KABBALISTIC TREE OF LIFE - AS ABOVE SO BELOW



What if the Kabbalistic Tree of Life is just half complete? And what if the key to its completion lies in the primary Kabbalistic concept of "as above so below?"
Then I have begun to see other symbols within the image. Firstly, the hexagrams:
An interesting note: In Hinduism, hexagram represents the union of dualities - the masculine and feminine. The pentagram, on the other hand, was used as a symbol of five-faced god Shiva.
With these notes in mind, the following image gains more perspective…
In some myths, the Tree of Life has a snake in its roots and an eagle (wings) in its crown, which again resembles the Caduceus, wand of god Hermes.
I believe that there are many hidden secrets in the united version of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life...

The so-called Axis Mundi, the connection between the earth and heaven, was recognised by most European religions and was also found as a reoccurring symbol in mythology. It was often depicted as the Tree of Life or the Cosmic Tree. In Genesis both the Tree of Life and The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil stand at the centre of the Paradise garden from which four rivers flow to nourish the whole world. In ancient China, cosmography sometimes depicted the world centre marked with the Jian tree. This mystical tree was also found in Buddhism as the Bodhi Tree, the tree under which Buddha sat and attained enlightenment. In Germanic/ Nordic mythology it was god Odin who gained wisdom from the Tree of Life, the Yggdrasil.


Some of the Tree of Life depictions are more abstract, such as the Chakra system in Hinduism and Buddhism. Also, the practices of Yoga, Tai Chi or Qi Gong recognise the human body as a connecting point between the Earth and the Heavens. Another abstract Tree of Life is the Kabbalistic one.


I have always found the Kabbalistic Tree of Life fascinating, but for some reason, it seemed incomplete to me. One day, as I contemplated the primary concept of Kabbalah’s “as above so below,“ an idea came to my mind…

What if the Tree of Life is just half complete? And what if the key to the completion hides in its reversed part? I reversed the Tree of Life and compared the two when all of a sudden they merged in my mind. Then everything clicked. It was as if they were meant to unite:





The Hebrew alphabet and the Nordic Runes may actually be derived from the six-pointed star patterns (Hagalaz - another symbol of the Tree of Life, and hexagram :)


 

And secondly, the Germanic/Nordic Tree of Life, Yggdrasil:


In the Nordic mythology, god Odin hung himself upside down the tree of life to obtain wisdom of the runes. The mother of all runes is Hagalaz, and both versions of this rune are too present in the united Kabbalistic Tree of Life.



In the united Tree of Life, we may also find the pentagrams, another important symbol of Jewish mysticism:


The hexagonal and pentagonal shapes were used as sigils of protection and power in various cultures and religions. They are one of the most common and magical symbols. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that they relate to the profound symbol of The Tree of Life.

What also unites the hexagonal and pentagonal shape is that they are present in out DNA:


When we connect the straight (masculine) lines in the united Tree of Life with curves (feminine), the image begins to resemble the Kundalini or the DNA spiral:




In astrology, Hermes (Greek) or Mercury (ancient Roman), has been astrologically aligned with planet Mercury. And Mercury draws a gigantic hexagram around the Earth every year. Is it a coincidence?
Furthermore, Hermes/Mercury could also be a counterpart to Archangel Gabriel, Odin, or Narada. All these deities share attributes such as the air element, wings, or winged beings.
But most importantly, they are the messengers between the above and below…

In most cultures, the Tree of Life was depicted upside-down. Could it mean that allegorically speaking, our roots are to be found in the universe? And, that we descend on Earth in order to branch and strengthen the roots above?

I believe that there are more hidden secrets in the united version of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life...


“The alchemist saw the union of opposites under the symbol of the tree, and it is therefore not surprising that the unconscious of present-day man, who no longer feels at home in his world and can base his existence neither on the past that is no more nor on the future that is yet to be, should hark back to the symbol of the cosmic tree rooted in this world and growing up to heaven - the tree that is also man. In the history of symbols this tree is described as the way of life itself, a growing into that which eternally is and does not change; which springs from the union of opposites and, by its eternal presence, also makes that union possible. It seems as if it were only through an experience of symbolic reality that man, vainly seeking his own “existence” and making a philosophy out of it, can find his way back to a world in which he is no longer a stranger.”

- C.G. Jung, Psychological Types


To explore more connections, check out my book:
Sacred Geometry and Magical Symbols