The Forbidden Fruit Teaches You What You Feel

The theological concept of the Forbidden Fruit is a metaphor for that one thing, gesture, deed or action that goes against the rules and the unwritten procedures of a given social, cultural or family environment.

I connect the Forbidden Fruit with the Black Sheep of the family – another concept that singles out the one who steps outside the family pattern and takes a bite of the Forbidden Fruit.

In family and systemic constellations, these two concepts shift the energetic dynamic within the family system, either creating blockages in the natural flow of love or, on the contrary, bringing release from transgenerational blockages.

The logical question is: how do I know whether biting into the forbidden fruit does good or harm to the system I belong to?

How do I know I'm doing the right thing when I choose to do something that seems forbidden?

Is it a calculated risk, an irrational impulse, the expression of burnout, or actually an expression of my authentic self?

Too many questions can crowd the mind so much that they leave nothing but confusion and fog behind. A mind full of thoughts and questions brings tiredness and exhaustion – mental, physical and energetic.

The longer we stay up in our heads, the longer the answer keeps us waiting, and the more we postpone the step towards change, or put it on hold altogether.

Pausing means letting go of thinking about the forbidden fruit. Moving our attention out of the mind and into the heart.

Meaning we should think less and feel more? No.

Meaning we should sit the mind and the heart down at the same table and let them talk.

Meaning we should stay with our emotions and listen to them. Give them the chance to speak and to tell us what this forbidden fruit actually gives them. And above all, answer every single one of their questions.

Give your emotions some time! Step into your own inner intimacy, even if it feels like leaving your comfort zone and walking onto unfamiliar ground.

Remember the first forbidden fruit you ever bit into as a child. The first thing you did even though you weren't allowed to.

Breathe in, breathe out, and let your body remember how you felt back then.

Be honest with yourself and answer the questions below. Remember that there are no right or wrong answers. There are only emotions asking to be seen, heard, felt and validated.

So then, how does your body feel after biting into the forbidden fruit?

🐍🍎 Do you feel proud of yourself for finally following your intuition or your instinct and doing what you wanted?

🐍🍎Do you feel happy that you allowed yourself a taste of that out-of-reach, mouth-watering fruit – the one you'd been craving every time you were told YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED. IT'S NOT FOR YOU?

🐍🍎Do you feel ashamed that you didn't listen to your parents, and now fingers will be pointed at you, you'll be sent to the corner or cast out of the circle of people who never step outside the circle?

🐍🍎Do you feel guilty for making a mistake you now regret, one that taught you there's a good reason the forbidden fruit exists?

🐍🍎Do you feel drawn to the fruit like a magnet precisely because it is forbidden and out of reach?

🐍🍎Do you feel frightened by the thought that the forbidden fruit is a toxic temptation meant to test your faith?

🐍🍎Do you feel disgusted at the idea of biting into a fruit whose only purpose is to complicate your life and disturb your peace?

🐍🍎Do you feel sad, unable to understand how a fruit can be forbidden when all fruit is God's creation? How can God's creation be off limits to you?

🐍🍎Do you feel unhappy that you had to bite into the forbidden fruit in secret and turn it into something you must hide?

🐍🍎Do you feel released from the craving to bite into the forbidden fruit, now that you know how it tastes?

🐍🍎Do you feel envious of those who resisted the temptation to bite into the forbidden fruit?

🐍🍎Do you feel special and different because you're finally being seen, whatever the consequences?

🐍🍎Do you feel alive in your own life, precisely because you do what you want when you bite into the forbidden fruit?

🐍🍎Do you feel dead in your own life, biting into the forbidden fruit because nothing matters anyway?

🐍🍎Do you feel validated by others because you did what they did and you're finally one of them?

🐍🍎Do you feel delighted because that's simply how things are done where you come from?

🐍🍎Do you feel frustrated because the fruit is forbidden?

You may find yourself answering yes to several of these questions, or other questions of your own may surface. Allow yourself to feel your emotions.

You are the most qualified person to validate your own emotions. You are the closest one to yourself and you know best what is good for you. Your truth is the most intimate thing there is – something only you know and only you create. You are the author of your own life and you hold the inner power to decide what you want to do with it.

Emotions are an instrument for measuring your level of well-being and satisfaction with your life.

The forbidden fruit is the trigger that shows you which part of you needs to be seen, heard, felt and validated. It is the test the Universe gives you for your own good. It is an opportunity for healing, for growth, and for moving beyond your mental limits and obstacles.