Hilma af Klint 1914, Swan No. 23: the three planes of existence (spirit, life, matter; with line indicated by drawing for the world tree or tree of life).

The World Tree or Tree of Life for Wholeness

The world tree or tree of life symbolizes the wholeness of existence with the three realms in heaven, earth and underworld.

The Wisdom of Ancient Man (Introduction)

Holistic understanding beyond physical reality

The mythological world tree or tree of life plays an important role in traditions again and again, symbolizing the whole existence.

It may be that ancient man knew much less from a scientific point of view than today's man. Perhaps, however, for this very reason he linked what he perceived all the more with a higher spiritual reality, which he took for granted. This led then to the fact that he was closer to the wholeness in some respects than the modern man who is attached to a materialistic way of thinking.

Images for "spiritual laws of nature

Thus the pictures of the old traditions describe again and again spiritual principles and modes of action, which can be confirmed partly only today by the modern science (quantum physics). (For example the principle "spirit moves matter", so for example Ulrich Warnke[1]: "Everything comes into being through consciousness").

However, much remains a mystery, because the very big connections lie outside the human realm of experience with its five senses (see The Human Consciousness).

The basic principles of existence and salvation

As the oldest traditions already had the big, whole in view, they thematized the principles underlying existence in a pictorial way. Consequently, they were also able to point out problematic patterns that are still effective today. And finally, they even point beyond this to ways of overcoming negative laws in order to find wholeness and eternal life.

[S. Curse and Redemption in Traditions.]

Collective Redemption and the Tree of Life

In the Judeo-Christian teachings, the theme of collective redemption is also of central importance. Trees have played an important role in this since the beginning. Thus, the tree of knowledge (of good and evil) became a snare for people, which is why the tree of life fell out of reach and with it its fruit, eternal life.

The biblical way of salvation also includes the way back to the tree of life in five steps (which correspond to the hero's way).

[S. The Two Trees in Paradise and the Forbidden Fruit; The Dissolution of Negative Dynamics and The Way Back to the Tree of Life].

The archaic world tree as a symbol of whole existence 

The World Tree or Tree of Life in the Archaic Cultures

In archaic cultures, the world tree symbolizes the whole existence with its three realms: Spirit (crown), the unconscious (roots) and life (trunk) on earth as the connection of the two realms.

[S. The conscious and the unconscious.]

The life of spirit and matter, father and mother

Life originated from the synthesis of spirit and matter, symbolized by father and mother.

[S. Father and Mother, Spirit and Matter.]

Life as the unity of spirit and matter

Life itself is a mystery. It can be described as matter "animated" by the spirit, and it represents again in itself the unity of spirit and matter: namely as soul (spiritual, immaterial) and body (material).

The four of the family for the four cornerstones of existence

The soul, which is active in the immaterial realm of relationships, symbolizes the MOTHER, while the material body stands for the SON. These two together form the trunk of the tree. Thus, the World Tree or Tree of Life also contains the four archetypes of the family FATHER, MOTHER, MOTHER and SON, from which new living reality emerges.

[S. The FourElements and The Four of the Family and the Emergence of New Reality].

The three realms of the world tree as the tree of life

The three realms of the world tree as the tree of life

So these are the three realms represented by the world tree:

1. The crown with its branches in heaven: the realm of spirit and consciousness (FATHER in heaven)
2. The underworld beneath the earth: life in matter and the unconscious (MOTHER in the underworld)
3. The trunk: life as a unity of body and soul (material and immaterial, SON and MOTHER).

The tree of life - its three areas in detail

1. the crown for the realm of the spirit ("FATHER")

The loving consciousness

The crown of the tree and its branches reach up to the sky, symbol of the realm of the spirit. This is an invisible, i.e. abstract level, also called "meta-level", where knowledge, wisdom, understanding, reflection and (self)-instruction happen. Anatomically, this is located in the human frontal cerebral cortex (see The Human Consciousness and The Consciousness and the Human Brain).

The Father, the Crown: Loving Consciousness

The FATHER as archetype represents the loving, superior consciousness and has by definition unconditional love. Through the relationship to his children, especially to his MOTHER(VIRGIN), he has integrated his feminine parts(ANIMA) and with them the pure love as the feminine side of the spirit (see "I am the Father", free text).

The fruit in the crown, the daughter and sexuality

The fruit that grows on the crown is the anima, the daughter ("virgin"). It also contains sexuality, which can be enjoyed and satiates.

[S. Knowledge, the fruit of love.]

The Roots of Matter ("MOTHER")

The realm of the unconscious

The roots of the tree are at least as extensive as the crown and reach far below the earth to the "underworld", which represents the realm of the body, matter as well as the unconscious. "The Great Below," as it is called in Sumerian mythology, is the domain of the Great Mother, the Mistress of the Underworld, who represents life in matter (see The Great Feminine in the Underworld). As such, she symbolizes the forces of nature and is considered the mistress of life and death, as well as the deity of fate.

The mind as programs in matter

[S. The Conscious and the Unconscious.]

