Tree of life, a natural spirituality?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

The tree of life- a natural spirituality.

Although pre history cannot give us any insights to ancient traditions or worship and mythology it is clear that from the earliest of recorded histories trees have been the subject of mans mythical and spiritual deities for eternity. This is to some no surprise and quite logical as the tree symbolizes a great many things, it is connected to the underworld, the place of the dead and also connected to the living and to the heavens with its reaching bows and stature. Animism too is part of early spirituality, but these animals all sheltered lived or fed below the trees and therefore the tree has always been synonymous with birth and resurrection of life, the mother.

I have implied in prior posts to ancient mans knowledge of trees which fell on deaf ears but early pagans/Celts etc held the Birch in high regard as a symbol of resurrection and rebirth, a powerful symbol and a reflection of its pioneering habit of baron and exhausted infertile land.

So it is fair to say that an appreciation of trees is inherent within our nature, we are spirituality connected to trees because of our human and conscious minds, spirituality and a sense of connection to the earth and the heavens is a natural expression of our intellect and emotional response.

It would be equally fair to assume this is the true religion, predating all others before even written history, as even the oldest recorded religion Hinduism has elements of this and even Christian faith has many adaptions from pagan rituals and tree worship.

Below are some extracts from various searches on the subject, one I find fascinating and hope this inspires some response and thought from others who share this interest, I know Skyhuck has some views on this for starters!

Tree worship refers to the tendency of many societies throughout history to worship or otherwise mythologize trees. Trees have played an important role in many of the world's mythologies and religions, and have been given deep and sacred meanings throughout the ages. Human beings, observing the growth and death of trees, the elasticity of their branches, the sensitiveness and the annual decay and revival of their foliage, see them as powerful symbols of growth, decay and resurrection. The most ancient cross-cultural symbolic representation of the universe's construction is the world tree.

The image of the Tree of life is also a favourite in many mythologies. Various forms of trees of life also appear in folklore, culture and fiction, often relating to immortality or fertility. These often hold cultural and religious significance to the peoples for whom they appear. For them, it may also strongly be connected with the motif of the world tree.

Other examples of trees featured in mythology are the Banyan and the Peepal (Ficus religiosa) trees in Hinduism, and the modern tradition of the Christmas Tree in Germanic mythology, the Tree of Knowledge of Judaism and Christianity, and the Bodhi tree in Buddhism. In folk religion and folklore, trees are often said to be the homes of tree spirits. Historical Druidism as well as Germanic paganism appear to have involved cultic practice in sacred groves, especially the oak. The term druid itself possibly derives from the Celtic word for oak.

Trees are a necessary attribute of the archetypical locus amoenus Latin for "pleasant place", (locus amoenus is a literary term which generally refers to an idealized place of safety or comforts with connotations of Eden) in all cultures. Already the Egyptian Book of the Dead mentions sycomores as part of the scenery where the soul of the deceased finds blissful repose (Gollwitzer p. 13).

According to the Roman authors Lucan and Pomponius Mela, the Celts of Gaul worshipped in groves of trees, a practice which Tacitus and Dio Cassius say was also found among the Celts in Britain. The Romans used the Celtic word nemeton for these sacred groves. A sacred oak grove in Galatia (Asia Minor), for example, was called Drunemeton (Strabo, Geographica, XII, 5, 1). The word was also incorporated into many of the names of towns and forts, such as Vernemeton near Leicester in England.

The names of certain Celtic tribes in Gaul reflect the veneration of trees, such as Euburones (the Yew tribe), and the Lemovices (the people of the elm). A tree trunk or a whole tree was frequently included among the votive offerings placed in ritual pits or shafts dug into the ground. Others shafts had a wooden pole placed at the bottom. The Celts believed trees to be sources of sacred wisdom, and the hazel in particular was associated with wisdom by the Druids.

