2000-year-old olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane

The inner family and the twelve trees in paradise

Twelve trees

Wholeness is represented in the traditions by twelve aspects, which can be traced back to the inner family. They represent the original unity of father - mother - daughter - son. Each of the four is in turn whole in itself, namely supported threefold. This harmony is a paradisiacal state of peace, which leads to fruitful relationships and a fulfilled life. It represents the security of each individual in the great whole and can thus be seen as the TWELVE TREES IN PARADISE.

Or twelve golden plates

The dimension of eternity is symbolised by gold in traditions. That is why the twelve aspects also appear as TWELVE GOLDEN PLATES (as in the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty)..

If one looks more closely at the twelve factors, then insightful thoughts emerge on the question of what a fulfilled life means.

The inner family as an unconscious code of conduct

Practised behaviour patterns

The family plays an important role in the life of every human being, because in his young years he is strongly influenced by it. It decisively influences his relationship behaviour and lives on in him as an inner family even in adulthood.

Continuing unconscious patterns

As long as the human being lives unconsciously, he behaves in the way he has been conditioned. This means that he continues those imprints and behaviour patterns that he has learned. But the problem is: where he has not yet found reconciliation, he likes to repress his own weaknesses and sees all evil outside himself. Thus he may rebel against circumstances (fate, "mother") and rebel against higher orders ("father").

Re-enactments of one's own family drama

Those who persist in negativity and in old patterns of behaviour are also in danger of staging and reliving their own family drama over and over again. For example, he gives his superior the role of his unjust father, his co-worker that of his little sister and his spouse the role of mother. In this way, childhood experiences come to life again and again and confirm a rigid, ingrained world view.

The good father, the good mother and life as a celebration

To counterbalance this, the traditions with their images and stories convey that man (also) comes from a different family. Spiritually, he comes from the "royal house" of a loving father whose goal it is that his children also learn to act as good kings in their lives. In doing so, life itself, as the "true mother", gives each person what they need to achieve this high goal.

With this perspective, life becomes an adventure and a celebration.

Three is the "divine number". What is supported threefold stands firm like a chair on three legs. In order for the inner family to live in harmony, each of the four ARCHETYPES must be whole in itself, and thus supported threefold.

Three areas of life in three phases of life

The number three plays an important role in the life of every human being. Thus, a whole life contains three phases: Youth, adulthood and mature age. Likewise, in the course of a person's life, he or she moves in the three areas: Body, soul and spirit.

1. BODY: Genes, predispositions, inherited behaviour patterns, mother - child (food, closeness).
2. SOUL: Will, mind and feelings as immaterial expression of the personality.
3. SPIRIT: Love, reconciliation and unity, in short wholeness, are the fruits of mature age and wisdom that carry over into eternal life.

4: The inner family: father, mother, child (-me), brother/sister

1. MOTHER: Life in matter, in the body, genes and imprints.
2. FATHER: Life in spirit, in love (see Father and Mother, Spirit and Matter), encouragement and creativity.
3. The CHILD as son/daughterIt needs security, comfort and protection. By taking care of it, the person integrates aspects of the shadow (such as the fear of being alone or falling short).
4. SISTER/BROTHER: The opposite-sex personality parts, the feminine and masculine sides of the mind(anima and animus) bring magic into life and shape relationships with the opposite sex. They too need to be integrated so that they are available with their positive qualities.

The inner family and its 3-fold wholeness

Thus each of the four ARCHETYPES, FATHER, MOTHER, DAUGHTER and SON, is whole in itself because triple supported:

12 - Wholeness in three fulfilled phases of life

In summary, to be in a good relationship with the inner family and also with the larger human family is to live responsibly and mindfully at every stage.

1. Childhood and youth (BODY): In this phase it is necessary to trust the instructions of the elders and to serve and help them with one's own youthful strength.
2. Adulthood / Parenthood (SOUL): Through devotion and unconditional love, the person grows into self-efficacy and responsibility.
3. Mature age (SPIRIT): Man finds reconciliation with himself and his existence by integrating the shadows on the way through the underworld. After overcoming the crisis(trial by fire), fullness and wholeness await (see From Ego to Self).

The graphical representation of the 12

The following is an explanation of the graphic representation of the wholeness of the Twelve as an inner family.

The place of the triangles in the representation

This order results from this:

1. Above: the "Father in heaven", Spirit.He has taken the realm of the spirit with love, "the Great Above", represented by the uppermost triangle.
2. Middle: Man on earth, unity of body and soul: As son and daughter with body and soul, man lives between heaven and earth, spirit and matter. This is represented by the two intertwined triangles in the middle.
3. Below: the "Mother in the Underworld", matter: She has taken life and power in matter, mythologically speaking "the Great Below", represented by the lowest triangle.

Twelve golden "plates" for wholeness

The corners of the four triangles result in the twelve aspects of wholeness and thus stand in this arrangement:

The Wholeness of the Twelve and the Thirteen

From 13 to 10: The New Wholeness of the Redeemed Creation

We continue with:

The Four of the Family and the Emergence of New Reality
The two trees in paradise
The tree of life with the ten Sephiroth
From 13 to 10, the way back to the tree of life

Back to:

The Twelve and the Thirteen at a Glance
God, wholeness, 3-in-1, male and female

Lore on the subject:

The Fall of Man Report
Sleeping Beauty

Further texts:

Archetypes
Anima and Animus
The Animus
The Anima
Christ
The Virgin

Father and mother, spirit and matter
Wholeness, God 3-in-1, male and female
Man 3-in-1 (body, soul and spirit)
Male wholeness, God, Father - Son - Spirit
Female wholeness - white / red / black
The masculine way / way of the man
The female way / the way of the woman
The conscious and the unconscious
The Shadow
The integration of the shadow
Strong emotions and the unconscious
The Ego
The drive

The way through the underworld
From Ego to Self
The hero's path
The holy wedding
Self-efficacy - shaping life positively

Image source Contributing photo:

Ebay Classifieds, Place Plate