Gold Trace -
The Golden Apple and the Tree of Life

In revision

The expanded title of this website is: The Golden Apple and the Tree of Life. These two powerful symbols stand for the content of GOLDSPUR and also for the center of existence: wholeness, love and eternal life. These archetypes describe God Himself.

The golden apple: eternal love

The apple, the fruit of the goddess of love

The apple has been considered the fruit of the goddess of love for thousands of years. As the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge, it represents consumed love (see The Fall of Man account in the Bible). Snow White's poisoned apple also focuses on the shadow: it symbolizes poisoned love (for example, through destructive statements of mature women such as: "Men are pigs, want only the one ...").
In the fairy tale "the iron man", however, the king's son wins three golden apples, which symbolize wholeness in all three areas of life (body, soul and spirit).

Pure gold - imperishable for eternity

He who seeks, finds

Gold is a symbol of eternity because it cannot be decomposed by ordinary acids. It can also be found on earth in its native form. As nuggets or in dendritic form it is present, lying around, so to speak, and only has to be found.

Stargold

But it comes from the stars (see Wikipedia film under " Where does the gold come from?"). Likewise, eternal life and truth, which are "written in the stars," must be found by man on earth.

The tree of life: eternal life

The world tree for life between spirit and matter

The tree with its trunk from the roots under the earth to the branches in the sky symbolizes the life on earth between spirit and matter.
Thus, the "world tree" is an ancient symbol for the entire existence with its three realms:

1. The roots stand for the underworld, the unconscious and thus for the realm of the great mother, the life force in matter.
2. The crown in heaven, represents the realm of the spirit, the great Father, symbol of consciousness.
3. The trunk as a connection between heaven and earth, represents life in soul (spiritual) and body (material).

[S. The World Tree or Tree of Life. ]

Thus, the tree as a symbol of life has also entered into the teachings of Jewish lore.

The tree of life in paradise

The tree of life and the tree of knowledge

The Bible tells of two trees in the middle of paradise, the tree of life and the tree of knowledge. After man ate of the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge, he was expelled from paradise. Since then, the angel with the flame of the twitching sword blocks the way back to the tree of life.

[S. The two trees in paradise and the forbidden fruit and The expulsion from paradise.]

Life force and authority over matter

The tree of life symbolizes life force and authority over matter. It is identical with the positive drive(animus) in matter from love, with the Christ/Messiah. The flame of the twitching sword symbolizes the trial by fire as the final test of the hero's path. 

The way back to the tree of life

The way back to the tree of life is the way of purification. Thereby the ego dies and the self, the divine identity of man rises (see From Ego to Self). It is described in the Judeo-Christian doctrine of salvation and corresponds to the five phases of the hero's path. 

[p. From 13 to 10 - The Way Back to the Tree of Life.]

The Tree of Life of the Jewish Kabbalah

From Paradise (12) to the Redeemed Creation (10)

The Tree of Life of the Jewish Kabbalah represents the redeemed creation. The original paradisiacal wholeness of the Twelve has been destroyed by the Ego (the Thirteen), which has corrupted the male and female spirits (Animus and Anima) with power (cf. The Twelve and Thirteen at a Glance). After these 3 negative factors of power have been removed from the system ("garden"), 10 remain. The 10 Sephiroth (digits) represent the new wholeness.

The 10 Sephiroth and the Tree of Life

The goal: breaking down the boundaries of space and time

Wholeness - male and female

Wholeness will heal people. It is masculine and feminine.

[S. God, wholeness, 3-in-1, male and female.]

Whoever is inwardly completely reconciled, consciously lives love and learns to be mindful of creation, has integrated father and mother and achieved wholeness (see 12 trees in paradise: the inner family). It contains the goal for man: eternal life and eternal love to unlimited freedom.

Healing of the nations

This is how the prophet John describes the tree of life in the city of God:

In the midst of their highway and on both sides of the river [was the] tree of life, which bringeth forth twelvefold fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. [1]

Entry into the lore:

The Wild Man (the Iron Man, Introduction)
George the dragon-slayer and the maiden (introduction)

Introduction to the theoretical basics, background articles:

God, wholeness, 3-in-1, male and female
The Hero's Path
Kingship in life
The tree of life