthur’s Raid on the Underworld, a new translation and study of the Welsh poet Taliesin’s extraordinary poem, itself a major cross-roads of British mythology.
Caitlín was trained in the esoteric mystery traditions through the schools founded by Dion Fortune, Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki and Gareth Knight. Her shamanic vocation emerged early in her ability to sing between the worlds and to embody spirits. She has worked in many of the western traditions with companions upon the path including R.J.Stewart. Like him, she teaches the many strands of the ancestral European traditions. She specializes in teaching traditional European spirit-consultation oracles where the diviner draws directly upon the spirits of nature for answers and in the use of the voice to sound the unseen. Caitlín has been instrumental in revealing the ancestral heritage of the Western traditions through practical exploration of the mysteries as well as through scholarly research. Her teachings are couched in a firm historical and linguistic framework, with respect to the original context of the teachings, but never loses sight of the living traditions of these teachings which can be explored through direct application to their spiritual sources.
Trained as an actress, Caitlín is in demand as a storyteller and singer. She appears frequently on international radio and television, and was the song-writer and Pictish language originator for the Jerry Bruckheimer film King Arthur. With John Matthews, her partner, who was historical consultant on the film, she shared in the 2004 BAFTA award given to Film Education for the best educational CD Rom: this project introduced school-children to the life and times of King Arthur. She and John are both concerned with the oral nature of storytelling and its ability to communicate the myth at a much deeper level than of the commercial booktrade. This is apparent in their forthcoming project, The Story Box. For Caitlín, her books are merely the tip of a much bigger oral iceberg which is her teaching.
With her partner, John Matthews, and with Felicity Wombwell , she is co-founder of The Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies, which is dedicated to the sacred arts that are not written down. Their FíOS shamanic training programme teaches students the healing arts as well as hosting masterclasses with exemplars of living sacred traditions. Caitlín has a shamanic practice in Oxford dedicated to addressing soul sickness and ancestral fragmentation, as well as helping clients find vocational and spiritual direction. Her soul-singing and embodiment uniquely bring the ancient healing traditions to everyday life.
Caitlín’s other books include Singing the Soul Back Home, Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain, The Psychic Protection Handbook, and Celtic Devotional. She is co-author, with John Matthews, of the Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom and Encyclopaedia of Celtic Myth and Legend. Her books have been translated into more than nineteen languages from Brazil to Japan.
The author lives in Oxford with her husband and son in a kind of book-cave or library, whichever you will. They share their home with a white cat and a black cat.
She is acknowledged as a world authority on Celtic Wisdom, the Western Mysteries and the ancestral traditions of Britain and Europe. She is the author of over 50 books including Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom, a study of Divine Feminine in Gnostic, Jewish and Christian thought and King Arthur’s Raid on the Underworld, a new translation and study of the Welsh poet Taliesin’s extraordinary poem, itself a major cross-roads of British mythology.
Caitlín was trained in the esoteric mystery traditions through the schools founded by Dion Fortune, Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki and Gareth Knight. Her shamanic vocation emerged early in her ability to sing between the worlds and to embody spirits. She has worked in many of the western traditions with companions upon the path including R.J.Stewart. Like him, she teaches the many strands of the ancestral European traditions. She specializes in teaching traditional European spirit-consultation oracles where the diviner draws directly upon the spirits of nature for answers and in the use of the voice to sound the unseen. Caitlín has been instrumental in revealing the ancestral heritage of the Western traditions through practical exploration of the mysteries as well as through scholarly research. Her teachings are couched in a firm historical and linguistic framework, with respect to the original context of the teachings, but never loses sight of the living traditions of these teachings which can be explored through direct application to their spiritual sources.
Trained as an actress, Caitlín is in demand as a storyteller and singer. She appears frequently on international radio and television, and was the song-writer and Pictish language originator for the Jerry Bruckheimer film King Arthur. With John Matthews, her partner, who was historical consultant on the film, she shared in the 2004 BAFTA award given to Film Education for the best educational CD Rom: this project introduced school-children to the life and times of King Arthur. She and John are both concerned with the oral nature of storytelling and its ability to communicate the myth at a much deeper level than of the commercial booktrade. This is apparent in their forthcoming project, The Story Box. For Caitlín, her books are merely the tip of a much bigger oral iceberg which is her teaching.