Perhaps not surprisingly, trees appear at the foundations of many of the world's religions. Because of their relative rarity in the Near East, trees are regarded in the Bible as something almost sacred and are used to symbolize longevity, strength, and pride. Elements of pagan tree cults and worship have survived into Judeo-Christian theology. In Genesis, two trees -- the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil -- grow at the centre of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). Scriptural and apocryphal traditions regarding the Tree of Life later merge in Christianity with the cult of the cross [cf. Sacred Shapes and Symbols] to produce the Tree of the Cross. The fantastic Story of the True Cross identifies the wood used for the cross in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as being ultimately from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. Other stories claim that Adam was buried at Jerusalem and three trees grew out of his mouth to mark the centre of the earth (see F. Kampers)

In the Old Testament, trees are also associated with the ancient Canaanite religion devoted to the mother goddess Asherah which the Israelites, intent on establishing their monotheistic cult of Yahweh, saught to suppress and replace. The cult Asherah and her consort Baal was evidently celebrated in high places, on the tops of hills and mountains [cf. The Sacred Mountain], where altars dedicated to Baal and carved wooden poles or statues of Asherah (or the Asherahs; in the past Asherah has also been translated as grove, or wood, or tree) were evidently located. In Deuteronomy 12:2, the Israelites are directed to "to destroy all the places, wherein the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, upon the high mountains and upon the hills and under every green tree; you shall tear down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and burn their Asherim with fire."

[sean]

The tree of life- a natural spirituality.

[ATTACH]32944[/ATTACH]

Although pre history cannot give us any insights to ancient traditions or worship and mythology it is clear that from the earliest of recorded histories trees have been the subject of mans mythical and spiritual deities for eternity. This is to some no surprise and quite logical as the tree symbolizes a great many things, it is connected to the underworld, the place of the dead and also connected to the living and to the heavens with its reaching bows and stature. Animism too is part of early spirituality, but these animals all sheltered lived or fed below the trees and therefore the tree has always been synonymous with birth and resurrection of life, the mother.

I have implied in prior posts to ancient mans knowledge of trees which fell on deaf ears but early pagans/Celts etc held the Birch in high regard as a symbol of resurrection and rebirth, a powerful symbol and a reflection of its pioneering habit of baron and exhausted infertile land.

So it is fair to say that an appreciation of trees is inherent within our nature, we are spirituality connected to trees because of our human and conscious minds, spirituality and a sense of connection to the earth and the heavens is a natural expression of our intellect and emotional response.

It would be equally fair to assume this is the true religion, predating all others before even written history, as even the oldest recorded religion Hinduism has elements of this and even Christian faith has many adaptions from pagan rituals and tree worship.

Below are some extracts from various searches on the subject, one I find fascinating and hope this inspires some response and thought from others who share this interest, I know Skyhuck has some views on this for starters!

Tree worship refers to the tendency of many societies throughout history to worship or otherwise mythologize trees. Trees have played an important role in many of the world's mythologies and religions, and have been given deep and sacred meanings throughout the ages. Human beings, observing the growth and death of trees, the elasticity of their branches, the sensitiveness and the annual decay and revival of their foliage, see them as powerful symbols of growth, decay and resurrection. The most ancient cross-cultural symbolic representation of the universe's construction is the world tree.

The image of the Tree of life is also a favourite in many mythologies. Various forms of trees of life also appear in folklore, culture and fiction, often relating to immortality or fertility. These often hold cultural and religious significance to the peoples for whom they appear. For them, it may also strongly be connected with the motif of the world tree.

Other examples of trees featured in mythology are the Banyan and the Peepal (Ficus religiosa) trees in Hinduism, and the modern tradition of the Christmas Tree in Germanic mythology, the Tree of Knowledge of Judaism and Christianity, and the Bodhi tree in Buddhism. In folk religion and folklore, trees are often said to be the homes of tree spirits. Historical Druidism as well as Germanic paganism appear to have involved cultic practice in sacred groves, especially the oak. The term druid itself possibly derives from the Celtic word for oak.

Trees are a necessary attribute of the archetypical locus amoenus Latin for "pleasant place", (locus amoenus is a literary term which generally refers to an idealized place of safety or comforts with connotations of Eden) in all cultures. Already the Egyptian Book of the Dead mentions sycomores as part of the scenery where the soul of the deceased finds blissful repose (Gollwitzer p. 13).

According to the Roman authors Lucan and Pomponius Mela, the Celts of Gaul worshipped in groves of trees, a practice which Tacitus and Dio Cassius say was also found among the Celts in Britain. The Romans used the Celtic word nemeton for these sacred groves. A sacred oak grove in Galatia (Asia Minor), for example, was called Drunemeton (Strabo, Geographica, XII, 5, 1). The word was also incorporated into many of the names of towns and forts, such as Vernemeton near Leicester in England.

