The tree of life is a symbol and a concept that has spread over the years and has rooted in the life of many cultures. It is a representation of the interconnection of all life forms, the source of knowledge, immortality and own cycle that life has.
From mythology to biology, through art, religion and philosophy, this symbol is of great relevance. That is why we want to dedicate an article to talk about this Universal symbol of connection and growth.
What and how is the tree of life?
The concept of the Tree of Life is goes back to ancient times, in Mesopotamian mythology, for example, is associated with cosmogonies or creation myths. The Sumerians represented a leafy tree that connected the earthly represented by the roots with the divine. Hebrew tradition says that this tree is located in the Garden of Eden and is a symbol of immortality and divine knowledge.
For Christian culture, the image of the tree of life also It is associated with redemption, with immortality in the sense of the eternal life that is offered through faith in Christ. In the Bible, St. John's vision in the Apocalypse mentions a tree that blossoms and bears fruit, a symbol of eternal life in Paradise.
As we can see, the iconography is extensive and its meanings can vary a little from one culture to another, from one religion to another. However, almost all of them agree on the basics, on that symbol of life. If we look at the field of philosophy, this tree is also a symbol of personal growth and spiritual development. Many times a comparison is made of the roots of the tree with past experiences and the family, and the branches as the future, aspirations and goals.
Meaning of the Tree of Life
We have seen that the meaning and symbolism can vary a little depending on cultures and religions, but also that more or less there are some common concepts. Those concepts are the following:
Interconnection: It is a representation of how living beings are connected. Branches, leaves, fruits, all are different forms of life that share an origin and an end.
Life cycle: The tree is a symbol of life from birth (roots), growth (trunk) and eventual death. This is something that nature itself continually reveals. It is something that we can see for example in Hinduism, where the sacred tree (Ashvattha) represents immortality and the cycle of samsara (birth, death and rebirth).
Wisdom and knowledge: Many cultures associate trees with wisdom. In that sense, the roots symbolize history and tradition, our roots; the branches represent learning, the growth of knowledge, and the development of wisdom.
Strength and Resilience: Trees are a symbol of resistance within nature, they sink their roots to attach themselves to the earth and withstand rain, wind and inclement weather in general. They also symbolize longevity, since they adapt and generate the necessary mechanisms to survive and grow despite adversity.
Spirituality: In most cultures the spiritual part is important within the symbolism of the tree of life, and it is the representation between the earthly and the divine or spiritual. The roots extend and connect with the Earth, while its branches and leaves rise towards the sky in search of spirituality, of a high purpose. An example is found in the Mayan culture where the tree believed in the center of the universe connecting the different levels of the cosmos.
The tree in biology
From the point of view of biology, we are faced with a metaphor that represents evolutionary relationships of living organisms. Something very popularized by Darwin and that allows us to visualize the diversification of life on Earth.
In this branch of biology, what is known as "phylogenetic trees", that illustrate the connections between species. Each branch is the representation of a line of descent where organisms share a common ancestor in certain aspects of their evolution.
Representation
The representation of the tree of life is not only linked to religion, but it is easy to find it in art, from painting to sculpture. It is a theme used by artists to express all the symbolism that can easily be represented with the tree of Life. Nowadays, it is often used to address topics such as nature, ecology or the relationship between humans and the world. We find a good example with Gustav Klimt's work "The Tree of Life", a worldwide symbol of modernism.
