The Tree of Life

Dutch Uncle

Dutch Uncle

* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Be it comparative psychology or comparative religions, common patterns have always fascinated me. In this instance, the common myths of a tree such as a "tree of life" or a "tree of knowledge" are very interesting. Note that the movie "Avatar" also had trees at the center of the story, a "Home Tree" and the "Tree of Souls". No doubt James Cameron, the writer of the story, lifted this concept from common human mythology.

So what is the origin of these tree concepts? Is it because our ancestors used to live in them? The fact tracking human progress, families and evolution can all be mapped out using a tree diagram?

symbolsandmeanings.net

Tree of Life Symbol, Meaning, Origin And Symbolism

In today's post, we will be examining an ancient symbol shared by many cultures and religions around the world, the tree of life. Let's get right into it, here is everything you should know about
symbolsandmeanings.net symbolsandmeanings.net

What is the Tree of Life?​

The tree of life is a universal symbol with varying connotations in different cultures, folklore, mythology, and religions.

A tree is in itself a source of life as it produces oxygen which sustains humans and animals alike while also being a source of sustenance, shelter.

Even after their “death”, trees can be used to build homes and construct structures allowing them to carry on living, in a sense, while supporting the lives of other creatures in this form.

The concept of the tree of life is rooted in religion and spiritualism, therefore, it has become one of the most prominent ancient symbols throughout history which has been used commonly in symbolism to represent:
  • Connections
  • Ancestry
  • Fertility
  • Family
  • Strength
  • Growth
  • Individuality
  • Immortality
  • Rebirth
  • Peace


www.britannica.com

Tree of life | Meaning, Symbol, Biology, Name, & Movie | Britannica

Tree of life, a widespread archetype common to many religions, mythologies, and folktales. The tree of life is a common idea in cultures throughout the world. It represents, at times, the source of life, a force that connects all lives, or the cycle of life and death itself. Common features of
www.britannica.com www.britannica.com
tree of life, a widespread archetype common to many religions, mythologies, and folktales. The tree of life is a common idea in cultures throughout the world. It represents, at times, the source of life, a force that connects all lives, or the cycle of life and death itself. Common features of various myths include supernatural guardians protecting the tree and its fruits that grant those who eat them immortality. It is typically planted at the centre of the world, often within a sacred garden or forest. The tree of life is closely related to both the world tree, a motif found across many cultures that is typified by the Norse belief in the sacred tree Yggdrasill, and the tree of knowledge, which was said to grow in the Garden of Eden in Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam)...
...The tree of life continues to be a powerful symbol in art, particularly religious art. It is the subject of one of the most famous works by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt. The Tree of Life, Stoclet Frieze (1905) is a mural from Klimt’s golden period that symbolizes the unity between heaven, earth, and the underworld. A Mozambican sculpture commemorating the end of Mozambique’s postindependence civil war was named Tree of Life (2005). The sculpture was made from pieces of weapons turned in by citizens in exchange for tools, in a reference to the biblical concept of beating swords into plowshares. The Tree of Life is also the title of a critically acclaimed 2011 film by filmmaker Terrence Malick. Starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, and Sean Penn, the film concerns the trials and tragedies of an American family but seeks to place the family in the far broader context of the world and the universe. It accomplishes this in part with religious themes, opening with a quotation from the Book of Job, and has been frequently discussed in Christian and Roman Catholic contexts. The film was widely praised by critics and received the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival.
 
symbolsage.com

The Tree of Life: Understanding its Symbolism and Significance - Symbol Sage

Explore the Tree of Life's symbolism across cultures, from ancient myth to modern interpretations, and its universal significance.
symbolsage.com symbolsage.com
Since ancient times, trees have often been viewed as sacred and vital, making it no surprise that the Tree of Life has significance across several cultures around the world. While the symbol has various meanings to each culture, there are overarching themes as to what it represents. Here’s a closer look.

tree-of-life-symbolic-meaning.jpg



74430fffbd1e4da8875e13a5fdf95b5a.jpg
 
Dutch Uncle said:
Be it comparative psychology or comparative religions, common patterns have always fascinated me. In this instance, the common myths of a tree such as a "tree of life" or a "tree of knowledge" are very interesting. Note that the movie "Avatar" also had trees at the center of the story, a "Home Tree" and the "Tree of Souls". No doubt James Cameron, the writer of the story, lifted this concept from common human mythology.

So what is the origin of these tree concepts? Is it because our ancestors used to live in them? The fact tracking human progress, families and evolution can all be mapped out using a tree diagram?
Click to expand...
Trees seem to represent life, beauty, even wisdom or enlightenment, aka the Bodhi tree or Isaac Newton's apple tree.

The palm tree and date tree-rimmed oases in the Arabian desert literally represented a boundary between life and death.

I don't know anyone who thinks a California redwood or a majestic oak are ugly. We generally marvel at their beauty.

Tolkien treated trees in LOTR as magical and ancient.
 
AProudLefty said:
Jewish Tree of Life

View attachment 41320
Click to expand...

I know it's not a tree but for some reason this illustration reminded me of this little tidbit: Apparently Murray Gel-Mann, the famous physicist was enthralled by the Buddhist 8-fold Way and leveraged that to arrange the "Standard Model" of subatomic particles.

I know it's not directly related to the OP but the Jewish Tree of life made me think of that.
 
AProudLefty said:
Jewish Tree of Life

View attachment 41320
Click to expand...
Chabad source, the tree of life is to be interpreted in the following way: The tree represents a series of divine emanations of God's creation itself ex nihilo, the nature of revealed divinity, the human soul, and the spiritual path of ascent by man.

The ten Sefirot are a set of divine aspects that are represented in the Kabbalah's Tree of Life. The word "Sefirot" comes from the Hebrew word sefirah, which means "number" or "category".
The ten Sefirot are:

  • Keter: The crown, or divine plan
  • Hokhmah: Wisdom
  • Binah: Understanding, or insight
    • Hesed: Mercy, or lovingkindness
    • Gevurah: Justice, or strength
    • Tiferet: Beauty
    • Netzach: Victory, or eternity
    • Hod: Glory, or awe
    • Yesod: Foundation, or the first principles of human knowledge
    • Malchut: Kingship, or nobility, sovereignty, and leadership
 
Cypress said:
Trees seem to represent life, beauty, even wisdom or enlightenment, aka the Bodhi tree or Isaac Newton's apple tree.

The palm tree and date tree-rimmed oases in the Arabian desert literally represented a boundary between life and death.

I don't know anyone who thinks a California redwood or a majestic oak are ugly. We generally marvel at their beauty.

Tolkien treated trees in LOTR as magical and ancient.
Click to expand...
What is your theory on why humans are so fascinated by trees?
 
Guno צְבִי said:
Chabad source, the tree of life is to be interpreted in the following way: The tree represents a series of divine emanations of God's creation itself ex nihilo, the nature of revealed divinity, the human soul, and the spiritual path of ascent by man.

The ten Sefirot are a set of divine aspects that are represented in the Kabbalah's Tree of Life. The word "Sefirot" comes from the Hebrew word sefirah, which means "number" or "category".
The ten Sefirot are:

  • Keter: The crown, or divine plan
  • Hokhmah: Wisdom
  • Binah: Understanding, or insight
    • Hesed: Mercy, or lovingkindness
    • Gevurah: Justice, or strength
    • Tiferet: Beauty
    • Netzach: Victory, or eternity
    • Hod: Glory, or awe
    • Yesod: Foundation, or the first principles of human knowledge
    • Malchut: Kingship, or nobility, sovereignty, and leadership
Click to expand...
Points that seem to be viewed across several different human cultures around the planet.

History is one thing but origins are another. Any thoughts about why that came about?
 
Dutch Uncle said:
Why a tree? Why not a figure of mankind like on Pioneer 10?

il_fullxfull.4145717992_t0r4.jpg
Click to expand...
Probably thousands of years of human evolution and interaction with the environment gave us an instinctual appeal for the aesthetic quality and the practical value of trees.

I've seen thousands of photographs and paintings of trees and forests, obviously indicating our reverence for them. I've seen very few paintings of sheets of aluminum that have stick figures etched on them.
 
Cypress said:
Probably thousands of years of human evolution and interaction with the environment gave us an instinctual appeal for the aesthetic quality and the practical value of trees.

I've seen thousands of photographs and paintings of trees and forests, obviously indicating our reverence for them. I've seen very few paintings of sheets of aluminum that have stick figures etched on them.
Click to expand...
I'm kinda partial to the fact our ancestors lived in those trees and saw them as a source of protection and sustenance. :)

If true, is this some form of genetic or social memory? Richard Dawkins, before he sold out and cashed in as the High Priest of Atheism, was a biological geneticist and popularized the term "meme", specifically "meme theory".

The human fascination with trees could fall under this theory.

What's in a Meme? | Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science

Preparing for this article, I googled the word “meme” and generated 78,000,000 results! Looking back on 2013, the BBC published an article on-li ...
richarddawkins.net richarddawkins.net
The meme first appeared in Richard Dawkins’ first book, “The Selfish Gene” (1976), and was an attempt to understand why some behaviours, from an evolutionary perspective, seemed to make no sense but, somehow or other, were found to be very common in human societies. As Dawkins emphasised, natural selection is a ruthless judge of its subjects and any frailty, physical or behavioural, is almost inevitably rewarded by a rapid exit from the gene pool. It therefore followed that any widespread behaviour, prevalent in a thriving population, no matter how immediately inexplicable, should give some advantage in terms of gene survival. Continued research aimed to understand the reasons behind animal behaviours has yielded results that are entirely consistent with this thesis.

In some cases, however, it is necessary to dig a little deeper and understand exactly what is benefitting from particular behaviours.
 
Dutch Uncle said:
I'm kinda partial to the fact our ancestors lived in those trees and saw them as a source of protection and sustenance. :)

If true, is this some form of genetic or social memory? Richard Dawkins, before he sold out and cashed in as the High Priest of Atheism, was a biological geneticist and popularized the term "meme", specifically "meme theory".

The human fascination with trees could fall under this theory.

What's in a Meme? | Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science

Preparing for this article, I googled the word “meme” and generated 78,000,000 results! Looking back on 2013, the BBC published an article on-li ...
richarddawkins.net richarddawkins.net
The meme first appeared in Richard Dawkins’ first book, “The Selfish Gene” (1976), and was an attempt to understand why some behaviours, from an evolutionary perspective, seemed to make no sense but, somehow or other, were found to be very common in human societies. As Dawkins emphasised, natural selection is a ruthless judge of its subjects and any frailty, physical or behavioural, is almost inevitably rewarded by a rapid exit from the gene pool. It therefore followed that any widespread behaviour, prevalent in a thriving population, no matter how immediately inexplicable, should give some advantage in terms of gene survival. Continued research aimed to understand the reasons behind animal behaviours has yielded results that are entirely consistent with this thesis.

In some cases, however, it is necessary to dig a little deeper and understand exactly what is benefitting from particular behaviours.
Click to expand...
I think you are right that there is a natural instinct that explains the appeal of trees.

Dawkins claim that all human behavior is explained because it gives us some genetic advantage is baloney. If that were true, we would dispose of all babies and children with physical and mental handicaps, and Oskar Schindler would never have risked his life and everything he had to save a few thousand strangers.
 
Cypress said:
I think you are right that there is a natural instinct that explains the appeal of trees.

Dawkins claim that all human behavior is explained because it gives us some genetic advantage is baloney.

If that were true, we would dispose of all babies and children with physical and mental handicaps, and Oskar Schindler would never have risked his life and everything he had to save a few thousand strangers.
Click to expand...
Agreed on "all human behavior", but the theory does explain some human behavior, especially cultural behavior. Consider the recent election. We, the People, voted back into office a chronic lying, grifting narcissist. Why? Individuals are one thing, but culture exhibits its own behavior.

The Romans did exactly that. It's cultural and, as we are finding out today, and as history often proves, culture is very difficult to change. Why? Because, IMO, there's some truisms about Meme Theory AKA Memetics.


Charles Darwin, the founder of the idea of natural selection, believed that this selection is not limited exclusively to biology: changes in language, consciousness, and technology are also adaptive. The transmission of culture is not a human prerogative. To date, several approaches for the understanding of the biological basis of cultural evolution were developed. Memetics stands out among other interdisciplinary theories that consider the development of culture and society through the prism of biological phenomena, because it is based on the concept of the biological replicator, meme and the mechanisms of cultural evolution are understood by analogy with biological evolution....

...The latter category includes the memetic approach. In 1976, Richard Dawkins introduced the concept of a cultural replicator meme by analogy with the biological replicator gene (Dawkins, 1976). The cultural replicator hypothesis opened up the possibility of a new direction of human thought, called “memetics” (Dawkins, 1976; Blackmore, 2000). The idea of memetic cultural evolution is developed largely by analogy with the idea of biological evolution, based on the principles of struggle for existence, natural selection, and genetic mechanisms of inheritance...

...Conclusion
The phenomenon of culture is inextricably linked with man, and man is a living organism. The idea that the biological nature of man can influence cultural evolution and that there are many similarities between biological and cultural evolution was proposed as early as in the XIX century. Currently, several approaches to understanding cultural evolution have been developed. The historical approach considers the origin of human cognitive abilities and human nature.
 
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