Cary Patch caught up with local author Carolyn Greenleaf to find out about her new book, Re-Entering Eden: Reclaiming our Wholeness and Divine Truth.

Greenleaf is a spiritual life coach and teacher, who applies spiritual and energetic principles to educate and reunite her clients and students with the deeper aspects of themselves, creating an opportunity to live an authentic and happy life. 

Greenleaf, who's a Michigan native has lived in Illinois since 1985 and in fall 2005 became a resident of Cary in search of a new start.  

When did you start writing?

In high school, I was one of those rebellious kids, and school wasn’t my thing. But writing class really struck my interest, along with art class and anything creative, anything I could use my mind and be outside the box a little bit, that’s where I can excel.

What is Re-entering Eden?

 Re-entering Eden means coming back home but the journey home is the return to our authentic self not what someone is telling you. 

It’s not about the rights and wrongs of what everyone else is telling you but each person has their answers inside and that’s the only place where you’re going to really find the answers to your happiness, to your healing, to overcoming anything that blocks you from achieving your dreams.

I didn’t know the name of the book but I started receiving all these references to Eden. Which led me to ask my spiritual guides, why was I receiving these references to Eden. Then before my eyes, I saw that Eden was an energetic energy, which describes the path that Humanity would take.

Does your book reference the Garden of Eden as explained in the Book of Genesis?

 Yes. But I do it a little differently. I do it from Eden as a place of oneness. Eden is a part of us. For some, it’s a real place, so it’s kind of up to you as how you want to look at it? Eden represents the wholeness of who we are. In chapter one, I do explain Adam and his relationship with Lilith and then Eve. And I reveal that those three characters are the roots of humanity.

What tools and sources did you use for your book?

 My connection. I used the background story of Eden that everyone is familiar with. I then used the information I was connecting to because of what I was achieving. It’s a spiritual connection. Once you connect to your oneness, you can obtain any information that the universe has. I also used my knowledge of ancient Kabbalah and numerology as containers.  

How long did the process take to complete your book?

 It was my own inner healing. I was being prepared; I had to walk through the fire. I had to go inside myself and go through blocks we don’t like to talk about. It all became a part of the book. How can you lead troops, unless you’ve been through the trenches? The book process began as soon as I moved to Cary in 2005. It took about three years to complete. The book really wasn’t planned. I completely forgot about the dream of being a writer as a teenager. The book was bringing me back to what I really love, that whole creative process.

In your book preview, you have the following except 

“We ask our friends, family and God for the answers that only we can find. We know the answers are there, somewhere waiting for our discovery. To find these answers we must look with open hearts and minds as we begin by taking a step outside of what we think we know, to see a new perspective with opened eyes and take in a different view of our world and ourselves.”

 What does that mean?

 Ever since we were born, we began to adopt the beliefs of the outer world. We’re like sponges. We actually enter this world connected to our true wisdoms. As we grow up, we have an ego that is a part of us that is the opposite of ourselves. We begin adopting who we are according to our parents and society. As a child you feel their energy. As adults, we stop knowing ourselves and started living according to other people’s expectations.

What do you want people to take away after reading your book?

 I want them to connect to who they really are. I want them to rediscover themselves. I want them to find their happiness because that’s how we’re going to move forward.

Embracing Eden is the follow up book, what’s in store for this edition?

 In the first book, I do explain that Lilith is actually an aspect of nature. She is the nature part of us, goddess of nature. This is the part of us humanities denies, the goddess, the feminine nature. Man has continually tried to subdue, control or destroy it. When we return to ourselves, we have to accept those elements of nature, which are also a part of us. Embracing Eden is about how to reconnect to that part of yourself. How do you embrace the world? I’m not just talking about people; I’m talking about humanity, nature and the earth, reconnecting as one. 

To Buy the Book

Purchase the Ebook

Phyiscal copies can be purchased at your local book store

Upcoming book signing

Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

Date: Feb. 18

Location: 750 Northwest Hwy Cary, Fifth Third Bank 

10 percent of the proceeds from the bank book signing will be going to the Cary Lion's Club. 

Upcoming classes 

Class title: Who Are You? 

Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

Date: Feb. 27 

Location: email Carolyn Greenleaf for address details at greenleafhealing@sbcglobal.net  

Class Title: Recreating your World (part 1 of a 4-part class series)

Time: Noon to 4 p.m. 

Date: April 14 

Location: 54 N Williams St., Crystal Lake at Evolve