Part of the obscurity of Scripture is that we no longer read the language of symbology, for symbology (like geometry) is a sacred art in that it is, at every level, a means by which the Divine communicates with the mundane world. The tree, understandably, is a symbol common to tradition, and the 'Tree in the Midst' occurs in many, including Qabbalistic and Moslem esotericism. Here, however, we are primarily concerned with not so much the tree as the location.
The Garden of Eden
"... the tree of life also in the midst of paradise: and the tree of knowledge of good and evil ..." (2:9)
In the midst, quite simply, means the tree stands at the centre, the axial point, of paradise. It is important to realise that we are now talking of the second chapter of Genesis, so whereas the first concerned creation as such, the second concerns a specific domain within creation, and this is the world of man, not as he is today, but as he was intended and created, in his primordial purity. We can, using the tree as an analogy, say that Genesis 1 is concerned with the trunk, thus the verticality of creation in its entirety from top to bottom, whilst Genesis 2 deals with the branches, or rather a specific branch, and thus the horizontal axis and a given dimension or mode of being.
Genesis tells us 'And the Lord God had planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning:' (2.8) by which we can understand that this paradise was created in Genesis 1, which in turn means it transcends the human state, or rather the mode of man, in all his states of being, which are the subject of Genesis 2.
Thus the tree, in the midst, is axial; it reaches up above, and its roots descend below, the paradise of Eden, the specific garden in which the primordial couple find themselves. This is further reinforced, if such was necessary, by the four rivers which flow from the centre, the four directions being forward and back, left and right, whilst the tree comprises the remaining two, up and down. One might add, lastly on this, that the fact that the rivers flow from this point, rather than through the midst, implies that the tree represents the axial point, the centre not only physically in time and space, but the centre and origin of time and space as such.
There can only ever be one centre, but there are two trees. How is it possible that two trees occupy the same central point? Because they are the same tree, but viewed from different dimensions, or rather, that is how the one tree manifests in a different and particular mode of being. The first tree therefore, the hierarchic principal tree, is the tree of life, signifying the action of the First Cause in every mode of manifestation, and this tree grows, like the beanstalk, through every level of creation, top to bottom. The second tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, is the manifestation of that tree in a given domain. In another paradise, it will be known by a different name.
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In Greek myth, it was golden apples that grew on a golden tree in The Garden of the Hesperides, and the flesh of a golden apples was said to grant immortality. This golden tree was located on a mythical isle in the west, and without going into detail here, one can easily see the correspondence between this and other mythologies, and the Scriptural Eden. The perspective is different, however, in that in the Greek myth man has to find (and in Hercules' case, steal) the fruit to regain his lost immortality, his true and primordial state.
The notion of a mythical isle replicates the primordial Eden but now it is hidden, that is to say its location is uncharted, the seeker has to find it by himself, or one might say, within himself. The only clue, that it lies to the west, signifies the end times, as the west signifies the setting sun, and at the end of the cosmic cycle, the island will be revealed. Until then, only the courageous few will make the perilous journey. Another obvious correspondence here is with the Pure Land of the West of Amida Buddhism.
In Hindu tradition the World Tree is represented by the fig, and the Gautama Buddha achieved enlightenment after meditating beneath the branches of a fig tree. We introduce this point because later, in the next chapter, Adam and Eve make clothing from the leaves of the fig after realising their nakedness, after eating the fruit. It is not too great a stretch, therefore, to suggest that the tree in the midst might well, and more accurately, be represented by the fig tree.
The Golden Fleece of the Argonauts was likewise hung from a tree, and protected by a serpent. As well as links to the Argonauts, there is a connection to the Grail Quest of Avalon, and the Isle of Avalon itself, the Lake being synonymous with the sea.
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Taken from some essays written for The Veil, so somewhat pedagogical, for which I beg your indulgence.
Thomas
The Garden of Eden
"... the tree of life also in the midst of paradise: and the tree of knowledge of good and evil ..." (2:9)
In the midst, quite simply, means the tree stands at the centre, the axial point, of paradise. It is important to realise that we are now talking of the second chapter of Genesis, so whereas the first concerned creation as such, the second concerns a specific domain within creation, and this is the world of man, not as he is today, but as he was intended and created, in his primordial purity. We can, using the tree as an analogy, say that Genesis 1 is concerned with the trunk, thus the verticality of creation in its entirety from top to bottom, whilst Genesis 2 deals with the branches, or rather a specific branch, and thus the horizontal axis and a given dimension or mode of being.
Genesis tells us 'And the Lord God had planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning:' (2.8) by which we can understand that this paradise was created in Genesis 1, which in turn means it transcends the human state, or rather the mode of man, in all his states of being, which are the subject of Genesis 2.
Thus the tree, in the midst, is axial; it reaches up above, and its roots descend below, the paradise of Eden, the specific garden in which the primordial couple find themselves. This is further reinforced, if such was necessary, by the four rivers which flow from the centre, the four directions being forward and back, left and right, whilst the tree comprises the remaining two, up and down. One might add, lastly on this, that the fact that the rivers flow from this point, rather than through the midst, implies that the tree represents the axial point, the centre not only physically in time and space, but the centre and origin of time and space as such.
There can only ever be one centre, but there are two trees. How is it possible that two trees occupy the same central point? Because they are the same tree, but viewed from different dimensions, or rather, that is how the one tree manifests in a different and particular mode of being. The first tree therefore, the hierarchic principal tree, is the tree of life, signifying the action of the First Cause in every mode of manifestation, and this tree grows, like the beanstalk, through every level of creation, top to bottom. The second tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, is the manifestation of that tree in a given domain. In another paradise, it will be known by a different name.
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In Greek myth, it was golden apples that grew on a golden tree in The Garden of the Hesperides, and the flesh of a golden apples was said to grant immortality. This golden tree was located on a mythical isle in the west, and without going into detail here, one can easily see the correspondence between this and other mythologies, and the Scriptural Eden. The perspective is different, however, in that in the Greek myth man has to find (and in Hercules' case, steal) the fruit to regain his lost immortality, his true and primordial state.
The notion of a mythical isle replicates the primordial Eden but now it is hidden, that is to say its location is uncharted, the seeker has to find it by himself, or one might say, within himself. The only clue, that it lies to the west, signifies the end times, as the west signifies the setting sun, and at the end of the cosmic cycle, the island will be revealed. Until then, only the courageous few will make the perilous journey. Another obvious correspondence here is with the Pure Land of the West of Amida Buddhism.
In Hindu tradition the World Tree is represented by the fig, and the Gautama Buddha achieved enlightenment after meditating beneath the branches of a fig tree. We introduce this point because later, in the next chapter, Adam and Eve make clothing from the leaves of the fig after realising their nakedness, after eating the fruit. It is not too great a stretch, therefore, to suggest that the tree in the midst might well, and more accurately, be represented by the fig tree.
The Golden Fleece of the Argonauts was likewise hung from a tree, and protected by a serpent. As well as links to the Argonauts, there is a connection to the Grail Quest of Avalon, and the Isle of Avalon itself, the Lake being synonymous with the sea.
+++
Taken from some essays written for The Veil, so somewhat pedagogical, for which I beg your indulgence.
Thomas
