When I start researching a new topic, I usually check around, ask questions, and process it with the people around me. And now that I’m dealing with the fivefold faces of evil, I ask and I can almost see people’s eyes glaze over or close in quiet horror.

Recently, I asked a dear friend—someone I trust deeply, someone older and grounded with a solid theological and church background—whether she believes in demons. I half expected her to dismiss the whole idea. But instead, she told me a story.

She had hosted some guests, and after they left, she sensed that one of them had left behind a dark, oppressive presence in her home - a demon of some sort. She couldn’t seem to pray it away herself, so she called the elders of her church. They came, prayed over the house, anointed it with oil—and the oppression lifted. That worked.

Everyone has a different way of understanding evil, the devil, darkness, and supernatural forces.

If we look at the story of our origin, it’s right there—evil personified in the serpent. Eve gives him the time of day, listens to him. That was the first mistake. He slanders God, and she believes him.

If we examine that moment in Genesis—the original story—there’s God, the perfect Creator. And then there’s the serpent: another force. Not just a metaphor or a mistake, but a real opponent. A rival power. And throughout Scripture, this "other superpower" keeps showing up.

Why was the Serpent interested in Eve. It's because Eve, who was made in the image of God,  had a supernatural connection to God. But she was human. We are human. Very, very human.

And yet, somehow, we like Eve feel that connection to the image of God in us. The Serpent appealed to this connection - and presented the temptation to be equal to God,

The Serpent said.  “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 

She chose to believe the Serpent - an unrealistic, impossible choice. 

The problem is that when we don’t actively choose God, by default we side with the one who is against Him. We fall under the rule of the evil one.

“I have lived all my life among shadows and broken images.”― C.S. Lewis

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Insider Report:
In this post I have explored evil as it appears in the story of origin, the Garden of Eden and have covered:

• Body – where the evil fear is stored
• Mind – where evil lies are believed
• Heart – where evil conflict, competition and corruption were seeded into our most intimate relationships.

And now, I am moving into the spirit realm.

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." -Albert Einstein. I equate imagination with our spirit -- the place I now want to explore.

After publishing my book Impossible Forgiveness, to the Power of Five, I explored and defined the fivefold structure  that I am using now. It has ancient roots, tracing back to Hippocrates organization of life with his four humors to which I then added another "the collective" coming out of my own unique insights and processes. But the core is built on the timeless pattern of four used throughout - history:  body, mind, heart, spirit, and now the added collective.

After defining the five, I began to see the number five everywhere. Everything – God, Jesus, Bible, Heaven found a home within the five dimensions. I began to call it The Holy Five.

Then during a conversation with my daughter, after publishing my book, I realized that I had never in the book analyzed evil to see how it would look under the paradigm of five.

Evil is absolutely fundamental to the root question that I was always up against: Why do bad things happen to the good people? Why is there suffering? Where does suffering come from? And if this suffering is so prevalent – how does the promise of a loving- all powerful God fit into it? To me – these weren’t just idle questions – I had to answer them honestly for myself….

So I was left with the question: What does evil look like when examined under the structure of the Fivefold Paradigm?

So, I began again—with this blog post.
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“Refined and distinguished, the human soul is quite like what has often been said of the snowflake: Just as no two snowflakes are the same, no two life stories are the same; but just as all snowflakes are formed, all souls are formed in the image of God.” ― Criss Jami

As theologian Herman Bavinck puts  it - “There was... no gap between what they were and what they knew they had to be. Being and self-consciousness were in harmony.”

But after the fall, that harmony was shattered.

Suddenly, Adam and Eve knew. They were exposed—physically, emotionally, spiritually- and their first instinct was to hide. They covered themselves with fig leaves, a desperate attempt to mask not just their nakedness, but their vulnerability and loss of innocence.

What follows is a cascade of brokenness:

• Adam blames Eve.
• Eve blames the Serpent.

The relational harmony that once existed dissolves into self-protection, accusation, and disconnection.