With her partner, John Matthews, and with Felicity Wombwell , she is co-founder of The Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies, which is dedicated to the sacred arts that are not written down. Their FíOS shamanic training programme teaches students the healing arts as well as hosting masterclasses with exemplars of living sacred traditions. Caitlín has a shamanic practice in Oxford dedicated to addressing soul sickness and ancestral fragmentation, as well as helping clients find vocational and spiritual direction. Her soul-singing and embodiment uniquely bring the ancient healing traditions to everyday life.
Caitlín’s other books include Singing the Soul Back Home, Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain, The Psychic Protection Handbook, and Celtic Devotional. She is co-author, with John Matthews, of the Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom and Encyclopaedia of Celtic Myth and Legend. Her books have been translated into more than nineteen languages from Brazil to Japan.
The author lives in Oxford with her husband and son in a kind of book-cave or library, whichever you will. They share their home with a white cat and a black cat.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 16, 2017
I liked this version of the creation of the earth story. This goes into detail on how the choices Adam and Eve made led to new ideas and ways to help the earth. It is also one of the only books I have seen that depict Adam and Eve as African American. Perfect for sunday school.
January 8, 2021
Bought it to share with my nieces who are Catholic. Beautiful illustrations.
February 6, 2014
Instead of being banished from the garden God created, the first man and woman are sent on a journey to explore the 4 paths that lead from the garden. As man and woman explore the paths of wonder, emptiness, making, and coming come the " gift of learning is born" to them and they begin to care. After they finish their journey they discover that God is not angry with them and that they will continue to increase their knowledge. I like the book's take on the story of Genesis and how man and woman are not punished for their natural desire of knowledge.
September 7, 2011
This book really surprised me. I wasn't expecting a sort of retelling or interpretation of the Adam and Eve story. The interpretation was filled with hope and blessing. It reclaimed the story as a "creation" rather than a "fall." I loved it. And the pictures were wonderful.
January 28, 2008
Well done "New Age" Adam and Eve re-telling. My younger son was very confused about who or where G-D was, though.
November 23, 2011
Great positive spin on the traditional Judeo-Christian Creation story (Adam and Eve). Beautiful illustrations that can open up children's imaginations (and adults, too)!
May 23, 2015
A myth--not Biblically accurate.
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April 28, 2017Myth: The Blessing Seed
• Book Title/Author and Illustrator:
o The Blessing Seed
o Written by: Caitlin Matthews
o Illustrated by: Alison Dexter
• Two Professional Recommendations:
1) Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1998)
In this thought-provoking and handsomely executed fable, God puts a positive spin on humankind's partaking of the fruit of the tree of life. "In the beginning, God sang everything alive," and in a paradise in which the gifts of the natural world are crucial, a coffee-colored Woman yearns to know of her and Man's special gifts. The results of eating from the tree of life are dramatic, manifest in such details as the animals hiding from the couple. Although they are frightened by the consequences of their act, God smiles: "I made human beings for their longing to know--it is time for you to explore the four paths." Rather than the punishment of the Fall, these two find in their error an ultimately enriching experience, as they thank God and spread his blessing throughout the earth. The vibrant watercolors, resembling batik prints, are composed with ingenuity to reveal an abundant, evolving planet. The plants, animals and people are stylized to beautiful effect; Man and Woman are naked, but not graphically so. In an author's note, Matthews offers a lengthy, meaty rationale for her determination to offer a story of "original blessing" rather than original sin, and cites her sources; readers, therefore, set sail with a steady hand on the tiller.