Anatomically, the area of the unconscious is located in the limbic system and is anchored in the brain stem (both together called "brain stem"). The goal for man is that he also brings this part of his existence under the dominion of his consciousness. (This is symbolized in the traditions by the king and his kingdom, see Kingship in Life and The Third Eye and the King's Treasure).

The trunk for life in soul and body (MOTHER and SON)

Life - unity of spirit and matter

As the trunk of the tree stands between heaven and the underworld, so man on earth stands between spirit and matter. For his life has arisen from the unity of the two and he even unites them in himself. Thus, on the one hand he dwells in a material body, but on the other hand he also possesses an immaterial personality, his soul. (It consists of will, mind and feelings, which can only be perceived when they manifest themselves physically; see Man 3-in-1).

[p. BODY - SOUL - MIND: Man 3-in-1 and What is the soul and where in the body is it located?].

This also comes up again and again in the old traditions, where the trees mostly represent the intact woman as a virgin. And this can be cut down ...

The young woman (virgin) as tree of life

From the World Tree to the Tree of Life

Further development of the tree of life: the 10

The basic principle of tripartition, which determines the world tree or tree of life, has been refined and developed by later cultures and finally leads to the tree of life of the Jewish Kabbalah with its ten digits (Sephiroth).

The snake in the tree and its overcoming

The rotten tree: the 13, the ego

The ego that poisons existence with the desire for power is represented by the serpent in the tree or the 13th fairy. (See Sumerian lore, Inanna and the tree in the grip of power, The Fall of Man account of the Bible and Sleeping Beauty).

Overcoming the Dragon, the Ancient Serpent: 5 Trees of Life

The overcoming of the ego is often represented in the lore by the slaying of the dragon or dragon serpent (see The Dragon, the Ancient Serpent and Their Overcoming and The Dragon Slayer George and the Maiden). This is done on the hero's path, which provides the basic structure for all the great traditions. It cancels all five factors of negative dynamics and is therefore also called the five trees of life [3].

[S. From 13 to 10; the way back to the tree of life.]

The way back to the tree of life

The Sanctuary and the Path to Divine Wholeness, 3-in-1

The sanctuary, which consists of 3 nested buildings symbolizing the realms of body, soul and spirit, figuratively shows the walkable path to God. He "dwells" in the innermost, in the realm of the spirit, which is the "holy of holies" (namely holy, sacred - or in other words: whole).

[S. God, Wholeness, 3-in-1, Male and Female, and The Sanctuary 3-in-1 and the Path to Wholeness].

The hero's path: inner dying and resurrection

The Trial by Fire: Overcoming and Dying to the Ego

Concretely, the way back to the tree of life presupposes the death of the ego. These connections are told figuratively in the Bible. After "man and woman" have been expelled from paradise with the consumption of the forbidden fruit (power), the tree of life has fallen out of reach for them (see The Expulsion from Paradise). The way back is blocked by the angel with the flame of the twitching sword. He symbolizes as one of the four cherubim fire (see The Four Elements). There is no way past it, only through it - represented by the trial by fire of the hero's way. Thereby the egoistic, fiery desire of man will burst into flames and the identity of power will die (see The Trial by Fire, 5th Phase of the Hero's Path).

Resurrection into the existence of love and wisdom: trees of life!

This is followed by the resurrection into the eternal existence of love.
The Bible tells us toward the end of Revelation that in the city of God there will be the tree or trees ("wood") of life with leaves that will heal the nations.[4]

Further contributions:

The human consciousness
Consciousness and the human brain
The expulsion from paradise   

The Ego
The drives

The Hero's Path
- The Trial by Fire, 5th Phase of the Hero's Path
The Resolution of Negative Dynamics  

Traditions:

Curse and redemption in traditions
The dragon, the ancient serpent and its overcoming

The mythology of Inanna, the Sumerian goddess of love (summary)
- Inanna and the tree in the grip of power
The mistress of the underworld
The Babylonian Gilgamesh epub
- Under the Mountain 

Aladdin and the magic lamp
- The cave of wonders
The dragon slayer George and the maiden
Sleeping Beauty

Endnotes:

[1] S. Ulrich Warnke, "Quantum Philosophy and Spirituality" - The Key to the Secrets of Human Being, (2011, Scorpio Verlag), chapter 4 entitled: "Everything arises through consciousness", p. 82 ff.

[2] Gospel of Matthew, chapter 11:25, New Testament of the Bible, "At that time Jesus began and said: I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and have revealed them to babes."
And Paul in the 1st Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 1:25-27: "For the foolish things of God are wiser than men, and the weak things of God are stronger than men. [This ...] God has chosen, that he might put to shame the wise; and the weak things of the world God has chosen, that he might put to shame the things which are strong.

[3] "In Paradise there are five trees [of life] that do not change in summer or winter. Their leaves do not fall off. Whoever perceives them will not die."(Gospel of Thomas, Logion 19, 3.4)

[4] "In the midst of their street and river, on this side and on that side, the tree [wood] of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree [are] for the healing of the nations." (Revelation of John, chapter 22:2)