The names of certain Celtic tribes in Gaul reflect the veneration of trees, such as Euburones (the Yew tribe), and the Lemovices (the people of the elm). A tree trunk or a whole tree was frequently included among the votive offerings placed in ritual pits or shafts dug into the ground. Others shafts had a wooden pole placed at the bottom. The Celts believed trees to be sources of sacred wisdom, and the hazel in particular was associated with wisdom by the Druids.

Perhaps not surprisingly, trees appear at the foundations of many of the world's religions. Because of their relative rarity in the Near East, trees are regarded in the Bible as something almost sacred and are used to symbolize longevity, strength, and pride. Elements of pagan tree cults and worship have survived into Judeo-Christian theology. In Genesis, two trees -- the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil -- grow at the centre of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). Scriptural and apocryphal traditions regarding the Tree of Life later merge in Christianity with the cult of the cross [cf. Sacred Shapes and Symbols] to produce the Tree of the Cross. The fantastic Story of the True Cross identifies the wood used for the cross in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as being ultimately from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. Other stories claim that Adam was buried at Jerusalem and three trees grew out of his mouth to mark the centre of the earth (see F. Kampers)

In the Old Testament, trees are also associated with the ancient Canaanite religion devoted to the mother goddess Asherah which the Israelites, intent on establishing their monotheistic cult of Yahweh, saught to suppress and replace. The cult Asherah and her consort Baal was evidently celebrated in high places, on the tops of hills and mountains [cf. The Sacred Mountain], where altars dedicated to Baal and carved wooden poles or statues of Asherah (or the Asherahs; in the past Asherah has also been translated as grove, or wood, or tree) were evidently located. In Deuteronomy 12:2, the Israelites are directed to "to destroy all the places, wherein the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, upon the high mountains and upon the hills and under every green tree; you shall tear down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and burn their Asherim with fire."

 

Had a quick scan but busy right now......look forward to reading hama's post in depth......me likes this thread already!

[bareroots]

Have you been watching avatar too much last night? now they new about tree worship and would make great arbs.

 

Seriously though, the tree worship was the most interesting part of that film for me.

 

It's a little low brow in comparison to some of your quotes but the vision of the future in the Celstine Prophecy I think had each community revolving around a grove of heritage trees for there spiritual focus.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Have you been watching avatar too much last night? now they new about tree worship and would make great arbs.

 

Seriously though, the tree worship was the most interesting part of that film for me.

 

It's a little low brow in comparison to some of your quotes but the vision of the future in the Celstine Prophecy I think had each community revolving around a grove of heritage trees for there spiritual focus.

 

I havent seen Avatar yet!

 

The celestine prophecy is a good read, and its basic priciple is not far removed from an enlightened path, remove the elevation to another dimension and it would be quite good/grounded.

[sean]

Think you may enjoy this hama

 

Ringing Cedars - Books - Book 1 - Anastasia

[bareroots]

I'm with you on the transdimensional vibration bollocks (my own opinion of course) that the book concludes with.

[bareroots]

I imagine you'll love the tree scenes in avatar. (and the 15ft scantily clad blue aliens climbing them)

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

From Alan Rayner

 

Introduction: Detached and Immersed Views of Nature

 

Perhaps the greatest tragedy of modern culture is the way that so many of us feel compelled to sever the connections between our thinking and our feeling - between ‘reason’ and ‘emotion’.

 

As a result of this severance, we often find ourselves caught up in the crossfire of all kinds of internal and external conflicts. Especially in our working lives we often feel such conflict in the need to detach what we expect - or feel is culturally expected - of ourselves, from our personal human needs, experience and values. We struggle to be ‘rational’ and ‘objective’ and aspire to ‘peak performance’ and ‘success’, whilst every intuitive sense in our body may be screaming ‘violation’, if not ‘blue murder’. And the social, psychological and environmental damage that results from such violation can be nothing short of catastrophic. Yet we seem powerless to do anything about it, let alone understand its origins in our ways of viewing nature and our subjective relation with it. We carry on regardless, comforting ourselves with paradoxical notions like ‘being cruel to be kind’ and ‘the end justifies the means’.

 

I suspect this conflict is nowhere more keenly felt than by those of us who work with trees. In so many ways, trees epitomize our ambivalent relationship with the ‘otherness’ of nature - part fearful, part loving; part utilitarian, part aesthetic.

 

When we look at a tree, what are we looking for? And how are we looking?