2) Publishers Weekly (Publishers Weekly)
Boldly announcing her intent in the subtitle of the book, Matthews (My Very First Book of Princesses) retells the story of Genesis with a new spin, replacing original sin with the idea of "original blessing." Here, when Man and Woman eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge, God is not angry that they have ignored His warning (nor does the pair clothe themselves thereafter). Instead, God sympathizes: "You are frightened and upset." He explains that even though they have made a mistake, the "seeds of learning and caring will grow inside " if they follow the four paths of life that lead out from the tree. Their special gift will be "a blessing seed. It will leap from your hearts into the hearts of others." In a closing author's note, Matthews states her wish to counteract the "blame, shame, and guilt" of the Old Testament story and to encourage readers to "reassess ideas about our role as human beings." Unfortunately, her approach doesn't smoothly straddle the gap between the traditional telling and a new age take on it. The text alternates between a stately prose that echoes the Biblical account ("In the beginning, God sang everything alive") and an incongruous, feel-good therapy tone ("Everyone in the garden has their special gift," complain Man and Woman when they can't figure out their own unique purpose). Dexter's batik-like watercolors in full-bleed spreads portray Man and Woman with worried faces (Woman's hair is wavy, Man sports halo spikes), and their vaguely anatomically-correct brown bodies appear in a universe of colorful bunnies and leaves. This modern myth accentuates the positive with muddled fervor and sets aside the larger, more complicated issue of free will.
• Brief Book Summary:
o The story begins with the first Man and Woman being brought to earth. At first the Man and Woman are amazed by the beauty of earth but then slowly start to wonder what their task in life is. To find out the two decided to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge even though God advised them not to do so before it is ripe. When God sees what they have done, he explains to them that it is time for them to explore the four paths: the path of wonder, the path of emptiness, the path of making, and the path of coming home. The Man and Woman slowly start to realize their place in the world and they set out to explore it with the song of the blessing seed.
• Personal Response to Reviews:
o The first reviewer commends the author for making this myth more uplifting than the traditional Biblical version. They mention that they admire how Matthews makes God give the Man and Woman an enriching experience in which they can explore and share God’s blessing throughout the world. I also would have to agree with this review because I really like how Matthews did this spin on the storyline. Both reviewers also mention how the illustrator uses beautiful watercolor illustrations. The watercolors serve to reveal the “abundant, evolving planet.” This is also something that I would have to agree with because the illustrator does a tremendous job at making the pictures connect with the text. The illustrations really do make the book that much more enjoyable and will definitely intrigue young children.
• Literary Merit
o This book uses bright and vibrant watercolors to create its illustrations. The bright and vibrant colors resemble realism and familiarity. To me, this means that the author wants readers to see that the lesson in this book can be related to real life scenarios. The myth genre of the book is also apparent throughout the story. Being that in the story there are only two humans present it is easy for children to understand that this book is not based off a true story. As far as the plot goes, it is very misleading because readers think that the Man and Woman are going to get in trouble for disobeying God. The Man and Woman end up not getting in trouble which causes the book to be unpredictable and surprising.
• Instructional Application:
o To bring this book into the classroom you could do a lesson on following the directions especially if you are teaching younger children. You could create scenarios and have the children brainstorm what they think would happen if they disobeyed a rule. For example, you could ask them, “what would happen if you ate 5 cookies instead of 1 like your mom told you?” Here, the children would have to think about what would happen and they would have the opportunity to realize what is right from wrong. This can also teach children that there are always consequences for not listening. Ultimately it could also teach children how to listen and pay attention to directions which they can apply in the classroom setting.
• Book Title/Author and Illustrator:
o The Blessing Seed
o Written by: Caitlin Matthews
o Illustrated by: Alison Dexter
• Two Professional Recommendations:
1) Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1998)
In this thought-provoking and handsomely executed fable, God puts a positive spin on humankind's partaking of the fruit of the tree of life. "In the beginning, God sang everything alive," and in a paradise in which the gifts of the natural world are crucial, a coffee-colored Woman yearns to know of her and Man's special gifts. The results of eating from the tree of life are dramatic, manifest in such details as the animals hiding from the couple. Although they are frightened by the consequences of their act, God smiles: "I made human beings for their longing to know--it is time for you to explore the four paths." Rather than the punishment of the Fall, these two find in their error an ultimately enriching experience, as they thank God and spread his blessing throughout the earth. The vibrant watercolors, resembling batik prints, are composed with ingenuity to reveal an abundant, evolving planet. The plants, animals and people are stylized to beautiful effect; Man and Woman are naked, but not graphically so. In an author's note, Matthews offers a lengthy, meaty rationale for her determination to offer a story of "original blessing" rather than original sin, and cites her sources; readers, therefore, set sail with a steady hand on the tiller.
