Stories & Legends

The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is one of the dominant symbols in world mythology. It is found in all original belief systems worldwide and is prominently featured in most of all the creation legends from around the globe. Its roots connect it deeply with Mother Earth and the powers of creation and the Lower- Worlds of birth, death and rebirth. Its trunk represents the Middle-World in which humans dwell, often holding council underneath its canopy. Its upper branches reach towards the Upper-World and the Sky-Spirits and deities and are therefore synonyms for Spiritual Growth.

The Norse People had a World Tree called Yggdrasill (Evergreen Ash) from whose branches Odin hang (upside down) to gain wisdom.
In Central Europe an oak, that was struck by lightning = power from above, was sacred. Mistletoe often grew in oak trees and was, due to its colour, a proof of its sacredness (the golden bough), so was for the druids the oak the sacred tree
Native Americans honour the Northern White Pine as their Tree of Protection - with the Sacred Serpent at its roots and the Eagle on its top branch.
Further south this changes into the Cedar. Cedar-bark and twigs are therefore main ingredients in smudges.
In China the World Tree (Cassia Tree, similar to Cinnamon) houses the Lord Heaven = Dragon = Serpent and the Goddess of Earth, whose son is the Sun. For the ancient Chinese the pear and mulberry trees were sacred
The Yucatan Mayas have the sacred ceiba or yaxchÈ tree
For Buddhists the peepul or bo tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment is the symbol of the great awakening
Ancient Egypt venerated the sycamore
the Sumerian god of vegetation, Dumuzi, was revered as the tree of life
In the Islamic religion there is the world tree on whose leaves the name of every person is written
Early Christian church leaders fought this powerful archaic symbol with all their might, trying to eradicate it from peoples' consciousness and replacing it with the cross and a male, domineering God. Eve, second and docile wife of Adam, receives advice from the snake, keeper of all wisdom for pre-Christian Eurasians). She eats the apple, the fruit from the Tree of Life and so learns about creation and offers a bite of that fruit to Adam. Now knowing about the sacred secrets, they get evicted from the garden to live in sin and fear.
Apples have always been the fruit of the Tree of Life.
It was not until the year 751,that the church decided, to incorporate the Tree of Life into its mythology: Pope Zechariahs decreed, that the Tree of Life symbolizes Jesus.
The Serpent, familiar to the archaic Serpent Goddess of earthly knowledge however, was not so lucky: She became a feared and dangerous vermin in the Christian pantheon. Her gifts=Knowledge, intuition and wisdom in women - about procreation and healing - was frowned upon and later (Middle Ages) resulted in the public burning of herbalists and healers as witches.
Their dances around May-poles and trees being an indicator to their belief system. However the staff of Aesculapius is said to be a branch from the Tree of Life and the two snakes winding around it represent the sacred healing knowledge of old - and new.

Today, the Tree of Life is regarded as one of the few sacred symbols of multicultural understanding and respect, as it is the Family Tree of all humans on Mother Earth.