These are the classic symptoms of shame. Shame is not simply regret over wrongdoing—it’s the deeply unsettling feeling that something is wrong with you. Unlike guilt, which says, “I did something bad,” shame says, “I am bad.” It attacks the core of identity. In our most intimate relationships, shame can be corrosive. It whispers, “You’re not good enough,” and leaves us wrestling with inadequacy, unworthiness, and a haunting sense of inferiority.

Shame didn’t just enter the individual heart—it wove itself into the human condition. It lingers beyond belief or reason. As one writer says, it becomes “the incurable stigmata of the Fall.”

The Consequences of the Fall were: for the woman - pain in childbearing, and a complicated dynamic in her relationship with her husband  and for the man: toil and resistance from the ground he was called to cultivate.
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Together, they were exiled from Eden.

And they have been locked into an archetypal conflict ever since. 

This "archetype conflict" of Adam and Eve, particularly their "Fall" from the Garden of Eden, represents a universal human conflict: the struggle between autonomy and obedience, and the consequences of choosing one over the other.

This is another face of evil - the chaos - it is the face of conflict.

Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. ​ - Martin Luther King. Jr. 

Personal Report
As I'm posting these scattered thoughts, I am often frustrated that I can't find the right words.  But  through processing it all, I eventually find a word - it might not be the right word but it is my word. In this processing of the heart, I have finally landed on the word "Conflict" as the face of this third evil or should I still call it chaos which means that whenever we are in an intimate relationship with a marriage partner or friend - we can expect conflict to be inherent in everyone of these relationships. It all began in the Garden of Eden. It is right there -- all of the dynamics.

Now I am onto the next.......Thank you for being part of this process. 

 ​We already know the classic "battle of good and evil" began in the Garden of Eden. But did the crafty Serpent—by approaching Eve first— sow the seeds of division, turning that moment into what would later become the "battle of the sexes."

As a child, when I first heard the story of the Garden of Eden, I just assumed that the Serpent  approached Eve because she was the weaker link and more  vulnerable. But now, I wonder if the Serpent deliberately used that moment to disrupt the natural hierarchy in the garden. To make sense of this, we need to revisit the concept of hierarchy.

Hierarchy is the structure by which we order ourselves—our relationships, our roles, our responsibilities. Sometimes we call it the "natural order of command" because it reflects a progression of trust, authority, and care. It is a natural, even sacred, system of ranks.

In Heaven, there is constant worship which speaks to a —sacred harmony, well ordered,  fluent level of relationships. We read how  God gave Adam dominion over the animals. Then Adam named Eve—an act symbolizing authority. By the way Adam saw Eve and called her “Woman,” recognizing her as his equal, his complement. She was beautiful, worthy of love and respect. A perfect addition to him. And they became one - a healthy hierarchy. 

​According to Jordan Peterson these hierarchies as both essential and dangerous—necessary for social order, yet vulnerable to abuse. When hierarchies are honored, there is harmony. When they are broken, there is tension. In today’s world, we are swimming in that tension.

 We can see how the Serpent disrupted this hierarchy harmony by offering Eve the apple of chaos. He didn’t merely tempt her—he assaulted her integrity. With a lie, he breached the trust between Eve and Adam, and in doing so, fractured their unity. This was a strategic warfare, aimed at the heart. His choice to speak to Eve wasn’t random—it was calculated.

I've been in board meeting when the hierarchy was challenged. I think we see it now as the powers that be are shifting on a global level.

​When the hierarchy is broken its like the cracking of light—thunder announcing its presence before the storm. A violin string snapping mid-performance. The clatter of something once smooth, now unraveling. Voices trip over one another like collapsing bricks. Words crash like broken glass.

The air doesn’t hum anymore; it shouts. Every sound elbows forward, jostling for dominance, until even dissonance finds its rhythm—this is no more music, its becomes a “Symphony of Cacophony.”

