There are two “Gods” within Sumerian History which truly reflect the eternal dance of good and evil, Ying and Yang, darkness and light. These two Gods were Enki and Enlil. Today I am going to concentrate on Enki, whom by Sumerian History was humanity’s benefactor. Sumerian History precedes the bible by hundredths of thousands of years. Reading the Sumerian tablets is like reading the bible all over again but unedited. I believe for those of you interested on ancient history, its lessons and its wisdoms, this article will be something you will enjoy.
In the Sumerian tablets Enki has been given credit for the creation of mankind. Although different cultures knew him by different names: In Greek mythology he is known to some as Prometheus; the one who defied the Gods in order to help man kind evolve by stealing the fire of knowledge. In Egyptian mythology he is known as Ptah “Lord of magic” “The architect” “The teacher”…ultimately we are talking about the same being.
When discussing about Sumerian Gods we need to keep in mind that to our ancestors the Gods were not a myth, they were very much real. They got to interact with them in the same way nowadays we get to interact with our politicians. Enki although considered the benefactor of mankind is never portrayed as someone who was perfect or rigid. He is shown as a “God” who had his own struggles but through it all his intentions seemed to have been to protect mankind and to help us evolve beyond the vegetable/robotic stage.
With teaching mankind the power to think for themselves and teaching them the secrets of the “Gods” came a lot of responsibility, but Enki so believe on his creation and mankind’s ability to transcend the animal/vegetable stage into beings full of light and wisdom that he did exactly what Enlil didn’t want him to do. It is for this reason he founded and taught at the mystic schools in Egypt for over 10,000 years.
Whether you believe or accept Sumerian history or not is irrelevant when it comes to this article. I believe true intelligence and wisdom comes from being open to new experiences or opinions. There is something for all of us to learn from the ancient teachings regardless of our personal beliefs on who or what is God. To me God is the eternal force of creation, not some mythological being that demands adoration.
Personally I like to see the Sumerian God’s as archetypes from which we can learn quite a lot about human behavior. I hope with this article to simply help you learn a bit more this ancient civilization; at the end what you think or choose to belief is up to you.
I have put together 6 of the many wise lessons Enki taught; although ancient, these lessons can still be as beneficial today as they were back then.
1) Don’t take away or add a single word when repeating what someone else said.
Don’t say something different than what was said, don’t even change the tone on how it was said. Make sure to follow this rule in order to break your chains and pay attention to this law for in it lies wisdom.
2) Have your heart at peace when you speak, using proper language so when others hear you speak they may fully understand and listen.
Follow this rule and your words will be like honey to the wise. This rule may seem easy yet is one most of us struggle with. We still react when feel hurt or have been attacked; that’s okay don’t beat yourself over it. The trick lies on not falling for the “guilt trap”, allow yourself permission to feel; acknowledge to yourself how you reacted/handled things in the past and think about how next time you could do them better.
3) Never criticize or judge a person or a problem you don’t know, and never speak on a personal matter unless you can provide a solution.
When you speak you don’t only represent yourself but those who instructed you. How you treat others and the judgement you pass testifies to the character of those who taught you, for actions speak louder than words. Let us not confuse good character with false politeness. This rule pushes us to challenge ourselves into conquering our negative emotions and the way we channel them; it does not in any way encourage us to mask our feelings for the sake of being accepted. It is also a beautiful rule, as it makes us think about the repercussions which arise from being judgmental without knowing the whole version of something.
4) Do not be proud to the point of vanity. Listen to the wise as well as the ignorant for even in madness there lies some truth and not everything that shines is gold. There is no such a things as the perfect person. We all have some light and some darkness in ourselves. Keeping this in mind without guilt helps us remain confident yet grounded.
5) Don’t be harsh with your neighbor, the justice brought on by a man in control of his emotions is far greater than the vengeance of the ignorant. The ignorant are incapable of understanding wise words, they seek to undermine their neighbor by means of sweet or malicious gossip.
6) Do not repeat a malicious rumor nor pay attention to those who carry it. The only ones who judge without knowing all sides are those whose insides are rotten. Only speak of that which you have seen not of that which you have heard, that way the evil of gossip will be destroyed and the ignorant exposed. When making judgment about someone or something, make sure to have ALL facts presented. To make judgement lacking all facts is to admit your own preconceived ideas. Not repeating gossip or judging without knowing helps develop character; practice of this will lead you to the perfection of self.
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