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The Tree
of Life is an important symbol in nearly every culture. With its branches
reaching into the sky, and roots deep in the earth, it dwells in three
worlds- a link between heaven, the earth, and the underworld, uniting
above and below. It is both a feminine symbol, bearing sustenance, and
a masculine, visibly phallic symbol- another union.
In Jewish
and Christian mythology, a tree sits at the center of both the Heavenly
and Earthly Edens. The Norse cosmic World Ash, Ygdrassil, has its roots
in the underworld while its branches support the abode of the Gods.
The Egyptian's Holy Sycamore stood on the threshold of life and death,
connecting the worlds. To the Mayas, it is Yaxche, whose branches support
the heavens.
The tree
has other characteristics which lend easily to symbolism. Many trees
take on the appearance of death in the winter- losing their leaves,
only to sprout new growth with the return of spring. This aspect makes
the tree a symbol of resurrection, and a stylized tree is the symbol
of many resurrected Gods- Jesus, Attis, and Osirus all have crosses
as their symbols. Most of these Gods are believed to have been crucified
on trees, as well. The modern Christmas tree hearkens back to trees
decorated to honor Attis, the crucified God of the Greeks.
A tree
also bears seeds or fruits, which contain the essence of the tree, and
this continuous regeneration is a potent symbol of immortality. It is
the fruit of a tree that confers immortality in the Jewish creation
story. In Taoist tradition, it is a divine peach that gives the gift
of immortality. In ancient Persia, the fruit of the haoma bears this
essence. The apples of Idun give the Norse gods their powers, much like
the Gods of the Greek pantheon and their reliance on Ambrosia.
This aspect
of the tree as a giver of gifts and spiritual wisdom is also quite common.
It is while meditating under a Bodhi tree that Buddha received his enlightenment;
the Norse God Odin received the gift of language while suspended upside
down in the World Ash (an interesting parallel is the hanged man of
the tarot). In Judeo-Christian mythology, the Tree of heaven is the
source of the primordial rivers that water the earth- similar to the
Tooba Tree of the Koran, from whose roots spring milk, honey, and wine.
This tree
and its gifts of immortality are not easy to discover. It is historically
difficult to find, and almost invariably guarded. The tree of Life in
the Jewish bible is guarded by a Seraph (an angel in the form of a fiery
serpent) bearing a flaming sword. To steal the apples of knowledge,
the Greek hero Hercules had to slay a many-headed dragon Ladon. In Mayan
legends, it is a serpent in the roots that must be contended with. Similarly,
the Naga, or divine serpent guards the Hindu Tree. The Serpent Nidhog
lives under Ygdrassil, and gnaws at the roots.
The tree
as the abode of the Gods is another feature common to many mythologies;
in some, the tree itself is a God. The ancient Sumerian God Dammuzi
was personified as a tree, as is the Hindu Brahman. The Byzantine World
tree represents the omnipotence of the Christian god.
Another
form, the inverted Tree, represents spiritual growth, as well as the
human nervous system. This tree, with its roots in heaven, and its branches
growing downward, is most commonly found in Kabbalistic imagery. A similar
tree is mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita, "The banyan tree with its
roots above, and its branches below, is imperishable." In Jewish
Kabbalah, the inverted tree represents the nervous system as well- the
'root' in the cranial nerves, with the branches spreading throughout
the body; it also represents the cosmic tree- rooted in heaven, the
branches all of manifest creation.
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