Adam and Eve heard this discord immediately when they bit into the apple.  It says their eyes were opened.  They felt vulnerable to each other. They felt the shame. They lost their oneness. It was the first divorce.

Except they had no place to go so they covered themselves with fig leaves - and then blamed each other. 

This cacophony has been growing ever since - showing itself in every relationship - and now we recognize it as the battle of the sexes.  It is the constant face of chaos of the heart, the constant face of evil.

“The boundaries were destroyed; it was all in the open,
the rotting animal of her soul, the tickling sickness
in the tumultuous cacophony in her mother's vibrating skull
that spoke only to itself in everlasting distortions.” — Laura Gentile

Because of this -- God needed to intervene - to show them how to cover themselves, and then promised them redemption - and love.
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Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.- Dalai Lama

What do we do when our internal lie detector—meant to help us discern truth from fiction—has been disarmed?

How do we move forward in a world where the confusion of chaos still reigns?

As I wrap up this reflection on the sphere of the mind, I’m setting down a few new personal guidelines to help me walk forward in this fog of uncertainty:

​When the Lie Detector Breaks: New Guidelines for the Mind

1. Let Go of the Myth of the One Leader Truth-Bearer
I’m done looking for that one person who has all the answers. No human being on earth has access to the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I’ll still seek out wise voices and trusted experts—but I’ll also do my own research, ask hard questions, and stay grounded. We’re all in this together.

2. Refuse Cynicism, Embrace Realism
Rather than becoming cynical or disillusioned, I’m learning to adjust my expectations. Truth isn’t always obvious or immediate—but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I won’t give up on the search.

3. Keep the Adventure Alive
In fact, I’m going to pursue truth even more conscientiously. The journey itself—through questions, doubts, revelations, and quiet realizations—is where real transformation happens. It’s the adventure that brings joy, peace, and purpose.

4. Choose the true Guide, the Waymaker, the Truth, and the Life
I’m choosing again to follow Jesus—the clearest forerunner in this journey. He is the founder of truth, the Word of truth, the teacher of truth. I will listen for His voice. His words take precedence over all others. I might not always hear it clearly - but it won't be for lack of trying.

5. Make Truth a Shared Journey
Whenever I can, I want to include others in this lifelong pursuit of truth. Let’s share what we learn. Let’s listen deeply. Let’s ask honest questions together. Truth should be a communal experience, not a private trophy.

6. Speak the Truth in Love
If I see someone stumbling into a lie—oblivious to what might seem obvious to others—I want to respond with compassion, not judgment. I want to pour my hard-earned truth into a giant bucket of love. So they don’t feel like a fool, or rejected, or small.

Because even the tiniest truths—the ones we barely notice—are golden nuggets - streaks of light that shimmer through our ordinary days.
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Truth still holds a million promises.

​If you say the truth and nothing else, you will have an immense adventure as a consequence. You will not know what is going to happen to you, but you have to let go of clinging to the outcome. You have to let go. The truth will reveal the world the way it is intended to be revealed. The consequence for you will be that you will have the adventure of your life. The other part of that ethos—which makes perfect sense to me and I cannot see how it can be any other way—is that whatever makes itself manifest as a consequence of the truth is the best possible reality that could be manifest, even if you cannot see it. - Jordan Peterson

Personal Note:
In this blogging series, I am merely skimming through this fivefold paradigm of evil as first experienced in the Story of Origin in Eden -- for a more detailed description of the fivefold paradigm and an in-depth healing/recovery process I have written a "text type  book" on this -- Impossible, forgiveness to the power of five.  available on Amazon.  Please look after yourself... do not be overcome... but overcome evil with good. 

This is simply a new way of arriving at an old truth. When we look at the Garden of Eden through the lens of the fivefold paradigm—and consider the role of the mind—we begin to see how the serpent’s first lie, the introduction of illusion, was the initial spark of chaos in the mind. It disabled the lie detector in all of us—permanently.
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With that inner compass compromised, discerning reality and truth becomes increasingly difficult. A dysfunctional capacity for discernment is not merely a flaw—it is a face of evil.