2) Publishers Weekly (Publishers Weekly)
Boldly announcing her intent in the subtitle of the book, Matthews (My Very First Book of Princesses) retells the story of Genesis with a new spin, replacing original sin with the idea of "original blessing." Here, when Man and Woman eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge, God is not angry that they have ignored His warning (nor does the pair clothe themselves thereafter). Instead, God sympathizes: "You are frightened and upset." He explains that even though they have made a mistake, the "seeds of learning and caring will grow inside " if they follow the four paths of life that lead out from the tree. Their special gift will be "a blessing seed. It will leap from your hearts into the hearts of others." In a closing author's note, Matthews states her wish to counteract the "blame, shame, and guilt" of the Old Testament story and to encourage readers to "reassess ideas about our role as human beings." Unfortunately, her approach doesn't smoothly straddle the gap between the traditional telling and a new age take on it. The text alternates between a stately prose that echoes the Biblical account ("In the beginning, God sang everything alive") and an incongruous, feel-good therapy tone ("Everyone in the garden has their special gift," complain Man and Woman when they can't figure out their own unique purpose). Dexter's batik-like watercolors in full-bleed spreads portray Man and Woman with worried faces (Woman's hair is wavy, Man sports halo spikes), and their vaguely anatomically-correct brown bodies appear in a universe of colorful bunnies and leaves. This modern myth accentuates the positive with muddled fervor and sets aside the larger, more complicated issue of free will.
• Brief Book Summary:
o The story begins with the first Man and Woman being brought to earth. At first the Man and Woman are amazed by the beauty of earth but then slowly start to wonder what their task in life is. To find out the two decided to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge even though God advised them not to do so before it is ripe. When God sees what they have done, he explains to them that it is time for them to explore the four paths: the path of wonder, the path of emptiness, the path of making, and the path of coming home. The Man and Woman slowly start to realize their place in the world and they set out to explore it with the song of the blessing seed.
• Personal Response to Reviews:
o The first reviewer commends the author for making this myth more uplifting than the traditional Biblical version. They mention that they admire how Matthews makes God give the Man and Woman an enriching experience in which they can explore and share God’s blessing throughout the world. I also would have to agree with this review because I really like how Matthews did this spin on the storyline. Both reviewers also mention how the illustrator uses beautiful watercolor illustrations. The watercolors serve to reveal the “abundant, evolving planet.” This is also something that I would have to agree with because the illustrator does a tremendous job at making the pictures connect with the text. The illustrations really do make the book that much more enjoyable and will definitely intrigue young children.
• Literary Merit
o This book uses bright and vibrant watercolors to create its illustrations. The bright and vibrant colors resemble realism and familiarity. To me, this means that the author wants readers to see that the lesson in this book can be related to real life scenarios. The myth genre of the book is also apparent throughout the story. Being that in the story there are only two humans present it is easy for children to understand that this book is not based off a true story. As far as the plot goes, it is very misleading because readers think that the Man and Woman are going to get in trouble for disobeying God. The Man and Woman end up not getting in trouble which causes the book to be unpredictable and surprising.
• Instructional Application:
o To bring this book into the classroom you could do a lesson on following the directions especially if you are teaching younger children. You could create scenarios and have the children brainstorm what they think would happen if they disobeyed a rule. For example, you could ask them, “what would happen if you ate 5 cookies instead of 1 like your mom told you?” Here, the children would have to think about what would happen and they would have the opportunity to realize what is right from wrong. This can also teach children that there are always consequences for not listening. Ultimately it could also teach children how to listen and pay attention to directions which they can apply in the classroom setting.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews