The Sephirotic Tree and Cosmic Tree Symbolism in Religious Traditions

heaven, beyond a great voice, so that every muse would be enriched by it. Therefore look at the horns of the cross: what I name, there will do the act that lightning does in the cloud with its swift fire.

THE SEPHIROTIC TREE (KIRCHER)

A representation of this tree is what is called the Sephirotic Tree, which we might discuss in more detail when we address the symbolism of colors and lights. For now, it suffices to know that this is a kind of metaphysical topographical map of God's image, where each of these centers is a divine power arising from these Divine Names, because in the Hebrew tradition the Names of God are the place of God's presence. Each of these centers corresponds to an angelic intelligence that receives divine light, conceives it, and diffuses it to creation. The whole together forms the image of the God-Man of Christ, that is, the Tree of Life.

TREE OF 72 NAMES OF GOD (KIRCHER)

In this other representation, also by Kircher, we have: • The central FLOWER-SUN: Human Consciousness blooming into God's consciousness. Indeed, there is Jesus Christ from whom depart the 12 divine qualities: Goodness, Mercy, Justice, etc... this consciousness is immersed in the Trinity, surrounded by the 12-letter Name: Father-Son-and-Holy-Spirit • From this central TREE-FLOWER-SUN depart 72 leaves representing 72 angelic intelligences, that is, the 72 angels. • Then we have the FRUITS: the Powers emanating from these centers of consciousness, where we have the planets seen as centers of cosmic man's consciousness and the 12 tribes of Israel associated with the 12 zodiacal signs.

VERIFICATION QUESTIONS

Anyone who wishes can at this point revisit the Genesis story and try to interpret it anew: • There is the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil - what does this mean? • What are the fruits? • What does eating a fruit mean? Those who want the answers can find them in the 40th Notebook.

COSMIC TREE

Until now we have spoken of the divine Tree, saying that this tree is often represented upside down with roots above and leaves below to represent its metaphysical character. We said it is a representation of God's image, that is, the Celestial Man and consequently of the messiah Jesus Christ who is one with the Celestial Man. In many traditions, however, the tree is also the symbol of the Cosmos, that is, the Cosmos-Man, the universal Man.

YGGDRASIL

For example, in the Nordic tradition we have: "I remember the giants, born at the dawn of time, who once generated me; I remember the nine worlds, the nine roots, the famous ash tree firmly fixed down in the earth. I know there exists an ash called Yggdrasil, a tall tree, covered with snow; from there derive the dews that fall in the valleys, and always green it stands by Urdh's spring." Yggdrasil is the cosmic tree par excellence. Its roots sink to the heart of the earth, where lie the realm of Giants and Hell. Near it is found the miraculous spring Mimir ('meditation', 'memory'), where Odin left an eye as pledge, and where he continually returns to refresh and increase his wisdom.

PARIJATA TREE

You remember we had spoken of the Indian tradition of the fiery wheel of existence; we had seen that the entire cosmos was viewed as a single consciousness with six distinct polarizations: • the realm of gods • the realm of humans • the realm of animals • the infernal realm • the realm of hungry ghosts • the realm of titanic demons. In the Indian tradition there is a tree in the Cosmos, the Parijata tree, which in some way also represents the purpose of the Initiated Man. In tradition, indeed, trees were the Initiated. The Vedas say this tree has roots in the realm of Asuras or Titanic Demons and fruits in the realm of gods. • The gods cannot eat the tree's fruits unless they become mighty in virtues. Some succeed, others age, die miserably, disappear from the divine world to be reborn in a worse world. However, even in the Kingdom of gods there is in some way the divine presence of the Master of Compassion Jesus. • The roots conversely are in the realm of Asuras, that is, titanic demons, the lowest polarization of cosmic consciousness.

Here we see a new aspect of tree symbolism that clarifies from a certain point of view the purpose of Man. The tree (the Initiated) is like a transformer that sinks roots into the earth's depths (the realm of Demons) and thanks to the Sun's light (of Divinity) and its own intelligent action (the leaves) produces fruits with which the Gods can nourish themselves and become divine. In practice, one asks what Man's purpose is. According to tree symbolism, man is like a transformer capable of reworking and transforming the earth (the telluric forces that were the substantial base of creation) transforming them into salvific food. The purpose therefore of Man in this state of consciousness is to cultivate the earth, transform it, as the Tree does.

"Then the Lord God said: 'Behold, man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now therefore, lest he stretch out his hand and also take from the tree of life and eat and live forever' - And the Lord God cast man out of the garden of Eden, so that he might cultivate the earth from which he was taken. So he cast out Adam and placed east of the garden of delights the Cherubim and the flame of the flashing sword to guard access to the tree of life." Genesis, 3: 22-24

MAN AND TREE

Not only is Cosmic Man compared to a tree, but individual Man is also seen as a composite tree...