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“Holy persons draw to themselves all that is earthly
The earth is at the same time mother,
She is mother of all that is natural,
mother of all that is human.
She is the mother of all,
for contained in her
are the seeds of all.[12] 

“Jesus said, if you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”[13]

Portal 1

From Original Sin to Original Blessing: Reclaiming Your Inherent Goodness

Invitation

Our recovery of femininity begins with moving beyond an identity anchored in the doctrine of original sin. This doctrine, articulated and established by Saint Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo in the 4th century, frames the human condition as being fundamentally flawed, corrupt, and incapable of goodness. He believed that when Adam ate the fruit of the tree in the garden of Eden disobeying God, it fundamentally changed the nature of human beings. So, with one bite we went from inherently worthy to fundamentally corrupt. A contemporary of Augustine was Saint Pelagius, who argued for our humanity being rooted in the goodness of creation. He insisted that our core nature is blessed, inherently valued by God, and it is this original blessing that we are invited to recover in Portal One.

What Was Lost

The patriarchy got it wrong: In a successful attempt to secure the gatekeeping power of mediating God’s forgiveness, the leaders of the organized church set humanity back thousands of years with their focus on sin management instead of the divine spark in creation which include humanity. They subsequently framed the story that our sin separates us from communion with God, despite Paul’s clear indication otherwise in Romans 8:38-39.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Gnostics believed that “sin” or our negative desires and actions are a result of our ignorance of God and the role of Jesus is to bring gnosis (knowledge) of the Father. This ignorance is the reality of being human in a fallen, broken world, yet it is not the essence of who we are. Augustine’s doctrine of original sin was adopted by the Church then and remains the predominant theology handed down today in conservative Christian circles. This doctrine has always laid the blame for sin on Eve: She was the weak one, the “deceived one,” and thus became the scapegoat, casting doubt on the inherent goodness of women in particular.

And this was no accident.

Augustine believed that only Adam was created inherently good, only Adam was created in God’s image, and that perspective lingers still. The doctrine of original sin obliterates the human birthright of original blessing pronounced by God in the Genesis account whereas the Gnostic gospels account celebrates this birthright given to humans.  As a result of the Genesis account humanity lost their divine connection to God, along with the divine spark given to creation which includes humanity.

“As it becomes clear upon contemplating the various Scripture of the Gnosis, human nature is never regarded a corrupt or the body as incapable of experiencing sanctification (contrary to the teachings of St. Augustine and other church fathers).”[14]

The Gnostics knew this was bad theology early on and tried to restore both the innate authority of women as well as the inherent goodness of humanity. “Gnostic followers are urged to look within themselves for the truth and the Christ spirit hidden, asleep in their souls.”[15] But the church powers of that day prevailed and inflicted irreparable damage to the feminine soul. For two thousand years, they have collectively kept us silent and subservient, disconnected from Sophia our divine Mother.

What Is Found

In contrast, the teachings of the first disciples such as Thomas knew original blessing as the primary and foundational doctrine to describe our relationship with God. This truth states that humans are born with the goodness of the Divine embedded into their very being so that humans have the ontological potential and destiny for union with God. This belief grounds the human condition in a redemptive relationship with God, who is always loving and reaching out for interconnectivity.

“When the pearl is thrown into the mud, it does not become therefore devalued, nor does it become more valuable if it is anointed with oil of balsam. Rather, it possesses the same worth in the esteem of its owner. It is the same with the children of God, wherever they may find themselves, for their value is known by their Father.”[16]

Here is another astounding quote from the gnostic book of Phillip: “The holy person is holy completely, right down to her very body. For she makes the bread holy when it is offered, and also the cup, and any other thing she receives, for she sanctifies them. Then how could she not consecrate the body also?”[17] One of the core principles of the Gnostic worldview is the essential dignity of the human soul and spirit.

So how do we talk about the light within our human bodies that resonates with divinity? Listen to the voice of Sophia, “I move in everyone, and I delve into them all. I walk uprightly, and those who sleep, I awaken…And I am inviting you into the exalted, perfect Light.[18]

This inner light was given to us by our Mother/Father at our creation as a human race, as we will see in Portal 2 there are many creation stories and the gnostic gospels highlight a very different narrative. What is central to all creation stories is the impartation of a divine image, a seed, a pearl of great price, which makes us beloved of God. This light energy was embedded in us because of a great desire for communion between the divine and their creation, us!

Write Your Story

Take some time now to reflect upon your experience with the dynamics of original sin and original blessing and write your responses to these prompts in your journal.

·      What have you personally lost because of the teaching of original sin?

·      What do you feel needs to be recovered in your journey toward original blessing?

Meditation

Start the video that leads you to the first portal. When you arrive at Original Blessing, envision yourself entering into the image and sit in quiet contemplation. You are welcome to stop the video and sit with the image.

·      Let a word arise in the stillness and locate that word in your body.

·      When the music ends, write down your word and where it resides in your body.

Take as much time as you need to hold what has been given, and when you are ready, the second portal awaits.

click for Portal 2: From eve to sophia…

(c) 2025 Kellie Wilder Daley. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Top image by Meinrad Craighead. "Hildegard of Bingen," 1981. Copyright Amy Dosser. meinradcraighead.com. Used by permission.

For footnotes, click here.