It is disputed how things began. There was a beginning, it was filled with strife and struggle, and whether we agree on the process or order of how life progressed, we must agree to the fact that knowledge was the key to the progression of life. Homo sapiens, Knowing man, went from naked to clothed, shivering to warm, cave dweller to shelter builder, scavenger to hunter using tools and making fires. The story is revealed in millions of years of fossil records, this is indisputable. Advancements in civilization are the proof, but why were some civilizations on this planet able to become so much more advanced while other civilizations fell so far behind?

In the Beginning, the garden was lush, filled with exotic plants and animals. The tallest trees gathered as much light as possible, spreading leaves in all directions. The second level of trees worked even harder to gather light in the shade of the bigger trees. On the ground, only those plants that could grow in dense shade could survive. The trees were doused daily with a substantial amount of rainfall, allowing them to grow to immeasurable sizes. The fruit from these trees hung generously from every limb, and the animals that were nourished by the fruit were abundant. The chosen few who lived in the garden lived simply, without worry or care. They needed no protection, for they had no enemies. They needed no clothing, for they did not experience cold nor heat. They feasted daily, drank from the clear water in the numerous streams, and delighted in the paradise. It was perfect, and all were content.

No one really knows who picked the first piece of fruit from the trees in the dark grove, but this fruit was taken, and eaten. With each bite of this perfect fruit, reality became clearer. There was a revelation, and it was known that things were not as they seemed. Suddenly there was cold, fear, and loneliness. Looking around, they felt threatened by what they could now see, for now they could see everything in the finest detail, and they understood. Hence, they had gained the knowledge, for they all had eaten the forbidden fruit.

The story tells of the Creator casting them out of the perfect garden, and leaving them on their own, but not mentioned was that the fruit never left the hand of the one who had picked it. It was carried from the garden, and with the knowledge now obtained, it was grafted into a perfect tree. Over time, more perfect fruit was propagated, and so the knowledge prevailed.

It is the remnants of this tree, the tree born of the fruit carried from the garden where the knowledge first began, that bestows the knowledge. Under the guidance of the Creator this fruit has long been protected by a succession of Guardians. This is the story of the Guardians who protect the fruit and hold the knowledge now.