This is why the chaos unleashed in the Garden was not only addressed through Jesus' bodily resurrection, bringing new life, but also through the healing of the mind’s confusion. The cross was not just about defeating death; it was about restoring truth.
Pilate’s haunting question, “What is truth?” still reverberates through history. Was it spoken in cynicism, confusion, or as a cry for help? Either way, it reflected a mind lost in the fog of moral ambiguity.

This crisis of truth is also seen in the trial of Jesus, particularly in the role of Annas—the corrupt former high priest. He violated numerous Jewish laws by conducting an illegal trial in his own house, attempting to coerce self-incrimination, and physically assaulting an unconvicted man. From Annas, the Truth was passed to Caiaphas, the reigning high priest and Annas's son-in-law. There, the injustice continued.
The Sanhedrin’s trial broke at least seven Jewish legal codes:

1. It was held in secret.
2. It was conducted at night.
3. It involved bribery.
4. The defendant had no legal advocate.
5. The testimony of 2–3 consistent witnesses could not be obtained.
6. Self-incriminating statements were used against Him.
7. The sentence was carried out on the same day—against legal procedure.

Despite all this, Caiaphas declared the Truth guilty—not because of evidence, but because Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, which Caiaphas called blasphemy.

Thank God, then, for the hope Jesus brings—cutting through the fog, healing the damage done by that ancient lie.

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” —John 14:6

Can We Really Know Our Own Truth?

Surely we can know our own truth—at least, that’s what I’ve always taught in my life-writing course. I would say to my students, “Don’t worry about what others think—just write from your perspective. It’s your truth. You own it.”

And I believed that—wholeheartedly—until I heard a debate on the topic… and until I sat down to write this blog.

Now I’m left wondering: Can we really know ourselves?

Or do we carry a deep, inherent bias—one that distorts and buries our own truth?
Perhaps one of the clearest manifestations of this brokenness is what psychologists call catastrophic thinking.

I first noticed this—dramatically so—in parents of murdered children. I even remember the moment I first heard the term. That’s exactly what our support group meetings often circled around: catastrophizing.

In psychology, catastrophizing is defined as an exaggerated, negative mental set triggered by actual or anticipated painful experiences. It’s one of the strongest psychological predictors of pain. This mindset has three main expressions:

• Helplessness: “It’s awful, and I feel completely overwhelmed.”
• Rumination: “I can’t stop thinking about how much it hurts.”
• Magnification: “I worry that something even more serious may happen.”

Apparently, we exaggerate—and often don’t even realize we’re doing it.

Later, in my training, I was introduced to the concept of negativity bias. As humans, we’re wired to give more weight to what goes wrong than to what goes right. A single negative experience can hijack the mind, warping our perception in ways that impact our work, relationships, health, and happiness.

Some research suggests that we operate with a 75% negativity bias—which means that we don’t see life impartially. We lean toward the dark side of our own stories, even as we try to tell the truth.
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So, the question lingers: Is our truth really ours? Or is it shaped—distorted—by brokenness we can’t even see?

And then can we trust the truth in others?

In today’s world, the fragility of truth is especially evident in the way technology and social media amplify falsehoods. 

Here’s a closer look at why truth feels so fragile today:

• Information Overload: The sheer volume of content online makes it difficult to discern what is accurate and trustworthy.
• Misinformation and Disinformation: False or misleading content can spread like wildfire, often outpacing any attempt to correct it.
• Erosion of Trust: As trust in institutions, media, and experts declines, people are more likely to believe anything—or nothing at all.
• Polarization and Echo Chambers: Social media algorithms often isolate us into ideological bubbles, limiting exposure to differing viewpoints and reinforcing division.

And yet, I still believe in the power of truth.
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“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” — Martin Luther King Jr.