The Garden of Deception and the Path Back to the Creator

The Garden of Deception and the Path Back to the Creator

By Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar

Every morning, before I even let the world in, I seek refuge in the Creator from the sneaky whisperings of negativity and all those low vibrations trying to creep into my day. Because trust me, they’re out there waiting, lurking, hoping I slip up and take the bait. The world’s full of distractions, full of illusions dressed up as wisdom, and it’s way too easy to fall for them.

Life is like one massive garden, and everywhere you turn, there’s a tree offering up its fruit. Some trees are harmless comforting even. Others? Not so much. They stand tall, their branches heavy with the kind of fruit that promises happiness but delivers something else entirely. These are the trees of ego, greed, resentment, fear, and every self-sabotaging thought you’ve ever had. And they know how to talk a good game. Come on, take a bite. You deserve it. You need to look out for yourself no one else will. Get them before they get you.

I’ve stood in that garden more times than I care to admit, staring down at the fruit in my hand, knowing I shouldn’t, but taking a bite anyway. And just like that, I’d be lost wandering through life, disconnected from my purpose, feeling empty but not quite knowing why. I’d try to fill the void with people, accomplishments, distractions whatever seemed like it might do the trick. Spoiler alert: it never worked.

And the wildest part? I didn’t even realize how far I’d drifted. That’s the thing about these trees they don’t just feed you lies, they mess with your perception. You start believing the nonsense. You start thinking bitterness is strength, that shutting people out is self-preservation, that success is measured by how much you have rather than how much you give. And by the time you figure out you’ve been duped, you’re deep in the weeds, trying to remember how to get back.

I’ll be real with you I’ve been covered in the dust of my own bad decisions. I’ve walked around spiritually ashy, thinking I was doing just fine until someone who truly cared hit me with, Kateb, you look dry. You need some Living Water. At first, I’d brush it off I’m good, I got this. But deep down? I knew. I was thirsty for something real, something pure, something that didn’t leave me feeling worse after the high wore off.

But you know what’s crazy? The longer you sit in the mess, the more normal it starts to feel. You convince yourself that stress is just a part of life, that anxiety is just how things are, that peace is some unattainable fantasy. You get used to chaos, used to feeling drained, used to surviving instead of living.

I remember sitting with someone once, venting about all the things going wrong in my life, expecting them to hype me up with a Man, I feel you or a Yeah, people ain’t right. But instead, they hit me with:

"Who told you you were naked?"

That stopped me in my tracks. Because what they were really asking was, Who told you you were lacking? Who convinced you you weren’t enough? Who made you think you had to fight and claw your way through life instead of resting in the Creator’s provision?

And man, that shook me. Because I had been listening to the wrong voices. I had been eating from the wrong trees. I had let the world define my worth, my purpose, my peace. And the world is a terrible judge of character.

It’s funny how we let people who have no real connection to the Creator dictate how we should live. We let social media, trends, and opinions shape our perspective, even when the people giving advice are just as lost as we are. We take life lessons from folks who have never sat in silence and actually listened never taken the time to seek truth outside of their own emotions and experiences.

I used to think I had to figure everything out on my own. That I had to fix myself before I could approach the Creator. Like I had to scrub off all the dirt before stepping into His presence. But that’s not how it works. You don’t wait until you’re clean to take a shower. You get in the water as you are, and that’s what makes you clean.

So, I started showing up. Mess and all. Confused, frustrated, exhausted but willing. And every day, I reminded myself:

"I seek refuge in the Creator from the evil whisperings of negativity and low frequencies."

Because they’ll keep trying. The doubts, the insecurities, the temptations they don’t just disappear. But when you stay close to the Source, they lose their power.

Look, I won’t pretend I have it all figured out. I still get distracted, still have moments where I catch myself reaching for the wrong fruit. But now, I know better. Now, I recognize the traps before I fall into them. And if I do slip? I don’t stay down as long.

Because the Creator’s not standing there with a clipboard, keeping score of my failures. He’s got His hand out, saying, Come home. The garden’s still here. The path is still open. Just walk with Me.

And that’s exactly what I intend to do.