 

 

 

Do we look lovingly, feeling ourselves entering into some kind of deep relationship, finding comfort, shelter and beauty in the infinitely scaled natural, fractal geometry of the tree’s twists, turns and branches? Do we look fearfully, belittled and vulnerable besides the tree’s natural scale, disturbed and threatened by the unpredictable complexity of its dynamic form and destructive potential, and searching for ways to control it? Do we look practically at the tree as a provider of resources or amenity, or as an obstacle to our agricultural and constructive ambitions?

 

And, how, by the same token, do we view those many other life forms that live within and around the tree’s boundaries - are they ‘rotters’ or ‘friends of the earth’?

 

In this talk, I want to examine this ambivalent relationship we have with trees as symbolic of our more general relationships with one another and nature. I want to reflect on how the tendency for this relationship to be superficial and abusive can be transformed into something altogether deeper, richer and more empathic by what I call an ‘Inclusional’, as opposed to ‘Rational’ view. This inclusional view leads to the bringing together in reciprocal dynamic partnership, rather than severance, of thinking and feeling, art and science, aesthetic and practical, male (assertive) and female (inductive). Essentially, it enables us to see all things, including trees and ourselves, not as isolated, independent bodies but rather as ‘dynamic inclusions’ - interdependent embodiments - that both include and are included in the continuum of space that connects inner and outer domains across all scales from sub-atomic to universal. By the same token, it enables us to see ‘boundaries’ not as the fixed limits of discrete objects or ‘entities’, but rather as places of dynamic relationship that give ‘identity’ to ‘one another’, rendering them distinct - recognizable - but not discrete - alone.

 

To develop this inclusional view, it is necessary both to acknowledge and bring into connective rapport, two distinctive ways of seeing - detached and immersed. The immersed way of seeing makes no separation between our inner and outer selves. We are absorbed and involved - and inclined to lose our sense of control and where we are - in what we see around us in our horizontal field as a rich, never-ending tapestry of space and features that moves reciprocally around us as we move through it. The detached view distinguishes our inner selves as ‘subjects’ from what we regard as ‘objects’ in our external surroundings. We gain a sense of independence, control and certainty about where we are in relation to these objects, but lose all sense of the interdependent relationship between our movements and theirs, between our own influence and their influence mediated through our common space.

 

We are all equipped with both these ways of seeing. However, we tend to reverse and even abandon the natural primacy of the immersed perspective in favour of the detached as we emerge through childhood and adjust to the survival needs of our terrestrial existence. Here, air seems like a separating ‘nothingness’ and ground is what we stand abstracted from at right angles. In fact, I sometimes reflect that if we were aquatic mammals, how different might our relationships with one another and our common space be.

 

 

 

Slide: ‘Fountains of the Forest’

 

Within and upon the branching, enfolding, water-containing surfaces of forest trees and reaching out from there into air and soil are branching, enfolding, water-containing surfaces of finer scale, the mycelial networks of fungi. These networks provide a communications interface for energy transfer from neighbour to neighbour, from living to dead and from dead to living. They maintain the forest in a state of flux as they gather, conserve, explore for and recycle supplies of chemical fuel originating from photosynthesis. So, the fountains of the forest trees are connected and tapped into by the fountains of fungal networks in a moving circulation: an evolutionary spiral of differentiation and integration from past through to unpredictable future; a water delivery from the fire of the sun, through the fire of respiration, and back again to sky, contained within the contextual boundaries of a wood-wide web.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Think you may enjoy this hama

 

Ringing Cedars - Books - Book 1 - Anastasia

 

“In the book you are going to write, Vladimir, there will be unobtrusive combinations, formulations made up of letters,

and they will arouse in the majority of people good and radiant feelings. These feelings are capable of overcoming ailments of body and soul, and will facilitate the birth of a new awareness inherent in people of the future. Believe me, Vladimir, this is not mysticism—it is in accord with

the laws of the Universe.”

 

Now this looks interesting!

[sean]

“In the book you are going to write, Vladimir, there will be unobtrusive combinations, formulations made up of letters,

and they will arouse in the majority of people good and radiant feelings. These feelings are capable of overcoming ailments of body and soul, and will facilitate the birth of a new awareness inherent in people of the future. Believe me, Vladimir, this is not mysticism—it is in accord with

the laws of the Universe.”

 

Now this looks interesting!

 

theres a whole series of them:thumbup1: just started the first